Christina Milazzo, Director of Marketing – Spyro the Dragon

Before Insomniac was well-known for the Resistance series, it was the proud parent of a little purple dragon. I was 10 when the first Playstation came out and it was A BIG DEAL. Ten year-olds now would think the quality was crap but I remember thinking “it looks so real…” when I first saw the Playstation commercial. I was stoked when my dad took me to Toys R’ Us to buy one and Spyro the Dragon was the first game I got to go with it. Part of my love for that game is nostalgic because I remember spending hours playing it with my dad – you know, having him fight the bosses for me so I could skip to the easier, fun stuff. But my favorite aspect of the game, by far, was Spyro. I have a bit of an attitude myself so I’ve always appreciated the lovable badass, antihero kind of characters.

Andrew Lahey, Director of Operations – COD: Black Ops

I don’t “idle” well so I use gaming as a way to get me away from working non-stop. Everything I do is about strategy and I love the strategy that comes along with first-person shooters. I’m also a history buff so I love the perspective that games like Black Ops and World at War give on how history “played out.” Mix a few of my favorite things and you get my favorite game.

Michelle Milazzo, COO – House of the Dead

The best game ever created HAS to be House of the Dead. Seriously – muggy summer nights at the Santa Monica Pier, caramel corn, cheap sunglasses… and zombies coming at you from every which way. What other game has a gun in place of flipper buttons on a pinball machine or a remote control on a console? I remember getting carpal tunnel syndrome from the continuous trigger pounding before carpal tunnel was even heard of. In short, there’s nothing like a warm summer breeze, a house full of zombies, and a sore forearm to make your night.

Anthony Cerbini, CEO – Call of Duty

My favorite games were Gorf, Ms. Pac man, Space Invaders, and Dr. Mario, but if I had to pick one as my all-time favorite, hands down it is Call of Duty – all versions.  There is nothing quite like the tactics and strategies offered in multiplayer.  Plus the Military genre is a very compelling element since good vs. evil will always inspire greater competition and camaraderie amongst players.  You can play causal games to pass the time, but if you really want to PLAY, you need to have competition to make it worthwhile.

Craig Buckles, Technical Gaming Director – Zelda

I’d have to say my favorite game of all time is Zelda. Out of all the Zeldas I would pick Ocarina of Time, the very first Zelda I played, and the very first 3D one. It absolutely blew my mind. I have never come across a game that was able to balance action with puzzles so well. They were always able to put one temple in every game that made you want to pull your hair out, yet kept you playing until you figured it out (Water Temple lol). They seemed to create the perfect length of a game to keep you interested without getting bored. Plus half way through the game there was always some huge moment that just changed everything.

Over the years, the Zelda franchise just got better and better. New plots, new enemies, and new inventive ways to solve dungeons. But still, some way or another, it all fit into different time lines in the Zelda universe. To show how much the Zelda franchise meant to me I got a sleeve of tattoos of different things from Zelda in a timeline – starting from my shoulder with Twilight Princess all the way down to the very first Zelda. Still a work in progress but it will be a sight to see when it’s finished. I will always be interested to see what Zelda will dish out with every new game.

2Cubed Inc. is pleased to announce the beta release of its much-anticipated gaming rewards system, Gamer’s Gold. After years of fueling the gaming industry’s explosion, video game users will finally be rewarded for the countless hours they spend on their favorite games.

After creating a free account, members of Gamer’s Gold will be able to accrue passive points based on the amount of time they spend playing World of Warcraft, Angry Birds, Call of Duty, etc. The more time they play, the more points they earn. Users can also pay a monthly subscription fee of $4.95 to upgrade to a Silver account, which accrues twice the amount of points.  These points can then be used to enter Giveaways or to buy Visa cash cards. The “gold” or virtual currency being earned is essentially turned into cash and prizes.

At its launch, Gamer’s Gold will be solely PC-based, with its primary focus on popular PC titles and Facebook games.  However, it intends to reach console and mobile platforms as soon as possible. The CEO of 2Cubed Inc. and innovator of Gamer’s Gold, Anthony Cerbini, says that “this is the kind of product that focuses on the user. Ultimately we want to bring them every game they want on each gaming platform so that their rewards are productive.”

In keeping with this ideal, Gamer’s Gold has a “Submit a Game” feature which allows users to suggest certain games to be included in the Gamer’s Gold catalog of supported titles. “We will be devoted to our users’ requests and expanding our supported games list,” Cerbini explains.

For the last year, Gamer’s Gold has been recruiting charter members as a part of their pre-launch. These registered users earned 500 points per month just for showing their support of the upcoming product and an additional 100 point bonus for becoming a fan on Facebook or following the Gamer’s Gold Twitter. “Hundreds of gamers showed interest in our product’s pre-launch,” says Andrew Lahey, Director of Operations at 2Cubed Inc. “Because of them, the concept of Gamer’s Gold was further solidified to us. We look forward to a similar response when we launch to the masses.”

The Gamer’s Gold team certainly has high hopes as it already promises future development. The rewards system will soon be offering a Gold account where users can get active points by earning certain achievements while playing, such as having a top score or completing a mission; and a Platinum account, where users can match against others to win their points.

GamersGold.com previously featured the product’s pre-launch information and is being replaced with a fully functional site on August 22, 2011. On this official launch date, users will be able to sign up and begin earning points.