Nora Miller
Nora

My name is Nora Miller. I am practically 14. I mean, my birthday's in October, so I'd say that's close enough.

David

We'll count it.

Nora

I live in Seattle, Washington and I've been playing videogames for about as long as I can remember. Like, I think I started off on the N64 and the GameCube. I remember playing a lot of Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64. Though, recently, I've not been playing a lot of games because, I don't know, I just have other stuff. So, I feel bad about, like, "Ah! I should be playing more videogames." Eh.

David

Why do you feel bad?

Nora

Because I feel like I'm a gamer girl! And I'm proud of it! And I've recently just been playing Minecraft and stuff on my phone and Bust-a-Move 4 on a Game Boy Color. [Laughs.] My dad dug this up from the basement and it's, like, covered in dust. [Laughs.]

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David

[Laughs.] Okay, so, this is going to sound like a silly question.

Nora

I love silly questions.

David

Yeah, there's gonna be a lot of these.

Nora

Yeah!

David

Why do you play videogames?

Nora

Because I feel like it's one of the best ways to experience a story, actually. Though, of course, in some videogames the story is pretty simple: Bad guy stole princess, go get princess back, woo-hoo!

David

It's the hero's journey.

Nora

But it's actually one of the only ways you can interact with a story. In a movie you're just watching it, and in a book, you're just wasting your time looking at words. I don't like books. [Laughs.] But I also like it because, you know, they're fun. You have fun playing them! It's fun to stomp on bad guys and shoot up cities of innocent people! [Laughs.] Sorry, no, no, no! Don't take that the wrong way.

David

[Laughs.]

Nora

I totally didn't play GTAIV when I was four years old! What are you talking about?

David

Did you?

Nora

I did. Totally.

David

Tell me a little bit about that. I mean, I talked to a 13-year-old boy in upstate New York who wants nothing more than to play GTA. So, you lived his childhood dream and you did it 10 years ago.

Nora

[Laughs.] Okay, first thing about the mature thing. Our aunt was over -- my mom's younger sister -- and she asked my mom, "Which one of us do you think is more mature between me and my aunt?" And my mom was like, "Nora." And I was like, "What!? What are you talking about?" Anyway.

David

[Laughs.] Is this about GTA? It made you more mature?

Nora

No, no, no. I don't think so, anyway. So, about GTA.

David

Yeah.

Nora

I was usually just running around, getting the guy different haircuts and feeding him pizza and stuff. And my mom told me she took the game away because I had shot down a police helicopter with a bazooka, but it was actually because I was punching women on the streets in the face because the punch button is also the talk button. But you can only talk to certain people and for the rest of the people it's punching. So I was just trying to talk to them, but I ended up punching them in the face. Oops.

David

So you were four and you remember that?

Nora

No, no, no. This is just hearsay from my mom.

David

Ah, okay. So, I mean, what do you think about that now at the ripe old age of nearly 14?

Nora

Uh, that Saint's Row 2 is better. [Laughs.]

David

[Laughs.] I feel like that's not the lesson your mom was trying to teach you.

Nora

[Laughs.] Oh, she was trying to teach me a lesson?

David

I don't know, I don't know. You tell me. You know her a bit better than me.

Nora

I think it is -- I kind of -- I don't know. I would assume that I really liked the game because she also told me that, like -- you know those shopping carts with the car in the front that the kids get to sit in?

David

Yeah.

Nora

I would sit in one of those, and when another kid would drive by, I would make my finger into a gun and go, "Shoot shoot! Shoot shoot!"

David

You would literally say, "Shoot shoot?"

Nora

I would say, "Shoot shoot."

David

You wouldn't say, "Pew pew?" Or "Bang?"

Nora

I would say, "Shoot." [Laughs.]

David

Okay. I mean, do you feel like you picked that up --

Nora

Yeah.

David

-- from videogames?

Nora

Yeah.

David

You definitely think you did?

Nora

Yeah.

David

I mean, I'm sure you hear what people say, that videogames are dangerous because --

Nora

"Oh, they're dangerous! They make kids violent!" [Growls.]

David

[Laughs.] So, what do you think?

