Oi why are you so great and beautiful and good at doing words about games luv ed
Oh, you! THANKS ED. :D Now excuse me while I gloss over your embarrassingly lovely comments and run away!
Latest answers from V.
Pyramid head or slender man..... Which one would you hate to meet most?
omg. It's a horrific Sophie's Choice. Um... Pyramid Head, probably. Slender Man is terrifying and everything, but everything about PH is just horrendous - the weapons, the clothing, the helmet. NO THANKS.
Currently on Team Christmas day out - should I ditch the car and hit the cocktails?
Do you like your colleagues? THEN DO IT. If not: escape as early as you can, and then go have cocktails with someone you love. :)
How do you maintain your secret identity as Wonder Woman?
The very existence of this question suggests that my cover has been blown. Now I must find you and kill you.
Fave games of the year?
I agonise over questions like this, but off to top of my head: South Park Stick of Truth; Far Cry 4 and - unsurprisingly if you follow me on Twitter - Destiny. Also freakin' adored P.T..
Zombie Apocalypse: How would you fare?
Badly. I'm all talk, no action. Would be the first to die and end up like one of those sadass walkers, torn in half on the side of the road and going nowhere.
Why are cats so awesome?
NOT AS AWESOME AS DOGS. THE END.
How do you find time to game when your husband (I believe) doesn't?
It's true - he doesn't, really. He only plays racers (F1 and FH2, at the moment) and even then, he has to be in the mood for it. I tried for years to get him into it but it's just not his thing, probably just because I grew up gaming and he didn't.
It's cool, though. I like inverting the stereotype. Plus I don't have to beat him to the controller.
I don't watch much traditional TV, I guess - my evening downtime is usually spent playing something when he's watching the footie!
It's easier now it's my second job. I can just mutter something about having to finish something for work and get on with it. Finding time is easy enough; he loves sport, I love gaming. So when one of us is doing our favourite thing, the other does theirs, too. It works for us, and I'm SO LUCKY to have a partner who gives me time for my passion even though he doesn't quite understand it. <3
It's cool, though. I like inverting the stereotype. Plus I don't have to beat him to the controller.
I don't watch much traditional TV, I guess - my evening downtime is usually spent playing something when he's watching the footie!
It's easier now it's my second job. I can just mutter something about having to finish something for work and get on with it. Finding time is easy enough; he loves sport, I love gaming. So when one of us is doing our favourite thing, the other does theirs, too. It works for us, and I'm SO LUCKY to have a partner who gives me time for my passion even though he doesn't quite understand it. <3
What are the most important skills that a games journalist can have? How should you approach a career in writing?
There are six easy steps:
1) Read a lot.
2) Write a lot.
3) Read more.
4) Write more.
5) Rinse.
6) Repeat.
Heh. :D
It's stupid to say it, but seriously - you have to write AND read. A lot. Read things that interest you, but also read the things that don't. Keep mental notes of what does, and doesn't, appeal to you as a reader. Find your own voice, and don't mimic others. If you play something that you hate, why? It's as important to be able to talk passionately about what you don't like as much as you do.
Be fair. Be professional. LISTEN TO YOUR EDITOR. Take critique on the chin and know that there are some amazing editors out there, but also some really shitty ones, too. Learn from them all, though. Read your work aloud - does it still flow? Does it make sense? Learn to use sentence structure and a love of language to paint a story with words. Avoid cliches, but respect them. They're cliches for a reason.
As for approaching a career? Man. I don't have a traditional career (I write part-time, as eighteen months living hand-to-mouth as a FT freelancer was more than I could bear - I have a kid to support, world) but use the skills and links of enthusiast sites to learn from others and showcase your work. Be polite and respectful, never demand anything, but believe in yourself.
If you can, study journalism formally. I didn't (I've never taken a writing class in my entire life), so it's not always a prerequisite, but it's easier if you do.
Finally: don't give your work away to outlets who should be paying for it under the guise of "exposure". If it's a profit-making publication and they want your words for free, walk away - you're undervaluing yourself, and the rest of us, if you think it's worth it to get a foot in the door.
