nicksmith November 25, 2008 Features 74 views Comments Print This Post  Email This Post

O.G. at www.original-gamer.com (formerly ogmaster.com) sent us an interview he did with our favorite “girl gamer” (even though we would put her up against plenty of “guy gamers”) Jo Garcia. For the very few of you that do not know who Jo Garcia is, she is Playboy’s 2008 Cyber Girl of the Year. She was introduced to the gaming world via videos of her playing Wii Sports boxing and Wii Fit in her underwear. We spent some time with Jo and listening to her talk about Madden Football 2009 and then she described her methods to playing Final Fantasy, including keeping a book that helps her keep track of her progress in the games she plays. Needless to say Jo is the real deal and you can check out her blog called “The Gamer Next Door” over at Playboy.com. Enjoy the interview.

O.G.: What game first captured your interest and how old were you at the time?

Jo: When I was seven or eight, I remember playing “Megaman” with my dad.

O.G.: Aside from video games, what else do you do for fun?

Jo: I love watching movies, solving puzzle books, learning new sports such as golf and skiing, driving, and reading. I also love gadgets and learning new electronics.

O.G.: You’ve said the final fantasy series is a favorite of yours. What was your first FF game and what drew you to the game? And what is your favorite FF game of all time?

Jo: My first “Final Fantasy” game was 7. The storylines in the Final Fantasy series always have captivated me, and I absolutely love the movies and music. I am drawn to the series by the romance and action, as well as the characters, because by the end of the game I feel like I am one of them. As for my favorite FF game of all time, a lot of people loved “Advent” as did I, but I also loved the love story in FF 10 and FF 10-2 and I absolutely love FF 12, so it’s difficult to choose. They were all great. I find myself going back to the old ones because there is so much to explore.

O.G.: Which do you enjoy the most – the access to the gaming industry and exposure to the designers and new games, or touring and exposure to the public as the 2008 Playboy Cyber Girl of the Year?

Jo: I enjoy both — they go hand-in-hand. I am Playboy.com’s “Gamer Next Door” and, with that, I get to be myself and also their
representative for Playboy “Cyber Girl of the Year” 2008. It’s an opportunity that benefits everyone; I get to learn more about an industry I love — gaming — and mix that with a business that makes me feel empowered and sexy.

O.G.: What’s your current back log of games?

Jo:

1. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 for Wii

2. Fable 2

3. Madden 2008

4. Dead Space

5. GoldenAxe Beastrider

6. Saint Row 2

7. 50 Cent’s Bulletproof

8. Assassins Creed (which I finished once and I am about to go through again with the walk through, so that I can get all the memories, flags and templars)

9. GTA 4

10. Metal Gear Solid 4

O.G.: What’s the worst game you’ve played but you still had to finish?

Jo: The worst game is ET. Someone once told me it was the worst game ever, but I didn’t believe it could be that bad. It was.

O.G.: Radiata stories is listed as one of your favorite. I share your appreciation as a game that was released by Square Enix and developed by Tri-Ace, a definite partnership of RPG greatness. However, its release late in the PS2 life cycle kept the game from getting the attention it deserved. What do you want to tell the gamers out there about the game and why you enjoy it so much?

Jo: Radiata is an epic story that reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy meets Fable, with a little of the Wii Zelda game mixed in. A very interactive environment, the game is straight-forward yet still manages to leave you surprised. The fighting style is great because of the awesome team attacks. And, like Final Fantasy, with a side quest so it was right up my alley. I had never heard of it before and was just done with “Kingdom Hearts.” I needed a new game to hold me over, and the guy at the store recommended it.

O.G.: Who do you want to meet in the gaming industry?

Jo: In the gaming industry, I would like to meet the makers of Final Fantasy. I think it would be the first time I’d be actually star-struck.

O.G.: What games coming out this season are you looking forward to?

Jo:

1. Final Fantasy 13

2. Kingdom Hearts for the PsP

3. Mirrors Edge

4. Rayman’s Raving Rabbid’s TV Party

5. Prince of Persia

6. Blood in the Sand

7. Gears of War 2

O.G.: Throughout a gamer’s life, there are some games that we miss out on and then regret. Sometimes it’s games that we don’t have money for or a game that came out that didn’t have a large release making it a rare game from the beginning. Is there a game that you’ve missed out on that you regret?

Jo: Yes, there are many games that I regret missing, but the one that got me the most was Oddworld’s first-person shooter that came out for the Xbox. I have been an Oddworld inhabitant since the first Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee game, and followed it with Exoddus and Munch’s Oddysee; I thought that that was where the great adventure ended. As it turns out, there was a hidden gem I didn’t know about, Stranger’s Wrath, which I found online, and now own to complete my collection. It may have been a regret at the beginning but I am a happy gamer now.

O.G.: Since you’ve become more well known as a female hardcore gamer, how has the response been from the gaming community? Have you been accepted with open arms or have you had to prove yourself along
the way?

Jo: Some believe my gaming skills, and some don’t, but you take the good with the bad. I love gaming. I may not be as good as some of the pros, but the love and obsession is the same. I should say I am a gaming junkie and not a hardcore gamer. So many people define hardcore as spending all day every day playing. Well, I guess I come close. I play when I am not eating, showering or working. I play because it’s something I enjoy, and not because I am perfect at it. It is just part of my daily routine, like reading a book you don’t want to put it down until you get to the end.

She’s a true gamer. Make sure to check out her blog, The Gamer Next Door.