Nora

I don't know. I think I was young and I was like, "Oh! It was cool in videogames, so I can do it here."

But I think with, like, teenagers it's better for them to play violent games ‘cause then they're not violent in real life. You know, it's kind of better: "Oh, I can shoot at virtual people instead of real people. Huzzah!"

I don't know.

David

You think that's better?

Nora

Yeah, because you're not actually hurting anybody. You're just making pixels go boom. "Oh nooooo!"

David

You mentioned you're playing a little bit less. Do you think videogames become too important to people?

Nora

You mean, more important than real life?

David

You may not have really seen it at your age too much.

Nora

No, no, no. I haven't actually seen it but I've heard about it. You know, just, like, videos on the Internet being like, "Parents starve their kids because they were playing too much World of Warcraft instead of feeding their actual kids." And it's like, "Seriously?"

David

What are you saying that to? That they're reporting on it?

Nora

No, seriously, that people would do that? Because I've kinda learned from the news -- or what fractions of it I've gotten from the Internet -- I don't actually watch cable -- how stupid humanity can be. [Laughs.]

David

[Laughs.] You really are closer to 14 than 13.

Nora

Yeah.

David

How do you mean?

Nora

It's amazing how stupid people can be. I can't think of any examples right now because I'm sleepy and tired and sick.

David

Oh, no! I didn't know.

Nora

No, no, it's okay.

David

How do you see people act stupid around videogames?

Nora

Well, mainly it's people looking from the outside in and being, "Oh, all these kids playing violent videogames, they'll get violent! Whippersnappers!" [Growls.]

David

[Laughs.]

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

Do you see anyone on the inside of videogames acting stupid? Like, people who are really knowledgeable about games?

Nora

Well, I think maybe, like, maybe in games where people are more experienced with a game, like, hating on people who are less experienced. Like, you know, "Oh, you noob! You made us lose the game! Agh!" Like, in Call of Duty or something.

David

Yeah?

Nora

Yeah, which I've never actually played or anything.

David

Did you want to play it?

Nora

Not really. Those kind of things are kind of boring. "Oh, war people shooting each other and explosions and manly mans." [Laughs.]

David

What games do you want to play?

Nora

I don't know. I want to get my hands on Mario Maker. That's coming out. That's gonna be cool.

David

What's cool about?

Nora

'Cause, you know, you've been playing Mario your whole life and then, hey! I get to make one? That's awesome!

David

So you've been playing Mario your whole life?

Nora

Yeah!

David

What's awesome about it?

Nora

Just how fun and colorful it is and even though she's a terrible role model, Peach was kind of my role model when I was tiny.

David

Why is she a bad role model?

Nora

'Cause you know, "Oh! I need a guy to save me and I'm being kidnapped and I can't do anything. Pink!"

David

[Laughs.] Pink?

Nora

"Pink!"

David

[Laughs.] I don't remember her saying, "Pink!"

Nora

She doesn't. She just says, "Hatcha!" when she hits people.

David

Oh, okay.

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

So, it's funny because -- so, you're the third teenager I've talked to for this so far. The boy I talked to, he said he wasn't really that interested in Mario. And for people of my generation, that's what we would say: "Oh, you know, I grew up playing that. I’ve been playing that my whole life."

Do you have any curiosity about older games? I know that your parents are both really into games, but are you interested or are they pushing you to be interested?

Nora

I think I'm a little interested. because, so, like, I can check off, "Yes, I played the original *The Legend of Zelda.*Yes, I played the original Super Mario Bros."

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David

Yeah.

Nora

Because -- I think I may have played the original The Legend of Zelda, but just on the Wii Virtual Console. So that kinda doesn't really count?

David

Why wouldn't it count?

Nora

Eh, you know, because you don't have the NES and the tiny controller. [Laughs.]

David

You're such a purist about it!

Nora

I don't know. It's a thing to do!

David

What's the oldest game you’ve played?

Nora

If you're counting the Virtual Console then, yeah, like, Legend of Zelda.

David

What did you think of it even if you weren't playing it on the correct --

Nora

[Laughs.] I understood why people liked it but I didn't really get into it. I've never been able to get into Legend of Zelda mainly because by myself I can never get past the first dungeon. I don't know what stops -- what my deal is. It's happened to me on Twilight Princess, on Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time again.

