Enjoy this weeks gameDiva gamer!
Who are you?
Andrea, or online I'm usually known as Qirien. I grew up in the California Bay Area, and have a wonderful husband (and gaming partner!) named Wes.

How old are you?
21

What do you do?
I'm a Software Engineer at WhizBang Labs, a company that does data extraction from the Web, http://www.whizbang.com/.

What is your current favorite game and why?
Right now . . . I would have to say Baldur's Gate II. I especially like its engaging plot, strategic elements, balanced role-playing, and its efforts to appeal to women gamers.

Proudest gaming moment?
The first time I passed a level 7 song in Dance Dance Revolution. I hadworked so hard, and even though I couldn't see myself getting better, I had progressed a lot.

Video game character you would most like to go on a date with?
Heh heh, c'mon, I'm married! :-) But if I wasn't, that would probably have to be Garrett from the Thief games. I like that he's smart, with a realistic sense of humor, and capable yet also fallible.

Video game characteristic, power, weapon..whatever, you would most like to have in real life?
Definitely magic. Any sort of magic would do, whether it's D&D style magic like in Baldur's Gate, or Drawing magic like Final Fantasy VIII, it would just be incredible to have that power.

First video game you remember playing?
That would have to be . . . Asteroids, the arcade version -- or maybe it was Night Stalker on our Intellivision. All I remember is that I wanted to play more cool games like it!

First video game system you owned?
An Intellivision. Not very many people had these, probably because they actually weren't very cool, but they had the weirdest controllers. They were shaped like a remote control, with a number pad on the top, a circular analog pad on the button, and buttons on the side.

(note from the Diva: I had this too….I remember playing Dungeons and Dragons on it and SNAFU - I was so cool!)

Would you ever dress up as Lara Croft?
I have! For Halloween a year ago. Although, of course, the way I dressed was more the way Lara would dress if she were a real woman and not a video game character created by men (ie, sensible clothing, and without the extra jiggling polygons). :-)

(note from the Diva: I actually forgot to ask Andrea this question but she made sure to slip it in. She is the first Diva to dress up as Lara. Think she will send us a picture? Pretty please Andrea!?)

Do you think the video game industry is geared more towards men and
women? If so, why?
Unfortunately, yes. While there have been some notable exceptions (Longest Journey, Alice, Oni, Septerra Core, and No One Lives Forever come to mind), a lot games assume that the player of the game is male. It's not always a big deal; sometimes it's just a little comment here or there, or some clothing that no sensible woman would ever wear, or suggestive remarks, but they really make it more difficult to be immersed in the game. Most of the time, I don't mind if the main character is male - Guybrush just wouldn't be Guybrush if he were a woman. But I definitely love it when I have a chance to play a character who's more like me.

Upcoming release you are anticipating the most?
Neverwinter Nights. The ability to easily create your own worlds and stories and games is something I've always enjoyed, and, what's more, I've heard it will come with a Linux version!

Biggest disappointment of the year?
Pool of Radiance -- it looked like it was going to be an awesome remake of what was originally a cool game. But, after playing the demo, it turned out to be mostly hack-and-slash instead of having a cool plot and strategy.

Favorite video game website?
http://www.womengamers.com/ - cool reviews, previews, and news, without all the men's locker room junk that a lot of gaming websites carry with them.

(note from the Diva: I have to admit, I love this site too! It is awesome.)

Favorite video game accessory?
Hmm, accessory? That would have to be my Dance Dance Revolution pad for my PC. Finally, video games and exercise combine in a healthy (and fun) relationship!

(note from the diva: of course you know I have to tell you that Thrustmaster also has an accessory for playing games like this called the FightingArena but this one is for PS2)

What else do you want gameDiva's out there to know?
Keep on playin'. And also, don't be afraid to let game companies know what you think of their games. It doesn't seem like they always listen, but if it affects their pocketbooks enough, they'll have to!

***
There you have it Diva's out there! Andrea's profile. She is one cool chick and I am so glad she is one of our gameDiva's! Thanks Andrea - you rock!

Here is the exciting news (and I want lots of patting me on the back for this one..understand?Send those pats ot me at gamediva@thrustmaster.com). gameDiva is excited to announce that the column has appeared in the all-new issue (February 2002) so the all-new magazine - Play! I am extremely excited to be a part of this magazine and have to send lots of thanks over to Dave Halverson for being so amazingly supportive of gameDiva! So, I expect all my loyal fans to get out there and pick up a copy of the magazine and tell me how impressed you all are. GameDiva wouldn't be out there if I didn't have awesome people like all of you reading it! Check out some of the pictures of me playing around the office with Play Magazine (no one said gameDiva wasn't silly!)

gameDiva even takes the magazine outside with her. It keeps her warm and fuzzy all over!	Even when she naps, the gameDiva takes the magazine with her (not that she ever naps at work...er...ummm.....)
	The cover of play magazine - now everyone should go out and pick one up!
gameDiva gets caught in the bathroom...hey...wait....what is she doing at urinals?

O.k., that is enough bragging for me today. Hope you guys all had fantastic vacations. I still want to hear about all your awesome gifts and funniest moments. Come back next week and learn about some ultra-cool member of the media! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Keep the high scores coming ladies!