Meet the Staff: Jen Hawkins

7 Dec, 2010

Name: Jennifer (Jen) Hawkins
A/S/L: 21/F/UK
GGS Position: Staff Writer
Status: Happily single, aka. skidding towards a life of microwave dinners, cats and Jilly Cooper novels.

Q: What’s the first game you ever played?
I think it was the original Sonic on my Dad’s Sega Mega Drive, which ended up becoming mine when the house’s soundtrack became the disheartening ‘death theme’. If it wasn’t that, it would have been Alien 3 also on the Mega Drive, which was fantastic despite having absolutely nothing to do film other than featuring a pixilated skinhead Sigorney Weaver and naturally the Aliens themselves, who looked like starved alley cats. It was a simpler time, an innocent time.

Q. What’s your gaming set-up at home?
I have a rather minimalist set up at the moment, for the pure and simple reason my living space is essentially a panic room that sadly doesn’t even have it’s own kettle. Currently it is my Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 hooked up, but I do have my PSOne, PS2, Mega Drive (the same one yes, practically antique) and a Game Cube. Somewhere I still have my original Game Boy to play Kirby and Tetris (the one that were the same shape and weight as a house brick) and now and again I pinch my Mum’s DS. I would love to add a high-functioning souped up gaming PC to that repertoire eventually!

Q. And what’s your life-changing game? You know, the one that made you realise that gaming was completely awesome?
I was hooked on games from the word go, but I don’t think it was until I moved onto the Playstation consoles that gaming really became something special to me. The first time I played games like Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid I realised what a profoundly moving experience gaming could be, whether it was to be made terrified, shocked, happy or sad and it just really sealed the deal and I would go looking for games that could pack that much of a punch.

Silent Hill terrified me to the point that I could finish it, and didn’t until years later. I don’t even remember what it was about it that shook me so much other than the terrible thickening dread that just built and built as you went on. Still, it had a huge effect on me, and the series went on to be one of my all time favourites when I plucked up the courage to play it again, especially by the time it got to Silent Hill 2 which is a master class in pacing, characterisation and playing with players mind and emotions. As a result, horror is now one of my very favourite genres full stop and I’ve kind of been looking for that ‘first Silent Hill’ experience again ever since.

Q: And what is your all-time favourite game ever? Why?
It’s a bit of a cliché from me I’m afraid- Silent Hill 2.

This really has to be the series finest hour, and probably the one that everyone remembers when they think of Silent Hill. This was Team Silent at the top of their game, and is an absolutely flawless exercise in storytelling in the best way possible- so much is left for the player to piece together and think about. Each character is so wonderfully designed, and their every spoken word and action is a faithful reflection of their rich characterisation.

Silent Hill 2 is a great example of a ‘twist’ done well, it not only shocks it’s unsuspecting player the first time, but continues for long after that to deliver the goods regardless of how many times you play. I don’t think the final scenes with Angela, or the final reading of Mary’s full letter will ever stop being a profoundly heartbreaking experience.

Though I am one of few who cannot understand the fandom surrounding ‘Pyramid Head’. Contextually he is a brilliant antagonist, but the cult of celebrity and pointless cameos in later games baffles me.

Q: How do you unwind and relax?
When I am not gaming, I am in my element doing something film related. I am watching films, writing about films, talking about films and collecting pointless special editions of my favourite films. It’s safe to say, I am pretty fond of the medium that is film. Other than that I do all the usual things really, I love to chill out listening to music by my favourite artists (I’m a rock’n'roll girl first and foremost) or reading a good book. I also love to socialise, I love a night out on the lash with friends, either going to the pub and drinking cocktails served in a teapot (a wonderful little touch at our local), going ‘clubbing’ at our rock club or just having an all night party at someone’s house. A good night out is great for soul, complete with those wonderfully pointless or off-the-wall discussions that take place at 3am eating cheap take-out pizza, trying to count your cab money in bad light and subsequently the weird conversations with cabdrivers.