I cannot get past the first dungeon without an adult's help.

David

Why do you keep trying the other Zelda games, then?

Nora

'Cause, you know, running around the first area is still kind of fun.

David

Yeah, getting a sword and chopping grass and collecting money. It's just like mowing lawns, I guess?

Nora

Yeah!

David

What do you think is the appeal for people like those games?

Nora

The adventure and the mystery and finding secrets and all the items and stuff and the quest to go save Princess Zelda, yay!

David

What does Princess Zelda say? Is she like Princess Peach?

Nora

I spent less time with her, so I don't know. [Laughs.]

David

[Laughs.] That's true.

Nora

"Oh, I, uh -- you know, destiny and something." I don't know.

David

Triforce.

Nora

"Triforce!"

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David

Yeah. Do you feel like you get along with boys who play videogames?

Nora

Yeah. Yeah, I do. Usually we talk about different games. Like, they talk about -- oh, what was that one game? Titanfall or something.

David

What types of things do they talk about with Titanfall?

Nora

You know, "I have the 40X giant gun-X ‘deal with it’ gun, and you don't have that. Heh!"

David

When they're talking about that, what do you think they're really bragging about?

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

What are you laughing about?

Nora

Nothing just, um, guys talking about giant guns? Are they compensating for something? No. Okay.

David

I wasn't saying --

Nora

I know, I know! [Laughs.]

David

You were laughing.

Nora

That was me, that was me.

David

[Laughs.] But do you think there are things about those types of games -- are girls also interested in them?

Nora

Yeah, maybe, because they -- you know, society is like, "Oh, if you do this then you're manly." And then the guys are like, "Oh, I want to be manly! Let's all go do that! Yeah, robots!"

David

[Laughs.] Has a boy ever told you weren't as good at games as him?

Nora

Nuh-uh. But that's because I'm hanging out with the right guys.

David

Who are the "wrong" guys?

Nora

The guys who say that, obviously.

David

Yeah.

Nora

I haven't run into any of them, but I'm special.

David

Not even, like, in school or something?

Nora

Nuh-uh. 'Cause usually I think the guys that would say that to me, we would never get into a conversation about videogames.

David

I know you play Minecraft online with your friends.

Nora

Too much. We play too much Minecraft.

David

Yeah, I heard that you guys were trolling people on Minecraft a lot, which sometimes can mean you're being mean or you're just joking around with people?

Nora

We're pranking them. My friends like to call it trolling it, but trolling is more like cyberbullying territory, which I don't like to think of myself as.

David

Yeah.

Nora

I preferred to be called an evil mastermind, mwuhahaha! [Laughs.]

David

That's better?

Nora

It's funnier.

David

So what's the distinction? What's cyberbullying and then what is just being an evil mastermind and pranking?

Nora

Oh, man, I don't know!

David

Has anyone you've ever known been cyberbullied through videogames or the Internet?

Nora

No. No.

David

Like, for me growing up, I used to play Diablo 2 with friends and we had made up this level called The Casino that didn't exist. It was like a glitch you could find by only going through elaborate --

Nora

So you would tell people about it and they would go through all the stuff and they're like, "Hey, there's no level!"

David

Yeah, I mean, that would be our fun. So, was I cyberbullying or was I pranking?

Nora

No, that's pranking. Cyberbullying is more like attacking the person. Like, "Uh! You're fat and ugly and you should kill yourself!" You know, that shit.

Sorry, I shouldn't curse.

David

No, I just noticed you did. That's completely fine.

Nora

Okay, good. [Laughs.]

David

I mean, this is the sort of thing I try to avoid talking about with kids and teenagers because I don't want to make them aware of it. But since you brought it up -- this is a really philosophical question -- why do you think some people take it to that level where they need to threaten someone on a personal level through a videogame or the Internet?

Nora

[Pause.] I don't know. I've thought about this. You're not bringing up anything new. I'm not just finding out about this.

David

Yeah, that's why I'm asking you.

Nora

Oh, they have their own insecurities so they project their insecurities onto other people and make them feel bad about it.

David

So you said you've been thinking about this. Why?

Nora

Well, you know, whenever it comes up I'm just like, "You know what? Maybe I should think about ponies for about an hour now."

David

The question I'm always wondering is that why do people still well into adulthood act that way? Because, you know, when you're into your twenties and thirties don't you think --

Nora

You should have grown up by now? [Laughs.]

David

Well, what do you think?

Nora

[Pause.] Words.

David

Words.

Nora

I woke up about two hours ago and didn't eat any breakfast, huzzah! Okay, I ate breakfast, but it was bread. I had bread.

David

Bread counts. You're taking care of yourself. That's important.

Nora

I don't know. People just don't want to grow up so they just still act immature into their adulthood.

David

Do you think videogames teach you anything?

Nora

[Laughs.] Yeah. Well, I played a lot of Animal Crossing as a kid and I think that was like baby's first mortgage a little bit.

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David

Kinda early to be paying mortgage, but yeah.

Nora

You know, you still have to pay off the bank for taking off the loan, but you don't have any time limit, so, instead of working you sell fish at the local market, which also happens to be the place where you pay off your house. Tom Nook, you bastard!

David

Do you know what a slumlord is? He's kind of a slumlord.

Nora

Yeah.

David

I always thought Animal Crossing was a little strange in that sense, but I agree with you, like, it introduces you to concepts that maybe you hadn't thought of before.

Nora

Yeah.

David

Okay, so you learned about mortgages. But that was when you were a kid. Are you saying --

Nora

Nowadays, let's see. Usually it's not for the game itself, it's for online play, with Minecraft. But that's just like, interacting with people just through a virtual means, so it's not really learning from the game.

David

Sure it is.

Nora

But it's more like the people in the game. You know, the real-life people who are currently in the same game that you are.

David

Yeah.

Nora

I'm waving my arms around frantically.

David

No, I heard it.

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

So are you saying you're not really learning much?

Nora

No, it's more just a fun distraction between, you know, life and school and stuff.

David

What was your very first videogame that you wanted to buy and you got interested in?

Nora

Probably something on the Wii, like Wii Sports or Mario Galaxy or something because I was the last person in my group of friends to get a Wii and I was like, "Oh, God, please parents buy me a Wii!" And they were like, "No!" And I was like, "Dammit! I want a Wii." I would go over and play Wii Sports at somebody else's house and be like, "I want to do this at home now!" [Growls.]

David

I remember Wii Sports, the first time you swing a controller and you see it move onscreen where you're like --

Nora

"Oh my God! What is this future magic!"

David

[Laughs.] I mean, do you feel that way about the Wii U? Is that also future magic?

Nora

Not as much because it's like, "Oh, it's now a Wii but it has an iPad attached to it. Okay."

David

I mean, how do you feel videogames have changed in the time you've been paying attention to them?

Nora

I haven't been paying attention to them long enough.

David

Have you noticed any changes at all?

Nora

Well, you know, mostly I focus on Nintendo products and they never really change. And then when I look over at what Sony and Microsoft are doing and I'm like, "Well, this looks about the same as it did a while ago. Okay."

David

How do you mean? Like, graphics?

Nora

You know, graphics are always improving. And I occasionally have looked at game trailers and been like, "Woah, that looks pretty cool."

David

You mean the visuals or the games themselves?

Nora

The games themselves I haven't really played them and seen how the controls have changed or the gameplay has changed.

David

Are you not interested in having those other consoles?

Nora

It's mostly, like, my parents not being interested enough to buy them. Like, the only PlayStation we have is the first one. And we have an original Xbox and an Xbox 360.

David

I remember your mom telling me there was a retro game store that just opened in the mall.

Nora

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

David

She just told me she felt exhausted just thinking about it.

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

But those older systems, like even the Xbox 360, what do you notice about them?

Nora

There's lots of -- you know Modern Warfares and Calls of Duty and Halos, first-person shooters. Once again, manly manly games.

David

Do you actually think those are manly games?

Nora

I don't know. Certainly marketed as such.

David

How do you mean?

