10 Years: A Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 1

Pikodoodle ~ Elena 2017 – 2022

Elena was one of the first that joined me in 2017 to further my idea of delivering more content on LadiesGamers. And the first articles she made showed what a great and engaging writer she is. She mentioned it herself too as one of her most memorable. Be sure to read it!

When you work with someone for such a long time, till the end of 2022, you see their life evolve. For Elena it meant she had her baby, and still kept writing for us. Not only that, she also brainstormed with us about our vision for the site, and helped out with editing too. But, here’s her story!

I stumbled across Yvonne’s blog while looking to join a women’s gaming group. I don’t normally strike up online convos like this, but she seemed so friendly that I messaged her. We chatted about blogging, and she kindly invited me to write a guest post.

That first post (“A DS love affair“) is my favorite article because it marked the start of a wonderful five years of writing for LadiesGamers. It was also a personal story, which for me is the most fun kind of article to write. A super cool thing about writing for LG is I occasionally got to review brand-new games I’d been excited to play.

Like Griftlands, Curious Expedition 2, and Into the Breach — all turn-based strategy titles. But being an LG reviewer also took me beyond my usual interests to try less familiar genres and obscure titles. Often these games surprised me and gave me a new respect for indie developers!

This is Elena’s bio from those days:

Elena grew up a PC gamer but was inducted into PS and Nintendo gaming by her boyfriend (now husband). Besides writing for LadiesGamers, Elena occasionally writes about games on her own blog. Her favorite genre used to be RPGs, but being a mother now she has less time to pour into those crazy-long 100-hour games, so her new favorite genre is TBS (turn-based strategy).

If you want to check out Elena’s collection of articles on LadiesGamers, you will find it here.

CJ ~ CJ Lehr 2018 – 2022 (and currently as a guest writer)

CJ was the next writer after Elena who joined the team, and even today, she still writes the occasional article for us as a guest writer. Thinking of CJ, I immediately think of Streetpassing, as I know she’s passionate about that great feature of the DS family of consoles.

CJ left us as steady part of our team as she was going back to study fulltime, way more important of course!

I can no longer remember how I started reading LadiesGamers, but I know what I wanted to write about when I started: Streetpass! Ultimately the topic ended up being my second article ever for the site (StreetPassing in a Post Relay World). This was way back in 2018 when I had time to write while waiting for movies to end at a theater I worked at. My favorite article I wrote at the time was about my visit to the Nintendo NYC store.

I’m fortunate enough to live in the NYC commuting corridor so that destination of all things Nintendo is just a train ride away. And am I ever glad I wrote about it! They don’t have as extensive a retro system display as they used to (at least, as of my last visit). I’m glad that trip is documented on LadiesGamers.

As for what game I reviewed mattered the most to me, it would be Wingspan hands down. It’s such a wonderful, relaxing game, and it came into my life at the perfect time. Being stuck at home in 2020 led to quite a few mixed attempts at online board gaming. Wingspan was the best game my friends and I played during that period by far. We have continued online gaming periodically to this day (plans are being made for a game as I type this!). I have greatly enjoyed being able to natter on about the 3DS over the years, even though it is a system that was long in the tooth by the time I started writing. Whether I’m updating the internet on The State of Streetpass (I got 39 at PAX East! In 2024!) or putting together all the info needed to decide on a 3DS/2DS of your own, I really appreciated being able to share my passion for the last true handheld Nintendo has created.

By far, the best thing about Ladiesgamers has been the people. The writers and readers I’ve been able to chat with over the past 6 years have been kind, helpful, supportive, and delightful. It continues to be a joy to work with them!

Kierra ~ Autumn 2021 – Start of 2022

Kierra is another handheld gaming fan, which shines through in her article Do Gaming Tastes Grow Up. It’s about games and gaming forever evolving, and the gamers that started at a young age, evolving with them!

Whilst short, my time at LadiesGamers was a fun time to look back on. I had landed on the site during a previous review site settled into a hiatus. I still had the desire to write game reviews and after doing research on other websites, LadiesGamers caught my attention with both the wide variety of games they covered, as well as the non-review articles that many of the writers of the site participated in concerning their relationship with gaming.

During my tenure on the site, I had the pleasure of reviewing a handful of games. But the one that I occasionally think back on was the one written about Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot -The First Cases.

Along with being my first Agatha Christie game, it was also my first time being exposed to Hercule Poirot. It was a fun game that I otherwise wouldn’t have ended up getting without having the opportunity to try it first. And that is the case for some of the other titles I was exposed to while writing for the site.

Out of all the sites I’ve written for, the variety of indie titles that I was exposed to was unmatched at LadiesGamers. It’s always nice to see smaller indie titles being uplifted in the gaming community. 10 years of maintaining that momentum is nothing to hark at, and I’m pleased to have been part of such an awesome team.

