Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Q&A Interview with Meg Turney




Meg Turney is a gaming and anime enthusiast who also loves cosplaying. She most recently cosplayed as a female Psycho from Borderlands at Comic-Con which she somehow made both sexy and scary at the same time. Meg recently sat down with me and talked about her tastes in video games and other nerdy stuff.

How did you first become interested in gaming and cosplaying?

Well, I’ve been interested in video games since I can remember. I have two older brothers who are total gamers, so I thought anything they did was cool and any time I got to take a turn getting my ass handed to me in Street Fighter was a glorious moment for little me. My parents worked a lot when we were young, so video games and TV were our babysitters.

With cosplaying, I was obviously a little older. I think I was 14 the first time I attended an anime convention (Ushicon 1!) and saw people in costumes. I was hooked immediately.

What was the first character you ever cosplayed and where was it?

The first character I ever attempted to cosplay was Sailor Heavy Metal Papillion at A-Kon 13, but it was pretty horrendous. My wings weren’t finished in time and I didn’t have a wig. The first cosplay I actually completed was Chun-Li and I wore that at Ushicon 2.

What type of video games are you into mostly?

I’m kind of all over the place when it comes to gaming, but there’s a big soft spot in my heart for SNES games. It’s the system I grew up with – even when newer consoles came out, I always found my way back to my SNES. Even now, I still get excited to break it out and play when I get a chance.

Are you more of an Xbox 360 or PS3 girl?

Xbox 360 all the way. I just find more of my friends are on XBL and it’s always served me well. Of course, I was totally spoiled in college because my mom has a PS3 and a Wii, so I never really had to choose. Now that I’m living on my own, I have to cling to my 360 for warmth and pretend I don’t miss having access to a PS3.

What are your thoughts on motion gaming like Kinect / PS Move. Fun or cheesy?

Both. I think the cheesiness is part of the fun. With games like Dance Central, of course the dancing is fun, but watching your friends and family make fools of themselves is really what gets me. I think the reason I haven’t given up on motion gaming is because I see how quickly young kids pick it up and although some of us older gamers think it has no place in our homes, those little kids are going to keep it alive.

What is your #1, all-time, most favorite game ever?

Hands down, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It’s one of the first games I ever beat by myself and I just love everything about it. I still bust it out every once in awhile and replay it. An honorable mention goes to Resident Evil 4, but I think I’m biased because I played it while I was recovering from a knee surgery and on pain meds, that game is crazy scary.

Considering you’ve cosplayed as Bulma from DBZ and Faye from Cowboy Bebop, I take it you’re also into anime. What are some of your favorites?

Well, Cowboy Bebop and Dragon Ball Z are definitely up there. Sailor Moon is absolutely my #1, but that’s because deep down, I’m still a 13 year-old girl who believes in fate and loves frilly, sappy love stories. They’re actually redoing the anime to bring it closer to the manga and I’m beyond excited.

Your website has a section on it for Nerdy Pillows. What’s that about? 

Nerdy Pillows was originally something I just did for fun. I gave the pillows I made as gifts and after a lot of prodding, I finally made an etsy shop for them last year. I mostly do custom orders, but I have a few stock designs, as well.

Tell me something about yourself that nobody knows.

Hmmm… this isn’t something absolutely no one knows, but it’s not something I think I’ve told a lot of people so I think it still counts: My tattoo is upside down. I had wanted a pixelated less than 3 for well over a year by the time I actually went in to do it, and I’d actually been drawing it on my wrist for months to make sure I wouldn’t get sick of seeing it there.

Somehow, though, the design got flipped and in my excitement I didn’t notice until I was walking out of the tattoo parlor and the guy I was dating at the time said, “Didn’t you want it the other way?” I was stunned. It’s not like it doesn’t make a heart the way that it is, it’s just that it faces everyone else the way I wanted it to face me.

-----

To see more of Meg's awesome cosplays, like her Facebook fan page, follow her on Twitter @MegTurney, or check out her official website www.megturney.com.