Virtualgirl6654

Hey guys! My name is Meagan VanBurkleo. I am 24 years old and finished my degree at the University of Minnesota in 2007 - studying Graphic Design and Journalism / Mass Communications. I was hired on as a staff member at Game Informer Online in early 2008. You can read some of my stuff at Gameinformer.com!

My non-professional goals are to create art in any way possible. I used to think that I did not know what I wanted to do with my life until I started college. I look back now and I realize that I have always been in love with the aesthetic in life; I just needed school to show me what direction to take. I love painting, drawing, scrapbooking, photography, sculpting and writing. My artistic goals in life are to create, inspire or commission art.

Modeling has also been an artistic outlet for me over the last few years. It is an amazing experience that lets me be things I could never be in reality! Fantasy themed photo shoots such as my Ice Queen adventure also greatly prepared me for the world of cosplay. Modeling is a passion of mine, and I hope you can tell from my photos!

Other nerdy facts: I collect comics (Top Cow, Aspen, Wildstorm and Vertigo primarily), watch anime and cosplay. I also can’t get enough vampire novels (even the trashy ones) and eagerly await any geek convention that comes to town. I have a DS autographed by Miyamoto himself. I get way too excited whenever I see anything Final Fantasy related. I worked at Game Crazy just for the perks. I almost cried listening to the music during the Video Games Live concert. I love female game characters that are hot and kick ass. I have three cats: Donut, Church and Tex. If you area Halo fan you will get the names. I also have a dog named Kairi, which should be semi self-explanatory. My hubby and I have an entire room dedicated to video games, with 16+ systems and over 400 games.

In the end I am an uber nerd and I love it!
Visit www.meaganvanburkleo.com to learn more about me.

What got you into cosplay?
I first got into cosplay in 2006. I have been playing video games my whole life, but up until that time I was a solo gamer. I never ventured online to post in forums in order to keep up with the latest news or chat with other gamers. Ironically, my only method of keeping up with the video game world was in my issue of Game Informer each month, and now I work for them! When I started slowly working my way into the online world, I began to join video game enthusiast groups and make friends with fellow gamers. This is where I was first introduced to cosplay. Many of the female gamer friends I made online dressed up as their favorite fictional characters and frequented conventions. As soon as I found out what it was, I was hooked. I can still remember idolizing some of the girls for their fantastic talent and accuracy in portraying their characters. Looking back, I had unknowingly been cosplaying prior to my introduction to the hobby. At that point in time I had several years of modeling under my belt, something I did for fun and to create unique images. Part of the draw to modeling for me had been the thrill of stepping out of my shoes for a period of time, to be something or someone else. I slowly started putting together themed shoots. One as an Ice Queen, and another as a Harem Girl were my first real experiences in “costume play.” After I was introduced to the world of cosplay formally, I knew I wanted to take it to a whole new level. I started off rather tentatively. Lara Croft seemed like the most appropriate costume for me to start with, as I will sadly admit that I pretended to be her more than once without occasion when growing up. Her costume was easy enough, but looking back it was not nearly as successful as I though it was at the time. Still, I had a blast wearing it to my first convention, where I was one of only two people to dress up. I still have not professionally photographed the costume, because Lara Croft is one of my video game heroes and I can’t bring myself to document my work till it is perfect. Things have increased at an exponential rate from there. Next I moved onto a Wonder Woman costume. I bought the official DC Comics ensemble, and modified it to make it look a bit better. I am slowly learning how to sew and create props, so my costumes are getting more ambitions with time. Now, I cosplay every chance I get. I currently have over a dozen costumes completed, and twice as many on my to-do list.
What was your first costume and why?
My first real cosplay attempt was my Tomb Raider Costume, which is not posted yet. I am a HUGE Tomb Raider freak, and wont post any photos till the costume is perfect and they are professionally photographed to do it justice!
What is your favorite costume and why?
Sara Pezzini from Witchblade! The armor was hard to make, but is my favorite for that reason. The hard work paid off!
Do you have a dream costume you'd like to make?
I still am working on perfecting Grace from Soulfire. After that, The Magdalena is high on my list!
What has been your most memorable cosplay experience?
Going to comic conventions and getting discounts for being the only one dressed up. I also had a chance to have a camera crew for the St.Paul Pioneer Press follow me around for a day to learn about cosplay...that was fun! You can check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IknZOt8oqiY I also wrote up an article about cosplay my first week at Game Informer. Some people from this community liked it, others did not. You can decided for yourself! http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200803/N08.0310.1713.21220.htm
Do you participate in masquerades?
Not yet, and I don't know if I ever will! I make costumes for myself and winning awards is not a motivation for me!
Have you won any awards for your costumes?
Nope! However, Adam Hughes did say that I did a good job on the Catwoman comic cover I recreated of his! That was award enough for me!
Tell us a little about yourself
I work for Game Informer Online and I love my job. I am 24, love comics, anime, video games and cosplaying...duh! I also write for the Girls Entertainment Network, which is a great place for geeky chicks to hang out!
My favorite anime
Princess TuTu, Burst Angel, Trinity Blood, Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, Chobits, Gunslinger Girl, FLCL, Witchblade and Fruits Basket.
My favorite game(s)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Resident Evil 5, PixelJunk Eden, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Gears of War, The Fatal Frame series, Kingdom Hearts, Tomb Raider, All the Zelda games (but Ocarina of Time is my favorite, Minish Cap is turning out great as well!), Lemmings, Mario Kart, any Final Fantasy game (but 7 blows them all away), Drakengard, Guitar Hero, Taiko, DOA, Halo, Beyond Good and Evil, Sonic, Pac-Man, Crash Bandicoot, Ledgend of the Dragoon, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Snap (O-yeah, I went there), Rampage, Mario Party games, Donkey Konga, Baten Kaitos, Goldeneye, Katamari Damacy...lots of other stuff.
My favorite book(s)
Memoirs of a Geshia, Harry Potter, The Anita Blake- Vampire Hunter Series, The Black Jewel Trilogy, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Amber Room, Prey, The Messiah Code, The Historian, anything with vampires in it
My favorite character(s)
Lara Croft, Grace from Soulfire, Witchblade, Chi, Aphrodite IX, The Magdalena...
My favorite movies(s)
What Dreams May Come, The Harry Potter Series, The Tomb Raider Movies, Underworld, Batman Begins, Troy, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geshia, Hero, The Last Samurai, Collateral, Resident Evil 1&2, X-men 1&2, I, Robot, The Matrix Series, The Lord of the Rings Series, Crash, Spiderman 1&2, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Sweetest Thing, Mr. and Mrs Smith, V for Vendetta. Most comic or game movies, even though I admit the majority suck.
My favorite actors/actresses
Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Milia Jovovich, Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Li Gong, Robin Williams, Gerard Butler, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Hugo Weaving, Morgan Freeman, Kate Beckinsale, Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson…