PlayFirst Grapevine
Player of the Month: feistysmom
2008
by applesun
MAY
29
It's not summer quite yet, but our Player of the Month is smokin' hot! feistysmom is your untypical sixty-four-year-old mom, grandmom, AND great-grandmom (not to mention cat-owner—hence the telling handle)! With a passion for games and gardening, feistysmom is known on the forums for callin’ ‘em like she sees ‘em—which is what she does here in answer to our perfectly tame questions...
How long have you been a gamer? How were you introduced to video games and what was the first game you remember playing?
I've been a gamer for five years. I was introduced to gaming when a friend gave me an old Compaq 3.1 computer that I couldn't even get online with, but I played the games on it which were Solitaire, Mine Sweeper and The Incredible Machine. Then, five years ago, my husband and I purchased a new computer and I could go online. The first game I bought was Dynomite Deluxe. I still play it every once in awhile.
How often do you play games?
I play games every day. It's my way of relaxing.
Any quirks as a gamer?
Not really, although I have to use a cordless mouse or I'm all afloat. I keep plenty of batteries on hand.
Aside from playing games, what are some other ways you like to relax and unwind?
I love to feed the birds and watch them at the feeders and the squirrels, too. I also love my flowers and watching them grow and bloom (although weeding is not my favorite part.) I like watching T.V. when I'm not playing games.
What games are you currently playing?
Right now I'm replaying Wedding Dash to try to get expert on all levels. I just finished playing Plantasia.
What is your favorite game of all time?
Dream Chronicles and Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze.
Anything else?
I just want to say that I'm very honored to be chosen POM and I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I have met some wonderful people on PlayFirst and some have become very good friends. PlayFirst is a great website with great games, and a great staff as well.
Wedding Disasters, real and virtual
2008
by Nemone
MAY
14
In Wedding Dash® 2: Rings Around the World, Quinn faces off against a slew of wedding disasters, including crying babies, choking guests, firecracker frenzies, catering sabotage, love-distracted servers, wedding band rock-star wannabes, hungry birds at the buffet, and even the all new Groom-Kong.
We asked our loyal PlayFirst forum members if they had any wedding disaster stories to share, and laughed ‘til we cried over this post from Lattegato:
It was my best college friend's wedding. I was the bridesmaid though (never the bride, cuz XtL_ won't ask me! Sad.) in my best Laura Ashley (never wearing this darn thing again!) bridesmaid dress, with dyed hot pink satin high heels. During rehearsal, I had pondered the chances of my heels getting stuck between the slate walkway of the public outdoor garden that the wedding was to be held in...but then I let that concern carelessly drift away.Feel free to add to the thread here to share your favorite wedding disaster stories, or just to boast about your new High Scores. And remember, when something does go wrong, just apply the following phrase: WWQD?
Fast forward to the next day....as the music starts, the best man takes my arm and we proceed down the path past friends, family, and acquaintances....until I took a step and my shoe didn't come with me. Looking back, there it was, heel in the mud wedged between the slates. What to do? What to do? Keep walking like nothing happened and have the bride trip over my shoe or interrupt the flow of the processional and go get my shoe...? I decided to go get my shoe. Okay, great. Finally up at the alter. Whew! The pastor is saying his remarks while I look at a butterfly on a nearby flower. Then I feel eyes on me. I look up to notice everyone stopped and looking at me. Where are the rings? Oh, was I responsible for them? Geez, um, well, I never saw them! They must be back at the apartment? So the pastor pulls his own ring off and offers it to the groom for his bride's finger.
Right at that moment, the groom's mother bursts into loud sobbing tears, because she hated the bride and was conflicted as to her son's ability to have "done better." Then, as we're all trying to pretend like she isn't wailing up a storm, we hear Click, Click, Click...a lot of times...
…While we had been distracted by the mother-in-law's sobbing, a charter bus of Japanese tourists had pulled up and unloaded into the garden. They didn't realize they were interrupting a wedding, and we couldn't explain the situation to them due to the language barrier. After a myriad of mistakes, we just all started laughing hysterically, because there was nothing else to do. We all have funny memories of that wedding...and I still have an ugly pink and purple floral bridesmaid dress if anyone needs fabric for curtains??? Anyone? Please?