This is Kierra’s bio from those days:

Kierra has been playing on Nintendo handhelds for as long as she can remember. Some of her favorite genres are SRPGs, RPGs, visual novels, and simulation games. If it has some sort of anime art, Kierra probably isn’t too far behind in looking up information about it. When she’s not writing gaming articles, she’s screaming about her love for Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, or some new interest that she’s found herself stuck in for the time being.

And if you want to check out Kierra’s collection of articles on LadiesGamers, you will find it here.

Serenabelina ~ Serena 2019 – 2020

Although Serena only occasionally wrote for us, Paula and I have known her for a very long time. All stemming from the grownup gamers thread in the AnimalCrossingCommunity. Those were good times, and I remember at one point Serena’s mom joined us in Animal Crossing as well!

I’d like to start by saying congratulations to Yvonne, Paula, and the Ladies Gamers team! Happy 10-year Anniversary! What an amazing accomplishment! I love what Ladies Gamers represents and the community that it nurtures and I am so proud to say I was once part of this fabulous team. Although my time as a writer was short, it is one of my proudest accomplishments.

I first met Yvonne through an Animal Crossing group were part of and I was thrilled when she asked me if I’d be interested in contributing to an upcoming article she was putting together. I was even more excited when she later asked me if I’d like to join the team as a writer. I love trying new games and love sharing my opinions about them in the gaming communities am a part of, so this was perfect for me!

My favorite game to review was a point & click adventure game called Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town. The story was fun and engaging and kept me coming back to see if Willy does ever figure out what happened to his missing father. The developer is coming out with a new point & click game, Whirlight: No Time to Trip, next year. It’s already on my Steam wishlist!

I was also part of the Ladies Gamers team when the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons game was released. I was super hyped for that one and it was fun to write articles about plans for my island and, later, some of the costumes I’d come up with for Halloween. I think they would have made Label proud!

Sadly, life got in the way and I had to step away as a writer for the site, but I am so grateful for the opportunity Yvonne gave me. I cherish the time I had as a part of the team. I am so happy for the team and proud of the community they’ve built and are continuing to grow. Congratulations to The Ladies Gamers team and community!!

Maaan, if you waste your time doing something you enjoy, then you don’t waste your time– Pascal, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

This is Serena’s bio from those days:

Serena has been gaming her entire life. She lives in North Central United States with her husband and two young children. She’s always been a big Nintendo fan but also plays games on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

When she’s not playing video games, she loves spending time with family and being outdoors. Some of her favorite video game series are Animal Crossing, Fable, WoW, LoZ, The Sims, and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Check out Serena’s collection of articles on LadiesGamers, you will find it here.

Evriun ~  Tim 2018 – 2019

I can’t think back to the past years with LadiesGamers without thinking about the stage of growth we experienced when Evriun and Jonah joined the team. Jonah is an experienced website owner who already knew a lot about Wordpress. And his friend Evriun knew how to design and code. Together we made the site work. Here’s Evriun’s thoughts on that time!

I had known of Yvonne and Ladiesgamers in various ways over the years thanks to Jonah and a dear friend of ours. However, I only joined the team in 2018 when I was asked if I would be interested in writing articles for the site – it just so happened to progress into designing and coding too.

It was great fun working together, coming up with new ideas for the site, writing and designing – it’s brilliant seeing Ladiesgamers still going strong and moving into its 10th year! Good job Yvonne and the team!

As much as I enjoyed playing video games and writing reviews/articles, when I think back to my time with Ladiesgamers, it’s not a favourite article that comes to mind; it’s always the discussions, the designing and the teamwork that went into trying to make Ladiesgamers the best we could – so many late night hours, but so incredibly rewarding and fun!

While saying that, my first review (for Heroki on Switch) will always be dear to me. It may not be the most in-depth game, but it was good fun and the first review code I had received.

Heroki started my journey of playing and reviewing games before their release; something video-game-obsessed-15-year-old-me had only dreamed of doing (and although 20-something-old-me no longer felt that way), it was great to be able to fulfil a dream for the past me. So I shall say: A big thank you to you Yvonne and Ladiesgamers for bringing so much fun and joy to my life, while also allowing me to fulfil an old dream of mine and be a part of your team while I could.

Currently I’m busy with my art website. It’s called Evriun Creates, and it really is my passion project! I currently have pencil drawing lessons and tips for beginners looking to explore how to draw (more lessons in the works), as well as a free community for us to discuss creations and inspire one another.

I hope you continue to thrive for many years more – bringing great content to so many gamers in the world.

This is Evriun’s bio from those days:

A creative penguin that enjoys gaming; loves creating characters and worlds for them, but also loves being let loose into a world pieced together from other people’s ideas too. Reviews a diverse mix of games and edits the website’s coding/theme.

If you want to check out Evriun’s collection of articles on LadiesGamers, you can find it here.

