Heroes of the past are not forgotten, or Interview with Andarial
"Everyone knew who the gamer girl was and who was from Kharkiv."
"In my opinion, the formula is very simple. Happiness is when there are no problems and there is self-respect."
Currently, the qualifying rounds for [Miss Gamer](/games?search=Miss Gamer) 2 are in full swing, and the community's attention is already focused on new heroines, new images, and new characters. But the main thing is to not forget about the "pioneers" at the crest of this wave.[cut] The girls who participated in this celebration of life exactly a year ago deserve to be remembered, to take into account their experiences, and to listen to their advice.
One of the finalists from last year, the undeniable favorite, the beautiful redhead Miss-Homefront, also known as Mila Palchun, also Andarial, who, by great luck, stayed longer on GAMER.ru than other participants and delights us with her presence every day agreed to heroically answer a million of my questions.
Nyashka Ever: It's been almost a year since you participated in the first race. Has life changed significantly after the contest?
Andarial: Overall, yes. Last year was quite eventful for me, but how did the experience from the contest affect me? I can definitely say that I became more determined, started to feel more confident, and at the same time, I learned to take various little things more lightly. But I would say that I learned a lot from communicating with the other participants. [Miss Gamer](/games?search=Miss Gamer) 2011 brought together a completely diverse group of girls, each an unusual personality completely unlike the others. Everyone had something to offer in personal communication, but particularly, I want to highlight A5uKa. As I noticed, none of the girls doubted that Yulia would win. She is a very goal-oriented and energetic personality, creative and bright. I'm glad I got to chat with all the participants - it was a great company.
Nyashka Ever: Nobody doubted, probably, except Yulia herself :) Rumor has it that your support group seriously scared her during the finals. And in the audience vote, you were just a hair's breadth away from displacing one of the winners. Did you ultimately feel that you deserved more?
Andarial: To be honest, Yulia was indeed very nervous during the final performance. When they announced third and second place, she became quite sad, to which I replied: "They will announce you now. Did you forget that they promised to take a girl who leads in voting on the site into the Top 3? And that's you."
My support group, to be honest, scared me too. I simply did not expect so many people to come to cheer for me. Thanks to them very much, they really instilled in me a belief in myself, if not during the finals when we all were nervous, then definitely for the future.
Do I deserve more? We all wish for the best, but I'm not very satisfied with my performance, and overall I was very shy during the competition. I had health problems during the final stage, so my mental state left much to be desired. I can say that overall I completely agree with the jury's choice.
Nyashka Ever: Was Homefront forgotten after that adventure?
Andarial: Games were forgotten altogether. Shortly before or right after the contest, I can't say exactly, my home computer broke down, and I did not make any efforts to rehabilitate it. I wanted to take a break from it all, the contest, work, and I had state exams and my diploma looming. A new season, trips, close people, and new acquaintances. Ultimately, only after the release of Skyrim did I buy myself a new motherboard and RAM as a replacement for the burnt one. And until now, I had no time for anything other than Skyrim. But I have a long list. To actually get acquainted with Homefront (it was released during the finals), Witcher 2, which was also gifted after participating in the qualifying round for Miss Witcher, recently given for participating in the competition from Cherevichkin [Dead Island](/games?search=Dead Island), and presented by Kotovsky [Gemini Rue](/games?search=Gemini Rue). Gifts are definitely a priority! And during the New Year sales on Steam, I bought so many games that will last me for a long time. And [World of Warcraft](/games?search=World of Warcraft). For three months now I've had an annual subscription for it - and I don't play at all. Altruistic gaming - paying for a game and not loading the server with myself.
Well. Just now Blizzard canceled my subscription for the fourth month.
Nyashka Ever: "To get acquainted with Homefront (it was released during the finals)" - so, in part, Konstantin Govorun was right about infatuated women? ;)
Andarial: Initially, I hoped for victory in the Miss Witcher contest, and I did not hide it. It's not that I'm a big fan of Mr. Sapkowski - I have many complaints about his books. But, to be fair, overall he created a world that really captivates, and the characters Triss Merigold and Ciri interest me. This summer I even went to my first field role-playing game - Witcher 2011. I was in the image of Triss, and it was a lot of fun. \_
The Miss Homefront contest attracted me primarily because I would like to support Akella. Among the users of Gamer, the attitude towards this company can be quite ambiguous, but this company is one of the oldest in the Russian gaming and localization market. When I was very small, I had many disks from Akella and Fargus. And even now, many of them are lying in drawers.
Nyashka Ever: Akella and Fargus truly represent the "taste of childhood" :) I'm happy to support them whenever possible, at least because of [Disciples III](/games?search=Disciples III), which many viewed rather skeptically. By the way, regarding skepticism. What is your attitude toward the fact that new technologies are breathing new life into old, almost cult games? I'm not talking about remakes, but about numerous sequels, prequels, sidequels, and the "necromancy" from the gaming industry.
Andarial: I'm really unhappy with what they did to Heroes. The Might&Magic universe is my favorite among gaming. The fact that they now visually resemble Warcraft 3 more is a minor problem; I've somewhat learned to tolerate the new graphics. But the developers have completely destroyed the connection with the previous world. Isolated references like old characters don’t count, they are Easter eggs for the series' history, and, in my opinion, it's more sad than joyful. I'm very sorry that the Might&Magic series has been forgotten, the ninth part put an end to it and inflicted a huge wound on my heart, and I'm being quite serious.
On the other hand, I wouldn't mind if they tried to revive this series now. Who knows - it might work? I'm not against the resurrection of good franchises - only if the developers get it right and maintain the atmosphere and continuity of the series.
As for remakes - I'm all for that. It's the only way to introduce young players to the masterpieces of the past. Though I have another idea about that. ;)
Nyashka Ever: How does working on games (new or old) look from the inside? I heard intelligence reported that you were spotted as a game tester :)
Andarial: Well, some funny cases at work and just its nature could be described at length; after all, I have been working there for not the first year now. I can say that currently, I'm mainly working on the localization of a Chinese game Chibiki - and it's a lot of fun. The Chinese language with its specific poetic expressions and the translation of this piece of eastern fantasy into Russian is an extraordinarily amusing thing. But here I fear to say something extra - I’m going to get whipped later, we have one of those hanging in the office, completely work-related, yes.
I can only say that I'm very pleased to have landed in this industry. As a child, I wanted to work in game development or at least in a gaming magazine, but back then it seemed like something very distant, and I was still small and silly. Now I have a job that I love, a good team and management, and motivation to work on myself and develop professionally.
Nyashka Ever: You can theorize endlessly, but I've always been curious about what it's like when a hobby becomes a job? Does working in game development sometimes kill the desire to play?
Andarial: Well, I already mentioned my break from spring to autumn. And even before that, there was a slight moral-gamer decline. Of course, there’s a bit of saturation. But it passes for me, and I look at my colleagues with more substantial experience - they often stay at work after the workday and play the games of their choice, and often as a team around the office. So I don't think I’m likely to develop a professional mental callus in the future.
Nyashka Ever: Do you have any desire to someday become a Blizzard employee?
Andarial: Raise your hand, who wouldn't want to work at Blizzard? But seriously, of course, it would be interesting to me, but there are two buts. I don’t know English well enough, not at the level they require, and due to family reasons, I currently can’t leave the country either. But maybe someday... I can say that this summer I'm planning to get to know them a bit better - my colleague and I plan to go on vacation to Ireland, just to visit the employees of this wonderful company. Igromir and WoW unite, not just Nokia.
Nyashka Ever: It’s good that you mentioned Igromir, as I was struggling with how to approach your second well-known and much more interesting role - as a model. How did it all start?
Andarial: Right after school, I went to law school, considering becoming a lawyer and defending the innocent, but mostly it was my father's desire. A year later, at seventeen, I enrolled alongside a friend in the evening faculty of social psychology. With such studies, there was no time left for a full-time schedule, and I didn’t know back then who I wanted to be - I was being tossed here and there. So, I was looking for a part-time job with a flexible schedule to work on my days off. That’s how I stumbled upon an offer to work at an exhibition - they were looking for young, tall girls for the presentation. I tried it, and I liked it. I found contacts for modeling and advertising agencies, went to interviews, castings, filled out forms for databases - and eventually, work came up. I never was interested in the fashion world or learning how to work in public; I was quite shy and insecure. But it just happened this way. Now I don't want to return to this sphere at all. Although I'm open to participating in interesting events or photo shoots in my free time.
Nyashka Ever: Do you generally enjoy being in character? Have you ever wanted to do cosplay? Many earn quite well on it.
Andarial: Of course, I want to. I've wanted it for a long time. But I absolutely cannot sew, and even if I tried, I don't even have a sewing machine. I keep putting it off, although there are so many interesting characters I would like to realize. Well, maybe this spring I'll do one game character. But I won't make promises.
