Recently, I sat down with Meg Elisabeth Smith. For over four years she’s been on YouTube and she is one of the better reviewers you will run into. I’d advise all of you to subscribe to her channel if you haven’t already.

Vega Goose: First of all if you would please introduce your channel for our members?

Meg Smith:I suppose it is a ‘gaming channel,’ after all I spend a lot of time talking about video games. I wouldn’t say I review them in a classic sense though; videos are more like a visual essay! I go into, some might say, laborious detail and like to prompt discussions based on the game I am reviewing… so maybe I could call my channel ‘reflective gaming for gamers’?

VG: What made you want to be a game reviewer?

MS: I didn’t, simply put. I wanted (and still do) to be one of those people making video games for others to review – I really got into reviewing by accident. Whilst I was attending a Games Art and Design course at university, I decided to film a review of my most anticipated game at that time, Heavy Rain. It garnered quite a few views and before long people were requesting reviews of other games. Four years later and here I am!

VG: What is the plan for your upcoming videos?

MS: At the moment I am purely trying to find the time to film and edit, which is surprisingly difficult when you work full-time. In future though I would like to touch upon more hot topics within the gaming community and general geekdom, maybe even branch out to other media entirely, and to further hone my analytical skillz –yes with a ‘z’.

VG:Do you have a favorite YouTube channel at the moment?

MS: I actually don’t get the chance to watch too many other channels on YouTube. When I do they are rarely connected to gaming! I often tune in for John Green’s Crash Course series and I’m obsessed with Simon and Martina’s channel (Eat Your Kimchi.) When I DO watch gaming videos I prefer smaller channels like this one; big review channels and companies tend to lack sincerity I think.

VG: What advice would you give a YouTuber starting out?

MS: To be honest, YouTube, as a platform, has changed so much over the years that I don’t think my practical starting advice would be practical at all anymore! The only piece of (relevant) advice I could give is to think before you take on the responsibility. What will you bring to your chosen field? Will you be a force for good or evil? Because what you do and say really can affect and influence those watching you… and the Internet is a big place.

VG: Do you take suggestions on what you review?

MS: I had to quit taking suggestions quite some time ago, because I wasn’t getting the chance to play or talk about any games I was interested in! Occasionally there will be one game that I feel obligated to play and review, for whatever reason, but other than that I stick to my own schedule these days.

VG: I understand you really enjoy the final fantasy series (ff13 trilogy excluded) what would you say is your favorite and why?

MS: My favorite will always be Final Fantasy X mainly because it was my introduction to the series. I have never experienced anything like it before. It felt very unique to me. The story was simple yet well detailed, the world was completely believable, cut scenes were outstanding, and the tag-team mechanic made turn-based play appear more tactical without feeling slow.

VG: As a follow-up what was your biggest problem with the FF13 Trilogy?

MS: I feel that every good thing I just listed about Final Fantasy X could not be applied to XIII, XIII-2 or XIII-3 – although the second instalment was the best of the three in my opinion. The story was muddled and unclear, the world (though colorful) felt equally mismatched and bare, cut scenes were beautiful but a little indulgent and after all the efforts to make gameplay feel ‘real-time’ it was still a grind.

VG: In your opinion, how have video games changed for the better or for the worse? Or a bit of both?

MS: I was just talking about this yesterday with a few friends of mine and I think gaming technology has vastly improved but this leap hasn’t necessarily improved the gaming experience as a creative and challenging medium.

A lot of last-gen and retro games built upon and around console limitations; gamers and creators had to be more imaginative to work around those problems. The iconic fog, for example, seen in early Silent Hill titles was used to mask the lack of scope within the game’s environment, however it added much, much more the gaming experience.

Nowadays games are so streamlined, so fast-moving and slick (even with glitches and such) it’s as though we as gamers don’t have to work quite so hard. This can’t be said for all current generation video games of course, but I think it is part of a larger shift in gaming.

VG: Do you find the comments on your videos helpful or do you not pay attention to them?

MS: The best comments I receive are the ones that reflect on the game I am reviewing. A person may disagree with my opinions but to read through their comments presented in a thoughtful, constructive way is really important (and enjoyable) to me.

VG: Do you have anything you’d like to say to your subscribers?

MS: Thank you for sticking with me and supporting my channel! You’ve proven time and time again, that, despite what others may think, there is still a lot of positivity and maturity within the gaming community.

VG: Thank you very much for speaking with us.

That was Meg Elisabeth Smith; a true Enthusiac if ever I’ve met one. Our community needs more like her and hopefully she will be around for a very long time.

Until next time, I am Vega Goose saying thank you very much and please check out her channel here.