Odds are high that anyone who has ever browsed through photos of a major gaming event has come across a photo of freelance gaming journalist Raychul Moore.
“I really got started at a super young age. I was about five years old when my dad bought an Atari 2600 for himself, but I ended up taking it hostage,” she recalled. “My first taste of addiction was with Pitfall, and then I never looked back.”
Perhaps most famous for her video game character costumes, she describes herself as a “hardcore gamer girl” and has worked for media sources including GamePro, Electronic Gaming Monthly and Machinina.
“I have been working with various gaming websites and magazines for about seven years now and I still love it just as much as I did at the beginning,” Moore said. “Freelancing is awesome because you really make your own schedule and you get to work under many different outlets. I think I am kind of ready to settle down now and put all my heart and soul into one company though. I am ready to be more of a permanent fixture in one media outlet, but still do a bit of writing, a bit of video work and a bit of community-based responsibilities as well.”
Despite her extreme passion for gaming, Moore would like to see more new ideas within the industry.
“I see too many water-downed sequels that are meant to reach out to a bigger audience instead of being made for the loyal fans,” she said. “I see too many gimmicky add-ons like movement controls and 3D. I also see way too many games that should have stayed in development for several more months, but instead they sell us a full-priced game just to receive free beta testing from us and then patches to fix it months later. Basically, I see way too many developers playing it safe. Not enough developers who are trying to push the boundaries or who are trying something new and creative.”
As cosplay has become a fixture of video gaming events, Raychul has been among the most talked about, appearing at events as gaming characters ranging from Street Fighter’s Cammy to Supergirl.
“My personal favorite costume I have ever done was probably my version of Kratos,” she said. “God of War has been one of my favorite franchises since the first time we met Kratos back on the PS2. Getting to put that costume together, make the Blades of Chaos and represent such an epic character was just awesome. I also received a lot of great feedback from fans, from Sony and even from guys on the God of War development team which was a huge honor.”
While Moore describes her cosplay as her biggest passion next to gaming, she does not feel it’s how people should judge her.
“I would love to see more acceptance within the female side of gaming,” Raychul said. “Don’t judge me by the clothes I wear or how much cleavage I may or may not be showing. Judge me on my gaming skills and the passion I have for this industry.”
Raychul Moore has a variety of content and social networks that can be found online, including her website at http://www.Raychul.com, her YouTube channel at http://www.YouTube.com/RaychulMoore where she posts reviews and answers fan mail questions and her JustinTV channel at http://www.Justin.tv/theRaychul where she hosts a weekly live show. She can also be found on Twitter @theRaychul.
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