At what age did you start gaming and what’s your first gaming memory?

I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories in general was watching my mom playing The Legend of Zelda on NES. She also had the board game Dark Tower that I would drag out from storage and just play with the tower by itself a lot. We would make regular stops to the local video rental store and get a new game every week.

Which systems do you remember playing on and what games did you play the most?

We had a lot of consoles growing up; NES, SNES, Sega Game Gear, Gameboy, N64, PS2, Wii, and then we had so many computer games. I played a lot of the Jumpstart series, all the Humongous games, and Zoombinis. I tried playing Myst a few times, but wasn’t quite old enough to play through the whole thing. I think I used the PS2 the most, and I really loved the whole Sly Cooper series, as well as Spyro. As far as hours, I probably spent the most time grinding away on Pokemon Yellow for those level 100s.

Which platforms are you currently using?

I just bought a Nintendo Switch and am just now allowing myself to really get back into gaming and actually enjoy my time. I’m getting a group of friends together to play Dungeons & Dragons online while we can’t see each other in person. I currently do a lot of watching and have a few streamers I’m subscribed to on Twitch.

What game do you know or like the best?

Kingdom Hearts

Hestia44 — What are your top 10 insights, tips, information and/or tidbits on the game you listed above?

**1. Ignore the all the gummi ship levels**
**2. Keep an open mind when it comes to the lore; don’t get too caught up and just enjoy each mini story within the games**
**3. If you do enjoy the lore, watch or play the games in chronological order after release order to understand it just a little better**
**4. Don’t rely so much on combo move finishers in the third game to add more of a challenge**
**5. Don’t waste your potions or mana on Donald**
**6. Skim the tip popups; they won’t stop, but they also contain some helpful information**
**7. Explore each world, there’s always something else to do**
**8. Combat play is the most fun in the KH2**
**9. The Battle of 1000 Heartless at Hollow Bastion in KH2 is the best battle across the series**
**10. Enjoy the game with friends. It’s a lot of fun to talk about with others and is family friendly, even if deeper lore is harder to follow**

Could you share a bit about your life, hobbies and/or work outside of gaming?

Outside of gaming, I love creating and learning new things. I just taught myself how to sew and I’ve been enjoying putting my own spin on fanny packs. I’m teaching myself how to knit and crochet with a really amazing friend and I love to run and stay active for my mental health. I also owned a business making bath bombs for a couple of years. I currently work a desk job which allows me the stability and freedom to discover and try new things, one day at a time.

What advice would you give to young gameHERs out there and/or to your younger gameHER self?

Don’t listen to the narratives that others make up for and about you. Also, don’t worry about being that perfect gamer to be taken seriously because you’re already perfect!!

I sort of ran away from gaming while I was growing up because ‘I was only there for the attention’ and wasn’t taken seriously. That, along with a less than ideal parent relationship growing up, made me constantly doubt myself and the choices I made. I mostly played games by myself because it let me escape from whatever situation I was in; I got to call the shots and if I messed up I had a true chance to redeem myself next time around without anyone being upset.

Name and/or gamertag or gamer name and country:

Hestia44; USA

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