Thoughts from a (girl) Gamer

“Katia exists because someone has to kill every zombie, even if it’s with their bare goddamn hands.” attributed to Bill (Mad Larkin) of Left 4 Dead

Kathryn, like most hardcore gamers, has been gaming since her childhood. Raised on systems like the Atari and front loader Nintendo, she knew since a young age that games were going to be a major part of her life. She started simple, with old favorites like Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt, and worked her way year by year to mature titles like Goldeneye and Resident Evil 2 by grade 5, finding ways to obtain them though well below the ESRB rating age group. She knew that she needed to have every genre covered, and worked at this goal with her future in the gaming industry well in mind. In her high school years, she participated in Soul Calibur 2 tournaments (some of which she hosted), and her largest victory at that time came when she claimed 1st out of 40 in 2003.

Kathryn graduated college with a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts under the concentration of Game Art & Design from The Illinois Institute of Art- Schaumburg, December of 2008. She now is a freelance artist and creates character concept art and tattoo designs in her free time. She works at a video game store near her home, and uses it to its full potential by asking customers how they like new game titles that are being released in order to keep up with pros and cons seen in the public eye associated with games and their companies. She also is one of the gaming “experts” at her job, and aids with customer concerns about gaming hardware, and questions about old and new titles that they are curious to bring home. She is working towards her dream and the opportunity to become a part of what she is so passionate about- The Video Game Industry.

She hopes to one day have a role in the development of video games as a conceptual artist, sound engineer, asset modeler, or game producer. She also hopes to someday join the ranks of the Frag Dolls, and compete in games professionally. Until that day comes she will continue doing what she loves, gaming at home, writing game blogs and reviews, and competing in tournaments, as well as keeping up with her artwork and building her resume.

Aside from gaming, Kathryn enjoys numerous other hobbies including cooking and baking, working out, cosmetology, tattooing, fishing and hunting, drawing and digital artistry, housekeeping, and music. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and with her friends if they happen to be in town, and connoisseur food and fine drink. Kathryn is also a lover of animals and hopes to have a pet of her own again sometime in the near future. She enjoys going to the show, and her favorite genre is horror, may it be classical or slasher. She also enjoys a good action flick or war movie. She spends her social time when friends are away on her Steam account, chatting with online comrades about their favorite games, and keeping up with each other’s news. She belongs to a community with its own forum and website called “Roam Free”. Some of the members she has known for several years, but they have never met face to face.

Recent Video Games of mention and Past Favorites:

Bayonetta (console)

Dragon Age Origins (console)

Demon’s Souls (console)

Assassin’s Creed (console)

Assassin’s Creed 2 (console)

Silent Hill – 2, 3, 4, & Homecoming (console)

Call of Duty 4 –Modern Warfare (console)

Call of Duty -Modern Warfare 2 (console)

Left 4 Dead (console and PC)

Left 4 Dead 2 (PC)

Guild Wars –All campaigns (PC)

Resident Evil – 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Code Veronica X, Deadly Silence, Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles

The Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Windwaker, Twilight Princess

Super Smash Brothers

Super Smash Brothers Melee

Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Rock Band 2 (console)

Baten Kaitos (console)

Dead Space (concole)

Portal (console and PC)

God of War (console)

God of War 2 (console)

Uncharted (console)

Tomb Raider – 1, 2, 3, Chronicles, Revelations

Gears of War (console)

Gears of War 2 (console)

Bioshock (PC)

The Legendary Starfy (console)

Patapon (console)