Trixie360 Interviews THE DON WAN

Published March 25, 2009

She's a founder of the annual Fight Like a Girl Halo tournament, a host of the Loading Reality podcast, and an Xbox 360® game tester. Bow down to THE DON WAN.

trixie360: What's the story behind your Gamertag?

THE DON WAN: When Halo® 2 launched, my now ex-boyfriend wanted to share a Gamertag and came up with something that was so lame I don't even want to repeat it. I had to think of something quick so he would change his mind, and the first thing that popped into my head was the Bishop Don Magic Juan. I changed the spelling and I just cannot seem to part with it.

THE DON WAN.

trixie360: Where do you live?

THE DON WAN: I live in beautiful Redmond, Washington.

trixie360: What do you do for a living?

THE DON WAN: I work for a company called Excell Data Corporation at Microsoft Game Studios as a games tester. I've worked on Halo 3, Lost Odyssey, and Lips™. I've also been attending Bellevue Community College, slowly working on my psychology degree.

trixie360: What's the worst or weirdest job you've ever had?

THE DON WAN: My first real job was at Safeway when I was 18. I had to clean the meat department every night. I don't want to talk about this anymore.

trixie360: How long have you been on Xbox LIVE?

THE DON WAN: Since the first day of Halo 2's launch.

trixie360: Do you have an archenemy on Xbox LIVE?

THE DON WAN: Shishka. He's a jerk.

trixie360: What's your Xbox setup like?

THE DON WAN: Ha. My setup is pretty nerdy. I live with my boyfriend and we have adjacent desks each equipped with our own Xbox 360, 24-inch monitor and sound system (not counting computer equipment). If you've ever seen a desk setup at a game studio, ours is very similar. We have an extra Xbox 360 in the living room with its own 36-inch TV just in case something happens to one of our other consoles.

trixie360: That's like Nerdtopia! What's the best feature of Xbox LIVE®?

THE DON WAN: The friends list. I have met lifelong friends on Xbox LIVE and no other console has come close to achieving the same sense of community while playing games.

THE DON WAN belts it out best in Rock Band.

trixie360: What do you think is the best game of all time?

THE DON WAN: Of all the games I've played, Sonic the Hedgehog is something I still love today.

trixie360: Rock Band™ or Guitar Hero?

THE DON WAN: Rock Band!! I love singing!

trixie360: What is your greatest Xbox LIVE moment?

THE DON WAN: I am the co-founder of an Xbox LIVE Halo tournament for breast and cervical cancer research. For one weekend in October, people around the world log on to Xbox LIVE to participate in the Fight Like a Girl tournament. When I hear about kids telling their parents they are doing something good for the world by playing video games, that is my greatest Xbox LIVE moment.

The Chief is proud to do his part for charity.

trixie360: And that, ma'am, is why I chose you to round out a month of gamer girls in the Spotlight. March is Women's History Month! What's your favorite TV show?

THE DON WAN: Flavor of Love. I despise reality TV, but that show makes me feel so good about myself. It is good self therapy, you should try it sometime.

trixie360: Are you saying I need therapy? Reality TV makes me despair for the human race. Who is your inner rock star?

THE DON WAN: Gwen Stefani. Sometimes I just wanna sing, dance, jump around and make funny faces all at the same time.

trixie360: I think I've seen you do that in the Xbox cafeteria. If they made a movie about your life, who should play you?

THE DON WAN: Tina Fey. I want everyone to laugh at me.

THE DON WAN also rocks a very cool gaming tattoo.

trixie360: Favorite cartoon character?

THE DON WAN: Stitch from Lilo and Stitch! He's naughty and hungry. I think I'll make myself a sandwich. brb.

trixie360: What super power would you like to have?

THE DON WAN: I'd love to have the power to stop network lag when I am playing Grifball.

trixie360: If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be?

THE DON WAN: Melinda Gates. She is so inspiring, I'd love to know what it is like to be the center of a great vision to stop world hunger.

trixie360: What celebrity would be the worst roommate?

THE DON WAN: Gary Busey.

trixie360: How many people are on your Friends List?

THE DON WAN: 100. I'm taking applications.

Her most difficult achievement to earn was Platinum Artist in Rock Band.

trixie360: Who's your favorite superhero?

THE DON WAN: Indiana Jones. Does he count? He's my hero.

trixie360: Cover your heart, Indy! Hot celeb you'd like to be stranded on a desert island with?

THE DON WAN: Angelina Jolie. Don't tell my boyfriend.

trixie360: Shhhhh. If you could be any video game character, who would it be?

THE DON WAN: Yoda. He is super short and everyone fears his mad skills. I've been "too short" my whole life. I want mad skills and a glowing stick of fear.

trixie360: What's the worst food you've ever eaten?

THE DON WAN: Chocolate meat. And by chocolate I mean dried blood.

trixie360: What the? What's the first video game you ever played?

THE DON WAN: I'm really not sure about this one. The first video game I can remember playing is Mike Tyson's Punchout on the Nintendo.

trixie360: What's the last book you read?

THE DON WAN: The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx. Great book. Just say no to drugs, kids.

trixie360: I'll have to check that one out … I loved The Dirt. If you could go on tour with any band, which would it be?

Everything she knows about driving she learned from Burnout Paradise.

THE DON WAN: Heart. Those chicks can still sing, they can still play, and they kick some serious butt on stage. I'd tour with them any day.

trixie360: Those fabulous ladies went to my high school … way before my time though. What do you predict will be the "next big thing" in gaming?

THE DON WAN: Virtual driving schools. Everything I learned about the road I learned in Burnout™ Paradise. I evade the police like a champ.

trixie360: What do you think is the best thing about Xbox 360?

THE DON WAN: Audio, video, and text communications with people all over the world as well as online co-op gameplay. No one does it better.

trixie360: What is the Xbox 360 Achievement that was hardest to get?

THE DON WAN: Platinum Artist, the one in Rock Band where you must finish the Endless Setlist in Band World Tour on Expert. I spent eight hours working on that one with my boyfriend and my brother. When we finally completed the setlist, we forgot that we had turned off notifications, so we didn't see it pop up on the screen. I almost had a heart attack.

trixie360: What would you like to be doing in ten years?

THE DON WAN: I hope to be a part of the resistance with John Connor to help fight against the extermination of the human race. You're going down, machines.

Interview by TriXie