By Randy Sluganski

For over a decade and a half, the adventure community was represented by one voice. Scorpia was synonymous with adventure games. Her monthly article in Computer Gaming World was reason enough for an adventure gamer to buy the magazine. And then one day she was gone--and I needed my monthly Scorpia fix. So I set out to track her down. To be honest, I was not sure what I would find. I did not know if Scorpia was only one person or a combination of individuals who had written under the Scorpia pseudonym. Nor did I ever suspect that in a male-dominated industry, the greatest proponent of the adventure genre was a woman. That, though, is the charm of adventure games and gamers in that things are not always what they seem to be.

This conversation was recorded from an IRC chat and has been edited for punctuation and grammar. The content of the original conversation has been streamlined to allow for ease of reading, but it has not been altered.

How many years is it now since you left Computer Gaming World?

You would start with that! Two years this past April, and I can't believe it's been that long already :(

Are you free to discuss the circumstances behind your departure?

It's no secret, they didn't want my stuff any more.

When you say your stuff, are you referring to you specifically or to the adventure games you covered and coveted?

To me specifically, since I understand they have someone else now to cover adventure/RPG games. Obviously, it wasn't genre-related.

Well, actually the young lady who now covers the genre for them is Audrey Wells, and she also writes for Just Adventure. But even at that, CGW still does not run her column on a monthly basis, so could it have been genre-related?

Well, I really don't know ... at the time, there weren't that many adventure/RPG games around and hadn't been for a while. However, I don't think that matters, since they could always take an article from me if there was something to review.

How many years/issues were you with CGW?

Sixteen years.

In your sixteen years at the helm, what do you think where the most notable changes in the adventure genre?

The move away from parsers to point-and-click. The trend to FMV, with live actors (Tex Murphy, Gabe Knight 2, etc.). Putting the main character onscreen (popularized by King's Quest). Fewer adventure games :(

So for 16 years you were considered the spokesperson for the adventure genre. Do you think your opinions influenced the market at all?

Influenced in what way?

The way they were marketed, the way some were developed. i.e., keyboard versus mouse input, the types of puzzles in a game?

Nope.

Well, then, do you think your opinions of games influenced what your readers would buy or not buy?

To a certain extent, yes. But not always.

I think you underestimate yourself.

Not in the least, going by the mail I got from readers.

Were there any letters you ever received that specifically stand out in your mind?

Well, I remember coming down rather hard on Alternate Reality (Apple version) ... and then someone wrote saying he bought the game because of the review ;)

There is, though, actually a subgenre of gamers who love bad games.

I gathered from the letter he didn't think it was bad.

You have a very sparse, Hemingway-like writing style that allows you to get directly to the point yet still be entertaining. Have you done any other writing besides game reviews?

Gee, flattery already! I've not written anything not game-related.

Don't get too used to the flattery.

Ha ha.

Have you done anything besides writing for CGW?

Well, a long, long time ago, there was a computer magazine for kids (nice magazine, but too early for its time, I think). I did a couple of reviews for them, but otherwise, everything was for CGW.

So what's up with the years of secrecy and the Scorpia persona? Rumors have floated for years that you are really a famous person who doesn't want her identity known. And yet other rumors have surfaced that you are not too far in looks from the Elephant Man. The truth?

Hey, if I told you the truth ... well, I'd have to ... <grin>. But seriously, I'm not famous outside of Scorpia, and I'm just average-looking.

Ah, but you're a goddess in my heart!

Can I keep it on my desk? ;)

What would you think if I told you that I have more or less patterned myself after you?

Hmm, I'd say you were in serious need of psychological counseling ;)

Is there a story behind the Scorpia persona?

Scorpia comes from RPGs. It was the name of my first character. You're going into a dark, dank, dangerous dungeon to kill big, mean, evil critters--"Shrinking Violet" just doesn't cut it ;) I liked the name and stayed with it.

After you left CGW, you started your own subscription-based webzine. Can you tell us a little about that venture?

Well, actually, I started that when I left Genie (which was dying a slow, painful death). It didn't work out as I had hoped. People didn't want to pay. First I tried it by the month, then I went to yearly (cheaper)--didn't help.

