5 Questions w/ Aisha Tyler

I recently had the chance to catch up with one of my favorite comedians and influences, Aisha Tyler. For those of you not familiar with Aisha, you may know her as special agent Lana Kane in the best cartoon ever made, Archer, along side other comedy heavyweights such as H Jon Benjamin, Amber Nash, and Chris Parnell to name a few.

As a well known and outspoken gamer, Aisha’s beautifully crafted rant against the common tropes in game culture have made her a sort of spokes model not only for women in the industry, but for everyone.

When she’s not blasting your face off in Halo, Aisha spends her time as a philanthropist raising awareness for several charities including the International Rescue Committee, The Trust for Public Land, Planned Parenthood, and the American Red Cross. Aisha can be found via her podcast, Girl on Guy, where she interviews her favorite celebrities, and more recently as the new host of  Whose Line is it Anyway?

GEEKPR0N: Describe your gaming style in 140 characters or less.

Gaming Haiku:

I like shooting games.
I also like co-op play.
Cover me while I run.

GP: If you could have a any superpower, what would it be and how would you use it?

Flight. I would fly around and stuff. And scare the crap out of birds.

Archer or Barry or Cyril?

Archer’s face and body, Cyril’s man-parts and low self-esteem.

Your new book “Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation” is out and available. What message do you hope readers take away from it

Be brave. Don’t be afraid to fail. Follow your dreams. Avoid open flame. Wear eye protection, and possibly a cup.

As someone whose nerd cred has been challenged, what’s your take on the whole “fake geek girl” gate keeping? How would you suggest other women respond to it?

I’ve responded to the gate keeping issue multiple times, including on Facebook and more recently on Game Informer. I think most of the so-called “gatekeepers” were excluded most of their lives and now they are treating other people exactly the way they were treated, which sucks. It’s textbook hazing revenge and pretty cliché. A love of video games should be the only price for admission; all the other stuff is bullshit. Women gamers should just do what they love and keep playing. Screw the haters.

You can get tickets to see Aisha Tyler live in Toronto ONE NIGHT ONLY at The Royal Theatre where you’ll also be able to pick up a copy of her newest book, Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation.  For more information check out the Facebook Event Page.