Nora

"Uh, we're here to save the world and explode bad guys! Yeah! Flex muscles."

David

That sounds pretty masculine to me. Or, I guess, I mean, it sounds like a lot of testosterone. I don't know if it's masculine.

Nora

Testosterone! Yeah! [Laughs.] No.

David

They should just sell them and it comes with needles of testosterone.

Nora

[Laughs.] You just get the game box and you open it and it's just, like, a bunch of syringes filled with testosterone. "Here you go, buddy!"

David

That might happen within our lifetime. You never know.

Nora

You never know!

David

It's just, like, another form of DLC or something?

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

Who are your three favorite videogame characters?

Nora

I have to say Princess Peach.

David

You don't have to.

Nora

No, because she did definitely have a giant impact in my life and I still love her even though, again, she's a terrible role model. Actually, I think I wrote a paper in school about how terrible a role model she was. [Laughs.]

David

What class?

Nora

Language arts. We were doing, like, gender biases and other political nonsense and I was like, "Okay! Let's do gender biases in the media!" And one of my plans was like, "Oh, it's especially apparent in videogames because of all these over-sexualized characters and even when they're not sexualized, they still need a guy to come and save them." And then I said, "Well, they are getting better with more playable characters and Princess Peach can kick your ass in Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

David

What was your teacher's reaction?

Nora

I think I got an "A." That class he never gave us the grade when we turned in the paper. Like, it was a miracle if you got it two semesters later. [Laughs.] You just had to check the source every once in a while and then be like, "Oh, okay, I still have an 'A' in this class. I'll just suppose that I'm doing good."

David

So you never really got any feedback on that.

Nora

No, we didn't. And we would complain about it to him. And he'd just be like, "Okay! I promise on the next one I'll give you the grades!" And he just didn't.

David

Did you talk with your friends or other classmates about your paper?

Nora

Well, mostly, I'd hear from across the room, "Oh my God Mr. So-And-So, why won't you give us our papers back?" And he's like, "I swear I will!" Then he just didn't. So I just sat there in the corner laughing

David

But you said Princess Peach had an impact on your life. How do you mean?

Nora

'Cause, still to this day I never think of being feminine as a bad thing and I still try to be kinda girly while being awesome. You know, you never want to think of girliness as not a good thing. That would suck.

David

Do you feel people say being girly is a bad thing?

Nora

Yeah, all the time. Even myself sometimes, but mostly when I'm hanging out with guy friends. Like, I insult them by calling them a girl. Like, really. [Laughs.] I've done that and I don't know if I should feel ashamed about it or not. I probably should. But, you know, whatever.

David

Depends on the context but that also explains a little bit about how you fit in with that circle of friends.

Nora

I have many circles of friends which I act slightly different in each of them.

David

That's completely normal.

Nora

Yeah.

David

Okay, so, Princess Peach. Do you have two more?

Nora

The red knight from Castle Crashers. [Laughs.]

David

Are you joking?

Nora

No. No, I am not. He doesn't have a character, but he's the one that I play as. So, yeah, that's a favorite.

I don't play enough story-based games to get involved with any characters. Oh, wait -- there's this game called Little Inferno. Have you played it?

David

No, tell me about it.

Nora

It's kinda creepy. And, so, all you have is a fireplace and you have money and you use the money buy stuff to burn the stuff and get more money from the stuff to buy more stuff to burn. And that's the entire principle of the game and there's heartbreaking moments. There's a neighbor character who's amazing and I don't remember her name! But she sends hearts in every letter she sends you and it's cute.

David

Yeah.

Nora

And then she -- spoilers -- dies a horrible fiery death. Which is the only videogame character I cried for when they died, was that one. So, there you go. There's my favorites.

David

What about other characters that tend to pop up in stories in videogames? Like, you mentioned you have to save the princess and stuff, but what do you feel are the types of stories that videogames are typically telling? What do you feel are the things that you keep seeing and seeing and seeing and seeing?

Nora

I don't know, really. There's a bunch of "tiny person going up against the government," but I don't really notice as much. Mostly because I'm reading young-adult novels and those pieces of shit are filled with, "Oh, I'm a special snowflake and I have this one true power and I'm going to take down the government because it's corrupt and evil." I just hate it so much.