I've read many of the reviews on your site. I noticed in your review of Escape from Monkey Island that you had some bug-related problems. Do you find this to be an all-too-common occurrence in today's games?

Sure, most games are released with problems these days. What bothers me is the casual (I'm being nice here) attitude of the companies. When Diablo 2 came out, there was a patch ready for it that very day and you wonder, since the patch was ready, why not hold the game back another week or so and put it in? And that's been going on a long time. With too many companies.

Do you think that is where console gaming holds a huge edge over PC gaming?

Well, I don't do any console gaming, so I can't compare the two. But I admit, I've never heard of anyone releasing a patch for a console game ;)

Myst 3 had a huge patch ready to go the day after it was released.

See? The companies know people will download it, and few complain.

Basically a "screw the consumer" attitude?

Not so much "screw" as, "let's get it out the door, they can download a 'patch.'" Sales are the important thing, especially as the COs are all in the stock market. It's the stockholders who matter now, not the gamers. The gamers are just people with money to spend.

Okay, let's play word association: Johnny Wilson.

Great guy!

Jeff Green [current editor of CGW].

Who? ;)

George Martin.

Never heard of him ... or did you mean George Jones?

Uh, George Jones [editor of CGW before Jeff Green].

Heh. Well, he's the one who gave me the "good news," so I'll leave that one to your imagination.

Okay, Roberta Williams.

We need more women doing games. Even if Phantasmagoria wasn't all that wonderful.

Bob Bates [author of many acclaimed adventure games].

Ah, Bob ... what's he doing these days? I miss his games.

He just wrote a book on how to develop games. Tell me one juicy, adventure-related story that you have never told anyone else!

What?! My name alone isn't enough? <choke> Sorry, just swallowed my tongue there ;)

It's all right, I have seizures also :)

See, you patterned yourself too closely after me ;)

What are you doing nowadays? Are you living off your huge residuals from CGW?

Residuals? I wish! Right now, I'm not doing anything, and it hurts.

Are you interested in getting back in the industry?

I don't really know ... I'm not thrilled with the games overall these days, and not many of them are my type. Very few adventure games, some but not a lot, excepting Dreamcatcher.

Do you think a time comes when you, we, get too old and the industry passes us by?

It's certainly a different market out there now.

Do you think the industry relies too much on youth and is ignoring the needs of the older gamer?

It's all targeting, and the young male audience is king.

So how do we change that?

I doubt that we can, unless companies put out a few good games for "veterans" and see that they sell. Of course, getting anyone to do that--good luck.

Do you see any print magazines out there that support the adventure genre?

Couldn't say, Randy, I don't read any of the magazines.

Since you don't read the magazines, then what would you say is your favorite adventure gaming webzine on the internet?

Are you trying to get me to say justadventure.com? ;)

Who loves ya, babe?

Okay, I said it ;)

Sierra or LucasArts--any preference as to who put out the better adventure games?

Well, some of Sierra's stuff was good ... and so was some of LucasArts's. I think the best thing Lucas did, though, was Sam & Max.

I've noticed that there are thousands of teenagers who right now are huge fans of the old classic LucasArts and Sierra games.

Really? That's a good sign. They should write into game companies demanding new product. Good new product.

Can you think of any reason why these games still appeal to a new generation of players?

Yeah, it's something different from a deathmatch ;) Real story. And you have to think a bit.

What are a few of your personal favorite adventure games?

Well, aside from Sam & Max mentioned earlier, the Zork trilogy has a high place on the list. I liked Jane Jensen's games (even though I think Gabe himself is a twit).

Do you think a new Zork game would sell in today's market?

Hmm, the "newer" Zorks like Zork Nemesis and uh ... what was that one ... argh, can't think of it ...

Zork Grand Inquisitor and Return to Zork.

Geez, how could I forget Inquisitor? That was a fun one. Easy, but fun.

I hear adventure gamers get forgetful as they age.

Oh? And who did you say you were again? George Jones?

I'm not cutting that out!

