Sister Julie (Chapter 2)

MMO community connection:

No Prisoners No Mercy

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 will spare your readers the story of my long, and somewhat less than idyllic (and at times torturous) childhood – suffice it to say I had friends. I will point out that when I was a child even the videogame “Pong” was a far flung dream, yet to be conceived in the imagination of its creators. If you wanted to use a computer you punched cards and fed them into a reader.

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

I played a mean “Sax” for awhile. Beyond that my plans for winning an Oscar and world domination seem to have fallen by the wayside.

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

I have been “exposed to” before but that was on a train in Chicago and I told the gentlemen in question to “put the silly thing away.”

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.

As a child I read a lot of the back of cereal boxes – I think my favorite authors included Cheerios, Wheaties and Sugar Pops. Favorite authors are a think of adult hood (or at least as much of an adult I can approximate) and as you will find in later questions includes David Webber, William Gibson, Terese of Avila, Therese Martin, The current Dalai Lama, and some selected works of the Apostle Paul.

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.

This assumes that I appreciate video games. I am, however, looking forward to Star Trek Online. The best influence there would be Gene Roddenberry – without him Star Trek would not have existed. It’s hard to match that kind of influence on an mmo.

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

You want to know how old I was when I was introduced to video games? Hells Bells I can’t remember how old I am now. In fact I have managed to block it out of my mind on purpose – I once went as long as a year that way until my mother, God rest her soul, inadvertently reminded me (she was wrong).

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

I have indeed played coin op games at arcades, commissaries and other places. What was the experience like? – Expensive.

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

The active phrase here (at least semantically speaking) is “made an impression you” – I am still waiting for a videogame to make an impression on me. Hence, the title of one of my recent articles for Virginworlds.com… “In space no one can hear you yawn.”

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Play station, Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, Panasonic 3do

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

I try hard to forget my childhood…let’s not share any memories from it.