10 Years: A Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 2

Our Former Writers, part 2

This year, LadiesGamers is celebrating its 10th anniversary! And of course, we feature all kinds of articles for your reading fun with our team. Still, more writers have been a part of our journey and made articles for us. So, we contacted them to see if they wanted to reminisce with us!

And they did, with more memories and thoughts than we had foreseen! A little note: you might notice that the grammar in this article isn’t always consistent. Usually, when someone writes UK English we leave words like favourite and cosy as they are. And when someone writes US English, we leave the favorite and cozy and so on. As we left the text everyone sent us as is, you’ll see differences in grammar.

We decided to split it into two articles, and here’s the second. Let’s hear what Spocky, Ash, Ben, Serena Dang, Evaristo, Kishou and Lottie thought of their time with LadiesGamers, and what their favourite reviews were. It’s been a real trip down memory lane for me, enjoy reading!

Spocky ~ Cécile 2022 – 2023 (and now as a guest writer)

Spocky is a lady from France who spontaneously helped us out when we were in a pickle….it was the time when I tried to make some html changes myself and failed…fortunately Spocky offered to help me out that Saturday morning…I remember it well! Since that moment she was the technical person behind the scenes. With the move to a commercial company doing the technical stuff, they took over. We talked over her staying on anyway, making an occasional guest post!

I started to work with Yvonne and Paula in August 2020. I think it started with an issue on the menu that didn’t work anymore after an update of our theme provider. I helped to solve the issue and another one, and Yvonne trusted me enough to give me admin access. After that I helped regularly to adjust the colors of the website depending on the season. I had to adjust the website every now and then, after Tortuga’s update (that’s the theme that this wordpress site works on). And I helped on different technical issues or improvements over the years.

This is Cécile’s bio from those days:

Cecile is 52 years old and was born in France. She started to play video games on Amiga, then on PC with point-and-click games from LucasArts. Despite having a few PlayStation consoles she played only 1 or 2 games a year. Until she discovered the world of handheld gaming with the 3DS XL.
Now, on her precious Switch, she plays a lot of Indie games, recent AAA and even old ported games. Her favourite genres are puzzles, simulation, adventure or action-adventure games. Recently she also appreciates rogue-lite games.

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

Ashromer ~ Ash 2019 – 2021

I don’t think we ever had a writer that was so exuberant in her writings: Ash put all her enthusiasm in her articles, really putting thoughts to digital paper. And that made for very interesting reading. As I always love to know a bit about writers’ personal lives, this article called Halloween for Ash in Canada comes to mind as one I have always remembered!

Hey! My name is Ash and I joined LadiesGamers in September of 2019 and was a part of the team until May of 2021.

My LadiesGamers origin story isn’t all that exciting, but for me, it was an amazing step in my process as a writer in the video game industry. It’s been a minute, so I’m not sure what game exactly I was looking for, but I was definitely trying to find a review for a recently released Switch game. One of the first links that came up was the review on LadiesGamers. I read the review and really liked the look of the website and the whole vibe of it being women-centric. Tucked away on the side of the website was a little message saying if I happened to be interested in writing reviews that I should send an email and apply.

I had written reviews for another website back in 2008/9 and thought I would like to get back into it; I sent a sample of some of my previous work and viola, I was accepted onto the team. I got to play, and review, so many interesting games. For that, I will be forever thankful to Yvonne for bringing me onto the team. Everyone who works for the site is so kind, caring and generous.

I think my favourite game that I ever reviewed for LadiesGamers – and it is a game I still play to this day – is Tower of Babel: no mercy on Nintendo Switch. It’s an extremely simple little party game that involves everyone taking turns releasing swinging blocks to stack a tower as high as they possibly can.

If you mess up, the tower comes crashing down and whoever was responsible loses points. The fun comes in the form of messing with your fellow players; if you manage to drop your block perfectly you obtain power-ups that can let you do things like blow a strong wind, or create an obscuring fog, to mess up your opponents. It’s truly one of the most fun party games I have played to this day.

I have LadiesGamers to thank for so many fun gaming, and writing, experiences. Also, I just want to thank them for taking a chance on me and welcoming me with such open and generous arms onto their fantastic team. I no longer write for their website anymore, as I was recruited for another gaming website back in 2021, but I will always have a fond place in my heart for Yvonne, and the whole team of LadiesGamers.

