During these cold months of autumn we all retreat into our gaming shells and who better to get you into gaming gear than the wonderful gamer and commentator Zombi Unicorn aka Natalie Casanova.

This week I had the opportunity to chat with Natalie about gaming, conventions and being a female in the gaming industry and community. She will also be giving all YouTube hopefuls a few of YouTube’s golden rules.

Sarah: Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.

Natalie: I am a YouTuber and Livestreamer on Twitch.tv. Most of my videos are vlogs, gameplay with funny commentary, journalistic interviews with game devs at conventions or other random compilations of silliness. I'm somewhat of a "Jill of all trades" and many people know me by my silly voices and love for small cute furry animals.

Sarah: YouTube is a tough shell to crack for gamers and YouTube personalities, what do you feel are the golden rules of YouTube?

Natalie: First off, be yourself - don't put on a fake personality or force comedy, people can tell and won't like it. However, it is okay to amp your real personality up a bit! Keep your viewers engaged and keep your content fresh, no one wants to watch an old game or hear about an old topic unless you're putting a new twist on it or you already have an established following. Don't expect YouTube, your network or anyone else to help you garner new subscribers or more views - you must put forth the time and effort, and show your fans how much they mean to you!

Sarah: What made you want to get into the gaming industry?

Natalie: I've always casually played games ever since I was a little kid, but what really got me into more "hardcore" gaming was the emergence of the MOBA Smite. I was instantly drawn to the game, spent hours upon hours playing it at a time, which eventually led to me streaming it on Twitch. To this day, Smite is still my favorite game of all time.

Sarah: As a female gamer do you ever experience sexism whilst gaming, or even through YouTube comments?

Natalie: Of course, but I've learned the best way to handle those situations is to just ignore them. Feeding a troll any attention at all only satisfies them. It's better to let them see they don't affect you, and if the comment is that bad on my channel where it incites responses from other fans I will just delete it.

Sarah: You attend a few gaming conventions.. Do you have a personal favorite?

Natalie: PAX Prime has by far been my favorite, but I've still only experienced a handful of gaming conventions. 

Sarah: Is there any game at any convention that got you really buzzed about its release and left a lasting impression?

Natalie: There are two games I checked out at PAX Prime that I'm totally stoked for: Windborne and Dying Light. Windborne is a sandbox crafting type game similar to minecraft, but with more purpose and goals (sort of like Animal Crossing). It also looks way prettier than Minecraft and has some pretty adorable floating creatures you need to help civilize. Dying Light is so terrifyingly realistic and the gameplay is just amazing. It's the most realistic, non-hack-and-slash zombie game I've ever seen!

Sarah: You also interview many people within the industry. Who was your favorite person to interview?

Natalie: I always have a ton of fun doing the journalism bit, interviewing game devs and getting first-hand knowledge of their latest creations, but I think my new favorite is interviewing the attendees. I recorded a cosplay video at PAX Prime and interviewed tons of convention-goers in costume about their wicked cool threads and it was just too much fun meeting them all!

Sarah: As we know the consoles war has truly begun, but which console has got your vote, PS4 or XBOX one?

Natalie: I'm not sure if I'll get a console, but I would most likely prefer PS4.

Sarah: What is your personal favorite moment in video-games? (May it be a release, event or even a moment in a video-game)  

Natalie: The ending of BioShock Infinite... no spoilers, but I just loved seeing the story come full circle.

Sarah: Best villain in any video game?

Natalie: Goro of the original Mortal Kombat haunted my nightmares for a while as a kid.

Sarah: If you could live a day in the life of any game character who would it be and why?

Natalie: Faith Connors of Mirror's Edge because she has mad hardcore parkour skills!

Sarah: What will be the next video game you buy?

Natalie: GTA V most likely. 

Sarah: What interesting plans or projects will we see from you in the future?

Natalie: Hopefully I will be putting together a weekly gaming news video segment for my channel as well as doing more live-action comedy skits, and even starting a separate yoga, fitness and beauty channel.

A big thanks to Natalie for taking the time to talk with us! If you want to catch up on Zombi Unicorn’s latest videos and news then head on over to the following links for more from Natalie, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Doherty, NoobFeed (@SarahDohertyy)