Check Out Video Game-Inspired Clothing Store LVL CAP Apparel |

Check Out Video Game-Inspired Clothing Store LVL CAP Apparel from a Mass Effect Developer

I wanted to bring this unique gamer-inspired clothing line to your attention today, here at Life After Gateway.

I’m an avid gamer. I have been clear about that since the beginning of the blog. It’s been an important part of my own creative journey. Narrative-driven and cinematic games are my favourite — games like Alien: Isolation or The Last Of Us — but I also play a lot of Call of Duty … maybe a little too much. I play COD every night. I have always said “a good story can heal the world” and I believe we need escapist entertainment now more than ever before. Books, movies, and video games got me through my teenage years. I still game to this day, as a means to just … escape. To de-stress. To get away from it all. We all need that.

If you’re also a gamer, I think you’ll love this line of clothing from developer/artist/owner Nelson Housden. My interview with him is below.

LVL CAP Apparel

From the LVL CAP online store:

“I’m Nelson Housden. Gamer, artist, and former game developer. For 17 years I worked in the industry. I helped build games and icons that defined a generation. The N7 insignia. Paragon. Renegade. If you know, you know. I watched the apparel world try to ‘do gaming’ and get it wrong. Too corporate. Too safe. Too disconnected from what this culture actually is. So I built something from the inside. Something real. LVL CAP launched in 2025. Made by a gamer, for gamers. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Today at Life After Gateway, I’m putting the spotlight on this store and the owner’s obvious love for games, gamers, and the gaming community. He’s Nelson Housden, a game developer who was previously the GUI-lead on BioWare’s Mass Effect … and he happens to also be my brother-in-law. Today, I’m engaging him in a conversation about his mission with the clothing line, his favourite video games, his motivations, what inspires him, and more. I’m also going to showcase some of the current products at his store. He is an incredible artist and his dedication to the gaming community is obvious.

“Gaming is one of the biggest communities on the planet. It has its own language, its own identity, its own everything. But most gaming apparel doesn’t reflect that. It’s licensed merch, watered-down streetwear, or brands made by people who’ve never actually played. LVL CAP exists to change that. No corporate filter. No focus groups. Just honest apparel built from real passion for the culture.”

LVL CAP “Season One” Products

“In gaming, the level cap is the ceiling. The max level. The proof that you grinded, pushed through, and made it. But hitting cap isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of mastery. I named the brand after that pursuit. The relentless push toward your strongest version. In-game and in life. Reach cap.”

Before we get to the interview, here are some LVL CAP products. (Shipping for now is only in Canada, but USA shipping is in the works and coming soon.) Check out this gallery of gaming-inspired apparel; these are just a few examples of the “Season One” drop. There is more coming in the next seasons. Clicking any product will take you to the LVL CAP store. In the interview below, we’re going to learn why Nelson has founded this business, his motivations, and more.

More from the official website about the creator’s love for the gamer culture:

“Endgame is Ours. We are gamers. Creators. Competitors. Dreamers. Gaming is more than a pastime. It’s a way of life. The thrill of the grind. The agony of defeat. The rush of victory. The friendships forged in co-op. The rivalries tested in battle. The endless pursuit of leveling up. Not just in-game. In life. Every piece we make is a badge of honour. A statement of belonging. A reminder that the grind never stops.”

And here’s the LVL CAP booth at the recent Edmonton GamesCon:

“We stand for the ones who push boundaries. The ones who stay up late chasing greatness. The ones who know that skill isn’t given. It’s earned. No matter the game. No matter the platform. No matter the level you’re at. This is more than clothing. This is our endgame. And yours.”

Gaming apparel entrepreneur Nelson Housden in the LVL CAP workshop

The Interview

TSJ: Hi Nelson, thanks for chatting today with me about your gamer clothing line, LVL CAP Apparel. I’m interested in the direction you’ve taken your gaming career! Do you feel the clothing market is neglecting gamers?

Nelson: I do feel like the clothing market is neglecting gamers. Whenever I’ve searched online to buy gaming clothes I’m always shocked that I can’t find what I’m looking for. That’s why I decided to make it happen myself.

TSJ: That’s often the genesis of a successful business! It’s all about filling a niche. It’s providing things that people have been looking for, but can’t find. What is your ultimate goal in selling video game-related apparel?

Nelson: My ultimate goal is to reinforce and expand upon that connection between gamers who have experienced something awesome or special in a game, and can share it even if they have never met each other. They know those experiences and moments have changed them, and that these events and changes can now be a part of their character-customized wardrobe, so to speak.

The back of the “Rage Quit” shirt

TSJ: Where did you get the idea to drop items in “seasons” … and will you continue to sell items from previous seasons?

Nelson: I got the idea of selling in seasons from my own experiences playing live multiplayer games. These days it seems like most massively multiplayer games have different seasons, some more frequent than others, but it’s something familiar for the gamers. I think gamers are familiar with how seasons work in games. I will continue to sell the most popular items from previous seasons, but the less popular ones … not so much.

TSJ: What’s your best-selling item so far?

Nelson: It’s the “You Died” t-shirt.

