In this edition of Meet The Gamer we chat with Clare Siobhán. Clare is the Xbox EMEA Social Manager. She also makes YouTube videos which can be viewed on her channel. In the interview Clare talks about her love of RPG games and much more.
What is your Gamertag and the reason for choosing it?
My gamertag is claresiobhan. Nothing super exciting here, just my first and middle name!
What is your favourite genre/s of game and why?
I’m a huge RPG fan, particularly those with a big focus on exploration or a rich story line. I’ve put hundreds and hundreds of hours into Skyrim for this reason, and I STILL don’t think I’ve actually completed the main quest! I even switched over to PC Skyrim just to experience modding, and it completely refreshed the game for me. I’m also a bit in love with games that have a really beautiful or otherworldly setting, so sci-fi is obviously a pretty huge genre for me.
Mass Effect will always be the series closest to my heart, so I can’t wait to see what they do with Mass Effect 4. Having a beautiful environment to explore will always been the reason games like Mass Effect, Skyrim, Final Fantasy and Destiny will hold my attention more than more darker settings like Fallout and The Division.
What is your favourite game so far? (Doesn’t need to be an Xbox title!)
It’s so hard to say just one! Would either be Mass Effect 2, or Mass Effect 3 but only if it had ALL the DLC. Replaying ME3 with DLC turned it from a game I felt a bit disappointed with, to one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
What is your most memorable gaming moment?
Oh gosh, this is going to go against all the beautiful environment and storyline settings, but my favourite gaming mini-era was playing Modern Warfare 2 and Gears of War 2 Horde with friends – so much fun! Although it helps that I was actually better at shooters then! I also have two big gaming ‘wow’ moments, and few games have ever matched that initial buzz. Starting Pokémon Red as a kid and being totally enthralled in the adventure, and playing GTA3 for the first time and being blown away by the 3rd person view compared to the older PC games I’d played. I love that gaming can make you feel that sense of amazement!
Which achievement has been the most frustrating to obtain? How long did it take you?
I’m really not an achievement hunter at all in games, I play much more for the escapism and adventure than for achievements, and I think I may have even turned off the notification! The only one I can strongly remember is resetting my 360 to get all three of the Fable 2 endings – but sticking with the ending where my dog survived!
What is your gaming guilty pleasure?
Gun Game on any COD! It’s like reading Daily Mail comments, I know it’s going to make me angry as hell, but I do it anyway.
If you could pick a video game character, who would you be and why?
Femshep of course! But my own custom one rather than the ME3 default. No one does badass like Shepard.
If you could pick a location, from any game, to visit, where would it be and why?
Honestly, most of the worlds I love sound like hard places to survive. I’m pretty sure I’d freeze to death in Skyrim, and my odds wouldn’t be good on the Citadel either… Actually – this is super easy, the Pokémon world of course! But only if I could bring my gaming partner-in-crime/boyfriend with me. That’s an adventure you need a buddy for.
Finally, where do you see gaming heading in the next decade?
VR has always been that video game goal that we dreamed about as kids. We’re not 100% there yet, but the advancement in the last few years is insane! I’d hope in 10 years I’d be seeing worlds like Skyrim as if I was really in them, feeling the wind on my skin and fighting Draugr for real.
Special thanks to Clare Siobhán for taking the time to answer our questions. Keep an eye on the website and Twitter for information on how you can feature in the next Meet The Gamer.
Michael is a games journalist, contributor at 1080Players. They contributed 22 articles to ICXM in 2016, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote for 1080Players, whose content also appeared on ICXM.