DerpyDeeds
At what age did you start gaming and what’s your first gaming memory?
I think I was about 6 or 7 years old when I played my first video game. Back then we’d hit up the arcade at the bowling alley or the YMCA.
Which systems do you remember playing on and what games did you play the most?
Asteroids on the ATARI 2600 was my first gaming experience. I remember my older brother being really good at it, and I was left frustrated because my tiny hands couldn’t control the joystick as well. Our next system was NES and I killed it on Contra. That’s when I was first introduced to game cheats. We also got a TurboGrafx16 (after furiously saving our allowance money), but that was short-lived since NES and Sega dominated the market.
Which platforms are you currently using?
I currently play on Xbox One.
What game do you know or like the best?
I’ve just recently got back into gaming after a decades-long hiatus (yikes!) so the game I like the best is fairly new: Grand Theft Auto V. This is the first game in which I felt an emotional connection to the characters, and noticed I wouldn’t do things out-of-character. For instance, I would always make Franklin return the stolen wallet to the victim, whereas Trevor would pocket the cash and run over the victim. It’s a great exercise in psychology!
What are your top 10 insights, tips, information and/or tid-bits on the game you listed above?
1. Don’t kill everyone. There are some non-playable characters (NPCs) that will line your pockets with cold hard cash for helping them out.
2. Budget your time. Figure that each mission can last 10-20 minutes. This game will suck you in.
3. Pick your heist crews wisely.
4. Don’t complete Lester’s assassination missions until the end of the game when you have oodles of cash to play the stock market. White collar crimes are fun!
5. Use IGN’s Interactive Map to keep track of collectibles, stunt jumps, and special missions.
6. Headshots.
7. Remember to save the game before trying Maude’s bail bond missions. If you screw up and accidentally kill the reprobate, Maude isn’t giving you the dough, so best to go back to your save point and try, try again.
8. Make sure Trevor takes 4 victims to the Altruist Cult for a nice payout. There’s a lot of culling that needs to happen first, though, so have your trigger finger at the ready.
9. Cheat codes are useful for spawning the vehicles needed to perform stunt jumps or aerobatics.
10. Picking C is always the best option, unless you are a heartless jerk.
Could you share a bit about your life, hobbies and/or work outside of gaming?
By day I am an instructional designer in the higher education sector - I help professors build their courses for online learning. By night I am a geeky crafter; I love to crochet, cross stitch, and sew. I love cycling in the summers and skiing in the winters. I’m a Jill-of-all-trades, really.
What advice would you give to young gameHERs out there and/or to your younger gameHER self?
For solo gaming, I would tell a young gameHER to remember what is real in her life, and that games are no substitute for relationships, hobbies, or solving problems. Many working adults deal with work/life balance, there is a need for game/life balance as well for gamers of all ages. For social/online gaming, I would tell her to be confident in her beliefs, but to engage disagreements with curiosity and appreciation (unless those disagreements are abusive). She will find that social gaming in this way will improve her negotiation skills and, by extension, bring about new and lasting friendships.
Name and/or gamertag or gamer name:
Jen Russo, DerpyDeeds on XBox
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