What WOULD Quinn, do, Latte? ;-P
Player of the Month: LittleBritain1!
2008
by applesun
MAY
12
Our Player of the Month is not only a gamer (just check out all her medals!) but an adventurer at heart. Ever since she was caught in a typhoon while she was flying to the Philippines as a teenager – "serious turbulence!" - she has loved to travel. Bet you didn't know that little tidbit about LittleBritain1! Discover more about her below!
How long have you been a gamer? How were you introduced to video games and what was the first game you remember playing?
When I was around 9 or 10, there was a corner store in my neighborhood that had a lot of the older video games, like Ms. Pacman and Donkey Kong. I quickly become addicted to them when I wasn't playing air hockey! Then Super Mario came along…
How often do you play games?
Probably more than I'd like to admit. I haven't had that much free time though lately.
Aside from playing games, what are some other ways you like to relax and unwind?
Walking, hiking, gardening (Ugh, weeding!) spending time with my pets and hanging out with friends.
What games are you currently playing?
The latest DDHH release "All Knight Cafe" and I'm anxious to play Dairy Dash when time permits.
What is your favorite game of all time?
While DDHH is one of my favorites, it has to be Donkey Kong for nostalgia reasons.
Anything else?
Just wanted to quickly say, this was really a surprise and I'm very flattered. My dad just passed away the first week of April, and when we were going through some of his things, he had a joystick for his PC. I never even knew he played games on his PC, so in a way, this is in honor of him.
Non-Violent Reminisence from a PlayFirst Mom
2008
by mariaa
MAY
5
I have been fascinated by games since I was very young. When I was in the hospital giving birth to my son, I took my DS to accompany me through the long waiting hours.
In 2006, when Marco was one-year-old, PlayFirst, Inc. contacted me about working for them as a graphic designer. This was a no-brainer. Art, games, a vibrant local company… perfect.
PlayFirst proved to be just as good a place to work as I had hoped. This is a very family-oriented company and everyone here is okay with me being a mom first and foremost. Being a mom and working full time requires a lot of understanding and flexibility from one’s employers—I would insist on my rights anywhere, but at PlayFirst I never have to ask twice when I have to run out to get Marco to a doctor’s appointment or even bring him in for an afternoon. Not all companies are like that, as I’m sure some of you out there know.
Right from the beginning I enjoyed sitting down with Marco after work and showing him the art from our games. By the time he was two, he began to get curious when he would see me playing games at home. The first PlayFirst game I showed him on the computer was Tasty Planet. At that time he wasn’t really able to play so much as watch, but by the time Sponge Bob: Diner Dash came out he was ready to work the mouse!
I now work as the Design Manager at PlayFirst and I’ve contributed to over twenty-five games since I started working here. With Marco being a bit older, I feel very proud to work in a casual games company where I can share my work with my son without worrying that the content in the games is not suitable for him. When I tell him that I make games for living, he thinks it’s very cool. I guess I do, too. Currently Marco is having a lot of fun playing Animal Crossing, moving around and picking up fruit from the trees. He really had a blast helping me play through Doggie Dash, too. The washing and grooming of the cats and dogs brings endless fun on our playing dates. I secretly hope he will like casual games when he gets even older so that we can still enjoy our play dates. Playing together is fun entertainment, cooperative Mommy and me time, and qualitatively superior to having him just sit in front of the T.V.
Though I am sure his dad is hoping for them to one day play Grand Theft Auto together, it’s important to me that PlayFirst has never asked me to help create a game with excessive violence. That is not what I stand for and I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want my son playing games like that, so I would not feel comfortable contributing to their production. Because we’ve played together so much, though, if he does decide to play games outside my comfort range when he gets old enough to do so, I take comfort in knowing that I will always be able to sit with him and talk about what he’s seeing and experiencing. It won’t feel out of left field to him, because it’s something we do all the time; I play his games with him and I like that he plays mine with me. We are both thrilled that there are so many games we can play together, and I am proud to work at a place that helps to sustain that.
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