Gunslinger Gaming

You may already know covan2306 through a couple of different in-game adventures. Perhaps you raced him while he burned rubber (or demolished his car depending on which piece of photo evidence a person views) on the track of Gran Turismo 5. You may have plundered the landscape of Pandora with him in Borderlands 2. Just recently, he may have provided cover fire as you reloaded your weapon on the Crysis 3 battlefield. Regardless of how you have encountered him previously or have yet to game with him, join me as we pick his brain in this month’s edition of Member Spotlight!

GS: You are building quite the reputation amongst your fellow Gunslingers for your willingness to help out with in-game questions. For example, take a look at the kind praise GS*bigwillydier gave you:

“Covan…is by far the most helpful person I’ve met on here…If you wish you had a particular item, if he has it, he’ll give it to you. If he doesn’t have it, he’ll either help you farm it or farm it himself and give it to you. He’s also a wealth of knowledge about the game and always happy to answer questions and explain things.”

Were you aware you had such an impact on other people’s gaming experience?

covan2306: This is my gaming mentality when it come to loot games, share the pixels, that’s all they are. I’d sooner be playing with people enjoying their game, than running around gloating about my pew pew guns.
Same goes for giving advice, this is how I have always pictured gaming clans/communities, all about finding like minded people, and having fun, helping each other when needed, sounds cheesy, ‘cuz it is.

GS: Back when you first signed up with the Gunslingers in May of 2011, you did so for the game, Brink. What are you final thoughts on that title, and what is among your favorite experiences in the newest games you are playing?

covan2306: Brink was a great game, that was killed by it’s launch (during psn downtime), I still rate the game in my top 10 ps3 games easily.
My favorite experiences would be Borderlands 2, try to help BigBangBear, then help Bigwillydier beat Hyperius-the-Invincible. After both times think all of us called it a night, mentally exhausting. That’s the fun in the game, trying to bring down bosses with friends, especially with a boss like Hyperius who can randomly kill you against all logic.

GS: You list Cabinet Maker as your occupation in your GS profile. How long have you been making cabinets? What drew your interest in doing so? Finally, what was the most challenging cabinet you have ever made?

covan2306: Been making cabinets for 6 years, firstly custom household cabinets, now larger scale manufacturing of computer cabinets, for medical IT. I was drawn to it needing a job, I’m actually a semi-qualified Chef, but I don’t really have the temperament for that.

Most challenging..Custom full wall study, desk with cabinets, was made to look “antiqued”. On the day of staining, I worked on a Saturday with the boss, last staining method before the finishing lacquer was to create the effect of old varnished wood. This consisted of applying a heavy dark coat of a brown stain, then hitting it with thinner fast (very fast) to only leave it in accent areas. This all went well until the 11ft end cabinet, trying to stain then strip within 20 seconds of staining, by the end of it, I left didn’t say a word to my boss, fuming. Came into work on Monday, and we both just cracked up laughing. “I thought you were gunna fire me for sure“, “I thought you were gunna tell me to get _________ and quit“.

GS: Speaking of your profile, you mention music as one of your key interests. I think you know what is coming. What are some of your all time favorite musicians? Albums?

covan2306: I have so many of both, very hard/maybe impossible to answer. I will say I grew up in a household that played Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Dio, Gunz, etc. Heavily into metal and progressive rock.
Musicians Tom Araya (Slayer), James Lynn Straight (Snot) and Mike Patton (Faith No More and Mr.Bungle). Favorite albums…too many. So I’ll tell you what my latest addiction has been. Orange Goblin.

GS: As a father, you must have seen your share of kid movies. Which title is a household favorite that you have had to put in for the kids for one millionth time? Do they also game with you?

covan2306: Ninjago (LEGO TV series) and a lot of Veggie Tales. A lot.
I let my 4 year old run around and shoot on Borderlands every once in a while. He has his own game on there, Warp.

GS: How about you? What kept the rugrat version of Covan busy? Were you gaming, and, if so, what was the first video game you every played?

covan2306: Rugrat Covan is still a rugrat, LOL (son’s name). I was playing sports from the moment I could walk, still play football nowadays. One of five kids, so gaming consoles created wars fast, but we did have some of the systems. First game I remember playing was Oh Mummy on the Amstrad.

GS: The next generation of consoles is right around the corner. What are your thoughts on what you have heard rumored so far? What do you hope is included with the next gen experience?

covan2306: I haven’t paid much attention, to be honest. I don’t buy into hype or rumors very often. I do hope we get a lot better graphics on the new consoles. Seeing Borderlands 2 on a PC, console gamers for the most really don’t understand the tamed down versions of games we get. Also, PS3 needs to add recording software.

GS: Anyone who takes a glace at your body of posts made in the Gunslingers forum knows that you enjoy GT5. Without going as far as shining a flashlight in your face and asking if you know how fast you were going, does your love for racing carry into your real life? How many speeding tickets do you have?

covan2306: None, thanks to a few over-enthusiastic friends I quickly learned about trying to be a speed racer in real life. We drive a jeep that death shakes when you go too fast, LOL. I prefer 4×4 off-roading out in the trees where there isn’t many people.

