Interviewing Gamers

[Blue Hero]

1.) In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
My neighbour got me into gaming when I was young. He was about 17-18, and I was maybe 7-8. Maybe younger. Maybe older. Whenever my mother had to go to work or just had to go out, he'd take care of me. We'd just play Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Croc all day (we'd also watch Beavis and Butthead). When we eventually moved away, he gave me his Playstation, NES, and all his games.

2.) Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
Not really.

3.) Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
Action-adventure, action RPG, and platformers.

4.) Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
SNES, NES, Wii, PS1, PS2, PS3, and Gamecube. I mostly play my PS3.

5.) What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
What with my PC being an absolutely piece of shit, I don't do a lot of PC gaming. The little PC gaming I have done has been very enjoyable though. Loved TF2, loved Minecraft, loved Battlefield 1942.

6.) Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?
Will buy both. Will try both. Will choose which one I like more then.

 

[Vault101]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?

first started with the old computer and my cousins SNES (much to their annoyance) I would play games like ski free and rodents revenge, and some SNES titles whenever we would visit the family, I got an N64 at some point, and played a few more games on PC, I skiped a generation and relaly got into gaming last year when by luck I got a decent PC


2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?

definetly Mass effect and assasins creed


3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?

I prefer stuff in 3rd person, generally action or shooter but Ill play anything good

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?

my main platform was PC untill I got a PS3, nowdays I play the PS3 more because I get more games for it, because theres less risk involved


5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?

great, controlls the best, very vesatile, especially if you have laptop (dont look at me like that) asdie from the obvious down side is not as much stuff gets released for it, which is only a problem if youre dying to play that certain game everyone keeps raving about

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

I dont care

 

[SSoSFAGTiaCaGwaP]

In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
I've been into gaming ever since I was about four. My brother (who is two years older than me) had a computer that he was constantly playing games on. He always told me that "games are for boys, not girls", but whenever he wasn't around, I'd sneak onto his computer and play games.


Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
I've always loved stealth games, the Thief and Splinter Cell series' would be my favourite.


Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
As I answered previously, stealth is my favourite. I also enjoy role-playing games.

Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
I've always loved the PC the most, as it's what I grew up on, but I also own an Xbox 360 and a PS2. I've found that PC's controls feel more natural to me, and it actually took me a while to get used to dual-wielding sticks when I played and FPS for the first time.

What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
Personally, I think that PCs are the best platform. My main answer whenever asked why is because they better graphics, and you can mod games.

Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?
I've never been into FPSs. To me, they both look exactly the same.

Name: Sorry, I like to keep that information private.
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Alias: TheAztec

 

[Craorach]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?

The first games device I owned was the C64 released in England as the Terminator 2 Judgement Day pack.. which included a cart with that game. I was 11 I think. Before that I'd played games on computers at school and my friend's consoles.

2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?

I've probably sunk more time over the years into the Diablo series than anything else I've done bar working, school or traditional tabletop RPGs. Blizzard games in general I really enjoy.

3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?

Action RPGs, FPS and Action Melee games (God of War, etc)

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
In my house we have... 2 Desktop PCs, 2 Laptops, 1 Mac, 1 Ipad, 2 Iphones, 1 360, 1 PS3, 1 PS2, 1 Wii and a DS, all of which we use to game... mostly I play on my Desktop because I prefer mouse and keyboard.

5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?

My hands down favourite platform. I prefer mouse and keyboard over most control schemes for most games, and can use controllers if I want. Steam and similar platforms allow me to live without a huge pile of boxes cluttering up my house.

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

I will likely play both as they offer different experiences, but I am unlikely to buy either at release, I don't have as much time to play games anymore as I used too and prefer to pick them up when they get abit cheaper and have had bugfixes. I'll likely buy BF3 first, because I prefer the more open battlefields that series provides.

Just as with platforms, there is no "which is better" there is only "which do I prefer".

