Nicholas Ware was born and raised in Montgomery, Ala., but has since spent time in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, California, and Japan. At PopSci, he contributes reviews and round-ups focusing on tech, audio/video products, and video games. While much of his free time is spent enjoying that realm, his outside interests include professional wrestling and improv comedy and he has attended the two biggest wrestling shows in the world: WrestleMania in the United States and Wrestle Kingdom in Japan. Most of his career has combined freelance writing with being an educator and he has taught at nearly every level from elementary school to university as well as supplemental education/tutoring.
Highlights
- Keenly aware of trends and advances in digital entertainment technologies, particularly games
- Academic background in popular culture studies
- Has also had academic writing published in collections including The Journal of American Culture, Performance and Professional Wrestling and Football, Culture, and Power
Experience
Nicholas joined the PopSci team as a contributor in 2020. He’s largely focused on the games and audio/video sectors, doing reviews and running down both software and hardware. In the past, he has worked as a freelance writer for a now-defunct import gaming blog and an Orlando-regional arts and entertainment website where he covered film and film-adjacent events. Outside of writing, he’s largely worked in education or for nonprofits. He’s taught courses on the university level in English composition, English literature, English language, digital media literacy, game history, game design, and culture studies. Additionally, he’s published academic writing—largely focusing on video games, professional wrestling, and digital culture—in 100 Greatest Video Game Characters; Football, Culture, and Power; The Play Versus Story Divide in Game Studies: Critical Essays; Rated M for Mature: Sex and Sexuality in Video Games; and The Journal of American Culture.
Education
Nicholas graduated with a BA from Florida State University with a double major in English Literature and Media Production. While at FSU, he managed the student movie theater and was part of the programming committee for determining what films and events were available to students. Later he attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio and earned an MA in Popular Culture Studies, and finished all coursework and tests for a PhD in Texts & Technology from the University of Central Florida (but did not write a dissertation).
Favorite weird science fact
The Eiffel Tower can be up to 15cm taller in summer. The heat causes the metal to expand in volume, leading to the tip of the tower being just a smidge (about 6 inches) taller. Sacre bleu!
Notable Work
- Nintendo Switch review: Great for games at home or on the go, and that might be enough Popular Science
- Nintendo Switch vs. Lite: Which of Nintendo’s handheld gaming consoles should you buy? Popular Science
- QLED vs. OLED vs. Mini LED: Understanding TV backlight tech Popular Science
- Best Nintendo Switch controllers for any gamer Popular Science
- The best cheap laptops to take on the go—without breaking your budget Popular Science