I am not a big watcher of TV, I got into my favourite series post-humorously on DVD, such as currently my life has been eaten by the complete series of Twin Peaks. I think it’s only a matter time before my diet begins to consist exclusively on coffee and cherry pie, despite not being fond of either!

Q. Any nerdy gaming stories to share? Better yet, any embarrassing ones?
I honestly don’t really have any, other than a few little awkward moments at social occasions such as a birthdays where I have said something along the lines of ‘and then there will be cake’ in my worse robot-esque voice only for no one else in the room to get the reference, I end up looking like a fool and retreat into the kitchen in true Bridget Jones fashion start gulping a glass of wine.

Q. Do you collect any gaming memorabilia? If not, why not? If yes, what and why?
I do! I am a total nerd when it comes to memorabilia, and I collect game, film, comic book and TV merchandise. I have an impressive collection of Silent Hill memorabilia from posters, t-shirts, wall scrolls, various promotional materials, collectors editions (SH2), The Lost Memories DVD. I’m sure there is more, but I can’t think off of the top of my head. I also have a few bits and bobs from the MGS series and Fallout 3, and I really want to get my hands on some Valve merchandise, such a fluffy companion cube to hang in my car. I really can’t explain what it is about this stuff that I love, I am just that brand of fan!

Q. How’d you get involved in GGS Gamer?
I saw the link in Vikki’s signature over at Silent Hill Heaven Forums, had a browse out of curiosity and saw the little add for recruiting new staff. The rest as they say, is history!

Q. What’s your perfect evening?
Those summer nights in the pub at a BBQ, sat outside on the benches drinking cold beer, getting absolutely plastered and having a brilliant time! If I am staying in, watching a really good film or TV series with a cold beer with friends or totally in peace. You could be forgiven for thinking I was rather fond of my booze, but you would be absolutely right.

Q. Conversely, what would be your idea of a nightmare way to spend an evening?
Surrounded by people I can’t stand (or children or both), with dreadful horrible music playing in the background. Something like being trapped inside an Avril Lavigne concert would be my ideal of hell on earth, but generally I manage to salvage a modicum of enjoyment from almost any occasions, usually by doing or saying something that I totally shouldn’t have.

Q. Name five people, alive or dead, you’d like to share a Multiplayer experience with?
This is a hard question, so I am going with people that I would chose out of sheer novelty value:

Dylan Moran, Emily Booth, Charlotte Church, Tamsen Grieg and Jeff Bridges.

Q. What job’s currently helping you to feed your gamer habit?
I am working somewhat reluctantly for the Post Office again. I swore I’d never go back after through a living hell in the first one I worked in, but this one is much better and pays the bills until better opportunities present themselves!

Q. Anything else you think our readers should know?
I have a freakish memory when it comes to dialogue. Me and my sister can recite entire chunks of film script at whim and have done since we were kids. If it wasn’t for crippling shyness during my childhood and teenage years, I’d have done well on the stage.

Q. If you were stuck in a mall, surrounded by zombies, what celebrity, weapon and music would you have playing while you face the oncoming horde?
I would need to pick something with range and stopping power since my weeny legs don’t carry me anywhere especially fast, though I’ve yet to test them in the face of impending death. I would choose some kind of assault rifle as my primary, and a guitar as melee. My song of choice would have to be Joan Jett’s solo cover of ‘Cherry Bomb’ whilst triggering exploding barrels for dramatic effect.

My celebrity choice was incredibly hard, but I would chose Emily Booth- for the pure and simple reason that the woman really knows the rules of surviving a ‘survival horror’ situation, and at least according to her vast and colourful career there is the suggestion that everything living, dead, undead and intergalactic wants to copulate furiously with Miss Booth, and that would buy me invaluable reloading time and time to formulate an escape. Should Emily Booth run into scheduling conflicts on that day it would totally have to be Joan Jett so I could use my melee guitar to have a rock and roll moment with a musical legend before something takes a chunk out of my arse.

Q. Favourite O’Clock?
Pimms’O'Clock!

Q. Nominate the next GGS Gamer person to get the QA interrogation!
Because I know how much answering a lot of these questions will drive him to distraction, naturally it’s Andy!