Interviews: Robert de Boer

1. Who are you?
My name is Robert. Robert de Boer. I live in Utrecht and I am 23 years old.

2. Can you tell something more about yourself. Your education level?
Just like everybody I have done primary school and high school.

3. What are your hobbies?
Concerning my hobbies, I do many things, but I like video games the most. If I can get those as many as I want? On this way I can combine my hobby with my job and so I automatically keep in touch with the video game news.

4. How did  you become a game counselor? Did you need a special education for it?
That was ‘stupid’ coincidence. I read an advertisement. I didn’t exactly know what it was and I went for it. The job suited me perfectly. I must had some phone experience and I had that. And I had to be a little ‘crazy’ of video games. And I was already. I got an education at the company.

5. How long have you been a game counsellor for now?
I’m working as t this job for one-and-a-half year now. As a game counselor of Club Nintendo I’m still enjoying my job, because it never gets boring!

6. Have you played all video games from Nintendo?
I have played most of them. Directly when they were released. Because what we get first from video games, from the USA and France, are so called demos, demonstration games. First I’ll try them out, without a manual. That is the best method to know more about the game. And later to be able to check the Dutch manual.

7. Do you have to do everyting alone?
Fortunately not. I don’t want to think about it to do everything alone. At the moment we are with 8 people and all of us are busy every day answering game questions. Fairly soon there will be new game counselors which I will teach myself. That reinforcement is needed, because Club Nintendo is growing very fast so the questioners too!

8. How many questions do you get per day at average?
How many I don’t know exactly. I think that I have about 200 phone calls a day. And of those calls there are callers who are asking more then one question. So calculate that a little bit….

9. About what kind of games do you get the most questons?
That are mostly the adventure games. And most of the questions are about The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, The Battle of Olympus and Super Mario Bros. 1 and Super Mario Bros. 2. And now also about Super Mario Bros. 3.

10. Do you know the answer on a question immediately?
In 99 of the 100 cases I can give an answer immediately.

11. If you don’t know the answer on a question immediately, what are you going to do then?
It sounds crazy, but then I will search it. Namely we have here many information. With proud we call it our ‘library’. Most of the information is in English. So sometimes we have to read English at the phone, immediately translate it and giving the answer to the caller. That are three things at one time!

12. About which games do you get the most questions?
Still about The Adventure of Link, a classic. That is the sequel of The Legend of Zelda. Link really is one of the most difficult games, because if you forget something in the game, you are stucked immediately.

13. Are there questions being asked not concerning video games?
Of course yeah. Then we will refer the callers to another department, that can help them. The Hotline from Club Nintendo is really mend to be for questions about games!

14. What do you have to do when a new game is released?
Well. Play it of course. And noticing everything at a way that so you can explain it. I’m always trying to see game problems before they come and to be prepared on any possible questions.

15. Which game do you like the most?
That is Super Mario Bros. 3. There’s so much in it. Even more then in the first two adventures. Besides, are the graphics from Super Mario Bros. 3 funnier and better too!

16. And which game is in your opinion the most exciting?
That is Battle of Olympus. That game is out for 4 month now. The story is clear. You got ticklish enemies that are very difficult to defeat. Exciting so. Really something for daredevils…….

17. And which game is the hardest of all?
That is Rygar. Why? Because the end levels are so extremely difficult. Rygar is a real challenge for me, for everyone, since only a few people have beaten Rygar yet!!

18. Are there only calling young club members? Or are old people also calling?
Actually young and old calls. From 4 to 5 years old to people who are 80 or older. I think that about 60% of the callers are children and the rest are ‘old’ people. Those old people are of course also a member of Club Nintendo.

19. Which game is, in your opinion, completely ‘in’ at the moment?
Super Mario Bros. 3. I receive many questions on that one, although the game was being first sold in November (interview is from begin 1992) last year in the Netherlands.

20. Which new game is going to be a hit, according to you?
Shadowgate. That is a beautiful adventure. That video adventure uses many stagnant pictures and many text. You can directly give tasks by pointing on items with your controller. Shadowgate is beautiful, it’s adventurous and not easy. Shadowgate is going to be a hit, I am convinced about that.

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***This interview was taken from Club Nintendo #1 1992 and translated from Dutch to English by Ruudos.***