Introduction

I was only a tiny cyborg back then.

I have always been proud of my Asian heritage, which has been a big influence on me. As a kid, my brother’s frequent NES usage and my father’s avid consumption of science fiction also had a big influence on me. When I grew a bit older, I became aware of the lack of Asian representation around me. On TV, I realized the most of faces were not people who looked like me. In school, we only read American and British literature. On the radio, the rock stations I listened to were made up of white artists.

We were the only Asian American family in my neighbourhood, and the only other Asian girl in my grade-school was adopted by a white family. It was easy for me to become so absorbed in Japanese video games, Asian cinema, anime, manga, Asian pop stars, and Jubilee of the X-men. Though, the more my interests absorbed me, the more I realized how connected the East was with the West. 

Here are just a few examples off the top of my head:

• During the 1970s, the first role-playing video games were American. Japan redefined RPGs with games like Dragon warrior and Final Fantasy.
• Osamu Tezuka invented the big-eyed style of anime and is considered the father of manga. His art was inspired by Disney cartoons.
• Cartoon Network cartoons like Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, and Dexter’s Lab have anime influences, and in turn have influenced the style of Panty and Stocking.
• Because J-hip-hop acts have collaborated with American hip-hop artists, I was introduced to a whole world of great American hip-hop I never knew.
• Shows like Futurama and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic have homages to anime.
• