Interview: Melonie Mac

Does the name Frag Dolls ring a bell? How about Razer? Melonie Mac has experience with these brands and continues to love and support both. A profound PC gamer Melonie has continued to expand her craft on YouTube and TwitchTV. She has over 15,000 Twitter followers and well over 30,000 likes on Facebook. NoobFeed had the opportunity to speak with Melonie and here's what she had to say.

For anyone who isn't familiar with you tell us a little about yourself?

Melonie: I'm pretty much a big kid. I play video games, draw comics, and watch anime every day, and I make videos about it all on YouTube! I also frequently attend and work at gaming events across the country - which is tons of fun! Overall, I'm just a goofy girl who likes to have fun and I'm very happy that so many awesome people have been keeping up with me.

Tell us a little about your job at Razer.

Melonie: I've been using Razer products for years, and in 2011 they discovered me from my YouTube channel and I worked for them doing Public Relations for about a year. I'm not working there now, but I love them to pieces - they're my gaming industry family!

How did you get involved with the Frag dolls?

Melonie: I got involved with the Frag Dolls in 2010 through their internship program, and I loved every bit of it! PAX East was the first event I worked, and I got to promote one of my favorite game series of all time when I was assigned to Splinter Cell Conviction. It was a dream come true! I continued the internship and became an actual part of the team for a while. It definitely was fun times!

Recently we have seen a rise in girl gamers, do you feel that due to the rise it is becoming easy for girls to break into the gaming industry?

Melonie: I personally feel that female gamers were never as rare as it seemed, but I guess with the power of the internet, the world is noticing that there are more than they realized. While I love being a girl, I just think of myself as a gamer in general, and my gender really doesn't make a difference regarding that. Getting into the gaming industry takes hard work, dedication, and just getting yourself out there. Male or female, you have to want it and work for it to make it.

What is it that made you get into video games?

Melonie: Pretty much my dad. I don't remember the first time I played a video game because I was so young, but my dad got my brothers and I into gaming at a very young age. I've always loved gaming - it has always been a part of my life and always will be.

What is your own personal highlight of working in the industry?

Melonie: Going to events! All of them! Being able to try out upcoming titles, meet a bunch of likeminded gamers, and mingle with the developers. It's all so amazing - I love gaming culture and everyone within it.

You have your own YouTube channel, what videos do you like to make the most?

Melonie: Mostly gaming related, but I do like to feature tech, anime, and drawing from time to time as well. My channel essentially covers all the fun things I love to do, so I may be doing a Let's Play in one video, an unboxing in another, or sometimes I'll make random videos of going out for a hike or something fun like that. It's so much fun to make these videos, and I am so humbled to see my channel grow so much!

What do you feel are the challenges of being on YouTube and other video /streaming sites?

Melonie: The biggest challenge is just keeping up with everything - all the changes and new features of my YouTube and TwitchTV channels. It's a lot of fun, but there is tons of behind the scenes work I tend to every day that not everyone sees. I love it though -it keeps me thinking.

What does it takes to be a successful YouTuber especially on the gaming side of the spectrum?

Melonie: I can't speak for everyone, but my recipe for success is, above all else, have fun and be yourself! I've experimented with different things and later realized that they weren't as fun for me. Not only did this affect my outlook, but I notice that the more fun I have, the more my subscribers like the videos! It's win-win. Of course it's important to have at least somewhat of an upload schedule and to make good titles, descriptions, and tags for your videos, but the most important thing is to have fun and love what you do.

Are there any pro-gamers on the internet that inspire you?

Melonie: Of course! One of my favorite pro gamers is Reckful from World of Warcraft. He plays such a beast Rogue, and he's a lot of fun to watch as well. Very inspiring!

When you are not gaming what else are you up to, what are your hobbies and interests?

Melonie: Apart from gaming, I like to watch anime, read manga, go out on hikes, ride my bike, and draw comics.

We found that one of your hobbies is art and drawing would you ever like to get into the artistic side of gaming like concept art?

Melonie: I've thought about it before. When I was younger I had my heart set on being a comic book artist, but for now art is just a hobby for me. We'll see if it goes anywhere.

Being a girl gamer have you ever experienced any sexism in gaming?

Melonie: Sometimes, but never to a degree that it offends me. I just laugh it off and light heartedly troll right back, or just focus on the game and pwn faces.

You’re a PC gamer what future do you see for PC gaming with the next generation of consoles coming out soon?

Melonie: It's really hard to call it, but I hope that PC gaming doesn't change too much. The rise of free to play competitive titles is awesome, and I want to see this grow.

Can you remember what the first game you fell in love with?

Melonie: I've always loved gaming, but the first game that I really "fell in love" with of sorts was the original Tomb Raider. The exploration, tricky puzzles, and such an awesome main character - what was there not to love? Lara Croft was my role model growing up.

What are your top 3 favorite video games?

Melonie: Of all time? Tomb Raider, Jak 2, and Smash Brothers Melee really impacted my life, but my favorite games I'm currently playing at the moment are League of Legends, Fire Emblem Awakening, and Robot Unicorn Attack 2.

What up and coming games are you looking forward to?

Melonie: So many, but Wildstar is definitely my most anticipated game right now.

So what does the future hold for Melonie Mac where can we expect to find you?

Melonie: I'm sure I'll have a lot of unexpected and awesome journeys in the future, but what I know for sure is that I'll be continuing to take on YouTube by storm and drawing my own webcomic (which I'd love to publish). I'm also exploring more hosting opportunities, and I'd LOVE to get into voice acting/ mocapping for video games. We'll see what happens, but I know it will be fun!

 

Although brief, getting to know Melonie Mac was fun. Her sparkling personality and positive attitude made her well beyond likeable and easy to speak to. A big thanks for your time Melonie!

Swing by Melonie's TwitchTV channel or YouTube page to see her gaming in action. Of course you can always give her a like on Facebook and a follow on Twitter.

Sarah Doherty, NoobFeed