GS: Which is your favorite football/soccer team? Why?

covan2306: Manchester United. Grew up in northern England. Grew up supporting them to spite both my parents. LOL.

GS: What is your favorite drink?

covan2306: Guinness and Hobgoblin ale. I like my 25+ year scotches, also.

Thank you for taking the time to read more about your fellow Gunslinger, Covan. If you would like to leave any comments, feel free to do so in the Member Spotlight topic within the GS forums.

Whether you have run across Merky Water in chat, in game, or on the Gunslingers Forums, you probably noticed he is a friendly and interesting person with whom to swap ideas. He has been sporting the GS tags since December 28th, 2010, and it is high tide..er..I mean, high time that we learn more about Merky Water! Please forget the lame pun and join us in reading an interview about him below!

GS: You joined the Gunslingers on the final days of 2010. What game drew you to here, and what was your first memory in regards to gaming with another member?

Merky Water: CoD: Black Ops. First CoD title the Wii had with in-game comms. The day after Christmas, the amount of screaming youngsters on the headset was enough to get me looking for a way to mute them. The solution: Gunslingergaming!

GS: In the “How’d You Get Your Name?” thread, you mention that your username is, in part, a reference to working on a river. What is your line of work, and what do you enjoy about it the most? Speaking of rivers, what state is said river in?

Merky Water: Ha. I say a lot in that thread but the river aspect is a bit of the truth. I work at a canoe, raft and kayak livery that operates on the Delaware River. As I love the outdoors, this job appealed as at least 90% is under an open sky. I love kayaking the river and while work requires it from time to time, the type of paddling I enjoy most occurs on my days off. We have a few campgrounds as well but the river work is the draw for me. Interaction with various customers is also usually a plus. But as others in the Recreation business know, even with 95% of the people being pleasant, that other 5% can be so difficult smiles can wander off my face… but then I remember the other 95% and carry on my day! The river flows through a few states, but the area we operate on is where it borders NY and PA and later NJ and PA considered “The Upper Delaware.”

GS: The word on the virtual street is that you have a mean Netflix addiction. What tends to be your genre of choice? What have been some of your favorite “rentals” thus far?

Merky Water's current signature in the forums.

Merky Water: Much to my girlfriend’s dismay, Documentaries are my favorite genre when on Netflix. Ken Burns docs being the best by far. National Parks: America’s Best Idea being my favorite and Baseball being second. Also, nice to catch up on TV shows I either missed nostalgically or missed in existence. The TV show “Life” slipped by me somehow. Arrested Development was good to finally watch, too. Would have been a loyal fan almost to the extent I am of The Office and 30 Rock had I but known.

GS: Since joining, you have convinced your significant other (known around these parts as “Liz_Lemon20“) to also join GS. How did that come about, and are there any games that you both enjoy playing? Has this created a new dimension over who gets rights to the television?

Merky Water: Liz thought I was a bit odd to be playing games as much as I do let alone with ‘strangers.’ Just before MW3 hit, her sister-in-law talked her into trying BO and she fell in love. From there, she started realizing the benefits of an online gamer community. Now, she and I keep trying to nudge her brother and sis-in-law to join the ranks. Liz and I also enjoy bowling and playing You Don’t Know Jack together. The big TV (although mine) is hers when she’s here and rarely would I put up a fight as I already know the winner.

GS: Being a Wii player, I must ask. What are your initial impressions on the WiiU, and do you think you will be purchasing it?

Merky Water: I think I might. It looks very interesting. I honestly thought I was done with console gaming since my N64. Had a friend not talked me into trying his Wii, I would have dismissed it as well. But the motion controls got me hooked. Locating one around launch may prove the issue. I may get one of the other next gen consoles as well if they start to embrace the motion controls they hesitantly started to try.

GS: Okay. Let’s pretend that the controllers need to be recharged. What are some other interests of yours that keep you busy?

Merky Water: Rechargeable AAs are in good supply and I almost always try to keep an extra wiimote with fresh in arm’s reach… But aside from gaming, I enjoy running, cross-country skiing, biking, hiking, rafting(aka drinking as we float) and my favorite: kayaking.

GS: A band of GS members jump into a DeLorean and travel back into time to see what 80′s child version of Merky Water would be doing. What were some of your favorite toys? Cartoons?

Merky Water: Depending the year, watching Fraggle Rock, Voltron or Thundercats, and running around the neighborhood keeping my parents on their toes. “Toys” would largely be Legos, Playmobile, Matchbox cars, Micro Machines and water-guns that showed the least resemblance to guns (overprotective mother ). For the record, I do not consider Legos a toy, but I realize the department they are placed in retail stores.

GS: The world is going to be hit by a comet because Bruce Willis wasn’t a qualified astronaut, after all. What would you do on the final day of Earth? (Pretty morbid, huh?)

Merky Water: Kayak the rivers and streams and enjoy the sights. Even the streaming comet through the blue sky.

