Star Wars Galaxies: Player Spotlight: Ikewe

Real Life First Name: Lorraine
Forum Handle: Ikewe
Main Character Name: Ikewe
Server: Shadowfire
Player Association: Vigilance (FIDES)

Where in the real life world do you live? I live in Colorado, USA.

How long have you played Star Wars Galaxies? I have been playing for 4 years.

What other MMOs have you played? None.

What type of work do you do? Research Laboratory Training and Regulatory Compliance.

How long is your typical gaming session when playing Star Wars Galaxies? 3 hours and up, depending upon my out of game schedule and game events.

What does a typical Star Wars Galaxies day consist of for you? Right now I'm working on GCW rank so unfortunately the typical day consists of mindless grinding in space while I complain in guildchat about the grind. When I'm not grinding, a more typical day consists of checking emails and then heading out to play music or dance and hopefully entertain other players.

What was the race and profession of your very first character? Twi'lek Dancer -Teras Kasihybrid.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I've actually never been much of a typical video gamer. I'm not interested in the standard shoot and loot and it bores me quickly. But a friend introduced my husband to SWG and watching him play I saw that SWG offered entire professions that had nothing to do with shooting. I've been addicted since my first moments in the world.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than playing Star Wars Galaxies? While not much of a hobby, I'm also working on home renovation projects. My other "addiction" would be the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day (3-day.org). I've just completed my 6th event and hope to do my 7th in 2008.

What is your highest character level in Star Wars Galaxies? CL 90.

What race and profession is your main character? A Twi'lek Master Entertainer.

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? The entertainer profession is much more versatile than the combat professions and feels less like a job than the crafting professions. While the general playerbase can be pretty demanding when it comes to needing inspiration buffs, the entertainer profession is all about relaxing and simply enjoying the gameworld and your own creativity. There's really no explaining it to other players. You either get the entertainer profession or you don't.

What faction is your main character? Rebel.

What is your favorite player owned ship? I actually really like the yacht because it's another space where I can practice performances, but for combat there's nothing quite like finding myself in an X-wing amidst wave after wave of TIE fighters. It doesn't get any cooler than that!

What is your favorite ground vehicle? I love my flash speeder.

How did you choose your main character's name? I used the random name generator and then altered some of the results to get a name that fit the character and story I was trying to create. Had I known that no one would be able to pronounce her name and I would be stuck as IQ or ICK EEWAY, asopposed to the correct EE KAY WAY, I would have chosen something simple, like Bob.

Which current professions in Star Wars Galaxies have you NOT played? It's easier to just say that I've been an entertainer since day one and have added a medic, tailor, and commando to my accounts.

What is your favorite expansion? Jump to Light Speed. What's Star Wars without starships?

What is your favorite planet? I think I have to say Naboo. I like the background music and I really like fishing there or playing on the beaches.

What is your favorite NPC? Any NPC that gives me the loot I need.

Which expansion do you like the least? Trials of Obi Wan. Hello, who made that horrific dance?

Which planet do you like the least? This is a tough question. I like Kashyyyk because there's actually a lot of very cool visuals there but I hate the controlled pathways. It's very frustrating. And everything on Yavin 4 hates me. The very first time I traveled there I stopped to look at the bazaar terminal right after loading in and a bounty hunter NPC started attacking me for no reason (3 other targets to choose that were actually closer to it). It's been downhill ever since.

Which NPC do you like the least? Any NPC that spams, especially the married couple in the Mining Outpost "map room". That exchange was humorous the first... 20 or so times you hear it, but after the hundredth time you want to push that woman into the lava and kill the man to put him out of his own misery.

What is the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? I don't actually keep track of that kind of thing. I'm more of a barterer than a shopper. I almost always have some oddity or rare item tucked away in a backpack somewhere that someone is looking for.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so, what is it and why do you keep it? Oh yes, I have hundreds of items that no longer have much use, all of my weapons that apparently only had value to me and not to whichever developer decided how much damage they'd be able to do after various game changes for example. I also have several items that were crafted by players who left the game that I keep as mementos. My favorite is my old T-21 rifle, "Ikewe's Boomstick". I remain hopeful that one day I can return to a crafter and have a really nice weapon crafted.

What do you like best about Star Wars Galaxies? I love that the game doesn't require me to shoot and loot to be successful. While lately many of the publishes have forgotten about entertainers and crafters, we're still here and still hoping the content will include us.

What do you get out of playing Star Wars Galaxies? I get the best props and sets that any actor could want! It's a chance to relax and create a story world without having to worry about costuming, set construction, or weather constraints.

Describe your best experience playing Star Wars Galaxies. There are far too many to describe and each day I play brings an opportunity for that session to be the next "best experience".