Hey this series is back. Welcome to 10 questions, the series where I ask 10 questions to people about their gaming interests. Today I'm asking 10 questions to a friend and a person who's work I've been a fan of for some time, RecklessDani, I talk to her quite a bit on twitter, a lot of her cosplays are great, and she's just a lovable ball of fun! I'll leave a link to her twitter and her Patron as well at the end of this interview, but if you love fun people, she is a person you should follow for sure. Also big thanks to Dani for doing this, I really appreciate being able to interview you!

Besides that that I have nothing else to say, so thanks for reading, and enjoy the interview

What was your first game? Do you have any fond memories of it?

​The first game I ever played was Super Smash Brothers on the Gamecube. It's actually insane but I still have my old Gamecube in mint conditions as well as all my games including Super Smash Brothers. Honestly I have so many amazing memories playing this great game. I played a lot with my Dad and we had a ton of fun plus we would play sometimes all day and order a pizza and just relax at home. I guess I can say that was my first time getting addicted to the world of video games and what it had to offer.

When was your first exposure to the wider gaming community (when you looked more into other games that you were not into at first)?

Since I was really young back in the day I played mostly on gamecube and psp but once the xbox was released my father rush to buy it. That was my 1st getting expose to games like Halo & Gears of War. I watch my dad played for hours these game and tyey always peeked my interest. When my dad would go to work I would log into his account and play both these game. It expose me to the online community and making up clans with your friends to play.

What was the first game you truly fell in love with?

The first game I fell in love with was Gears of War. When i first saw this game it intimated me and scared me as well but I saw how my dad got into the game and how much fun he had. Eventually I picked it up and would play story mode with my dad and that was the best thing ever. He was Marcus and I was Dom his right hand hand. After finishing up story mode I started playing competitive online with my friends that's when I started getting hooked.

What was your first video game cosplay?

My first game cosplay was Janna from Leagues of Legends. It was my first time building a cosplay and I really loved how Janna looked it was a great learning experience and my first time getting expose to making cosplay and armor.

Which video game cosplays gave you the most trouble? 

The cosplay that gave me the most trouble was Ibaraki from Fate Go. I still till this day put this cosplay on the back burn because I didn't like how it was coming out, had to redo the horns and headpiece several time. Plus getting all her tattoos handpainted was such a pain but I will finish her someday when I feel more confident. She a amazing character and I really want to do her justice! 

What was your favourite Video Game cosplay?

My favorite video game is Mercy from overwatch I just love her character design! It's my dream to be able to cosplay all her different outfits and to be able to wear those amazing wings. She will forever be very precious to my heart.

What Draws you to Cosplay? Why do you love it so much?

I have been cosplaying since I was small I just never realized it was call cosplay. What really draws me to cosplay it's the feeling that you get when you put on your cosplay you feel like that character. Its just feels magical to be one of your most beloved character brings a lot of joy to my heart and I love going to Cons and interacting with other cosplayers. It really is a amazing feeling and you feel like you are a part of a wonderful community.

What draws you to video games?

8. I thought at first what drew me into video games was my dad but in reality its the inline community, my friends and the types of game that I play. I love sitting down and forgetting about real life issues and just immersed myself into the video game world where I am a better version of myself. Video game gives meaning to my life and also just helps get through rough patches in life.

Where do you see your cosplays going in 5 years time?

I think in five years I'll still be cosplaying with either my son or daughter I'll probably start making duo cosplay. No matter what I'm a kid at heart and I believe I'll be cosplaying for a very long time. I'm also sure my crafting skills will be much better and more redefined. I can't wait to see all the growth!

Why do you think people should cosplay?

I think people should cosplay because it's really enjoyable also you meet such aamazing people that also have a love for cosplay. Cosplaying let's you be your favorite character and completely immerse yourself its just quite beautiful honestly. It also gives you a confidence boost and overall you feel happier. I really recommend that everybody cosplay its life changing!

All photos are from Dani's social pages and used with permission from Dani herself

So today I'm doing something very different, but at the same time, it is an evolution of an Idea that I have had for a while. For those that don't know, I wanted to start a podcast that would look at people and their gaming interests, as I thought it would be good to know people as people, and not some big star on the internet. However, I felt there was not enough interest in the idea in terms of people wanting to interviewed. However, I decided to use the questions I had come up with(and a few more related to that person) to interview Jupiter Hadley.

She does a lot of indie game work, including an Indie Games Podcast and looking at game jams. She even looked at my game in the Big Festive Jam, and while I'm thankful, I also am a bit embarrassed. If you read my devlog about the Big Festive Jam you know why I have those feelings. Anyways, you can check it out below(along with all the other games from that Jam!).

What was your first game? Do you have any fond memories of it?

The first game I remember playing is the Legend of Zelda on the NES. My dad paints houses for a living - something that you mainly do in the summertime. In winter, I remember him plugging the old NES into his TV in his room. My sister and I would sit on his bed, watching him take on the entire game. My dad knew where all the hearts were - all of the objects. He would beast throughout the entire map. We would normally be handed unplugged controllers. When I was a bit older, I remember getting to take on ‘the castles’ in the game. These were the temples where the bosses where.