Hehehe. But would a new Zork sell ... really hard to say. The newer ones weren't really much like the classics.

Are there any you would like to see a sequel to?

Sam & Max for sure. Another Gabriel Knight. Can't think of any others.

You seem to have been overlooked in the 200th anniversary issue of CGW. Was there a specific reason that you are aware of?

Well, as you said, adventure gamers grow forgetful with age ;) But really, no, I don't know why.

What about new directions? What would you like to see adventure developers do that they aren't doing or haven't done?

Well, first, I'd like to see more adventure developers ;) But as to new directions ... I've never been fond of the point-and-click stuff where you can solve puzzles just by running through your inventory.

Have you tried any of the Dreamcatcher products?

Yeah, I tried Riddle of the Sphinx. The game was so full of minutiae, I gave up on it soon after getting into the pyramid. It was bo-ring. I've been leery of Dreamcatcher stuff since then. I didn't like the interface, either.

Oh well, there goes our biggest advertiser :)

Well, you can cut that part ;)

Why aren't there any companies developing adventure games?

Why not? Because the big market is in shooters, strategy, and sports. And now, the online games are becoming big, too. The COs don't want to risk big bucks for something they believe won't sell enough. It's all corporate now. It's just like any other industry.

Don't you think they need to lower their expectations? Different genres sell to different gamers. It might be fine to expect sales of 250,000 for an FPS, but an adventure game is lucky to hit 100,000.

Well, there you are, they want those 250K+ sales. They don't want small stuff.

So is the adventure genre doomed to be relegated to a garage industry?

Yeah, I think pretty much that's the case. Myst brought about a revival for a while, but when the companies saw they weren't going to get Myst-like sales, adventure games took a nosedive. We will likely see an A title now and again, but I don't expect a real resurrection of adventure games.

Good point; so in some ways then Myst is/was responsible for the decline of the genre. Victimized by its own success.

Well, the adventure was in decline pre-Myst. Myst brought it back for a short period, but I wouldn't say it was responsible for the post-Myst decline.

Was much of the decline due to computers becoming more mainstream?

That's part of it. Games are mass-market now, and like mass-market anything, it becomes clone-infested, where everyone copies success, and success right now is the three Ss.

I'm afraid to ask this, but what are the three Ss?

Shooters, strategy, and sports, as mentioned above. Getting forgetful again, Randy? ;)

Anything juicy yet? Johnny Wilson dancing with a lampshade on his head at a Christmas party?

Never been to a Christmas party with Johnny, sorry ;)

What was it like working for Johnny Wilson? I got to meet him once at a press junket; he seems like a good guy. It seems that he reviewed games seriously when no one else in the industry did.

He's a great guy, and I enjoyed working with him when he was my editor. He was easy to get along with. He didn't mess with my stuff too much.

You seem to have grown sweet on RPGs. Do you think this is a natural extension for the adventure gamer?

Hey, I've always loved the RPGs, that's nothing new. RPGs and adventure games were the two genres I loved.

But even most of the so-called adventure columns in the magazines talk more about RPGs than adventures.

Probably there's a bit more to talk about in the RPG line.

Would you mind if some of our readers wrote to you at your scorpia@scorpia.com address if they have any further questions about Apple, your webzine, adventure games, etc.?

No, I wouldn't mind at all.

When will you be writing for Just Adventure?

When you can afford my fee ;)

You really are an anomaly in the industry. Not only were you a female reviewer at a time when women were not even playing games, but you were also reviewing adventure games, which were, at the time, the king of the hill. How did you end up in such a position against all odds?

Well, Russ Sipe [founder of CGW] knew talent when he saw it ;) It was Russ who asked me to write for CGW.

Do you think Russ was a visionary in some ways?

Hey, he started the first all-games computer magazine, what do you think? Even if he just wanted free games to play ;)

Hey, that's the same reason I do Just Adventure! Do you know what Russ is doing today?

Nope, lost sight of him after he sold the magazine to Ziff-Davis.

Thanks, Scorpia, I really do appreciate your time. You're the best! Good night!