Difference between revisions of "Jamie Bunker"

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}}'''James "Jamie" Bunker''' is an American businessman{{ref|https://contactout.com/JamesE-Bunker-14303112}} and former [[Renovation Products]] game tester and spokesperson{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}}, most notable for starring in a well-remembered 1991 advertising campaign for the [[Mega Drive]] horizontal shoot-'em-up ''[[Gaiares]]''.
 
}}'''James "Jamie" Bunker''' is an American businessman{{ref|https://contactout.com/JamesE-Bunker-14303112}} and former [[Renovation Products]] game tester and spokesperson{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}}, most notable for starring in a well-remembered 1991 advertising campaign for the [[Mega Drive]] horizontal shoot-'em-up ''[[Gaiares]]''.
  
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==History==
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==Career==
 
A [[wikipedia:San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco Bay Area]] native{{ref|1=https://radaris.com/ng/search?ff=James&fl=Bunker&fage=&fs=California}}, Bunker joined [[Renovation Products]] in 1989, and was one of the company's earliest employees.{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}} Employed as a video game tester, he was still attending nearby [[wikipedia:Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, California)|Fremont High School]] while working for the company{{ref|https://contactout.com/JamesE-Bunker-14303112}}, and was only sixteen years old at the time. Although one advertisement claims Bunker was employed as a game tester when he was only twelve{{fileref|EGM US 020.pdf|page=35}}, the minimum legal working age in California is generally fourteen{{ref|https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/california/child-labor-laws/}}, and Renovation Products was not opened until 1989. While he was possibly serving as an unpaid intern at another company when he was only twelve, the ad is likely instead referring to when Bunker developed a passion for video games in general.
 
A [[wikipedia:San Francisco Bay Area|San Francisco Bay Area]] native{{ref|1=https://radaris.com/ng/search?ff=James&fl=Bunker&fage=&fs=California}}, Bunker joined [[Renovation Products]] in 1989, and was one of the company's earliest employees.{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}} Employed as a video game tester, he was still attending nearby [[wikipedia:Fremont High School (Sunnyvale, California)|Fremont High School]] while working for the company{{ref|https://contactout.com/JamesE-Bunker-14303112}}, and was only sixteen years old at the time. Although one advertisement claims Bunker was employed as a game tester when he was only twelve{{fileref|EGM US 020.pdf|page=35}}, the minimum legal working age in California is generally fourteen{{ref|https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/california/child-labor-laws/}}, and Renovation Products was not opened until 1989. While he was possibly serving as an unpaid intern at another company when he was only twelve, the ad is likely instead referring to when Bunker developed a passion for video games in general.
  
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Bunker remains in the Bay Area{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20101030201205/http://cinnamonpirate.com/2007/07/unpublished-the-real-jamie-bunker/}}{{ref|https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunkerjamese/}} working in management and customer care positions, and is currently employed at [[wikipedia:Seagate Technology|Seagate Technology]] as Staff Program Manager.{{ref|https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunkerjamese/}}
 
Bunker remains in the Bay Area{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20101030201205/http://cinnamonpirate.com/2007/07/unpublished-the-real-jamie-bunker/}}{{ref|https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunkerjamese/}} working in management and customer care positions, and is currently employed at [[wikipedia:Seagate Technology|Seagate Technology]] as Staff Program Manager.{{ref|https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunkerjamese/}}
  
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==''Gaiares'' advertising campaign==
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===''Gaiares'' advertising campaign===
 
[[File:JamieBunker Gaiaresmainad.png|thumb|right|240px|The famous ''[[Gaiares]]'' advertisement that has become associated with the game's American release.]]
 
[[File:JamieBunker Gaiaresmainad.png|thumb|right|240px|The famous ''[[Gaiares]]'' advertisement that has become associated with the game's American release.]]
 
In 1990, Jamie Bunker was selected by [[Renovation Products]] to be the spokesperson for their upcoming [[Sega Mega Drive]] game ''[[Gaiares]]''{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}}, with the photoshoots taking place that same year.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20101030201205/http://cinnamonpirate.com/2007/07/unpublished-the-real-jamie-bunker/}} Bunker posed with the game's United States release in a series of three advertisements, with each labeling the seventeen-year old spokesman a "professional gamer". Contrasting with the often juvenile and exaggerative statements of other game advertisements of the day, Renovation Products' advertisements simply featured Bunker presenting the game with a recommendation of its quality; one even extolled Bunker's credibility as a game tester.
 
