Q and A - The GGFan Experience

1. "how old are you?"

Older than you.

2. "how do you get so many girls"

The key to securing relationships with women is to communicate on a respectful level with them. While many yearn for sexual intercourse as much as men do, they are usually not as candid about it; therefore, communication is key. You need to conduct yourself maturely. Be honest, but be yourself. If you're having difficulty being as comfortable talking to a woman as you do to one of your male friends, they will be able to detect it faster than a shark does blood in water. It's also a massive turn off to portray yourself as the "lonely, desperate" type--do not fall into this trap. Don't be so quick to take the initiative every time; they like a man who has other things on his mind other than the vixen he chatted with at the club the previous night. Yes, love and sex is a game, but this has been the way it is since Andreas Capellanus, since Ovid, and so on. Good luck.

3. "How did u get into Pokémon?"

I was exposed to the global phenomenon sometime in the spring of 1999. I used to watch my friend play Pokemon Blue at school, and thought the concept was amazing. He actually lent me his copy of the game in a rare display of generosity in children--the rest is history, as they say. I was hooked, and Pokemon became my favorite series.

4. "what is your favorite battle"

It's hard to to pick just one. Here are some:

~vs Syberia, TOS finals

~vs Hipmonlee, "the 90-minute classic"

~vs cloggerdude, round four of VBR tournament

~vs Jimmy Kudo, round three of TOS6

~vs Majin Tupac Z, semi finals of GSC Turnier

~vs Crystal, round three of RBY2K10 OU Tournament #2

~vs Nitro during Hector Gold's rampage

~vs Conflict, semi finals of 4Chords Cup

~vs Crystal, second round of Master Tournament #6

~vs McMehgan, semi finals of No-Snorlax GSC tournament

~vs marcoasd, finals of Master Tournament #11

~vs The Joker, second round of Master Tournament #12

~vs Mister Tim, semi finals of Master Tournament #16

~vs Alexander, semi finals of Master Tournament #20

~vs Lusch, third round of Master Tournament #24

~vs stunner047, second round of Master Tournament #25

~vs marcoasd, International League

~vs Bedschibaer, quarterfinals of World Championship

~vs Ortheore, semi finals of Master Tournament #29

~vs Alexander, semi finals of Vermilion Cup

~vs Diegolh, week 1 of PPL 2

~vs Peasounay, finals of Master Tournament #34

~vs Bedschibaer, round three of Indigo Cup

~vs Idiot Ninja, round four of Indigo Cup

~vs marcoasd, semi finals of Indigo Cup

~vs Idiot Ninja, second round of Master Tournament #36

~vs Peasounay, week 3 of WCOPP

~vs Peasounay, semi finals of World Championship

~vs Troller, week 8 of WCOPP

~vs Ranshiin, second round of Master Tournament #39

~vs Peasounay, week 3 of SPL IX

~vs Earthworm, week 7 of SPL IX

~vs Troller, POCL finals

~vs ErPeris, Saffron Cup

~vs Bedschibaer, week 2 of WCOPP 2

~vs Christos, week 3 of WCOPP 3

4. "What led to your utter disgust of the smogon community?"

I dislike tainted and illegitimate organizations.

5. "who are the top 5 greatest rby players of all time besides yourself?"

I can come up with my top 3:

~Lusch: Had the most dominant run in the history of Pokemon Perfect, has longevity on his side, difficult to outplay.

~marcoasd: Dominated for half a decade.

~Peasounay: Had the most prolific year ever.

After these three, it becomes difficult to form a conclusive answer.

6. "ggfan do u believe the RBY meta its better now?"

It's never been perfect. Would I rather face legions of Reflect Snorlaxen and Reflect Chanseys than Focus Energy guaranteeing Critical Hits? Yes. Would I rather have no possibility of paralyzing Chansey with my Tauros than my opponent's Tauros paralyzing everything in sight? Yes. It's flawed, as it's always been, but it's playable and I appreciate the strategical elements.

7. "who did hector gold's parents vote for in the recent mexican election"

The Hector Gold family comes from a lineage of aristocrats, so probably Ricardo Anaya.

8. "who would u say are some of your favorite players to play against/watch?"

I always enjoyed playing marcoasd and Peasounay because of the rivalry that fueled our bouts. As for whose games I enjoy spectating, I like watching Lusch and Troller.

9. "starmie (friendlymie) lead vs exeggutor, click twave or blizzard"

Depends on what team I'm using.

10. "Recycling an old question: do you play Pokémon rom hacks or fan games? What are some of your favorites?"

Nope, I never have. However, when I was young--very young, actually--I did play a bootleg game called "Pokemon Adventure."

11. "What do you consider your overall greatest achievement?"

Definitely my longevity. Marco played for about five years and is considered ancient. I don't know how I would be classified--"ante bang," perhaps?

12. "How would you define a Pokémon Master?"

I would define it as somebody who demonstrates complete mastery of his or her specialization or task. If your objective is to catch them all, then you must catch them all, for example.

13. "Does it annoy you that the newer players rank you lower and don't realize that you're probably the greatest ever in the history of gen one?"

No, I'm grateful that I was determined enough to keep playing and still have been considered at an elite level despite having started a lifetime ago.

14. "if you could send one message to yourself 20 years ago what would it be?"

I would write, "Focus on your education." In my younger years I was the class clown, the kid who was desperate for attention and acceptance at the expense of my studies. As a result, I ended up with meaningless friendships that didn't last past high school while putting myself at an immediate disadvantage in life.

15. "what were your dreams as a kid and do you think youve lived up to those aspirations, for better or worse?"

At first I wanted to be a chef, then a comedian, then a professor, and then the greatest GGFan. I can cook enough meals, I can make people laugh, I can educate others, and I am unique in these parts, so I believe I've been successful.

16. "Has the notion of competitive play been ingrained in you to the point that you struggle to play something "casually" (including irl games)?"

No, I still enjoy casually playing games; however, I impose challenges on myself as they're usually too easy. For example, whenever I play Final Fantasy 7, I assign each character with a class instead of letting them use whatever materia they want.

17. "Has that happened to you with pokemon or other games? If I recall correctly you also speedran pokemon, right?"

I don't play Pokemon games often these days. I might do a casual playthrough of something like Yellow or Gold once a year, but that's it. I also attempted to complete the Pokedex in Yellow and Crystal some time ago.

And yes, I was the first person to document his speed run of Pokemon Blue, which became the blueprint for years to come.