Hawke has been role playing since 1979 and a regular Game Master since 1984. He has role played with dozens of game systems in countless campaign worlds, but his favorite setting is in Middle-earth using various game systems since 1984. He has been an RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association) member since 1984 and he created and ran two annual RPGA conventions in 1985 and 1986 in Utah when only 15 & 16 years old. He created a BBS (Bulletin Board Service) supporting role playing gaming, and Tolkien fans in 1994.

Hawke took over what is now the merp@merp.com email list from Mario M. Butter (silent-tower.org) in the late 1990's. He founded Merp.com ( http://www.merp.com ) in the 1990's before handing it over to be run by the international volunteer community. He has created a series of rulebooks known as Eä d20 ( http://www.ead20.com ), adapting D&D 3.5 (Dungeons & Dragons) rules for play in Middle-earth. He has founded the Numenor Project ( http://www.numenorproject.com ). He is the founder and organizer of MerpCon ( http://www.merpcon.org ). He is founder and co-editor of the new quarterly publication Other Minds Magazine ( http://www.othermindszine.org ) dedicated to role playing gaming in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. He has published a number of essays on J.R.R. Tolkien specifically, and on Role Playing Gaming in general.

In the "real world" Hawke is a retired computer scientist ( http://www.hawkenterprising.com and http://www.dev2devportal.com ), information security specialist & analyst, Radio DJ ( http://www.thesyntheticzenshow.com ) and talk show host ( http://www.techtalkhawke.com ), who is  raising three boys. He is also a huge open source advocate and activist. Meanwhile he is volunteering & studying as a Recreation and Music Therapist working with special needs children. He has been learning ASL (American Sign Language) since 2006, and has founded the Spokane ASL study groups website ( http://www.spokaneasl.com ). He is organizing the first Deaf Role Playing Gaming Group in the Inland Northwest (Washington/Idaho) Spokane area, and he is working on a 10+ year research project on "The Therapeutic Aspects of Role Playing Gaming"
( http://www.rpgresearch.com ).

Hawke also has several projects about working towards publication including:

• "Escape From Numenor" adventure module ( http://www.numenorproject.com )
• "Ea d20 Races and Cultures" Open D20 rulebook for Dungeons & Dragons role playing gaming ( http://www.ead20.com )
• "Under Umbar" adventure module. ( http://www.numenorproject.com )
• "First Contact" adventure campaign

Additionally he is working on trying to develop the "truest but playable" Tolkien RPG system known as Ea RPGS ( http://www.earpg.com ).

Hawke also created and develops with a team of other open source developers a computer application suite of programs known as SuiteGM (http://www.suitegm.org).