Name : Yeah.. no.
Age : 30
Gender : Male
Alias : PsychoPuppy or Craorach

 

[tombman888]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

1. With a Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64.... first game i owned and got to 100%. Round the age of 7 i believe
2. Kingdom Hearts series, Sly Cooper series, Ratchet and Clank series, Team Fortress 2.
3. RTS and FPS games are my main types i play. I am looking for a good fantasy exploration RPG, and Skyrim looks nice
4. Wii, Xbox360, PS2, N64 (handhelds count?) NDSLite (PC?) and a PC. And i use the PC the most, followed by probably the PS2, then Wii, then Xbawx
5. IT'S GLORIOUS!
6. Don't intend to buy either, and have only ever played Call of duty. EA seems to be getting alot of hate for BF3, so i think MW is going to probably do better.... although i could be completely wrong like always

 

[staika]

Spoiler: Questions

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
-I got my first console when I was about 5 my family got a SNES and the first game we got was super mario. My older cousin said at that time he'd knew I'd grow up to be really good at video games as I beat Super mario on my first run through >.>
My hobby with gaming really started about a year later when we got more games and once the N64 came out I was hooked to that forever.
2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
-I like the Saints Row series a lot and if I had to choose it would be saints row. I also enjoy the halo and gears of war series.
3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
-I usually play FPS' and RPG's I do sometimes go into horror games ^-^
4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
-I have a WII and a 360 and I mostly play on the 360. My computer isn't good enough to play games on it >.>
5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
-It's ok, I don't really play on it and I like a controller over a mouse and keyboard because I grew up using a controller and it feels a little awkward to use a mouse and keyboard. But I have nothing against PC gamers.
6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?
-I enjoy the COD series more because one of my favorite shooters was the first call of duty and I've been with the series since the beginning but I don't really like where its going to be honest. In a sense of the words I am a call of duty hipster >.>

Name-Jeff Kennerknecht
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Online alias: Staika when available Staikaman at all other opportunities and prof sn1pe for XBL.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?

Can't even remember. Got an xbox for a christmas present when I was a kid, and before that I'd plaid some of my dads games on the computer for as long as I can remember.

2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?

Absolutely, the half life series.

3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?

Really anything but sport games is good for me, although most of my favourite games were fps's

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?

I own an xbox, pc, xbox 360 and a ds. I mostly play on the xbox because halo reach has my favourite multiplayer.

5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?

Very solid, it has many advantages compared to consoles and a condiderable library of good exclusives.

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

Definately Battlefield 3, Lately I've begun to feel like the call of duty series needs to calm the fuck down. There is a limit to how action packed it can get before it becomes just a bunch of meaningless explosions.

The battlefield series shows much greater restraint.

Age: 16

Name: I don't really see how you'd benefit from that information.

 

[Stall]

1. It was the N64. I was like 6 or something.
2. SWG (pre-cu) if I had to pick one.
3. MMORPGs
4. PC and PS3. The PC, since its convenient, more powerful, has a better library, and I own more games on it.
5. It's objectively superior to consoles. It isn't "opinion" about which is better, but simple, cold fact. Which you PREFER is an opinion, but you cannot deny the PC is superior on every criterion you would judge a gaming platform on.
6. They're both samey, generic, modern warfare FPSs. I don't prefer one over the other.

 

[ronald1840]

1. I remember vaguely starting on the NES playing Super Mario Bros 3 over a cousin's house. The first console I owned was either the N64 or Super Game Boy (big gray one). Nintendo kinda ruled my childhood for a point, until one christmas when I bought a PS1 and learned that other people make games. Since that point, I've made it my goal to always own both Nintendo and Sony's portable and home console devices

2. My favorite gaming series would be in no particular order: Uncharted, Final Fantasy, Persona, Kingdom Hearts, Mass Effect, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet & Clank.

3. My two favorite genres would be Action/Adventure (Uncharted) and RPG (SMT: Devil Survivor). I can't really put one over the other since I go to each style with different expectations, but I enjoy an experience that gives me full control over my characters and actions.

4. I own a PS3, 3DS, Wii, and have pre-ordered a WiFi PS Vita. I play the PS3 and 3DS equally depending on if I'm at home or on the go. I prefer the PS3 because due to its social features like Home, and the PSN which lets me chat, shop, and interact with all sorts of people.

5. If they weren't so expensive I'd save and make one, which I will do at one point. As of now PC gaming isn't really a big deal to me because most titles are multiplatform now the ones that matter to me (Bioshock, Mass Effect, Rage, Portal 2, Skyrim). These titles play just fine on my PS3 and I could care less about maxing out HD. The idea that a PC has to be upgraded every couple of years (2-4) kind of seems counter intuitive to me and I'm satisfied with Sony at the moment.