GS: We had a couple silly questions, so let’s talk a bit more seriously. What is something you personally regard as important to lead a fulfilling life?

Merky Water: Nature. We humans can make a lot of ‘improvements’ and while comfortable to work and live in, mother nature is second to none as a decorator.

GS: What is your favorite drink?

Merky Water: mixed: Bushmills and Ginger
beer: Yuengling (lager or black&tan)
straight: Bushmills (…or most any whiskey on hand when that runs dry)

Thank you, Merky Water for taking the time to sit down with us. If you would like to read more about him or swap gaming contacts with him, feel free to find him in the forums or chat.

Some of you have gamed along side with MargaritaMama on the PC. Others of you may have run and gunned with her on the Playstation 3. But did any of you know that she is also a classically trained violinist? Well, as May’s edition of the GS Member Spotlight, we all have a chance to get to know more about MargaritaMama in the following interview!

GS: You joined back on February 2nd of this year. How did you come across Gunslinger Gaming?

MargaritaMama: After getting tired of listening to the comments of children on Black ops I set out on a search to find a clan or group to game with. I originally searched for an all girls clan but the ones I found were too strict about K/D and # of hours played each week. I stumbled upon Gunslingers when I switched my search to adult clan. The recruiting thread on the COD forum had me sold with the mention of a Frosty pints night

GS: You play games on both the PC and on the console. For you, which came first, and which do you prefer?

MargaritaMama: I grew up with console and PC games, I can remember our old Atari and then the “lisa” computer. I think the first PC game I played was the first Might and Magic way back when. I used to play mostly single player/ strategy games on the PC and just recently started playing the FPS games on PS3 mostly offline with my husband. Black Ops was the first game I played multiplayer online with. While I really do prefer the PS3 console to the computer (probably because I get a bigger TV and comfier place to sit with the PS3) when the PSN was down I dove into L4D2 and BFBC2 on the PC and now I think I’m hooked on those as well.

GS: Your user profile states you are a classical violinist. How long have you been playing and what can you tell us about the talent that the rest of us may not know?

MargaritaMama: I started suzuki violin lessons at 3yrs old, then added the viola around 8yrs, (and then went on to get a viola performance degree) so it’s been a part of me and my life for as long as I can remember. It’s kinda funny when I compare the feeling I get when I play in a string quartet and when I game with a group of GSers. It’s actually a similar high, creating/accomplishing something temporary with a group of people. Each of us works together and has our part to play to win the game or make the music. I always leave rehearsal or a gaming session on a happy high

GS: Speaking of you musical talent, you are part of “String for Things.” What is it exactly and how are you involved?

MargaritaMama: This is my local string quartet’s website. We just gig around the area doing mostly weddings and then we try to give a charity concert with some real meaty music about once a year.

GS: You have created a topic in the Music section of the GS Forums asking what are everyone’s 10 ten most played tracks on their MP3 players. What sort of MP3 player do you personally have and what tracks do you find inspire you the most in your own creativity?

MargaritaMama: I have an IPOD touch (for running) but I generally just listen to MP3′s through my home computer (it’s hooked up to the nice speakers for our living room). Being a generally happy go lucky person I tend to gravitate toward happy peppy music, that I can dance with my girls to or clean the house to. I’m always on the lookout for new music so I made the thread to see if I could find some good stuff from you all.

GS: On the surface, it would seem that video gaming world and the classical musical world may not cross paths often. Do you find that so socially speaking? What games do you appreciate that exhibit some truly amazing soundtracks?

MargaritaMama: In college I had a little group of 4 musicians who would get together and game a bit. The more I ask people about music and gaming the more people I find are into them both! I generally game with the sound down low so I can keep and ear on my kids in the other room and not have the sounds picked up through the mic. When I watched my husband play Dead Space, it wasn’t really a soundtrack, but the game sounds would freak me out and make me jump!

GS: What got you into gaming? How long have you been gaming?

MargaritaMama: I always gamed a little here and there but ever since joining GS it’s become a real obsession for me.. Ooops.

GS: Have you lived in Florida your whole life? What places/sights do you recommend travelers to visit that may be often overlooked by tour guides of the state?

MargaritaMama: Yup, I was born and raised here, and just moved about the state, never outside of it. Florida has great beaches but the springs are what’s really beautiful around my area. My favorite springs in the area is Ichnetucknee Springs, crystal clear water, wildlife shade and tubing!

GS: Do you find that being a gaming mother make you the coolest mother on the block?

MargaritaMama: I’m either the coolest or the strangest, lol. I know gaming has made me the coolest aunt to my nephews though.

GS: Perhaps this is a bit too on the nose, but, MargaritaMama, what is your favorite drink?

MargaritaMama: Water! Of course it’s a margarita , silly!

Thank you for taking the time to answer the interview, and thank you for being a Gunslinger!

Gunslinger Gaming had the recent honor of having an exclusive interview Paul Gold of Digital Leisure, the makers of Nintendo’s popular WiiWare game entitled Texas Hold Em Tournament.  Below is how the interview went.