David

Why?

Nora

It's like, oh, the Divergents of the world, all The Hunger Games, all the -- you know, stuff like that. It's just the same thing used over and over again. Like, you know, Maze Runner probably. I didn't pay attention while reading that one. But still.

David

Who are your two, three favorite characters in books?

Nora

Whoever killed the main character in Divergent. [Laughs.]

David

[Laughs.]

Nora

I don't remember who it was, but I know that they did it and it was amazing.

David

Why?

Nora

Because Tris or Beatrice -- she's, just, I don't remember anything about her character. Just that, "Oh, I have issues and I have a boyfriend." She's just a blank slate for someone to project themselves onto, I'm sure, but I just didn't so I was just reading this book with a bland-ass character. I was like, "I don't want to be this person. This person sounds boring!"

David

So you like the person who took that person out.

Nora

Yes.

David

[Laughs.] Okay. Do you have another character from a book that you particularly liked?

Nora

There's this one series and the first book is called Splintered, I think, and I like the character Morpheus from that because he's kind of this mysterious dark figure who's, again, trying to get the bland-ass character to go into the magical world, but the bland-ass character is like, "No! It's creepy there and I want to stay in the normal world and go to high school." And Morpheus is just like, "You are supposed to be the queen of Wonderland, come back!" And she's like, "No, I want to stay here with my bland boyfriend." Bland boyfriend flexes muscles.

It's like, "Oh my God, you people." So I would just sympathize with that guy being like, "Oh my God, dude? I know your pain."

David

Are there are lot of characters in videogames you can relate to? Or do you just find yourself getting annoyed like that.

Nora

If you don't like a character in a videogame, you can kinda ignore them. But in a book they pop up whenever the story needs them to pop up. But in a videogame, you can be like, "Oh, I don't like this person. I'm just going to skip through all their dialog." In books you can't do that! You cannot skip the dialog in books. I wish you could. That would be amazing.

David

[Laughs.]

Nora

I don't know, technically you can skip through dialog in movies if you press the fast-forward button, but they kinda say some important stuff so you can't really do that.

David

Wait, are you saying stories in games don't really matter?

Nora

No, no, they matter if they're good and if you play games that are more story-based, which I don't and I should. But then I'm sure you come across games that are like, "Oh, my God, this story sucks. I need to stop playing this." But I just don't play that kind of game.

David

Why do you feel like you should be playing more of them?

Nora

Because I feel like I need more variety in my videogame diet.

David

Do you like when there's the option to play as a female character in games?

Nora

Yeah, I do.

David

How often do you do that when you're given that choice?

Nora

Like, all the time if I get a choice. Yeah.

David

This may sound obvious, but why do you like being given that choice?

Nora

Because, you know, you can relate to the character more if it's the same gender as you. It's like, "Oh, you're a girl, I'm a girl, we both have boobs, yay! We can relate to each other."

David

Some guys have boobs.

Nora

Those are moobs.

David

What do you feel tends to be different -- I know you wrote a paper about it already -- about playable male characters as opposed to the playable female characters?

Nora

Well, it depends on the game. Like, if it's a "create a character" and you can choose a female, then the people don't react to you any different than if you were playing a guy.

David

You mean the people in the game world?

Nora

The people in the game world.

David

What sort of reaction characters do male characters get in games?

Nora

"You're a dude. I want you to do a thing. Go do it!" And if you're a girl character, "Hey you're a girl! Go do a thing!" You know.

David

Do you feel pressure to play certain types of videogames?

Nora

Not really, no. Mainly because I don't have people in my life who pressure me to do anything.

David

That means you've made some wise choices with the people around you.

Nora

I've made some wise choices, yes.

David

Do you play games at school? Like, do they use them in the classroom?

Nora

No. We use games in the classroom, like, you know, when the teacher's saying something boring in the classroom. We usually play, like, Hangman or something.

David

You mean, like, on what?

Nora

On a scrap piece of paper. We just play Hangman. [Laughs.]

David

Oh, I was gonna ask -- do you still use graphic calculators in school?

Nora

I think we do. We kinda did a mini unit about, "Oh, this is a graphic calculator and this is how you use it." I don't know. We might be using it more next year.

David

Oh, that's right. As you get into high school you use it more. But a lot of people I knew -- you could get games on them somehow.

Nora

Oh yeah.

David

I don't really remember how and I never did that. I swear.

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

But I just remember so much of that in high school. There was a game called Drug Wars, which I guess is similar to Animal Crossing in some ways now that I think about it.

Nora

[Laughs.] Just in Animal Crossing, instead of fishing you would cook meth or something and then sell it to Tom Nook.

David

It's all selling product. That's a great idea for a game, though. I don't think Nintendo would ever go for that, though.

Nora

Animal Crossing: The Dark Side. No, I'm kidding!

David

Eh, why not? Just in time for Halloween?

Nora

Yeah!

David

Where do you get your information about videogames?

Nora

The Internet. Like, Let's Players. They start playing Five Nights at Freddy's and then you're like, "Oh hey! This is a thing!"

David

Do you go to websites and blogs, or is it mainly just YouTube?

Nora

It's mainly just YouTube.

David

How come?

Nora

Because, I don't know, I just don't find myself searching for new videogames to play on the onlines.

David

Yeah. I've heard of that.

Nora

[Laughs.]

David

Have you looked at any of the game blogs and sites or not really?

Nora

Not really, no.

David

You're just not interested.

Nora

I just haven't heard people that I know say, "Oh, this game blog is really good. You should go check it out!"

David

Nobody is saying that?

Nora

Nobody is saying that.

David

Do those videos influence the way you play at all?

Nora

Yeah. If I see someone play a game, then I go and play it, I usually follow the same steps that they did.

David

Is that changing the amount of fun you're having?

Nora

It's a little less fun, but it's kinda hard to find just new games just through sheer force of will.

David

Are there things you hope to see from videogames in the future?

Nora

I don't think so, but I'm not a videogame designer, though, so.

David

What's the worst game you've ever played?

Nora

I usually stay away from bad games.

David

[Laughs.] Again, you've made wise choices.

Nora

If you asked me this about any other medium I would've just listed off bad movies and bad books that I've read but with videogames it's just like -- I think with videogames it's hard to find bad ones that you think are good because it's usually just friends, and if a friend finds a bad game, they're not gonna tell another friend about it.

David

Are there games you play that you don't really talk to your friends that much about?

Nora

Yeah. I think so. I don't know. Whatever the heck I have in my Steam library. Like, Poker Night at the Inventory. Let's say that. My friends have no idea that I'm playing that.

David

Isn't it that Telltale thing?

Nora

Yeah, it is. It's awesome! And my dad taught me how to play poker, so I'm decently good at it. [Laughs.]

David

How many games do you have in your Steam library?

Because a lot of people say, "Oh man, I got a ton of games." And then it turns out they have, like, 20.

Nora

I definitely have less than 20 'cause, for one thing, I only recently got a gaming PC, so a lot of these are -- I had to only pick stuff from what Mac had and then allowance, so I can't buy all the games that I want on my PC. Can I check?

David

Of course you can check.

Nora

Okay, okay. I have 24 games in my Steam library.

David

Does that seem like a lot to you?

Nora

A little, maybe. I have Goat Simulator open, of course. That is a great game.

David

Are you kidding? I can't tell. It's kind of a goofy game.

Nora

Well, I like games that are goofy. It's fantastic. It's a masterpiece of a game!

David

Do you see yourself playing videogames as an adult?

Nora

Hell yeah.

David

What do you feel like there's a lot of in videogames today?

Nora

Working together as a team. Like, Splatoon just came out.

David

What do you think videogames have accomplished?

Nora

Like, for all of humanity or for themselves?

David

Both.

Nora

Okay! Well, they've gotten better with storytelling and with visuals there's more cinematic videogames. You can, you know, make characters more detailed so they look more different from other characters. I mean, originally they were all just like one pixel, so, you've definitely gotten better than that. They've gotten better at bringing people together with all of this online play and stuff.

And they've bettered humanity by not just leaving us with bad movies and books? I don't know. [Laughs.]