Ciji Thornton, better known as Starslay3r, already had an impressive gaming resume before appearing on PSN’s first reality show The Tester. She is the top female all around gamer for the Guitar Hero franchise, has had over 30 top 5 finishes in varies competitions, and was the first female gamer to compete in the World Cyber Games representing Team USA. After the break she answers some questions we asked about her love of gaming, experiences being a game tester, and what it was like competing on PSN’s The Tester.

The Naked Gamers:  Let’s start with the basics: how did you get into professional gaming?

Ciji: I started competing at a professional level about 3 years ago shortly after entering an 8 week series of tournaments called the Midnight Gaming Championship and the Computer Players League in Dallas, TX and placing at a high state and national level for GH 1 and 2.

TNG: Did you always have a passion for gaming (grew up gaming), or was that something that developed later in life?

Ciji: I was always into gaming even as a kid but never really took gaming too seriously til 1999 when I started entering DDR tournaments.

TNG: What qualities/skills do you think someone needs to have in order to be successful in such a competitive profession as a tester or pro gamer?

Ciji: As a tester you must have a good eye, strong gaming skills, an understanding of bugs/glitches and determination because it’s easy to get bored of the game your testing and the long hours you’ll spend testing are often something that most ppl can’t put up with for long.

As a pro gamer it takes having a lot of skill, patience, determination, discipline and money. Going to tournaments is expensive and often requires a lot of traveling, playing at a top level requires putting in a lot of time practicing, cutting out a lot of the fun things in life and the ability to perform well under pressure. These are all things that take a long time and don’t happen overnight and most people don’t understand that,

TNG: How would you prepare for an actual interview for a video game testing or other QA positions? I’m assuming they don’t make you LARP or roll around in a giant inflatable ball for an interview. Or do they?

Ciji: Haha thankfully no they do not. For a QA position my resume speaks for itself. I’ve worked on some of the best selling games that are out today and the fact that I have been a sprinter and have OEM, legal and first party requirement experience helps to ensure the company takes me seriously. The only preparing I usually have to do is researching the company I’m applying with to ensure that I am familiar with their games and that they are games I’m capable of working on, for example… I wouldn’t bother wasting EA Sports’ time since I’m not a strong sports gamer.

TNG: Do you have any stories of having to test a game you just couldn’t stand playing? How do you deal with playing the same level repeatedly for endless hours?

Ciji: Yes. Oh my gosh yes… This game just wouldn’t go away I think I worked on it on and off for like 6 months and for one reason or another the project would seem like it’s over then something failed or something didn’t unlock then I was thrown back on. I can’t name the game, but the people that worked with me on it know EXACTLY what game I’m talking about. It was the only game that made me not want to go to work and I refuse to touch that game today.

TNG: For people looking at going into a career with video games, what are some common misconceptions they might have about the industry?

Ciji: Two words: Grandma’s Boy. Basically a lot of people think that testing is fun like in that movie and while it can be fun at times, it is NOTHING like that movie.

TNG: What’s one lesson you’ve learned that you wish you’d known before getting into the gaming industry?

Ciji: That it’s hard to move up in the industry. I spent 1 1/2 years working for a company before ever getting a raise or being considered for a higher position and even then I was told that position would pay the same and STILL not guarantee me a permanent position with the company. I was pretty disappointed when after 2 years of hard work I had a better position with hardly any more pay. Testing is a very low paying job especially considering how much hard work is involved.

TNG: What gaming accomplishment are you the most proud of? Is there a certain achievement or trophy that you deserve bragging rights for?

Ciji: Getting a world ranking of 5th for gh world tour on the global ranking system was pretty cool, ranking 3rd in the nation for gh3 was awesome and fun since it was skill PLUS showmanship. I also got to represent team USA for Guitar Hero in the Pan American Championships last year which was a great opportunity and also led to me winning 1st place in the Rock Band tournament that was held there as well.

TNG: What do you enjoy most about competing?

Ciji: The hype from people cheering me on in SF4. It’s such an awesome feeling when I beat someone and everyone cheers and  high fives me, it’s something that I never experienced before playing Guitar Hero competitively.

TNG: What’s the most challenging aspect of your career?

Ciji: Trying to prove that the stereotype of female gamers is not true.

TNG: Being the top female ranking player, how much time, per week, do you spend playing Guitar Hero?

Ciji: I hardly ever touch that game anymore so maybe 2 hours a week tops.

TNG: Which Guitar Hero song is the most challenging for you and which one do you always kick ass playing?

Ciji: All four Dragonforce songs are pretty hard just because I’m not consistant in them and that bugs me. I love playing Muse songs or any hardcore songs in gh… The songs I can headbang to while playing are always my favorite and the ones I do best at.

TNG: Who is your favorite fighter in Street Fighter IV?

Ciji: I love Sagat but I play as E. Honda.

TNG: Have any of your experiences on The Tester or at WCG made you a better gamer?

Ciji: The Tester had nothing to do with gaming so no. WCG Ultimate Gamer made me want to get back into playing all games again and for the past year and a half, I have been doing just that.

TNG: Where would you like to see yourself go in the Video games industry? Do you want to create games, or just play games?

Ciji: I’d like to own my own company one day specializing either in marketing or pro gaming peripherals/ accessories. Either that or if possible I’d like to one day make my own rhythm game, but that would take a while.

TNG: What future projects can we look forward to you being involved in?

Ciji: I’ve got a lot of big things planned for this year but they’re all top secret for now!

TNG: Being a professional female gamer, have you found it easier or harder to be taken seriously? How do you deal with that?

Ciji: Harder. I basically have to deal with a lot of negative feedback from guys and have to make sure I perform well to break away from that stereotype. Overall I think it’s harder to be taken seriously as a female gamer, but if I perform well then I think the payoff is even better as a female since there’s not as many top placing female gamers out there.

TNG: If you were asked to return to The Tester, would you do it?

Ciji: No.

TNG: Well then, how do you think Sony handled their first attempt at a gaming-related reality TV show? What would you have liked to have been done differently?

Ciji: I was really disappointed at the fact that there was no testing at all involved. I don’t really feel that the challenges were relevant to the position. I think a more ultimate gamer-ish setup would have been better with the real life challenge then testing on a similar game. Ultimately I feel like they focused more on making the show entertaining over making the challenges relevant to the position available.

TNG: And finally, what are you currently gaming?

Ciji: Right now I’m playing Street Fighter 4, Tekken 6, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Rock Band 2 and a few other games that I’m working on for upcoming tournaments.