Interview: Dodger Leigh

Vlogs, YouTube and cats; what's not to love? Many things; YouTube and Vlogs are hard to master with so many people putting content out there and cats, well, you be the judge. NoobFeed had the opportunity to speak with the very successful Dodger about her success on YouTube, her experience on The Guild and her favorite moments in gaming history. Check out the interview below.

Sarah: Tell us a little about yourself?

Dodger: Hello! I'm Dodger and I have a news show about the gaming industry as well as a daily vlog. I love food and have an adorable giant cat.

Sarah: What was it that made you get into Youtube?

Dodger: I was taking my very last class to get my degree and wound up with a lot of time on my hands. A great friend of mine named Mike encouraged me to do a channel because I had noticed there really weren't many girls doing gaming content. It seemed like a perfect fit for me.

Sarah: You have two channels Press Heart to Continue and Dexterity Bonus. Which of the two is more challenging to work on?

Dodger: PressHeart takes the most time by far. My main content for Dexterity Bonus is COFFEH Time, which is basically a ten minute unedited diary-style vlog so it literally takes ten minutes to make. My main content on PressHeart is the news show and it requires research, editing, graphics, etc. It's really mostly about time but I love doing all of it.

Sarah: Did you find it difficult to start your own channel and building large amount subscribers?

Dodger: Starting wasn't too bad but I think an aspect most people have trouble with is staying consistent or keeping up with it. For a lucky few, sometimes your content just explodes and everyone loves it and you grow very quickly. For me, I have long periods of plateau, and that's normally when someone might feel discouraged but it's all about continuing to do what you love and letting the people that enjoy it find you :)

Sarah: You are also part of the TGS team and feature on the TGS Podcast, what is it like working with Jessie and Total biscuit?

Dodger: I love those guys (GUYS IF YOU ARE READING THIS, I LUH YOU). They're both endlessly sweet and supportive of me and I couldn't ask for better friends. Also, since everyone asks: yes, Jesse IS that goofy in real life and yes, TB IS that opinionated in real life.

Sarah: Who was your favorite guest on the Podcast?

Dodger: Ohhh I can't answer that. Sooo many friends of mine have wound up on that podcast and I couldn't possibly pick a favorite.

Sarah: You had the chance to be on Geek and Sundrys Table Top hosted by Will Wheaton, what was that like?

Dodger: Oh my goodness...as a person who grew up in a severely Trekkie home, meeting Wil was awesome. My whole family was jealous. The show itself is very fun to be a part of, honestly. It feels like you're just playing a game with your buddies but there are cameras everywhere.

Sarah: Any fan of The Guild will know that you had a part on the recent series. That must have been amazing how did that come about?

Dodger: Felicia and I had met and talked a couple times and when casting for The Guild came around, she asked if I was interested in gunning for a part and I, of course, said yes!

Sarah: What was it like working with Felicia Day?

Dodger: She's an extremely focused and creative person. I admire her a lot, not only for deciding to just make a show of her own but also because she's this vibrant, sweet and organized monster with millions of projects and people and life happening around her at all times. She's also just really willing to give advice or talk about ideas and I really appreciate that.

Sarah: You feature on a Manga podcast, how long have you been reading Manga and how did you start?

Dodger: I've been reading manga since the first time I saw an American company take a crack at having a manga magazine. The magazine failed but it had Sailor Moon, Parasyte, and a few others in it that I found really interesting and I wasn't all that old at the time or able to necessarily appreciate the finer points of the stories. I think I got REALLY into it starting around middle school because that's when all these companies started really taking the manga thing seriously and bringing a bunch of them into the states.

Sarah: From doing two of your own YouTube channels, TGS Podcast, Manga Podcast and other side projects.. How do you find the time to juggle all these things?

Dodger: It's hard! I wish so desperately that I was a more organized person but in the end it's about how much I enjoy it. Every project I'm working on right now is fun for me and that gives me the motivation to do it all. My hiccups happen when I get excited about an idea and mention it to my viewers but maybe haven't worked out all the kinks to actually do the project yet.... Viewers never forget.

Sarah: Do you have any interesting projects lined up in the next few months?

Dodger: Yes! I can't talk about them though. I had to sign like, papers and junk. BUT YES. Fun things!

Sarah: So how did you get into gaming?

Dodger: My dad loved Tetris and my older brother loved Mario. It was meant to be. I was pulled into the gaming fold very early.

Sarah: Is there any specific moment in video-games that sticks out in your mind?

Dodger: SPOILERS: Oh my goodness, I will never forget being a kid and playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time. This shouldn't even need a spoiler alert this game is millions of years old but when Aeris died it like, BLEW. MY. MIND. I was just sitting there going "um no, that can't be right."

Sarah: What game are you playing at the minute?

Dodger: A weird surrealist French game called OFF that Tumblr has been all about lately. Apparently there are twists so the comments section is deadly. So many spoilers. Other than that, my standard Team Fortress 2, Guns of Icarus as well as Persona 4 Golden, which is going to take me the rest of my life to play.

Sarah: What game do you find yourself always returning to?

Dodger: For a game with an arc, I replay Chrono Trigger at least every couple of years. I love that game with all my heart. For just a multiplayer goodtime, it's always TF2.

Sarah: Are there upcoming titles that you are really buzzed about?

Dodger: I really want Remember Me to be good. The idea of it is so delicious to me and I love the look of it. I'll also be really disappointed if Cyberpunk isn't amazing.

Sarah: You’re a big PC gamer but will you be buying any of the next Gen consoles?

Dodger: I play a lot of PC but my second in command is always the PS3 so I'll probably do that PS4 thang. It's looking to be the most straightforward console based on leaked or presented information as well so I'm certainly happy to support it if everything checks out. I won't buy it immediately though...it seems like most of the time their first crack at a new console needs some tweaking.

A big thanks to Dodger for taking the time to talk with us! We look forward to hearing about your upcoming projects and wish you continued success! Keep up with Dodger on YouTube, give her a like on Facebook and follow her on Twitter!

Sarah Doherty, NoobFeed