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Interviews: Laurens Stolker
1. Please introduce yourself to
our club members.
My front name is Laurens. My surname is Stolker. I’m 20 years old and live
close near my work, so in Nieuwegein.
2. What’s your education level?
I have done anything, but no course of study got my interest to the end. Then I
decided to go working and I’m enjoying my job as a game counselor for Club
Nintendo! Of course I’m going to study again, but when I don’t dare to say
when exactly.
3. What are your hobbies?
Hobbies? I only have one real hobby. I’m hooked at video games in all sorts
and sizes. I play at home and everywhere I’ll find a video game.
4. Do you sport?
I used to play soccer, but I don’t have time for that anymore, also because I
like to go out, to the disco or the cinema.
5. How long are you working as a
game counselor?
I’m working for one year now. Directly after my military service I came to
Club Nintendo, that was in May 1991.
6. Why did you become a game
counselor?
That’s normal. What’s better than making of your greatest hobby your job?
When I read an advertisement for game counselor, I immediately reacted at it,
because I can say that I already had experience with video games.
7. Do you get many questions about
Game Boy games?
Many is a big word. Most of the questions are about Nintendo games, but that is
logical. Look! The Game Boy is a portable Nintendo. So people play with it more
outside then at home. And outside, there is mostly not a phone at your hand. So
you keep trying to solve a problem and mostly you will solve it. If you are
playing with the NES, you do it when you are at home and you have a phone. If
you get stacked you grab your phone, call us and you are done!
8. Do you have any help to answer
questions about Game Boy games?
No. It may sound bragging, but I even don’t have a Game Boy by hand (I do have
a complete NES!). All questions about Game Boy I answer directly out of my head.
Sometimes if I don’t know the answer, I’ll search for the answer in our big
game library. I’m doing that quite fast, so everyone can wait for his answer.
9. What's the hardest Game Boy
game according to you?
For me that is Gargoyle’s Quest. That game is for me not only the hardest but
also one of the best games to play. It is an adventure that looks a little like
Zelda, but that is at least just as exciting.
10. Are there any Club Nintendo
members who are calling especially for you?
That could be the case, but I don’t notice it. The other game counselors
really know as much as I do. A person who calls will be directed to the first
game counselor who comes free. It works like that. Of course they ask for me, if
they called earlier and that I had asked some more time of them to search for
the answer.
11. What’s the Game Boy Top 3
according to you?
I think at the moment like this:
Super Mario Land
Castlevania
Gargoyle’s Quest
And you don’t ask me, but I just say it: Super Mario 3 is really the nr.1 game
hit at the moment for the NES!
12. The last question. Imagine
yourself: You were put on an uninhabited island together with your Game Boy.
What Game Boy game would you certainly have with you and why?
Tetris. Absolutely. That game comes not for nothing with your Game Boy. There
are so many possibilities in it, that you can improve your personal high score
over and over again. Beating Tetris? Nobody can do that! Never! That’s the
reason I can hold it out so long with Tetris….
***This interview was taken from Club Nintendo #3 1992 and was translated from Dutch to English by Ruudos.***
Interviews
Game counselors:
Barbara Beckman
Robert de Boer
Sigfrid van Driel
Gertjan Fortuin
Erik Hol
Petrick Jongkind
Eva Snijders
Laurens Stolker
Carola Struik