GT’s Gamer Babe Interview #2: Aileen Tan

By: Ryan Robinson

Ahhh, the wondrous and elusive nature of hot gamer girls.  Some say they don’t exist.  That they’re nothing but a myth.  A fairy tale, told by geeky fathers to their nerdy sons, in the hopes that one day, their socially inept offspring will walk down the aisle with that special girl who pwn’d him back in the college dorms to be pronounced Plumber and Peach.  A pipe dream, they say.

Well, I’m here to prove otherwise.  The hot gamer girl does exist.  She walks among us, sniping us in the head and Hadouken’ing her way into our hearts, leaving us breathless and in tears as she walks away with our spinal columns in her grasp.

This is GT’s Gamer Babe of the Week, a feature where I, your humble gaming host, will [hopefully] manage to interview one hot gamer babe per week for the enjoyment and education of my fellow gaming gentlemen.  Do you pwn her?  Or do you allow her to pwn you?  Do you pull out your joystick on the first date?  Or do you sit back and enjoy watching her play by herself for a while?  So many questions!  So few answers!

Well, we’re here to fix all that, but I’ve rambled long enough, and 99% of you haven’t even read a word of this anyway.  So without further ado, allow me to introduce…

Aileen Tan

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Aileen and I go way back.  Nine years ago, we attended the same Catholic High School (yes, that’s right, Catholic High School…) and helped each other get through the daily challenges of being a couple of geeks in a time of our lives when the jocks reigned supreme.  While most of our classmates were playing football and getting drunk on the weekends, Aileen and I were playing video games and discussing nerdy movies.

Our senior year, we went to Homecoming together and after a night of sweaty dancing and awkward teachers telling us to “leave room between you for the Holy Spirit,” we anxiously sped back to her place and… no, you freak, not that!  We played the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee into the early morning.  Get your mind out of the warp tube, man!

Aileen was kind enough to chat me up today, and here’s what she had to say:

Ryan: Hey there, gamer babe of the week!

Aileen: Herro!

Ryan: Wow, just because you’re Japanese, huh?  That’s just wrong…

Aileen: Lol

Ryan: So how are you doing this morning?

Aileen: Very well!

Ryan: I appreciate you taking the time to stop by and have a chat with me, and I’m sure the readers do, too.

Aileen: Probably Super Mario Bros. on the 1st Nintendo System Japan produced. Since I was born and raised in Japan, it was the thing to do. If you did not play video games, you were the loser.

Ryan:  What about an online ID or a Gamertag?  Is it clear you’re a girl from your ID’s or do you keep those vague too?

Aileen: I keep it vague. I use the name Oyuki, a Japanese name where it could be used by a girl or a guy who is playing a female character.

Ryan: Probably for the best.  If my first girl gamer interview is any indication, it seems that male gamers these days are threatened by the notion that they could possibly be getting pwn’d by a girl.

Aileen: Hey, gaming is not just for men…

Ryan: Do you wanna say something to the guys who will likely give you a hard time in the comments section below?

Aileen:  If guys think I can’t game, then I will kick their ass so hard online that they can feel it in real life. It won’t be pretty.

Ryan: Dayum! Well, speakin’ of online, what is it exactly that you’re currently playing?

Ryan: But if you could right now, I take it you’d be doing some heavy duty raiding in an MMO like World of Warcraft?

Aileen: Of course! I loved being the main healer for the tanks in the raids and healing my PVP group to the point where we are unbeatable. Aaahhh, those were good times…

Ryan: Moving back a little,  tell me more about your younger years.  I remember playing the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Gamecube with you back in highschool, way before it was made available in America.  How did you always end up getting those games so early?  Did you import?

Aileen:  Well when I was living in Japan, I just bought them at any gaming store, but when I moved to the States my family over there just bought me games and the new systems that came out there for me and mailed them to me. Loving family, huh? So I always got the newest stuff.  My family did not see playing video games as a bad thing.  They wanted me to keep up with my Japanese, and the best way is to play the Japanese games where you are listening to and reading the language.

Ryan: Man, that’s badass.  My family has always hated gaming  my whole life, so it’s awesome to see someone else getting encouraged to play and even being supplied with the systems to do so. And since you recently told me you wanted to get the Japanese version of Super Street Fighter IV, I take it you’re still importing, huh?

Aileen:  Of course! I still would like to keep up with my Japanese.  It is important to me to have my video games that are from Japan stay in Japanese.

Ryan: Good deal. Now, a little off topic, but I’ve noticed that the pictures you’ve provided are mostly modeling shots.  Would you care to elaborate?  Are you actively modeling?

Aileen: I am a freelance model. I like modeling on my own time with out the craziness of the modeling industry, and you do not need to a toothpick to look good.

Ryan: Agreed.

Aileen: Modeling networking websites like Model Mayhem put you in full control of which photographer you want to model for and when you want to model.  So there’s still plenty of time for gaming!

Ryan: Which is the most important thing, as we all know.  And back to that, if I remember correctly, you were named Spike TV’s #3 Hottest Gamer Girl of 2007.  Is that right?

Aileen:  That is correct, I was shocked!

Ryan: I appreciate you taking time away from your green tea and Lord of the Rings to have a chat with me.

Aileen: Anytime!

Ryan: I’ll catch you online sometime.

Aileen: TTYL!