1. How did you end up as Senior Editor for The Escapist?
I was working for Wired’s Game|Life as a news blogger when the opportunity arose at The Escapist. They wanted to expand their coverage of reviews and news (they didn’t really have much of either at that time), and that’s what my background was in, so it seemed like a natural fit. Fortunately, they agreed, and here I am two years later.
2. Do you get a lot of comments about being in charge of such a popular web gaming magazine due to being female in such a male-led environment?
It’s actually really funny, because I come from a publishing background and in a non-gaming publishing company, women will far outnumber the men. I’m still the only girl in the room a lot. True story: The reason I really pushed to get into the industry, and am in this chair right now, is because of an article Kyle Orland did on the 50 Most Important People in Game Journalism. Six of them were women. I decided I didn’t like that ratio and I had two choices: Sit and bitch about it or actually do something about it. One of my hopes is that I can inspire or help other females to give it a try.
I do want to make one thing clear, though. I’ve never been treated as anything other than a colleague and friend by anyone I’ve ever worked with. The gaming industry has this image as being really sexist or misogynistic, but that hasn’t been my experience. (Or at least it’s no worse than any other job I’ve ever had. There are always a certain percentage of jerks in the world.) The industry wants more women in it. The ladies just gotta step up to the plate.
3. What got you into gaming initially?
My brother and I got an Atari 2600 for Christmas one year. I was absolutely amazed that we could control things that were on the TV, and was instantly hooked. Been gaming ever since.
4. You’re well known amongst Escapist readers for being a very avid gamer. Would you give up playing games forever for a million dollars?
Hell to the no. I can make money myself, thanks. If I’m giving up gaming, it’ll have to be for something a hell of a lot more important than money.
5. What’s your favourite platform to play on and why?
That tends to vary based on my mood or need at the time, but I tend to play on the Xbox 360 most of the time. It has the games I enjoy, most of my friends have a 360, I *love* having Netflix on there, and as much as I thought I’d hate it, I’ve really come to love my little avatar. I don’t think it’s *better* than any other system, but it’s the one I personally like the most. No matter what, though, I’m almost always playing something on my DS. I play just about every night before I go to sleep. At the moment it’s the first Phoenix Wright game, which I never did get around to finishing.
6. Do you have a current favourite game?
The last game I got all googoo over was Mass Effect 2. I’ve played and enjoyed games since then, of course (Alan Wake was brilliant, as is Super Mario Galaxy 2), but Mass Effect 2 really knocked my socks off.
7. What’s your favourite feature of The Escapist?
Awwww, I can’t pick a favorite! I love ‘em all. 
8. Given that it’s been a popular topic on The Escapist recently, I must ask: do you see games as art?
To say that it’s not an artistic medium is just silly to me. It’s so obvious to me that I find it kind of baffling that it’s even still a discussion. Some of it is bad art, sure, but it’s art.
9. If you could be locked in a room with just one game forever, what would it be?
Hmmmm….tricky. Assuming that I don’t get online access or multiplayer or anything like that, I think I’ll have to go with either Oblivion or Morrowind, but I’m not sure which. They both have things I really love about them and things I don’t like so much.
10. If you could destroy every copy of a game, which one would it be?
World of Warcraft. Not because I think it’s a bad game at all – it’s fantastic – but just because I’d be utterly fascinated to watch the fallout. Would everyone playing find something else to play? Would they go back to whatever they were doing before they discovered WoW? Would there be riots? Seriously, the social ramifications are huuuuuuge.
When Rachel's not killing zombies or pratting about on Portal, she can be found sipping fine Hock with her friends, or kicking giant tubs of popcorn over at the cinema. 
