Adele

MMO community connection:

Adele Caelia

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

Judy “Adele Caelia” Williams

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I write or have written as a freelance journalist for a variety of MMO news sites, including EQ2 Vault Network, MMORPG.com, EQuinox magazine, and Bright Hub. I also have my own blog/website at http://adelecaelia.com/.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

My blog varies on topics. Quite often I use it to blow off steam or vent about something going on in my game life. I also use it to announce recent articles, and sometimes to talk about what is going on in real life.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in a galaxy far far away… Just kidding, I was born in Wood River, IL, and I grew up in Bethalto, IL. Both are very small towns outside of the St. Louis metro area.

Where do you live now?

If I told you that, not only would I have to kill you, but I would be flooded with crazed stalkers, forced to use my powers to defend myself, and possibly destroy the world in the process. Trust me, it’s just best if you don’t know.

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90?

This isn’t a huge secret. Everyone knows I just turned the dreaded 30. I am officially old, and will no longer be considered a hot babe among the gamer generation. It’s ok though; now that I’m old I can officially accept my real life name of Judy. Oh yes, so the answer is, 21 – 30.

What do you do for a living?

I work as a freelance writer. It’s nice because I do pretty well with it, and get to stay home with my children.

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

Johnny Depp’s wife… Is that a career? It must be, right? I can only imagine what a pain in the rear he is. Always on the road, wanted by women everywhere, and forever running around in pirate garb!

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

Oh this is hard. I’m pretty much an open book, and I talk too much. Hmm.. (15 minutes later) Still thinking… Let’s see… Hmm…

• I dance naked every month during the full moon.
• I have THE ring.
• I like to speak in a horrible British accent to pretend I’m cool.
• I hold the keys to the universe. No… You can’t have them. If you are thinking of taking them, see the answer in question five about my ultimate powers.
• The powers that be have summoned me to watch over and protect the Internet. I’m doing quite a poor job of it too.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I have been happily married for 5 years. I have three beautiful children, ages 13, 5, and 6 months. I feel truly blessed to have such a beautiful baby, and I could not imagine a life without them.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I loved board games as a child (I secretly still do, but no one will play with me). I really liked playing Clue and a game called Stop Thief. I liked Guess Who, and of course I had those games that all girls do, like Dream Date and Girl Talk.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

Gosh. I am extremely uncoordinated, and therefore have never played a sport. I am also not musically inclined, so that’s out too. However, I did enjoy writing. I wrote a lot of fiction growing up, even in grade school. When I was young I really enjoyed writing poetry.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

No, I had never heard of them until I was older. They do intrigue me. I would love to just collect and paint the little figurines. It’s a very expensive hobby though.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I loved reading as a child. I would spend a lot of time at the library. We were very poor, so we couldn’t buy books. My mom would freak because I would go to the library early in the morning, and not come home until after dinnertime. She swore I was up to no good, but I was just reading. I always enjoyed novels that included knights, princesses, magic, ect. I LOVED choose your own adventure books, and ate up anything staring Merlin or King Arthur. I also liked to read murder mysteries, such as RL Stine and Christopher Pike. I read a lot of the Star Wars series growing up too.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

Hmm… I don’t know. I really don’t think so. I think my love of many of those books, came from a need to escape. I fell into MMOs by chance, and a love of Star Wars, not the books, but the movies.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

Oh my. When did the Atari 2600 come out? 1972. Gee… talk about forever ago. Well, I obviously got one way after it came out because I remember Alf was on the air, so it would have been 1986. My brother and I was given an Atari that year for Christmas. It was the same year I got a Pamela doll and my brother, he was given a My Buddy doll.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Not really. I remember liking pinball, and I enjoyed playing that at the local bowling alley. When I was in Jr. High I liked the basketball arcade game. I don’t remember what it was called. I also love skiball. I always have to ‘help’ my daughter play it at Chuckee Cheese.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

Hmm… Don’t laugh. Carmen SanDiego. I never caught her! I absolutely LOVED that game. We didn’t have a computer back then, but I remember in 5th grade, spending all evening at the library after school, playing that game. LOL… I should buy it for my kids.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Atari, Coleco, Intellivision. Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega, Game Cube, Xbox, Wii. Most of these I did not have until I was older. My husband loves to collect gaming systems. I think we have all of these in our basement with a ton of games. Well the Wii and Xbox aren’t in the basement.

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

Well, I already told you about the obsession with Carmen SanDiego. Growing up I was always afraid to play games that had any type of fighting, aside from Mario. I loved to watch others play Zelda. I tried to play it, but would get scared when I had to kill stuff, lol. I didn’t want to die. Any of those game types, I loved to watch other people play. I would also have my brother play the harder Mario levels for me. I know… I’m a nOOb. I did play Princess Tomato Head in the Salad Kingdom all the way to the end. I really liked that game for the Nintendo. My cousin Donna and I would absorbed into until we beat it.