There are PC titles that are very strong to me, and are firm in my choice to eventually construct my own to play. Star Wars: Old Republic, the Steam games, the GoG, and titles I've played previously like Bioshock and Borderlands just to get a different experience. PC gaming is cool for those who can afford it and have time


6. Battlefield 3 and CoD: MW3 seem so similar to me it gets on my nerves when I see it top frequent "Games Most Wanted Lists". CoD is starting to get really lazy and I just can't see how a series can have so little advancements to change things and still be eaten up in the tens of million? I thought gamers wanted something fresh and new, but we're all just a bunch of hypocrites that let titles like El:Shaddhi (spelt right?), and Mirror's Edge just go to the bargain bin. Personally, I enjoyed the zombie mode from CoD and Battlefield: BC story was pretty cool, but I really hope these series flop in the future or their publishers go into fresh field.

EA - Mirror's Edge 2 (Frostbyte Engine?)
Activision/Infinity Ward - Anything but another FPS. I just don't care anymore.

 

[Speakercone]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?

My grandmother bought me a GameBoy, then later an SNES when I was around 7 or 8. She was a rather competitive lady and if there was an amazing new toy she was going to make sure her grandson had it. I first knew this was something special when I started playing Super Mario World and realized that this was just about the greatest thing I'd ever experienced. Long Canadian winters made for great after-school gaming sessions.

2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?

My favourite game tends to be the one I'm playing at any given time. Games I revisit a lot would include Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect 2, Master of Orion 2, Chrono Trigger, Pokemon, and probably a few more I've forgotten.

3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?

I tend to really enjoy puzzle/platformers, action/platformers, spectacle fighters, RPGs of all kinds, and anything which involves a lot of exploration.

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?

I own a PC and a Wii. I play my PC most of all because just about every game I want comes to PC anyway and I can use a 360 pad if I want to. The wii tends to be just a box I keep around for whenever a Mario/Metroid/Kirby/Zelda game rolls around.

5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?

Excellent by just about any metric you care to name except for price. Modding in particular is often really awesome.

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

I'm indifferent to these titles. They appear to me to be very similar in most respects. Frankly I prefer CS and Team Fortress 2 as competitive multiplayer games and the single player isn't interesting enough to earn my money.

 

[lolmynamewastaken]

1.In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
erm my ex baby sitter had an N64 so she and i used to play Golden eye while we were waiting for my parents to turn up. my brother then purchased a playstation and when i was older i asked my parents to buy me a playstation 2 a while after it was released.
2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
i've got to admit, i am a massive halo fan boy, but there are better games. i think the first inFAMOUS would be one of my favourite games of this generation and the second one makes it my favourite series...
3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
i tend to stick to FPSs with some RPGs and driving games thrown in there. im also a fan of casual games (not that anyone thats played them has any choice about being a fan/addict to some of them.)
4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
so i have a playstation 2, old school xbox, playstation 3 and a computer that will play games if its in a good mood. out of those im currently in a playstation 3 phase, but give it a week and i will have probably switched to PC again
5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
i think that in many ways it is superior to consoles, but that it is also slightly too complicated and too quickly out dated to be worth a major investment especially considering how few PC exclusives there now are.
6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?
im not a fan of MP really, and modern warefare 3 is more likely to have the best single player experience, so im going for that. its a win by default though, im not really a massive CoD fan.

My name is Gary, im male, i'm a countryside management student in Wales, and gaming is my only hobby that can be done while its raining (being in the UK, that means its pretty much all i ever do)

 

[xdropkicknickx]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?

As cliche as this may sound, I don't remember a time without video games. My earliest memories of playing video games were old windows games like that one hovercraft game I've been searching for for years and this chill fighting game where you were monsters fighting in the sewer (can't remember that one either). My first console was a Sega Genesis, I never did like Nintendo, plus every other kid in the world had one (I was a hipster out of the womb), so my first true experience with gaming as a hobby was my Playstation 1.

2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?

Absolutely. The sonic games on the Genesis were the greatest things I had ever experienced as a young boy, and as I got older I got into Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy, the latter of which was something of an obsession until FFXI (I was waning with X and X-2, though the boobs made the latter one OK). Honorable mention goes to Einhander and Tomba, both of which I played until i could literally tell you every thing that happened in order. Today my favorite games are still from the PS1 days, only because they remind me of my childhood. Bioshock, Mirror's Edge, and Borderlands are the only games that do much for me in terms of modern-day games

3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?

