QCGN: Xenogears: The Nisan Sanctuary is consistently one of the most frequented sites at QCGN, and we'd like to get more of the online community acquainted with your site.

You're one of the few women to operate a gaming website in a male-dominated community. Have you run into any roadblocks or negative experiences as a female webmaster?

Nutz: Oh definitely! As I've said up there, female gamers often get the least attention, and most males think we don't play anything more complicated than tetris or puzzle bobble. Well, here's one girl who's proof that we can play anything you boys can, and I even went as far as webmastering a site dedicated to a game. However, during my early days I hid under an ambiguous name such as Nutz, only to avoid rejection from guy gamers. But now it seems there are no problems after all, especially with people as supportive as you (and my staff too, of course).

QCGN: Do you find support, either technical or otherwise, from other female web designers?

Nutz: I get occasional help on the fan fictions from Amber Michelle, webmistress of Guardian Angels. Other than that, I don't recall any other girls helping me out. =)

QCGN: Do you think you attract a larger female audience because of your gender, or that your gender has no effect on visitor demographics?

Nutz: No, I don't think gender has anything to do about it, since not all folks visiting my site know about my being female. As far as I know, visitors come to my site because of my topic (xenogears), and not because they wanted to see how a girl webmaster fared. I registered on search engines under the search string, "xenogears", and not under "girl sites", so I reckon my demographics are not because of my gender, but instead, due to the subject I offer. And besides, most of my visitors are male, which is but natural because most gamers are guys. 

QCGN: What women in the web community do you respect or look up to? Any role models?

Nutz: The best support I got was from Wuffy, the webmistress of Xenogears 101 (site deceased). Though she didn't help me in any technical manner, she served as my inspiration and her site, my guide. I also got tons of faith and online help from Elhaym, a female webmistress so good that she now owns her own site, Final Fantasy 8 Network. I surely loved the work she did on Gamer's Library (http://www.gamewar.com) -- it's layouting, its style are absolutely great. And it's also wonderful to know we're both of the same nationality! =D

QCGN: Your web site, www.zenogias.com is all about XenoGears: Can you tell us a little about it's origins, it's popularity, and it's future?

Nutz: Xenogears is a role-playing game from Squaresoft, a leading name in the industry. Its main platform is the Sony Playstation, and is a very nice example of sprite-3D union. It holds great appeal on the upper juvenile bracket (15-24) due to its very complicated (and yet wonderful) storyline, religious overtones, reality suggestions, and use of famed "mechs". Xenogears features anime movie cuts as interludes, as well as CG renditions of towering bipedal robots called "gears", and their intricate environment. As for future, Squaresoft has kept silent on a sequel, but fans predict one before the end of the millenium. Xenogears has left a sort of open-ended impression on players that anybody who've taken hold of the game would yearn for more.

QCGN: How and when did you get your start in web design? 

Nutz: From the moment I got net access at home (November 1997), I envied every page I've been to and longed having one for myself. It was December 97 when I attempted making one using MS Word's crude HTML wizard, but it was so unsatisfactory that I trashed the idea. It was only late November 1998 when I decided to make another go for it using Adobe Pagemill 3, and the first product was a fan site for my favorite games, Final Fantasy 7, Xenogears, and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I only got to finish the Xenogears part, so I decided to elaborate it and take the other two games out. I was first situated on the complimentary 2mb space from my ISP, Webquest, and later on Tripod, Geocities and Fortunecity. My need for space grew as my selection of items and files became wider, thus I searched for a site that would host me. So I found Gamersreality, and then found my current host, Quakecity. Armed with tons of researched info, in-depth knowledge in HTML, Photoshop dexterity, and help from wonderful individuals, I made the current site you now see.

QCGN: How much, if not all, of the site's content and design are you responsible for?

Nutz: For layout, graphics, design, I think it's 100% (but of course, some of the untouched images in the downloads section are courtesy of Squaresoft). As for content, 90%, with some of the articles coming from my staff and site viewers (not included in the 90% are the original excerpts from the game itself). 

QCGN: What's in store for the future of Xenogears: The Nisan Sanctuary site?

Nutz: I don't think there would be much future for The Nisan Sanctuary but to remain as it is. Let's face facts, it's just a fan site, and however elaborate it may be, it still deals on one subject which would soon come to pass. I'm afraid I'm nearing the point that I can't feature any more news about that one game, nor report any new cheats or secrets. I'm also fearing that one day people can't think of any more questions on the game (coz we're answering them all each day), so this would probably mean a future deadlock for the site. It'll remain, however, as it is even if that time comes when I don't have any further updating to do. Let's just say it'll be one of those online reference books that will be there for you in a library, and even if its not a classic, it'll remain in one shelf ready to be pulled out by some interested reader.

QCGN: You've got a great Fan Art section, including some great pieces by you. Have you had professional art training and what other types of media do you like to work with?

Nutz: LOL, formal art training? None that I know of. I am an artist by heart, and I sketch up tons of things whenever I get hold of a pencil and a piece of paper. I may not produce that good artworks, but everything I do is fresh from my untrained hands, and none from any kind of special schooling. Goodness, you wouldn't believe it if I tell you I'm a B.S. Biology graduate, and that I should be eyeing microbes instead of drawing up stuff like these -- but it's the truth! As for media, I really like working with Adobe Photoshop, and some of my anime works are colored using it. I also use colored pencil, oil and canvas, watercolor, and charcoal on some of my works. I do portraits, landscapes, and tons of other stuff -- but I am highly interested in anime and cartooning nowadays. I sort of made up some characters, and drew them using colored pencil. . 

QCGN: What do you like to do in your spare time, besides maintaining the Xenogears web site?

Nutz: Right now I am busy finishing up my other site, RPG Realm. As I've said, I think Xenogears: the Nisan Sanctuary wouldn't live forever as it only features one, static title. So now, I'm working on a more dynamic site, one dedicated to RP games on various consoles, and would feature news, reviews, in depth info on both old and new RPG titles. As long as the public play RPGs and the industry still pushes through with new titles, then I guess this new site would have good reasons to live on.

And aside from that, I usually play new RPGs during my spare time, Star Ocean 2, to be specific. I also work in the evenings as a news editor in a publishing company, so that takes up most of my time.

QCGN: Please list any other websites you've worked on or designed.

Nutz: Not very much, coz I just started this webmastering thing just last November 1998. My main sites are the nisan sanctuary, and now RPG Realm. I'm also a staffer of Gamer's Library.

QCGN: Name a few favorite movies and musical groups...

Nutz: My, this is a sudden twist of topics!! =D Movies, hmm, I love Matrix, Braveheart, and Face-Off. As for music, I like the Cranberries, Alanis Morisette, and a bit of Tori Amos and Jewel.

QCGN: What's next for Nutz?

Nutz: Well, I'm really looking for somebody kind enough to give me the job of doing their site. I really would like to pursue webmastering/authoring, or cartooning, and any opportunity would be greatly appreciated. LOL, I can't believe I'm plugging for myself!!

But heck, expect a lot from me, really! I firmly believe the net is one heck of a priviledge for self-expression, and regardless if you're a boy or girl, you have the right to let the world know you exist and you do make a difference! =D

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