This is Ash’s bio from those days:

Ash has been gaming since she was a small child with her cousin’s original NES, then eventually her own Xmas-gifted SNES. She has owned almost every Nintendo console since SNES. She has also owned a PS2, 3, and Vita. Now, the Switch is her gaming goddess, and she worships at her shrine frequently.

Her favourite things include Zelda, otome, bees, squirrels, theatre, improvisation, the environment, feminism and equality, being in and around nature, and chocolate.

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

TheBenAlder ~ Ben 2019 – 2020

I had known Ben through the other gaming forum he mentions, one hosted by Jonah and where Evriun was also a member. It was an easy leap to take, asking him to write for us. When I think of Ben, I can still visualize his town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. So different from any I had made, with real roads, traffic junctions, pedestrian crossings: just like a little city. It looked so cool!

I joined LadiesGamers after being approached by friends from a previous gaming forum. At the time I was blogging my own thoughts and experiences so was delighted to be invited to focus my energies in the direction of their project.

What I appreciate the most about LadiesGamers is the inclusive nature it impresses upon you. I firmly believe in gaming being a hobby that everyone can enjoy in one form or another regardless of what happens elsewhere in our lives or with whom we identify. After all, it continues to bring me closer to friends, family and folk from all over who enjoy the same or similar in gaming as I – and beyond as I also find satisfaction in tracking the industry in a broader sense.

It was a genuine shame not to be able to continue to contribute to the site, my offline commitments at the time simply demanded too much. I enjoyed challenging myself to try all sorts of different games when it came to the titles I was invited to review. Though admittedly I would struggle to write in a thorough manner when I came across games I didn’t resonate with. I suppose I was most proud of my short-lived ‘Return Road’ series which invited folk to seek as much value in games from their libraries that they had perhaps started but not completed, or held side-content for them to return to. Replayability is an exceptional quality for a game to have in my opinion after all.

I continue to follow the site on X (formerly known as Twitter). It was a genuine pleasure to see studios start to feature reviews on their promotional cards. I wish the site and its contributors the very best and hope to see the site also move onward and upward, from strength to strength. Congratulations on 10 years!!

This is Ben’s bio from those days:

Ben is a Pharmacy Manager in the South of England. When he is not spending time with his wife and three children, he enjoys playing video games. He started out playing SEGA and Playstation, then made a surprise jump into Nintendo during the Game Cube days. Now he is very Nintendo-focused but keeps a place on his desk for PC and Playstation gaming.

Genre-wise, adventure and RPG are in his comfort zone, but he is open to trying new things. He is passionate about Animal Crossing, Kingdom Hearts, LoZ, Sonic and Pokémon.

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

Serena Dang ~ December 2022- Spring 2023

Two Serena’s on the site! That’s the first we had two writers of the same name. She wrote for us for only a short time, and sadly had to leave as her daytime job got busier.

It was at the peak of the pandemic when I was searching for review sites to write for, and I happened to stumble across LadiesGamers during my search. I saw that they were a ladies-friendly gaming site and that piqued my interest. I first started playing video games when I was 8 years old with the Gameboy Advance. After I got into college, I didn’t have time for video games anymore, but the pandemic changed all that. Animal Crossing: New Horizons revitalized my love of gaming, and I wanted to share my passion with others.

I wrote several articles for LadiesGamers, but my favourite one was the one I wrote for the demo of Peachleaf Valley: Seeds of Love. I enjoy otome games and Peachleaf Valley was right up my alley. The love interests are all so unique and if the game ever releases for the Switch, I will be sure to get it. I really enjoyed my time writing for LadiesGamers, and it is a fantastic site that allowed me to experience so many types of cozy games.

This is Serena’s bio from those days:

I live on the west coast of Canada and I am bilingual, being able to speak both English and Cantonese. My hobbies are gaming and crafting such as crocheting, sewing, and card making. I used to be an avid fiction reader, but have taken to gaming since the start of the pandemic. I find that gaming helps with my mental well-being, and that is why I am so passionate about games and I want to share my passion with others.

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

Evaristo ~ Beginning 2020-End 2020

Always friendly, always prompt and I remember Evaristo as a writer that made great in-depth and detailed reviews. Great articles to read, we knew that right away when he made his first test review for us with A Golf Story Retrospective! He joined together with Chloe, which is why the two are linked in my mind.

Hi reader, it has been a while! My name’s Evaristo and I am happy to return to my keyboard to reminisce about my slim, but flavorful, slice of the many memories that Ladies Gamers has brought writers and readers in the 10 years since its launch. I first wrote for Ladies Gamers back in the spring of 2020 and, of the many things that can be said about 2020, I am forever grateful that in a time of such great uncertainty, I found shelter in the publication that Yvonne and the team had been nurturing for years already. They welcomed me and I still remember every game I played and wrote about for Ladies Gamers, vividly and gratefully.

While I still frequently chuckle and occasionally crack-up at Psikyo Shooting Stars having a difficulty-selection screen that offers a “baby” level AND a “monkey” level below that (a feature I wish more games offered), Underhero by Paper Castle Games has been an enduring favorite.

Even now, the humorous writing, kick-ass battle mechanics, and energetic music that brought me joy in a year scarce of such emotions resonates. It’s that sort of memory with a videogame which makes me hope that readers and writers continue to flock to Ladies Gamers to learn and share in a community that is excited about what experiences await us in the worlds of games, and to know that it continues on the will and efforts of people who care deeply about games. Happy 10th anniversary Ladies Gamers, and may there be many more!

This is Evaristo’s bio from those days:

Evaristo lives in the United States. Though he was born in 1995, his four older sisters ensured he was exposed to the music, films, and video games that were coming out at the time. Some of his earliest memories are playing Donkey Kong 64, with himself and each of his sisters playing one of the five Kongs.

Though he stayed with Nintendo, it was Steam that introduced him to many exciting indie games. When the Nintendo Switch released he knew he had to get one!

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

Kishou ~ Charles Autumn 2019 ~ Start of 2020

Kishou was with us for only a few months. What I remember most is how we tried to convince him, when he bought his first Switch, that Breath of the Wild was a must buy. He went for it, but I’m not all sure he was happy with the game in the end!

My time was short but informative when I was struggling to find work. There were all kinds of people that enjoyed games and what they believed to be relaxing. Though our preferences in gaming has changed, and partly as to why I left after a few scant reviews, I was able to discover some fun niches here and appreciated the help through it all.

This is Kishou’s bio from those days:

Kishou is passionate on all things gaming and literature. His all-time favorite systems are the PS2 and PS Vita for their vast libraries of JRPGs, but equally loves Nintendo’s game brands.

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

Lottie ~ 2023-2024

Lottie joined us a year ago when she had ample time to spend on reviewing games for us. Most writers can’t wait to review games they had their eye on, but Lottie always took games we suggested to her. Ready to try games she would never go and try herself! A new job meant less spare time, so eventually she left the team.

I believe it was around February 2023 (you probably have the exact date) that I saw a posting for a voluntary position in writing reviews or impressions about upcoming indie titles. I was in the process of finishing my self-employed business following a surgery I had the November prior. I liked the idea of writing about games and had done some writing regarding some titles that were near and dear to my heart.

Being a huge gamer the perk of discovering some new favourites and getting my voice out there seemed appealing. My favourite game to review was hands down Cassette Beasts and the DLC that came later in 2023.

I’m really proud of those reviews as they are genuinely some fantastic titles in the role-playing and monster-collecting genres. I remember being glued to the game. I was adamant in trying to discover everything without resources from other websites to fully understand the title so I could give it worthy praise. I have left the team now, but that’s nothing against this amazing, hardworking team of people who want to help people discover new games. My life has just become too hectic to ensure I would get content out regularly. I wish them all the best to Ladiesgamers and hope they have another 10 years to celebrate in the future.

This is Lottie’s bio:

Lottie is from the UK. Ever since picking up a SNES controller at the age of 4, Lottie has been fascinated with games. This led Lottie to study Games Design within higher education. In her spare time, she continues to develop her own abilities to release a playable game demo. Meanwhile, she loves games and how they can connect people through experiences. She has a soft spot for The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon and Monster Hunter franchises.