[LadyGamers]:  Lets start off by getting to know more about you. Your top games are pretty much console focused. How did you originally start playing video games? Who was the biggest influence in your life? How did you get the alias 'Pie'? 

[Bonnie]: I started playing about eight years ago when my younger brother got an N64 - which I promptly stole out from under him when I discovered Mario 64. I had a gaming drop-off for a few years, before I met my then-boyfriend, now-fiancé, a great guy gamer who started up my interests again and opened me up to a lot of new titles and consoles. I would definitely say he’s the biggest gaming influence in my life, even though I’m an independent girl gamer now, not just a gamer’s girlfriend. He’s also the one who gave my the nickname Pie. His is Pi. It’s mostly just silly, but it’s also a dorky play off masculine/feminine endings in French.

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[LadyGamers]:  How did you get involved with PlanetGameCube? Have you been with them long? What is it like working with the big guys like Jonathan Metts? Oh and lastly, most girls always want to know... is there any cute guys that work with PlanetGameCube? Care to share pics? Come on! Give us the scoop game sis!

[Bonnie]:  I got involved with Planet GameCube after being a big fan of the site. I’m at college studying writing, so I was looking for a chance to combine my interests and work in videogame journalism, specifically with issues of gender and gaming, and PGC seemed like a great place to do that. I’ve only been on the staff a little over a month, so I’m definitely one of the newbies! Jonathan, and everyone at PGC, has been really helpful and supportive. I’m learning a lot from them. And I wish I had the cute-scoop, but I’ve only seen avatars, just like everybody else. But maybe if I can make it out to E3 in May... *fingers crossed*

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[LadyGamers]:  You are pretty much a library when it comes to knowledge for the video game world. If a friend of yours asked you to give him the top three user friendly games to choose from for a girl who has never played video games before, which games would you recommend? 

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[Bonnie]: Great question - it’s so important for guys gamers to help get new girls interested in gaming. First of all, I would say, “Get to know your girl,” because there’s obviously no golden formula, and all girls are definitely not alike. With that said, I (and the guy gamers I’ve talked to) have found music-based games, like DDR, can be particularly entertaining, enough so to get a girl interested in other types of
games. Beyond that, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing seem to be new-girl
gamer favorites; something about the strategy and the cuteness gets you
hooked for the long-term. I’ve heard plenty of stories about girls who have worked their way from titles like these to kicking ass on XBL,
something they might never have considered before. Sometimes it just takes a good starting point to turn a girl who games into a girl gamer.

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[LadyGamers]:  One item that stood out in your article entitled, "Playing By Party Lines", was how some girl gamers try to be so cute they don't act very competitive in games. This kind of looks bad on the female gamers who do want to be taken seriously. What do you feel a new gamer should do when they feel incompetent early on during a game they don't know about? Researching the game online for game guides is always one way but what would you recommend?

[Bonnie]: Ideally, I would try to avoid a situation in which you’re coming totally new to a game that everyone else in the room is already good at, especially if they’re competitive, or particularly closed-minded about girls and gaming. In a perfect world, you would get used to a game on your own time, at your own speed. I know I personally hate not having my own gaming space. But you can’t always run back to
your house and practice before picking up the controller, nor should you
be intimidated to step in and try to do your best, even if you’re new.
It is a little scary, especially when other (guy) players treat you like
an incompetent, even if you aren’t one. Still, you have to keep going.
Ignore them. Just pretend they’re computer players. Whatever you need to
do. You still might lose, but at least they’ll see you mean business.

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[LadyGamers]:  There has always been a big fear among male gamers to even mention they have any association to games. Most men have said they won't ever let a girl know they play them until she's their girlfriend. Do you believe a guy who plays video games is more immature than the average non-gamer?

[Bonnie]:  In the overall, no way. Gaming is just as worthwhile and "adult" as any other hobby, and in my opinion particularly more so than something like sports fanaticism. With that said, there are definitely immature gamers out there. But the same goes for any male cross-section. Maturity level isn't defined by your pass-times. For some, yes, videogames can be an indicator of immaturity, because some elements of gaming appeal to that childish side of you (the association with being young, potential avoidance of "real work," etc.) Every guy is different. If you're a girl who's reinforcing the universal fear
that guys shouldn't mention video games to girls, then you should feel
like the immature one.

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[LadyGamers]:  Lets dig a little deeper into Planet GameCube, could you or Jonathan describe how the site began? Is there still a controversy with Gamespy Industry? Since 2000 it was rumored that GSI kept contacting PGC to tell them to pretty much either join them or abandon ship for having a Planet in the site's name. Is this not the case anymore?

[Bonnie]:  Here’s what Jonathan has to say:

“Planet GameCube started in March 1999 as N2000HQ (conceived as the successor to the legendary N64HQ). It was later renamed to PlanetN2000 and eventually to Planet  GameCube. We got the domain by simply being quick on the draw at the dawn of Spaceworld 2000, when the system was first named. We knew there would be competition for the domain, but we never intended to cybersquat it or to use it as a way to lure in GameSpy readers; it was a natural extension of our previous name (the GameCube was commonly known as 'N2000' in the days before its unveiling). As far as I know, we've never been contacted by GameSpy with regards to our domain. They have  PlanetNintendo.com, although currently it simply forwards to their Nintendo sub-domain.”

-Jonathan Metts, Director, PlanetGameCube.com.

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[LadyGamers]:  Lastly, you probably weren't noticing the game community much back in the early days of Quake 1 since it was PC gaming, but what do you feel about the harassment women in gaming receive? Much like Hellkitten, you can end up with endless harassment if you happen to become well known in the game community. Lets say you were there during that time, and Hellkitten had asked you what to do when her life was threatened. What advice would you have given her then? 

[Bonnie]:  It's really hard for me to answer that question, partially because as a Nintendo fan I rarely get involved with online play, but mainly because
as a female gamer/gaming journalist I find the whole issue rather frightening. What would I have said to her? I wish I could honestly say I would have told her, "Hang in there," or, "Why let some creeps take away what you love doing?" or "You have so much more of a right to be here than they do." Not that all of those things aren't totally true - they are. But, realistically, it takes an extremely thick skin (if not impossibly thick) to get through abuse like that. I would hate to let those jerks drive her away, but I imagine at a certain point that the whole ordeal was probably doing far more damage to her self-image and happiness than sticking up for herself was doing good. And then, if it turned into a life-threatening situation... Unless online gaming
really was THE most important/the only important thing in her entire life, I would say, "I know it's awful, but you've got to get out!"

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[LadyGamers]:  Thanks for the chat Bonnie. I am looking forward to any future articles you publish!

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