There were other games I played around that age - we had a PlayStation and I remember playing Centipede, Frogger, Mortal Kombat, racing games and more - but they weren’t the games my dad had played. It seemed much more significant getting to play Legend of Zelda.

When I was a bit older, I started playing the Sims 1 on PS1. I have lots of fun memories of playing Sims 1 and Sims Bustin Out - especially Bustin’ Out, with my friends.

When was you first exposure to the wider gaming community (when you looked more into other games that you were not into at first)?

Well, that all starts with Minecraft. I started playing Minecraft as my brother had played it. The server he played on had an active gaming community that played League of Legends and World of Warcraft. I ended up playing League of Legends but didn’t really enjoy it. I was also introduced to some indie game developers, who introduced me to the community around making your own games.

I didn’t really look into a wider gaming community - they sort of found me.

What was the first game you truly fell in love with?

This is a complicated question. I sort of divide my gaming life into “before indie games” and “after indie games.” I really loved Cooking Mama on the Nintendo DS but I never had my own DS so I always had to borrow it off my sister. I really enjoyed cooking all of the strange things within the game. There was also a fashion game I would play on her DS where you could run a clothing shop and go to fashion shows that I was really fond of. I remember being very sad when my data got deleted.

The first indie game I fell head over heels for was Fran Bow. I would say, Fran Bow is my deeper, more passionate love. I backed the game when it was on Indiegogo - I watched the developers make it and I followed the entire process. I felt like they were making a game for me, you know? And when it was released, it was more than I ever expected or could hope for. Fran Bow is a game that years later, I still get passionate talking about. It’s a game I actively recommend to people. A game I feel deeply in love with.

Which game jam did you first do a video on, and your top 3 games from that Game Jam?

The first game jam I ever covered was the Ludum Dare 28 back in 2013. I can’t really pick favorites from that jam - most of the games don’t exist anymore and I only played 220 of them. And, it was so freaking long ago….

Least Favourite game jam, and the worst 3 games from that jam?

This is another complex question that I can only half answer. My least favourite game jams are the ones that don’t have any entries. It makes me sad when no one (or barely anyone) enters a game jam that someone set up. My least favorite games entered into jams are ones that don’t follow the theme or spirit of the jam and are spammed into any jam going on at the time of release. Thats just a bad thing to do.

What was your favourite Game Jam(s), and name the best game and the worst game from that jam?
I love ProcJam - the Procedurally generation jam with games and other things entered into it. I wrote an article on ALL of my favorite creations, but my favorite game from it would be Herbarium - a procgen game about finding the uses and abilities for flowers so you can make various potions!

I also love the GM48 - which is a quarterly game jam using the Game Maker Engine. The themes for that jam are always awesome. The last one I covered - GM48: One Tool, Many Uses - my favorite game was Ghost Snap where you can take pictures of ghosts in a cute dungeon!

The Adventure Jam and many, many smaller jams like the Familiar Game Jam are also wonderful. So many great jams.

What makes you prefer indie games over AAA ones?

I really love the community around indie games. I love how kind, helpful, and caring the individuals are. It's a bunch of people just trying to live their dreams. As for the games themselves, I love the uniqueness that comes from indie games. I get to play things I have never seen or dreamt of before. It’s not like all of the pew-pew gun games you see in AAA - it's more like these little unique projects about rice cookers coming to life, subliminal messages through TV Channels, a small game about comforting a friend, or the pure joy of becoming a baby bird. What’s not to love?

Do you think Indie Developers will have to adopt certain AAA practices, DLC, Lootboxes etc.?

Hmmm, I think that some developers will adopt those practices, especially as more and more indies are coming from an AAA background. DLC is already something I am seeing pop up in various indie games - most recently, SnoutUp made a DLC for his free game, which has nearly paid for itself (for the cost of the DLC). I think that as indie games become bigger and more polished, you will see less and less of a difference when it comes to how they make money.

Where do you see the indie game industry 10 years from now?

I hope to see more solidified game jams, instead of loads of little ones. I hope to continue to see all of the unique games that are being made. I want to see more funding for them - more funding for creative projects, and less guns. I want to see more games that are fun or are made about the world that we currently live in (two very different types of games I know). I hope that there won’t be so much engine talk (X engine is better than Y or You’re not a real game dev if you use Y engine).

Why do you think people should make games?

I feel that people should make games because they want to make games. It’s that simple. Make the games you want to play, share a bit of your soul with the world, create something and let others see it.

One of the things I found intresting and I thought was the community point, because if you look on itch.io and Gamejolt there is a TON of just random games. And I do think that engine talk needs to go away.

Anyway, Jupier, thanks for answering these question. And to the rest of you, thanks for reading, have a great day/night, share if you enjoyed it and take care.

Written By Nana Marfo

Check Out Jupiter Hadley:
      Twitter: @Jupiter_Hadley
      Youtube: Jupiter_Hadley
​      Instagram: @jupiterhadley
      SoundCloud: Jupiter Hadley
      Itch.io: jupiter_hadley
      Patreon: Jupiter_Hadley