Geeky Girl We Love: Ingrid Diaz of Play Girlz

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:04:19 PDT

Last month we featured some of the cutest geeky couples and bachelors in the blogoshere, which left many of you wondering - what about the women? Fear not my fine friends, we were just saving the best for last. March is Women's History Month so I figured there was no better way to celebrate than to highlight some of the smartest, most creative and successful women on the internet.

Ingrid Diaz is one of those women that proves geek is chic while bashing the misnomer that girls can't love video games and celebrity gossip. She's the co-editor of Play-Girlz, a fun site that "proudly shows that gaming isn't just a guy sport," and the editor of Grey's Anatomy News and Top Model Gossip. Besides being a great ying/yang combo, Diaz is pretty hilarious and not afraid to admit she likes to frighten the neighbors by singing loudly and off-key while she plays video games. She's also the first geeky gal to admit she thinks Bill Gates is sexy...or maybe that was her joking again... For the full interview,

Geeksugar: Tell the geeksugar fans how you became a blogger.
Ingrid: Hmm. A little about myself. Well, I’m a level 70 human mage. Currently fire/frost specced, though this changes … Oh. You meant the “real” me. Ahem. Well, my professional career began at the ripe age of eight when I became the President of the Nintendo club on my street. It came complete with uniforms (white t-shirts with Nintendo logo patches expertly stitched on by un-talented eight-year-old hands…) Then came the obsessive collecting of video game consoles whenever they’d come out.
Then came the moment a couple of years ago when I was offered the chance to get paid for my video gaming obsessions. A good friend of mine, Erin Harvey, emailed me out of the blue and said, “Hey you want to write on this video games blog with me?” and I was like “Hm. Write about video games? For money? Let me contemplate this deeply and in the lotus position…” and then I had a phone meeting with Jeremy Wright of b5media and Play Girlz was born.

Geeksugar: The most obvious question: So many people think girls aren’t gamers or geeks – what do you say to them?
Ingrid: Well I probably wouldn’t say anything. I’d email them, or IM them, or send in-game tells with disapproving emotes. And then it’s likely that I’d challenge them to a “friendly” PvP duel, pwn them, and then do a little victory dance … and then I’d do my nails.

Geeksugar: What are your three favorite video games?
Ingrid: World of Warcraft, SingStar (I like to frighten the neighbors by singing loudly and off-key), and Grand Theft Auto (I like stealing cars… in the game … not in real life … erm…)

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Ingrid: Depends on the day, but usually anywhere from 12-18.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a ...
Ingrid: Desperate attempt by a 10-year-old to create a super computer out of duct tape, construction paper, and a series of other household items that didn’t work out quite the way she’d planned. She was then forced to turn it into a space ship (this didn’t work out very well either…) My first working computer a Texas Instrument something or other that only had a chess game on it. I played a lot of chess.

Geeksugar: What is your favorite thing about your job? What is your favorite thing about the sites?
Ingrid: It gives me a chance to re-label all of my dorky, geeky, and previously known as “procrastinating activities” as “working.”

Geeksugar: Any funny stories about being a blogger?
Ingrid: Noooo … this is a very serious business. SERIOUS. No laughing allowed. *whispers* This conversation isn’t bugged, is it?

Geeksugar: How many blogs are in your RSS reader?
Ingrid: Uh… 543. I have an unhealthy addiction to the subscription button…

Geeksugar: What are some of your non-geeky hobbies?
Ingrid: Um. Er. Hrm. I like to juggle … that’s not geeky, is it? Oh! I like shop! …. Online. Hm.

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest male geeks in the world?
Ingrid: Marshall on Alias, Bill Gates (so sexy), and the Lone Gunmen on X-Files (does that count as 3?)

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest female geeks in the world?
Ingrid: Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Brennan from Bones, Oracle on Birds of Prey, Elphaba on Wicked, and Abby on NCIS.

Geeksugar: Name a blogger you admire and tell us why.
Ingrid: Caitlin R. Kiernan. Well, she’s not really a professional blogger per say, since she’s actually a fiction author, but her online journal is a must-read for me. I love her style and her beliefs about writing and I’ve always found her to be a big inspiration. Her books are awesome if you’re into dark fantasy type stories.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a “geek”?
Ingrid: I feel warm and fuzzy inside. I love it. It’s so much better than being told I’m “normal.” What a dreadful tragedy that would be.

Geeksugar: What is the geekiest thing about yourself?
Ingrid: After much contemplating and running it through my super computer (still made out of duct tape and construction paper) I have calculated that the geekiest thing about me is 7.82.

Geeksugar: Anything else you want to share?
Ingrid: Gum. I have gum. Would you like some?

Check out our other interviews with geeky girls.