Interview with Susan Arendt

I was lucky enough to interview Susan Arendt this week about her thoughts on gaming. She is the Senior Editor of the gaming magazine The Escapist. I caught up with her after an intense lunch session of D&D. She's got some great advice for new gamers and an interesting perspective on women in the industry. This is the first interview in my new segment called, Dames who Game.

LadySnip3r: Well, how about we start with you telling me a little about what you do at The Escapist?

Susan: Oh, ok, sure. well, my official title is Senior Editor. I oversee production of the weekly magazine - that's the feature articles we publish every week - I'm the news director, I produce three video series, work with columnists and cartoonists, and also review games and write the odd article here and there

LadySnip3r: Wow, how do you manage to find any time to play games?

Susan: Well, fortunately, I'm married to a fellow gamer who understands "Saturday is devoted to Dragon Age" and similar statements.

LadySnip3r: Oh, that's good. What are your Saturdays being used for now? What are you currently playing?

Susan: Well, we were playing Portal 2 this past weekend, so that was pretty much the whole weekend. The co-op is a blast

LadySnip3r: That's great to hear - I picked up a copy yesterday but haven't had a chance to play it yet. 

LadySnip3r: What was the first video game you ever played?

Susan: Pong. or, well, a Pong knockoff. It wasn't mine - I played it at a friend's house. It might have been "video tennis" or something like that.

LadySnip3r: Did it spark your love of gaming? If not, what game did?

Susan: It's hard to pinpoint any one game that did it, but certainly getting a Sears VCS - that was the other version of the Atari 2600 - was a key moment. I played so much Space Invaders that I could clear the first level with my eyes shut just from muscle memory. It was amazing to me that I could be controlling things on the screen

LadySnip3r: I've been doing a segment on the blog written for new gamers. I've got some friends that are just getting back into gaming (since the NES years) and finding that it's definitely a very exclusive club to be considered an authentic gamer. What games would you recommend for gamers just starting out? And do you have any tips or lessons you've learned gaming that you'd like to pass on to beginners?

Susan: Well, that's a tough question to answer, because the most important thing to know is - what kind of entertainment do you like? Do you like mysteries? Puzzles? Action movies? There's no one right fit for a new gamer. I think that's a big part of what puts newbies off from gaming. It’s that people don't try to tailor their advice to them. Rather than figuring out, hey, what game would actually be a good fit for you, people tend to just push the games they like best

LadySnip3r: That's an excellent point, and actually some great advice. 

LadySnip3r: So let's talk about women and gaming. Who is your favorite female video game character and why?

Susan: Oh, there are many. Lara. Vanessa.  Kate Walker. Cate Archer. But all for largely the same reason - they're smart, independent, and don't *need* rescuing - which isn't to say they would mind if it happened every now and again

LadySnip3r: Do you think that being a woman impacts how you perceive games? Does this influence what games you choose to play or write about?

Susan: Being a woman impacts everything I do...because it's part of who I am, the same way being my age impacts everything I do, or being from Pennsylvania impacts everything I do, or being a nerd impacts everything I do. Change any one of those factors, and I'd inevitably be a different person. The games I write about, I write about because I believe I have something to say about them, and because I want to share them with readers. I love it when people tell me "I never would've played this game if it weren't for you, and I loved it!". I try to talk about games that are a little offbeat, maybe lesser known.

LadySnip3r: The amount of women in the gaming industry and culture has been really increasing in the past couple years. What do you think this mean for video games in the future? If anything.

Susan: Well, we tend to relate to people a bit better when we can identify with them. If you're a young girl, and encounter two people talking about games, one male, one female, you're probably going to want to identify with the female.

So the more women talking about games, the more women we'll have talking about games, if you take my meaning. But also, the more *people* we have talking about games, the better. The more voices you have talking about something, the more likely it is you'll have a wide variety of things being said and that's always good.

LadySnip3r: That's very true. Do you think this will result in games with a more 'female' audience in mind? (and that aren't Cake Mania or Fashion Runway - no offence to games like that, but you know what I mean)

Susan: As more women begin designing games, we will, more than likely, get more games that female players of all kinds will embrace. But let's be clear on something - "girly" games are just as valid as non girly ones. A lot of women say they want more girls playing games, but what they really mean is they want more girls playing games they approve of.

LadySnip3r: I totally agree, I just meant more a complex female audience being targeted.

Susan: They sneer at Imagine Babiez and Cake Mania and anything that isn't hardcore - ignoring the fact that, hey, some girls just plain like sparkle pink ponies. I don’t think the issue with women playing games or not is as much about the games as we tend to think it is.

LadySnip3r: That's very true. It's extremely difficult to appear 'authentic' or legitimate in the hardcore gaming scene. 

LadySnip3r: My last question, What does being a female gamer mean to you?

Susan: I'm not a female gamer. I'm a gamer who happens to be female.

Hope you all enjoyed the interview, there will be more to come in the future. 

As always,
LadySnip3r