Meet Stack Up's Writers
Curious about the folks behind reviews, Stack Up updates, and other gaming and mental health-related articles on the Stack Up blog? Here is our awesome team of volunteer writers. Click on their names to find all of their posts!
L. Sahara McGirt | DarthSagaSwag | Social Media Manager, Editor-in-Chief
Sahara has been playing video games since the age level of 5, when they were just tall enough to stand on a chair at the bowling alley and play games like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Space Invaders. They're a fan of any game that looks like it might be interesting. They've played 100s of games by now at level 30 and hope to die while gaming. As the Social Media Manager & EIC at Stack Up and a Navy Veteran, they have experienced how gaming can help Veterans and Active Duty Military members maintain their mental health.
Stephen Machuga | ShanghaiSix | Stack Up CEO, Game Reviews
Stephen, as the CEO of Stack Up, has long loved video games. You can check out his bio on the main Stack Up website here. While the rest of you may know him from his streams, his presence at events, we here know him for his reviews in the latest game he got the chance to play. Whether he's talking about an indie that he found interesting or a AAA game, he loves to talk about games as much as he enjoys getting them into the hands of Veterans and Active Duty service members everywhere.
Roberto Nieves | Senior Writer | Game Reviews
Roberto Nieves is level 33, living and playing in Long Branch, New Jersey. He's been playing games since the days of using channel 3 and cartridges. He has played everything from the biggest games to the smallest title. Shooters, racing, strategy, he is wide open to different experiences. Every game has a unique story to tell and has had an impact on his life. Games have helped him find his best friends, discover parts of himself, and learn new things from different people. He has written for Marooners Rock, Dual Pixels, and Game Rant.
Laura Collins | Writer | Game Reviews
Laura or "Blue" tends to write about games and mental health. Farming Sims and RPGs are usually her favorites, but she is a fan of most genres in some capacity. Writing for Stack Up became a way for her to help and to hope, and a light at the end of a tunnel in a darker period of her life.
Fernando Da Costa | Writer | Game Reviews
He's been reviewing games for close to a decade, with bylines across the interwebs. JRPGs are his absolute favourite. It’s a love that began as a kid, watching his dad play. He'll also die on the hill that Lunar needs a remake - "do it, cowards." His wallet dislikes him, but his credit card company sends him a muffin basket each year, so there’s that. When reviewing, he tends to pay too much attention to narrative as he loves a good story. As an aspiring author, he lives and breathes words. He considers the Nintendo Switch the best console due to its portability. He can usually be found playing it with a nice cup of coffee beside him - it’s an addiction.
Chad Christian | Writer | Tabletop Gaming Coverage
Meet Chad Christian a.k.a. TapRackBang. He's a USMC infantry Veteran. He loves gaming of all kinds, with tabletop games taking the centerpiece. He's been working with Stack Up since 2018 as the Dayton, Ohio Stack leader and recently began writing tabletop game reviews for us as well. Stack Up helped him greatly when he needed it most and continues to be a cause worth supporting.
Brad Pietzyk | Writer | Mental Health
Brad Pietzyk served in the US Army for nearly 15 years until he was medically retired due to mental health concerns at the rank of Major. Brad is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and the University of Southern California. Brad lives in comfort in Oregon with his wife and two children. He is an avid player of Final Fantasy 14, RPGs, and strategy games.
Robert "Bob" Bagby | Writer | Game Guides
Robert "Bob" Bagby aka ZiplockBob is a U.S. Army Logistical Veteran. His favorite games are JRPGs and Dynasty Warriors games, however he prides himself on his mid-tier fighting game skills. He is the Chattanooga Stack Lead. Between all the number crunching and min maxing in gaming he decided to transfer those skills over to writing game guides to give other players an inside track to actually cleaning out their backlog.
Colla Triti | Writer | Streaming Coverage
Colla Triti's gamer name is a variation of Meok, completely dependent on the games she plays. She also writes under two pen names: LostInQueue for fanfiction, and Colla Triti for original fiction, streaming articles on this site. She's an artist who has run her own business for the last eleven years. It seems like a lot but the creative field is where she feels most at home. If she decides she can do it, she's ready and willing to take the steps and setbacks to get to her end result. For her, success lies in the journey. Everything she has her hands in is open-ended; there isn’t only one way to do whatever it is she's looking to do, and that brings her life.