Matthew Green

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Matthew Green, 43, of Orlando, Florida on Thursday, November 21st, 2024, after a fourteen-month battle with cancer.

On March 3rd, 1981, Matthew Alan was born to Richard and Michele Green. Even as an adolescent, he was instantly smitten with anything video game related. If it featured Kirby, Sonic the Hedgehog, or everyone’s favorite plumber, Mario, you could guarantee it had his attention. This was an affection that would accompany him into adulthood, but more on that later… 

At a young age Matthew was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a condition that kept popping up like goombas his entire life. While in high school, he went boldly where no man had gone before and embraced the new-found technology of the internet. He created a website / online support forum dedicated to helping fellow teens, suffering with the same condition. The site was so successful he was awarded the “Spirit of Community” from the Florida Senate for his stellar community advocacy.

After graduating from University of Central Florida in 2005 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology, he accepted a position in the university’s Facilities and Planning department. He spent his days preparing 3D renderings and 2D site plans of conceptual designs for future construction around the university. Eventually his responsibilities increased to entail becoming the captain of the ship, so to speak, at least when it came to the university’s construction planning database. You should pay close attention to street names and building structures around the campus. In true Matt fashion, over the course of his 24-year professional career, he managed to include nods to numerous formative gaming franchises. 

After years spent searching for a co-op partner in the wrong castles, Matt finally leveled up and found his princess on November 1st, 2015. Corey Schreck and Matthew were married five years later, in 2020 on the exact same November 1st that they first met, bringing their collective stories full circle.

Anybody who knew Matt understood his deeply passionate connection to pop culture franchises like Star Trek, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future. Somehow, crossing those streams with video games resulted in a successful second career in video game journalism. Further building on his experience creating websites and channeling his passion for gaming, Matt established PressTheButtons.com in March of 2005. The site featured his unique writing style, well-researched commentary, his flair for podcasting, and puns. So many puns. PressTheButtons.com, will live on in his memory, continuing to share his hard work and endless passion with the rest of the world.

Matthew Green is survived by his aforementioned wife of 4 years, Corey; mother, Michele and his grandmother, Faye Blakely; as well as his fur babies, Moxxi, Tiny Tina, Sasha von Snugglebites, and GusGus.

“But Courage Need Not Be Remembered... For It Is Never Forgotten.” – Zelda