An Interview With Scorpia
by Jay Barnson · 10/24/2006 (8:51 am) · 7 comments
Those who were fans of computer RPGs and Adventure Games in the 80's and 90's (yeah, I know there's a bunch of us old farts around here) probably already know who Scorpia is. Those who don't, well, she was one of the most popular columnists of the era (and had one of, if not THE, longest-running gaming columns in the short history of game journalism). She was one of the most influential women in gaming during the "golden age" of computer gaming.
And she was (and remains) a die-hard fan and reviewer of Roleplaying Games and Adventure Games. And one of the more knowledgeable folks on the planet of the same (at least for computer games - she's not a console gamer).
I managed to catch up with her recently and convince her to grant an interview. Mainly, as an aspiring developer of indie Roleplaying Games, I wanted to pick her brain about what makes a great RPG (in fact, I asked her that question outright). But since I was also a fan of hers for part of her 16-year column run in Computer Gaming World, I also wanted to ask about some lingering questions of that time period, and find out what she's up to now. And of course, as an indie game developer, my interview has a minor indie slant. And ulterior motives. And all that ;)
She did not dissapoint. Anyway, rather than repost the whole thing here (it is pretty lengthy - and meaty!), I will just redirect you very gently over to the interview:
Scorpia's New Tale - An Interview With One of Gaming's Most Popular Columnists
And she was (and remains) a die-hard fan and reviewer of Roleplaying Games and Adventure Games. And one of the more knowledgeable folks on the planet of the same (at least for computer games - she's not a console gamer).
I managed to catch up with her recently and convince her to grant an interview. Mainly, as an aspiring developer of indie Roleplaying Games, I wanted to pick her brain about what makes a great RPG (in fact, I asked her that question outright). But since I was also a fan of hers for part of her 16-year column run in Computer Gaming World, I also wanted to ask about some lingering questions of that time period, and find out what she's up to now. And of course, as an indie game developer, my interview has a minor indie slant. And ulterior motives. And all that ;)
She did not dissapoint. Anyway, rather than repost the whole thing here (it is pretty lengthy - and meaty!), I will just redirect you very gently over to the interview:
Scorpia's New Tale - An Interview With One of Gaming's Most Popular Columnists
About the author
Jay has been a mainstream and indie game developer for a... uh, long time. His professional start came in 1994 developing titles for the then-unknown and upcoming Sony Playstation. He runs Rampant Games and blogs at Tales of the Rampant Coyote.
#2
10/24/2006 (9:39 am)
Hey, I like the articles on your site. Your article "How to get me to buy your Indie rpg" is filled with good information. Thanks for sharing :]
#3
This interview just made my day. It was the reason I subscribed to CGW back in the day, and her column was undoubtably one of the things that inspired me to go into creating games as a profession. So I was greatly honored that she agreed to do the interview!
10/24/2006 (9:45 am)
Hey, glad you liked that one, Unsung Zero! That was a bit of a rant after attempting to play a couple of indie RPG demos that were NOT very satisfying. It's even more frustrating in that "true" indie RPGs are almost as rare as honest politicians, and I'd like every single one of them to rock.This interview just made my day. It was the reason I subscribed to CGW back in the day, and her column was undoubtably one of the things that inspired me to go into creating games as a profession. So I was greatly honored that she agreed to do the interview!
#5
10/24/2006 (12:43 pm)
nice read thanks Jay, also read the "How to get me to buy your Indie rpg" great stuff indeed, thought about a lot of the same working on UnEarthed Gods...hopefully...you will like, whenever it's done :) 
#6
10/24/2006 (3:53 pm)
Hey Jay aka Rampant Coyote lol. I've never heard of this lady despite growing up in the mid-late 80's, maybe because I just played games and didn't read GCW. I read some of her articles and she has some good points on the RPG genre. Anyway, I've been reading your blogs for awhile now and they are always a good read. Keep it up!
#7
But I especially like doing interviews, as that means I get help writing it :)
I should have another one coming up in a couple of weeks by a fairly successful indie game developer. I just hope to come up with some good questions that haven't been asked of this individual before.
10/24/2006 (9:56 pm)
Thanks guys :) Glad you like the blog. I do love doing it, but I sometimes think that if I didn't, I'd get more game dev work done. Ah, well. But I especially like doing interviews, as that means I get help writing it :)
I should have another one coming up in a couple of weeks by a fairly successful indie game developer. I just hope to come up with some good questions that haven't been asked of this individual before.
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