Ryan Hingtgen's Xbox Live Avatar
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Today marks the start of a new series called "Get to Know Your Gamers". Roughly every week (or maybe just whenever I have something to post), I'll be interviewing a local gamer and asking their opinions on video games. It's a fun way to give everyone their "15 Minutes of Fame" and to get an idea of what people around here think about the industry. If you would like to be featured in "Get to Know Your Gamers", feel free to drop an email and we'll set something up! Without further ado, here's our first featured Gamer: Ryan Hingtgen.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you like to do (besides play video games)?
21 years old, lived in Iowa all my life. Besides video games I also enjoy tabletop, board games, and building models.
What got you into gaming?
Had an OLD computer with a troll doll game lol. Also got to play a lot of Nintendo and Sega at friends’ houses and I was hooked. Also used to play a lot of Civilization on the computer, got a copy at the library and I still play that game. I’m not sure if I ever returned the copy I borrowed!
What was your first console / game?
Personally I had a PS1 that I had gotten for Christmas one year. I pretty much only played NBA Live 98, with all the rules off of course. Those were some full contact games of basketball!
Some people won’t play a game if the graphics are bad. Do graphics have that big of an impact for you?
It really depends on the game. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Minecraft. It’s a great game but it has awful graphics. However that works because it has an awesome format that makes it infinitely replayable. I definitely prefer a well thought out game to a pretty one any day.
What do you look for in game / what makes a game ‘fun’ to you?
It has to be replayable, and it has to have some multiplayer features. In fact, if there’s no online multiplayer option, I don’t really buy a game anymore.
Do you consider yourself a ‘casual’ or ‘hardcore gamer?
I’m definitely somewhere in the middle, on the one hand I’m spending most of my time in my games, but I’ve known folks who dreamed of going pro (lol). I definitely just play games because I find it relaxing. The moment a game becomes stressful, it sits on my shelf.
Do you prefer a solo or co-op / multiplayer experience?
Definitely Online Multiplayer. Cut my teeth online playing Socom for PlayStation and never looked back.
What are you playing right now?
At the moment I’m playing Rift, great game so far and a good alternative to World of Warcraft if MMO’s are your thing. Here’s a link to a free trial [Edit: Link Fixed!]. I’m also playing some Starcraft 2 and Call of Duty right now. Kind of biding my time until Battlefield comes out, looks to be a good one, but we will see!
What is the worst game you’ve ever played?
There was once an American Idol music game I got for my birthday from a friend. You could play it with the sound off on the hardest difficulty. To be fair, it was great fun to play with friends when they were over, but looking back it was a completely laughable attempt at a game.
What do you consider to be the best game ever?
To be honest I don’t think I could pick just one. For sports games I think NBA 2k11 was excellent, made me feel like a little kid again playing basketball! Judging by my playtime, I might say World of Warcraft, but I feel that that has gone downhill over the past couple years. And then there was Guitar Hero! I have played so many good games I wouldn’t want to pick just one.
Random Thought?
Play games for you. Often times it’s easy to get caught up in your k/d ratio, or that honor grind. But it will always boil over and you will become frustrated sooner or later. One thing to remember when playing online games, there is ALWAYS someone better than you. Don’t sweat it, just move and win the next game.