Racing games always draw my attention, although I have no idea why. Side-scrollers are a classic for me, and RPG's are an obvious favorite considering my love of Final Fantasy. FPS' are good too, always good for "pick up and play"

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?

Sega Genesis, PS1&2, X360, just recently bought an N64 so I could play Harvest Moon and Pokemon Snap, and my computer. My PS2 gets the most use because of its backwards compatibility with PS1 games, but my 360 is a close second. Was always too cheap to get a PS3, but now I really have no excuse not to have one.

5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?

Far superior to consoles though I personally don't care to upgrade my computer in order to play games, I'd rather just use my consoles (pure laziness)

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?

Battlefield 3. I was one of those AK-74u with rapid fire and skills set to Marathon Pro, Lightweight Pro, and Sleight of Hand Pro that would go 30-40 and 0 on many occasions. I hated that. Yeah I could have gone for a different set up, but why the hell would I when I'm doing so well with that set up? (Yes, I'm talking about CoD Black Ops, I guess that's not really a fair comparison to MW3, is it?) I guess I just remember how much fun I had with Battlefield 1942 and figure they'll do an equally fantastic job on the third installment.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

1. In terms of your first consoles and games, how and when did you first get into gaming as a hobby?
Originally, we just had a PC at home, and I never had any contact at all with the console world. Occasionally we got some games, but mostly only things like several Lego games. In fact, the best thing I can remember from my pre-console days was Croc 2, and I'm not sure that holds up very well to modern me...Who cares, it's nostalgia.

During my fifth-grade school camp, my mother thought that with everyone else having a handheld game console, she might as well get me one, and since she thought the Game Boy Advance would be obsolete soon, she got me a Nintendo DS. It didn't have many games with it at the time, but soon one would grow into a collection of several more, including some titles I really had to hunt for.

2. Would you say you had any favourite games, or series?
Favourite game right now is The World Ends With You, for Nintendo DS. It's not without faults, sure, but it certainly has a lot less than some games I've played. Favourite series, probably Mario simply on how dependable he is. Sure, there's not a lot of innovation, but it does what it knows how to do, and it does those things well every time.

3. Any genres you tend to prefer playing?
Single-player focused games mostly, so RPGs, platformers and the occasional sandbox take up most of my gaming space. For the same reasons, I tend to avoid sports simulators, first person shooters and MMOs. One last little thing: I don't really know why, but I prefer the JRPG style to the WRPG, unlike pretty much everyone else on the Internet.

4. Regarding platforms, which do you own? Of those, what do you play most and why?
I own a PC, a Wii and a Nintendo DS, which gets the most use due to being portable. I also have a 3DS, but I'm waiting for some decent games to come out on it. After the DS, I usually use my PC a lot more, and get most of my games from Steam. If I find a title in a proper store, electronics or dedicated gaming, that's cheap and I want badly, I'll get it there.

5. What do you think of the PC as a gaming machine?
One word springs right to my mind: flexibility. Aside from the questionably legal practice of using the PC to emulate other consoles, usually much older ones that they don't sell games for any more, it's possible to buy or build a PC in a lot of price ranges, and while a lot of games these days require a pretty badass 'rig' to run even on the lowest settings, it's still possible to find some older games or indie titles that'll run on your not-so-hot PC, but be plenty of fun anyway.

(And those games tend to be less expensive than the 'blockbusters' like Call of Duty to boot.)

6. Finally, with the imminent release of Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot of debate amongst the online FPS crowd as to which is better. Where do you stand on this?
EA shot themselves pretty hard in the foot with marketing Battlefield 3 to PC gamers. DICE said that the PC is the focus point of the series, then EA goes and gets rid of the in-game server browser and dedicated servers. But only for the PC version. Then it says you have to use Origin, which is basically some totally arbitrary competition to Steam. And in the end, going into the digital distribution market directly against Steam is like going into the handheld market directly against Nintendo: you're going to lose, hands-down.

Factor in EA's frequent, childish insults and the fact that Call of Duty already has a larger established fanbase on the consoles that EA seems to be favouring now, and I'd say it's a foregone victory for Modern Warfare 3. I'm not actually going to buy either of them myself, though: I didn't play it a lot, but if MW3 is enough like MW1 (only with a worse single-player campaign), I'm just not interested.

Name: James (from Australia and thought you meant New South Wales with the magazine location, even though I don't live there)
Age: 16
Gender: M
Alias: I've used several, but my most common one is 'NerfedFalcon'.