Charm Kingdom: November 2012

Toni Stradling: ok I am here on the beach today with MissGina Box who has kindly given up some of her time to tell us something about her second life and her playing of the empires game. Gina welcome

MissGina Box: Thank you Toni

Toni Stradling: may I start by asking you if you have been in second life all the time since you started here in 2007?

MissGina Box: No I took a couple of years off, I've only recently been back, say a month or two

Toni Stradling: ahhh I think many also take a break and then come back

MissGina Box: I used to play with my husband but things went a little bit wrong on that front... I decided to stay out of the way for a while

Toni Stradling: I see and when did you start to become involved in the empires game and how did you hear about it?

MissGina Box: The short answer is 91 Luminos
MissGina Box: I do have a longer one if you want to hear it :)

Toni Stradling: of course we do

MissGina Box: OK then. When I returned I went back to working in clubs and going to the places I used to...
MissGina Box: but I wasn't really enjoying that side of SL anymore, so I started drifting about checking out new places
MissGina Box: I wandered into a castle that I rather took a shine to and rather cheekily asked if I could stay there for a bit
MissGina Box: The owner was kind enough to agree and turned out to be a very niice person indeed...
MissGina Box: he gave me a trial HUD and although I was a little less than enthusiastic at first, once I started playing I was immediately hooked
MissGina Box: So yes, after avoiding the game for years, I immediately became addicted,probably why i avoided it in the first place

Toni Stradling: well I think certainly at first it can be very addictive
Toni Stradling: and this fine upstanding young man was 91?

MissGina Box: Yes, it was.

Toni Stradling: and how has playing the game changed your second life Gina?

MissGina Box: It's certainly given me something to do when attending some of the more tedious events lol
MissGina Box: Indirectly it has led to my new SL career, which is another long and convoluted story...
MissGina Box: one perhaps not to share

Toni Stradling: well our readers love long and convulted stories
Toni Stradling: ahhh let us move on then

MissGina Box: oh no, it's nothing sordid, it involves some strategic options I've adopted

Toni Stradling: oh do tell if you wish to

MissGina Box: Oh ok, it's probably quite obvious to anyone that cares to look that there are some alts in my downline

Toni Stradling: ahhh

MissGina Box: I know, it's a controversial subject, I didn't want to use them at first myself
MissGina Box: but you have to fight fire with fire
MissGina Box: I found another use for them as actors in my theatre productions, if they happen to play a bit of TE in their breaks who am i to say no

Toni Stradling: As you say this issue is very controversial, but in your case from their names it is clear to everyone that they are your alts so that is an honest way of doing it

MissGina Box: oh yes, I really don't approve of using them for anything sneaky, they even look just like me
MissGina Box: I did spend a long time actively trying to recruit subjects with no success
MissGina Box: It's a lot more fun with real people in your line

Toni Stradling: this is very true and I think we all understand the difficulty of recruiting people for here
Toni Stradling: may i ask you about those theatre productions you mention, are they for the public or are they just private things?

MissGina Box: At the moment I've yet to successfully complete a rehearsal, I've been having problems controlling several alts at once

Toni Stradling: well as anyone will tell you I am very fond of drama on here so please consider me for a small role sometime

MissGina Box: That would be fantastic! I need as much help as I can get right now
MissGina Box: I need actors, set designers, scriptwriters etc etc
MissGina Box: It's a new venture and I have no real idea of what I'm doing, just trying to pick it up on the way

Toni Stradling: Perhaps this is the beauty of second life that it gives us a chance to do something we can not in our real one

MissGina Box: Indeed, It's a safe way to try something different, I think if I tried to run a theatre in real life I'd be bankrupt in no time

Toni Stradling: unless Andrew Lloyd weber writes the music for you. Returning to the Empires game are there any changes you would make in it if you had the power to do so?

MissGina Box: Hmm, I think it would be interesting if there were more opportunity to sell land at a profit, oh and the ability to poison your liege and immediately capture their line of course lol

Toni Stradling: well I am told that 91 has a number of antidotes available due to his success recently in the quest so your efforts could be in vain

MissGina Box: oh but wouldn't it be fun? Possibly more historically accurate too

Toni Stradling: You do have a good point there but I think in medieval times they tended to marry them first before poisoning them and maybe that is not a good idea on the Empires game

MissGina Box: Wasn't that some unwritten rule in the game at some point?
MissGina Box: You had to perform services for your liege?