Nyashka Ever: What character - a big, big secret?
Andarial: Not at all. Triss's road dress from the first part. That sorceress really caught my attention. I'm currently participating in a project by the In Vino group in her role, but the goal of this group is to embody the characters from the book, not to cosplay from the game. For the first photo sessions, I needed to prepare the dress, and I ran to visit a designer friend, and with her sewing machine and her advice, I made myself a dress and cloak. But it was such a rough job... There's still much to learn. Once I can acquire a sewing machine, I’ll start practicing.
Nyashka Ever: A noble endeavor; it will come in handy in life: sooner or later, you'll have to sew dresses for dolls =)
Nyashka Ever: If we return to the topic of [Miss Gamer](/games?search=Miss Gamer), if you had the opportunity to replay the events of last year's contest, would you take it? If so, in what way: would you change anything to get closer to the prize trio or would you simply relive everything as it was?
Andarial: A butterfly flapping its wings in Iowa... Why speculate about things that we cannot change anyway? If I had that ability, I would prefer to edit other episodes from my life; regarding the contest, believe me, I would hardly remember it. I can say that I would like to show myself better. If next year the finalists of the first round are allowed to try their luck in the qualifiers, I would gladly take part in this interesting event again. I'm generally up for any excitement, except for hunger strikes.
Nyashka Ever: Then there’s probably no point in asking what games you would like to perform this year if, again, such an opportunity arose. Or can we still speculate here? :)
Andarial: I didn’t want to participate this year, even before I heard about the ban. I have other global plans for February and March. ;)
Nyashka Ever: You don't like to talk about life in the subjunctive mood? :)
Andarial: I usually tend to stretch my thoughts, so staying silent for once won’t hurt :)
Nyashka Ever: Besides Ormeli, are there any other particularly favorite participants this year for whom you will cheer with all your might?
Andarial: I’m convinced that Olli will definitely make it to the finals; she’s a bright and creative girl. Besides her and Ormeli, to be honest, I don’t know much about the other participants. And I’m not particularly following the qualifiers. Except in the [World of Tanks](/games?search=World of Tanks) contest, I was drawn to K_y_k_a - a girl with an incredibly romantic appearance.
Nyashka Ever: What do you think, will it be easier or harder for participants to compete in the finals this year?
Andarial: I think it will be easier. The first pancake is lumpy, as they say. I already see that the organizers took certain shortcomings from last year into account and I'm sure that they are working on everything else too. They promise more gaming contests, which we actually didn't have. I want this event to become annual and to grow more and more, attracting good girls and delighting the viewers.
Nyashka Ever: Regarding the absence of joint living - is it a plus or a minus for the participants? Or did the need to "squeeze" the finalists disappear with the reality show component?
Andarial: I don't even know. In everyday terms, it's certainly a plus. But in terms of communication... The girls won't get to know each other so well in the short time of the final stage; they probably won’t be able to bond so closely. There is a certain charm to the camp mode - shared living and games, discussions, support, and assistance. I have already said that my best memory from [Miss Gamer](/games?search=Miss Gamer) 2011 was the company of the other finalists.
Nyashka Ever: Is "survival" in a regular, non-gaming female group less enjoyable?
Andarial: You mean work? I like my team; I'm very satisfied. There are pleasant and polite people all around. In the community department, by the way, there is a girl who participated in the [Miss Gamer](/games?search=Miss Gamer) qualifiers last year. And among the new colleagues, there are those who supported me as viewers in the finals.
Nyashka Ever: Not so much the work, but just in general. I usually feel wildly out of place in all-female groups.
Andarial: I've always had more male acquaintances than female ones. Yes, in general, I feel more comfortable communicating with men - and I mean friendly communication, of course. But I won't say that I have any prejudice against the female gender. My best girlfriends are like family to me.
Nyashka Ever: Finally, a sweet question: what’s the secret to happiness, beauty, freshness, and youth? :)
Andarial: I don't drink or smoke, I drink a lot of mineral water - and I reassure myself with the thought that this will have a beneficial effect on my body. Physical activity - such as yoga or dancing - is undoubtedly beneficial for the body. But I primarily consider being young at heart, staying active and inquisitive, not being afraid of new beginnings, and bravely facing life. And then, at any age, a person will look younger than they are.
As an illustration of happiness, beauty, freshness, and youth, Mila allowed us to add lots of wonderful images to the interview!
We thank Mila for the honor, let's go sign up for yoga and stock up on mineral water, since the example to follow is quite worthy!