Hey That's Me in Beckett MMO Magazine!

Back in October of 2008, I was interviewed by Joanna Ricco of Outspark for a possible feature in Beckett MMO Magazine highlighting Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice.  There was no guarantee that the interview would ever see print so I wasn’t to speak about it until it did.  The interview was published in Beckett’s December issue and my interview made it in!  One of the screenshots I had provided of my character even saw print, I was so honored!  There were several questions that did not make it, but below are the answers I provided to them…

1.  So, you live in Hawaii, a place known for its beautiful culture.  What makes Hawaii special to you?

Hawaii has always been home to me and it is the culture of our islands that will keep me here forever.  I think Hawaii is unique because there are so many different influences that mold our local culture and keep it evolving all the time.  Although the customs, foods, and attitudes here are primarily either Native Hawaiian or Asian influenced, you can see elements of North America, South America, and Western Europe as well.

2.  You started the Fiesta Magazine. What motivated you to start such a big project on your own?

I’m a huge fan of both photography and digital manipulations. The Fiesta Game Engine allows for some unbelievably beautiful screenshots and although there are a few forum threads that encourage people to show off their best, I wanted something more as an outlet for my creativity.  The Fiesta Magazine has humble beginnings; it started off just as pretty basic cover art, a clean screenshot with some phony headlines slapped on there for good measure. Players loved the idea and asked if it was possible for the contents that the headlines alluded to to come into existence. I thought it over, and decided to give it a shot.  A few weeks later, the Fiesta Magazine Digital Edition was born.

Looking back, the first magazine’s layout was a fairly crude design compared to its current form.  The contents were cover to cover 100% me, so the articles themselves were pretty short and most were just a figment of my imagination. Since the first issue was so well received, the GMs asked if I would continue this project. I agreed. I was granted my own subforum on the outspark.com website forums and put out an open call for volunteers to help me out.  The community didn’t disappoint. I assembled a fantastic team and they’ve done a great job thus far.

3.  How do you feel about the culture of women in the MMO world?

I still think we have a ways to go in truly establishing ourselves as equals in the MMO world.  Games like Fiesta are great because they attract casual female gamers with great graphics, simple to learn controls, a gentle learning curve, and a top notch community with which to interact.
If I had to guess, I think the Fiesta World is made up of about 20% females, which I would imagine is a pretty impressive number in this industry.  The Fiesta community is a lot better than most in viewing females as equals to their male gaming counterparts.

4.  Tell us about your favorite Fiesta moment.

I guess I’m pretty simple, my favorite moments in Fiesta is every time my character hits a milestone.  That milestone could be anything from reaching a certain level, acquiring a new or upgraded skill, or being able to wear a new piece of armor. Everyday is a different adventure, when I sign on, I never know what to expect from that day.

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