By Joy Naomi

Just as there are many styles of roleplay, there are many different types of player. Some were born to the “geek” life and follow in their family’s footsteps, while others discovered it on their own (and some would never consider themselves geeks at all!). It’s no surprise that roleplaying and video gaming often go hand in hand as well, whether the two are long-term companions or a case of one leading to the other, and in this issue, Joy Naomi takes a walk down memory lane to show us her journey from roleplay to gamer girl.

Growing up I had a Nintendo, then a Super Nintendo, and finally a Play Station 2, with a few games to go with each. Though I had these consoles, I really wouldn’t have considered myself a gamer back then for the sole reason that I just played every now and then when I got bored or wasn’t out with my friends. Sure, I had the classics like Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, and Mortal Kombat, and who could forget Donkey Kong? Yes, I had the games that were good back then, but instead of playing a lot to try and beat the games, or goals, or whatnot, they just sat there looking sad and lonely. It wasn’t until quite recently that I entered the world of gamers and can finally call myself a gamer girl.

It started innocently enough – a friend of mine opened a new room with a setting that I have never heard of: the name of the room, Ruins of Aetheria; the setting, Skyrim. As I write this, I can start to hear the gasps and the “Oh my God, you didn’t know what Skyrim was?!” through my screen, but no, I did not know what this thing called Skyrim was at the time. Once I figured out what the setting for the room was, I did what I usually do when starting a new roleplay room – I researched it. From asking questions of the room owner to Googling my little heart out, I did it all, and the more I found out about this game, the more interested I became in it. After figuring out what was what in the room I made a character and thought I had enough of a grip on things to do her justice, and for the most part, I did, but there was just something missing. Things would be said in roleplay about items or beings, and I had no clue what was being talked about. It felt like I knew a lot, but not enough. The more I played in the room, the more I wanted to know about the game, but there was one problem: I didn’t have an Xbox to play the game on. The solution? Get an Xbox. It just wasn’t that easy because I didn’t have the funds at the moment. Fast forward to that year’s Black Friday, and it was like a sign from the gamer gods! I got an Xbox on sale and low and behold, Skyrim was on sale. Of course, I had to wait in line for five hours just to get them, but hey, it was well worth it in the end because I finally got to play Skyrim! Needless to say, I was hooked from the very start.

After playing Skyrim for a while I wanted to get more games, so eventually, I did. Now I have upgraded to an Xbox One, but I still play games on both the One and the 360. My game collection continues to grow and I find myself playing for longer and actually trying to beat games rather than just have something to do to pass the time.

The moral of my story? Never underestimate the power of roleplay. For me, what started out as simple research for a new room turned into something much more. The worlds of roleplay and gaming can go hand in hand as well. I find myself getting character ideas all of the time from a game I’m playing, whether it’s a back story or a character concept. So go forth, explore new rooms, and explore new games – whatever you do, don’t stop searching for that one new and exciting thing, because you never know where you may find it.