DON'T MAKE ME STAMP ON YOUR FOOT.
1) Read a lot.
2) Write a lot.
3) Read more.
4) Write more.
5) Rinse.
6) Repeat.
Heh. :D
It's stupid to say it, but seriously - you have to write AND read. A lot. Read things that interest you, but also read the things that don't. Keep mental notes of what does, and doesn't, appeal to you as a reader. Find your own voice, and don't mimic others. If you play something that you hate, why? It's as important to be able to talk passionately about what you don't like as much as you do.
Be fair. Be professional. LISTEN TO YOUR EDITOR. Take critique on the chin and know that there are some amazing editors out there, but also some really shitty ones, too. Learn from them all, though. Read your work aloud - does it still flow? Does it make sense? Learn to use sentence structure and a love of language to paint a story with words. Avoid cliches, but respect them. They're cliches for a reason.
As for approaching a career? Man. I don't have a traditional career (I write part-time, as eighteen months living hand-to-mouth as a FT freelancer was more than I could bear - I have a kid to support, world) but use the skills and links of enthusiast sites to learn from others and showcase your work. Be polite and respectful, never demand anything, but believe in yourself.
If you can, study journalism formally. I didn't (I've never taken a writing class in my entire life), so it's not always a prerequisite, but it's easier if you do.
Finally: don't give your work away to outlets who should be paying for it under the guise of "exposure". If it's a profit-making publication and they want your words for free, walk away - you're undervaluing yourself, and the rest of us, if you think it's worth it to get a foot in the door.
DON'T MAKE ME STAMP ON YOUR FOOT.
what made you decide to work in the games industry?
I've ALWAYS wanted to be a writer. Originally it was fiction, then it was women's glossies, then it was chick-lit. I wrote my first "book" when I was ten (a collection of "spooky" stories that were just as awful as you might imagine) but since then, it's all I've wanted to do.
Which meant I didn't do it, of course. My (unrelated) degree took me down another path, and I spent many happy years working in education.
I never stopped playing games, though - even though it wasn't really something "girls" did then. But when I became involved in the Silent Hill fan community, it developed my confidence talking about games, and then in 2006, I joined a US site as an unpaid contributor. In 2009 I set up GGS as a labour of love, and the rest ... well, you know the rest, right?
To be honest, there was never a plan. Not once did I set out with specific goals or ideas on how to get further. I worked hard, yes, and I tried my best to inject bits of me into everything I wrote; little bits of personality to give readers something they could relate to. When I set up GGS, it was just a blog for me to talk about games in an non-snarky, non-elitist way. I genuinely didn't think anyone would read it.
I didn't sit down and consciously CHOOSE to do this. There's been a whole lot of love and luck along the way, but I guess - to finally answer the bloody question - I didn't consciously decide to do write about games at all. :)
Which meant I didn't do it, of course. My (unrelated) degree took me down another path, and I spent many happy years working in education.
I never stopped playing games, though - even though it wasn't really something "girls" did then. But when I became involved in the Silent Hill fan community, it developed my confidence talking about games, and then in 2006, I joined a US site as an unpaid contributor. In 2009 I set up GGS as a labour of love, and the rest ... well, you know the rest, right?
To be honest, there was never a plan. Not once did I set out with specific goals or ideas on how to get further. I worked hard, yes, and I tried my best to inject bits of me into everything I wrote; little bits of personality to give readers something they could relate to. When I set up GGS, it was just a blog for me to talk about games in an non-snarky, non-elitist way. I genuinely didn't think anyone would read it.
I didn't sit down and consciously CHOOSE to do this. There's been a whole lot of love and luck along the way, but I guess - to finally answer the bloody question - I didn't consciously decide to do write about games at all. :)
How would I go about writing for GGS :)?
Read the bottom of here (http://www.ggsgamer.com/about/staff/) and if you qualify, drop me a line on the contact page! Simples! :)