This month’s interview is with Noelle Adams, a blogger, gamer and the creator of Girls ‘N’ Games webcomic who also tweets.
CT) Tell us a bit about yourself
NA) I’m a 29 year old copywriter, freelance journalist, blogger, and webcomic creator from Durban, South Africa. Pop culture and all things geeky (film, comics, and graphic novels) are among my chief interests, and that’s largely what my blog, Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass, is about. My blog was also a top 10 finalist in the Entertainment Category of the 2010 South African Blog Awards. I also run the comic Girlz ‘N’ Games.
CT) What is your gaming drug of choice, and your favourite game/system?
NA) These days I mostly play boardgames (Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Zombies, Battlestar Galactica, Carcassonne, Race for the Galaxy) and tabletop role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons chiefly), although I enjoy a good session of Guitar Hero on the Xbox and I’m planning a return to World of WarCraft in the near future to enjoy the Cataclysm expansion content. Really, I’ve dabbled in all forms of gaming, whether it be electronic or not, over the years.
CT) Who introduced you to gaming?
NA) My very first experience of gaming was being taught how to play video games on the Atari 2600 console in the mid 1980s when I was 4 or so. So I was introduced to some of the classics early on–Pitfall, Missile Command, Pacman, Asteroids, Space Invaders etc. In terms of boardgames and RPGs, I made friends in my college days who shared similar interests, so we would try out the games together.
CT) What about gaming appeals the most to you?
NA) Gaming is a leisure activity that is mentally stimulating and challenging. You’re not just “switching off” and vegging in front of the TV, for example. You’re mentally engaged, doing something. Boardgames and tabletop RPGs also have an additional social element which is really appealing and enjoyable. People really come out of their shell while playing games.
CT) Please share a great gaming moment with us.
NA) Recently, I had great fun playing the Battlestar Galactica boardgame as Starbuck. I don’t know what it is about that game but you naturally find yourself playing the series characters as they appear on the TV show, whether you’ve watched it or not. Anyway, after bravely shooting down dozens of cylon raiders it was up to me to kill a cylon centurion that had boarded Galactica and was one step from taking over the ship. I think I had to roll an 8 on a d8 to defeat it, and I did–the dice gods were with me!
Also, last year my friends and I wrapped up our 3-4 year 3.5 Edition DnD campaign. We actually finished it and saved the world. And the last battle was truly epic–outracing a thousands-strong undead army to fight and defeat dragon liches and evil god Vecna himself.
CT) Do you think that being a female gamer leads to you being treated differently?
NA) Yes and no. I think it still does surprise some people (gamers and non-gamers) when they learn you have interests still typically associated in the public’s mind with guys, not girls. Female gamers are welcomed, and helped if you need some assistance getting into a game you’re not familiar with, for example. This said, I’ve found gamers to be a pretty accepting and welcoming lot in terms of all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, personal image etc.
As a female gamer, at least in my experience, once you’ve demonstrated your knowledge and/or skill–proving that you take the hobby seriously–you tend to merge more easily with the crowd, and any initial differences in treatment seem to fade away.
CT) In your opinion are there gender issues in gaming?
NA) When you’re playing with your normal gaming crowd, I don’t think gender issues are much of an issue. However, if you publicly (on the Internet, for example) advertise yourself as a woman who games you could find yourself constantly being compared to people’s conceptions of what “girl gamer” means. And that’s a gender issue minefield, where you can never please everyone.
Edited by Charles Dickey