In 1990, Jamie Bunker was selected by [[Renovation Products]] to be the spokesperson for their upcoming [[Sega Mega Drive]] game ''[[Gaiares]]''{{intref|Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit}}, with the photoshoots taking place that same year.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20101030201205/http://cinnamonpirate.com/2007/07/unpublished-the-real-jamie-bunker/}} Bunker posed with the game's United States release in a series of three advertisements, with each labeling the seventeen-year old spokesman a "professional gamer". Contrasting with the often juvenile and exaggerative statements of other game advertisements of the day, Renovation Products' advertisements simply featured Bunker presenting the game with a recommendation of its quality; one even extolled Bunker's credibility as a game tester.

Revision as of 04:17, 23 July 2022

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James Bunker
Place of birth: United States
Date of birth: 1974-03[1] (age 50)
Company(ies): Renovation Products[2]
Role(s): Spokesperson[2], Tester[2]
Education: Fremont High School (1992)[3], San Jose State University[2] (Bachelor of Business Administration and Management Science; 1998)[3]

James "Jamie" Bunker is an American businessman[3] and former Renovation Products game tester and spokesperson[2], most notable for starring in a well-remembered 1991 advertising campaign for the Mega Drive horizontal shoot-'em-up Gaiares.

Career

A San Francisco Bay Area native[1], Bunker joined Renovation Products in 1989, and was one of the company's earliest employees.[2] Employed as a video game tester, he was still attending nearby Fremont High School while working for the company[3], and was only sixteen years old at the time. Although one advertisement claims Bunker was employed as a game tester when he was only twelve[4], the minimum legal working age in California is generally fourteen[5], and Renovation Products was not opened until 1989. While he was possibly serving as an unpaid intern at another company when he was only twelve, the ad is likely instead referring to when Bunker developed a passion for video games in general.

While working for Renovation Products, he was regularly sent by the company to attend various Consumer Electronics Show events[6][2], and while working as a game tester, he formed a relationship with another Renovation employee who still remains "the love of his life."[6]

Bunker remains in the Bay Area[7][8] working in management and customer care positions, and is currently employed at Seagate Technology as Staff Program Manager.[8]

Gaiares advertising campaign

The famous Gaiares advertisement that has become associated with the game's American release.

In 1990, Jamie Bunker was selected by Renovation Products to be the spokesperson for their upcoming Sega Mega Drive game Gaiares[2], with the photoshoots taking place that same year.[7] Bunker posed with the game's United States release in a series of three advertisements, with each labeling the seventeen-year old spokesman a "professional gamer". Contrasting with the often juvenile and exaggerative statements of other game advertisements of the day, Renovation Products' advertisements simply featured Bunker presenting the game with a recommendation of its quality; one even extolled Bunker's credibility as a game tester.

Legacy

The advertisements' boldness has seen Jamie Bunker inherit a humorous niche of Western gaming culture, with his advertising campaign growing to become celebrated as genuine and even charming by a number of modern critics. Having developed a modern reputation as one of the Mega Drive era's most fondly-remembered advertising campaigns, Bunker has since seen himself become strongly associated with Gaiares.

In May 2005, Bunker emailed Derrick Sobodash of T2D – The Second Dimension in response to a previous article written on the Gaiares campaign, revealing that he still owns the original prints of the three advertisements.[7]

Interviews

Promotional material

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Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #20: "March 1991" (1991-xx-xx)
also published in:
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Print advert in Mega Play (US) #4: "May/June 1991" (1991-0x-xx)
also published in:
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Print advert in Game Players Sega Guide! (US) #0205: "Vol. 2, No. 5" (199x-xx-xx)
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Internet advert at Retro-Bit (US): "Bring down Gulfer and save the Earth in Gaiares!" (2021-11-16)[14]

Photographs

Main article: Photos of Jamie Bunker

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://radaris.com/ng/search?ff=James&fl=Bunker&fage=&fs=California
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Interview: Jamie Bunker (2021) by Retro-Bit
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://contactout.com/JamesE-Bunker-14303112
  4. ↑ File:EGM US 020.pdf, page 35
  5. ↑ https://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-and-hour-laws/state-wage-and-hour-laws/california/child-labor-laws/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.1up.com/features/where-are-they-now?pager.offset=1 (Wayback Machine: 2015-11-06 00:18)
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://cinnamonpirate.com/2007/07/unpublished-the-real-jamie-bunker/ (Wayback Machine: 2010-10-30 20:12)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunkerjamese/
  9. ↑ GamePro, "March 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 77
  10. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 3 No. 4 April 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 33
  11. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 3 No. 5 May 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 25
  12. ↑ Sega Visions, "April/May 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 33
  13. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 3 No. 7 July 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 21
  14. ↑ https://retro-bit.com/gaiares/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-11-18 08:49)
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