Toni Stradling: Oh I had not heard of that but maybe that explains why The queen makes me clean this castle on a weekly basis

MissGina Box: Ah see! I have to clean 91's boots every morning.

Toni Stradling: May I ask you about your aspirations in this game, would you like to have your own kingdom?

MissGina Box: I'm not sure... with great power comes great responsibility and I'm not the most responsible of people

Toni Stradling: yes I think it is very time consuming and you perhaps have to be on call all the time

MissGina Box: I haven't thought about anything beyond becoming a Princess, most of my friends are by now and I'm getting princess envy

Toni Stradling: how close are you to achieving that?

MissGina Box: About 462 acres close right now (Editor's note: MissGina has since become a Princess of Charm)

Toni Stradling: well we hope you can achieve that soon.
Toni Stradling: May I ask you if you would like this kingdom Charm to be doing anything it is not at present?

MissGina Box: It would be nice to have some more social events to attend, I do like to meet people in our kingdom

Toni Stradling: good point, but of course the problem i guess is that whenever you hold them is not convenient for someone as this runs 24 hours and we are all in different time zones

MissGina Box: Yes it's the perennial problem of SL especially for those of us that live in Europe, all the fun seems to start after bedtime

Toni Stradling: what kind of social events would you like to see?

MissGina Box: Ah that doesn't really matter anything where there's plenty of people around to chat with is fine by me
MissGina Box: but perhaps some sporting events would be fun, we could have a kingdonwide football league

Toni Stradling: do we have to wear shorts?

MissGina Box: of course you do, theyd be no point otherwise

Toni Stradling: well as long as I am not expected to remove my tie

MissGina Box: I'm wondering how all the alts would fair in the contest though

Toni Stradling: another person suggested princess parties ie a party when someone became a princess what do you think of that idea?

MissGina Box: I think that is a very good idea indeed sir, we should start doing it immediately LOL

Toni Stradling: ha ha or wait till you become one?

MissGina Box: I'll throw a party myself, the whole Kingdom is invited but it could get a little cramped at my place

Toni Stradling: well yes I am sure you have many friends on here to invite, May I ask you how you react if say one of your friends invites you to a place where the empires hud does not work?

MissGina Box: Oh I make my excuses and leave, but seriously it's a pain when you go shopping most of the malls are no script these days and I do like to take my time in such places

Toni Stradling: when I need to buy something on here which is normally once a year I tend to use market place

MissGina Box: yes, you don't get it do you? It's the act of shopping that's important not what you buy
MissGina Box: I have an inventory full of things I've brought and never worn

Toni Stradling: I see sorry I am only a man

MissGina Box: no need to apologise, not your fault

MissGina Box: and ehm quickly moving on, You have an interesting profile picture is it the medusa and if so what does it signify about you?

MissGina Box: Oh that thing, it's of no real significance I just thought it looked cool about five years ago, I should change it
MissGina Box: Francine took a good picture of me at the last party, I'll put that in
MissGina Box: I haven't turned anyone to stone for years, I promise
MissGina Box: All in the past now lol

Toni Stradling: Do you play the other Empires game the science fiction one?

MissGina Box: I'm just dipping my toes in the water of TE3000 not sure if I want to commit to it though

Toni Stradling: fair enough, alas i must get ready for my day job soon, is there anything else you would like to comment on that I have neglected to ask you?

MissGina Box: No I don't think so, I've just been rambling as usual, sorry I'm probably not the best of interviewees

Toni Stradling: no I have enjoyed it and I thank you for giving up your time and sharing your thoughts with us.

MissGina Box: My pleasure, it's always nice to indulge in my favourite past time

Notes: Medusa picture removed from profile now, I'll put it in my Picks tab for those seeking context.
(After the interview i thought of something I'd love to see in the game: The removal of all alts (I have no idea how this could be achieved), imagine the state the kingdom would be in after that and what we'd have to do to rebuild it, would be a good honest challenge.)