Anthony is my real name, but the username? Better sit down...this will take a while.
Back in college, I was called "Gamemaster" because I was the go to guy for all sorts of video game tips, tricks, secret codes, and other such things. You might say I was sort of the dorm's local version of GameFAQs. Anyways, while I was in college, I also had an idea for a paper and pencil based RPG where you could role play a video game. Not something I could sell, obviously...just something fun I was working on.
After college, a coworker of mine introduced me to MiSTings...which in turn introduced me to something called fanfiction. I eventually found a site called Fanfiction.net and was inspired in 2001 to actually write a fanfiction which was the basic backstory for the RPG I was working on. The name of the fic was "Heroes of Arcadia - The Gamemaster's Legacy". Personally, I was expecting the fic to flop...since it was a self-insert fic and SIs were seen as the spawn of Satan back then. The only reason it was self-insert was because just on the off chance I actually COULD sell the game idea I figured hiding myself in the backstory of the game could allow me to prevent others from stealing my idea.
But then...things got interesting.
The fanfiction became a hit...and a BIG hit at that! I was definitely not expecting that, and even more surprising was the fact was that I was actually gaining a fan following. I began writing other fics and soon found that OTHER fanfiction authors were using the reality I had created for their own fics. Essentially...fanfiction of fanfiction. I was soon pretty well known throughout the internet for my fics...even to the point where people got excited whenever I left a review and whenever I joined a new message board back then I was recognized by at least one or more of the members. I had somehow become...a cybercelebrity, and GamemasterAnthony had been my moniker ever since. Only this time it became a reference to my fanfiction persona rather than the game expertise that originally spawned the name.
As for my avatar...well, seeing as how I was a fanfictionist and not an artist, I decided to ask people if anyone was willing to create an avatar for me based on my fanfiction. I gave a very basic description and even posted a link to a photograph I had online to give them something to work with. A member on NetRaptor's forum who went by the name Calypso came up with a really great pic. It was this [http://premium1.uploadit.org/GMAnthony///GMAvatar.jpg], and I was amazed what a great job she did. In fact, the artwork was so impressive, I thought she did an even better job of creating a look for my character than even I had imagined him to look like. So...I decided to make that the character's official look, and it's been the look people have associated with me ever since.
Nowadays I'm currently planning a reboot of the fanfiction series, and may have to update the look to include the loss of hair up top. Still...now you know.