TSJ: What’s your favorite video game and why?

Nelson: Oh boy, that’s a hard one. I like so many different games from so many different ways to play, from PC to mobile. I think I keep coming back to the Battlefield franchise … all the different Battlefields, from 1942 to the most recent Battlefield 6. There’s something about what they’ve captured in the first person shooter format that keeps me coming back. I have such fun memories, from LAN parties to absolutely crazy moments of in-game screaming and cheering with friends and even with random teammates.

TSJ: What’s your greatest achievement in the gaming industry, in your opinion?

Nelson: I think my greatest achievement in the gaming industry was being a part of the Mass Effect series. I was able to start with it when it was first called SFX and I worked on it to finish the Shepherd story and all the way into the multiplayer DLC. I continued with it once again, revisiting it in all its glory, to remaster it. In my game developer career, it was like a double unicorn sighting, and something I cherish.

TSJ: In future seasons at LVL CAP Apparel, do you plan to focus on vintage games?

Nelson: Yes, I plan on looking at retro or vintage games and peppering them into new seasons. It’s hard to beat the classics and their pixel art form. I think a lot of new gamers are starting to experience and enjoy some of those older games and realize that it’s not just nostalgia, but that a lot of those games are genuine masterpieces, even if they are not as technologically advanced and graphically perfected as today’s buffet of games are.

LVL CAP creator Nelson Housden wearing his best-selling t-shirt

TSJ: Some of your designs are distinctly for gamers, others are more subtle. In your opinion, what is your target demographic?

Nelson: Passionate gamers who love gaming through and through. Those who have that purist love of gaming, the culture, and every aspect of what it gives gamers. From experiencing different worlds, different stories, becoming a hero or whatever you make of it and with friends too. That’s my demographic for LVL CAP Apparel.

TSJ: What future game are you looking forward to the most?

Nelson: I’m a sucker for sci-fi games and I can’t deny that I love Mass Effect. A lot of my previous coworkers (from BioWare) have moved onto a project called Exodus, and it looks amazing and might have that special something that I think the Mass Effect series had. I’m very excited to play it.

TSJ: When people purchase product from you, you always include little bonuses like stickers and tattoos. Why?

Nelson: Who doesn’t like special bonuses or Easter eggs? I think for me when I’ve bought a game and opened up the box, I’ve always been super excited when I find more than just a disc. Sometimes it’s a map or a special code or something special the dev team wanted the players to have. Like in the old days when you got a booklet that told you more about the game — I’d like my customers to recapture that feeling.

TSJ: What future clothing design are you most excited about and why?

Nelson: I have hundreds of ideas and I hope that most of them connect with other gamers. I’m very excited about a clothing set I’m designing that pays homage to the great and legendary companies that helped to bring gaming to the masses.

TSJ: Oh, very mysterious … I’m all in. Atari? Nintendo? I can’t wait to see what you mean. You recently went to the games expo in Edmonton to sell your product. What was that experience like and will you do it again? If so, where? What was the best experience, and what was the worst?

Nelson: It was an amazing experience, seeing so many fans and being able to talk to them about games and my products and cool stuff at the convention. I definitely will do it again as long as I can, and I’ll be going to a few more conventions in Edmonton, Calgary, and gamer pop-up events in the future and some local tournaments and stores too. The best part of GCC was being interviewed by a documentary crew for an upcoming local film called Massive Effect. The worst part was being exhausted at the end of the day … and then having to pack up when it’s pouring rain.

TSJ: The clothing quality in your brand is very high. That was likely a tough decision. Can you tell me about your thought process in selecting the manufacturer?

Nelson: I wanted to find a balance between quality and competitive pricing, and also look at what manufacturers’ values are, both locally and abroad. It’s difficult to find the right partners and the right prices to make really great products.

“Critical” hoodie front and back at LVL CAP Apparel

TSJ: Your designs are unique and interesting. Are you considering obtaining licenses from large and established companies for future designs? For example, doing a COD-specific design, or a Battlefield 6 graphic?

Nelson: I take inspiration from every part of the vast universe of gaming online and off. I’m on the lookout to work with game companies big and small. If it’s a good match or a great idea I hope to make it happen with licensed gear. Let’s just say I have some big plans with well known, and lesser known, companies.

TSJ: Video game memes are always a highlight, like “All your base” or “At least I’ve got chicken” and so on. Will you be dropping any meme-centric designs in future seasons?

Nelson: Memes feel like cultural lightning in a bottle. I think when inspiration hits and there’s something just perfect, then you have to meme about it. I have a few designs in mind that feel like they could capture some of that for future seasons.

Above gallery: “We Unite Gamers.” A typical shipping order, complete with packaging and a few extras

TSJ: Thanks so much for speaking with me today, Nelson. I hope people pop over to your site to check out the gaming apparel, and will continue to visit for future season drops as well.

Nelson: Thanks, Timothy. I appreciate it!

LVL UP. STAND OUT. REACH CAP.

Some of the “extras” you might find in your LVL CAP shipping package

Here’s the link to LVL CAP Apparel

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 22 September 2026

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007