December 2003

Natrina - Bloodclaw, Inc's MMORPG
Conducted by CLIMaX

Natrina Greenmoon is a MMORPG: mighty multitalented online roleplaying gal.
 From the underground city of Yliakum to the internet cafes of the Azores you can find her searching for blue crystals in the world of Planeshift or battling her way to victory on an Enemy Territory map. Natrina's passion for gaming includes RPG and FPS action titles but she's not just a player, she's also an ambitious organizer. The work she's done as Head Leader of Bloodclaw, Inc, a 48-member Planeshift guild, make Natrina's talents plain to see.
____________________________________________________________BIO

GAME NAME: Natrina Greenmoon

REAL NAME: Cristina

LOCATION: The Azore Islands

PREFERED OS: Dear old Linux!

CURRENT GAME: Planeshift

OTHER GAMES: ET, other FPS games and lots of RPG's

______________________________________________________INTERVIEW

[CLIMaX] When did you first start playing video games? Do members of your family play games, too? How many hours per week do you spend playing games?

[Natrina] I started to play something like five years ago, maybe more. My brothers were the ones that introduced me to the world of gaming and they still play with me Warcraft III and Enemy Territory.

In a week without school tests I spend all my time gaming when I'm at home, I rarely watch T.V. Even if I have one right next to my computer I won't because the sound mixed with the one of my songs or sometimes with the sound of my gun makes me confused.

[Natrina] I like Enemy Territory for many reasons but the best is the teamwork and the fun of being in disguise (I really love being a Cover Ops!) near a group of enemies and trying to make them think you are just one of them.

And, RPG's are my fav because I've always been a Role Player. Most games I've played were RPG's.

The thing that hooked me up to Planeshift was it's reality: you have so many normal jobs (you can be a farmer or a smithy or something else) but at the same time you have the different races. That will lead to some kinds of restrictions, though, and some PS guilds are alredy one race only. How much fun is it to go to a bar and see a Kran serving beer to a gang of Ynwnns?

I'm really looking foward to the next version of Planeshift because more people will return to activity. It's kind of slow at the moment because PS is a beta and in development, which is also part of the attraction, btw, because we can have an impact on what is going to happen. But I really want to see all my guild members together in intensive activity. We are all from different races and if in the next version there are more races avaible then we will be even more different from each other. Viva le difference!

[CLIMaX] Is gaming as popular in Portugal and The Azores as it is in the rest of Europe? How many of your friends play games? Have you made "real life" friends playing games on line?

[Natrina] Yes, it is. But gaming isn't a thing that many people expose so openly. In the Azores (I live in the middle of the Atlantic) the only time I ever saw people being "proud" of it was when the Pokémon fever reached us. I never had that fever, so I wasn't walking around with a Gameboy, but many people did and it
was the only time I could actually see other people gaming. My friends don't actually have many games, or don't play much at least.

I have never made friends playing games online because I live in Azores and it's already so hard to find a Portuguese person in a online game, let alone an Azorean one. :)

[CLIMaX] Where do you see yourself five years from now? Will you still be playing games as you attend the university or begin working? What are your plans for the future besides gaming?

[Natrina] In five years? I don't know. I'm thinking of getting a job as soon as I can but only after finishing school. Working and studying wouldn't leave much time for gaming.

[CLIMaX] If you were selected by the government to be the first gamer to go to Mars what essential games would you require for your mission?

[Natrina] I would always have a copy of Harvestmoon and Shenmue, I love both games a lot. But I don't think on Mars I would be able to play online games (but if I could it would be very funny if someone asked me where I was from...I would say: 'From Mars!') So, those two would be good games to take, because in the middle of Mars without any vegetables or animals around I would like at least to grow/breed some in Harvestmoon.