Jay ~ 2021-2022

At the time Jay joined us, she told us she lived in South Korea, which sounded fascinating to us. She was a busy girl, also working on her own Twitch channel. Eventually things got too hectic which is why she left the site.

So, I wrote for LadiesGamers from late 2021 until the early half of 2022. I’d used LadiesGamers to look up reviews of cozy and indie titles I’d been into and really enjoyed it. I found out they were looking for people to review games and I was itching to both write outside of my then-graduate program as well give back to this community that had helped me through my gaming journey. I reached out and the rest is history.

Of the reviews I did, the two I enjoyed exploring the most were Land of Screens and Miracle Snack Shop – both because of my love for each game and because I had fun breaking down the intricacies of the games. Outside of those, the one I really felt spoke to me was Unpacking. As someone who’s moved many times and learning how to embrace the past while turning my face to the present and future, it just resonated to be reminded of the stories we rediscover as we change locations and spaces.

It’s been a couple of years since I left and to be reached out to for this was a pleasant surprise. I wish everyone at LadiesGamers – past, present, and future – many well wishes. This site really helped me understand the process of gaming – especially when I later went into game development – and I had fun with the te, games, and the readers. Thank you guys for everything.

This is Jay’s bio from those days:

Jay is from the US. She has been gaming for as long as she can remember. Her best memories are playing fighting games on the PS1 and PS2, party games with her siblings on the GameCube, travelling around with her GameBoy SP and DS, and rocking out to music games on the Xbox 360.

She currently enjoys curling up in bed with her Swich and PS Vita and sometimes plays PC, mobile, and PS4 games. She currently streams on Twitch as Hermetic Imp and works as a freelance content creator, astrologer, and tarot reader under the same name. 

I first started writing for LadiesGamers around the summer of 2020. I was in the midst of my masters program, and although I was always drowning in writing assignments, I was excited when I found another opportunity to write, but this time for video games. Playing video games, and subsequently writing for LadiesGamers, was my solace through those dark pandemic/graduate school days.

I can’t quite remember how I landed on the LadiesGamers site initially, although it was likely from searching for a review for a specific game. I was actually quite excited to find a site that was formed by female gamers who also had a fondness for handheld games, like myself. When I saw the little note on the website to volunteer as a writer, I couldn’t help myself!

I enjoyed many of the games I played and wrote for; my absolute favorite articles I wrote were the reviews for Nexomon: Extinction, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, and Soul Searching. Soul Searching is actually the game I still think about from time to time. It was such an interesting concept, and the mechanics really pulled me in, even though I had never played a game quite like it.

Now, I actually find myself looking out for games that take place on the sea (like Moonglow Bay or Dredge) mainly because of how much I enjoyed Soul Searching. That’s why I think LadiesGamers is such a wonderful site: they highlight a variety of games that you wouldn’t find on other review sites, and they’ve built such a beautiful community for gamers to connect on. Thank you LadiesGamers for letting me be a part of your story. Wishing you all the best of luck for the next ten years!

This is Chloe’s bio from those days:

Chloe lives in America. She has been a Pokemon fanatic for as long as she can remember. She is fiercely devoted to Nintendo, though she does sometimes dabble with her PS4 and Vita.

Her favorite system is the DS/3DS family, and her favorite game is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Though she likes to blow all her money on games, she always ends up replaying the same few DS games over and over!

Jonah ~ 2018 – 2021

LadiesGamers experienced a stage of growth when Jonah, and after him Evriun, joined the site. Jonah is an experienced website owner himself, who already knew a lot about Wordpress. He had provided server space for earlier forms of my blog and is was great that he knew what went on “under the hood”. Together we gathered the nerve to start asking for review codes in earnest!

My connection with Ladiesgamers was formed when I came to know Yvonne and Paula through our dear friend Lynn (Les), who passed away in 2015. Both Yvonne and Paula posted on an old website I started, and the friendship started there.

I can’t remember how it happened, but I wanted to help Yvonne with Ladiesgamers. I can’t quite remember how it happened, but all I remember is we stepped out to Wayforward about obtaining a review code for Shantae Half-Hero Genie. We were both level-headed about it at the time, but I remember the buzz when the review code for Shantae came through. It was humbling to be trusted with a review code, which further incentivised us to ask other developers to trust us with reviewing their games.

My proudest moment for the website came when I wasn’t even on the writing team. I am a huge Nintendo fan, and when I saw that Yvonne got a review code from Nintendo, I was so happy for her and the website. I thought back fondly on those early days and the foundations laid to help the website be what it is today. Thank you, Yvonne, for the opportunity. 🙂

This is Jonah’s bio from those days:

Jonah’s passion for Nintendo gaming began after purchasing a GameCube in 2004. Since then, he’s owned every Nintendo console released and would love to collect past systems, but he’s forbidden to do so by his wife. He lives in the UK and is married with 6 children.
Jonah’s favourite Nintendo character is Mario. His favourite Nintendo franchises are Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid.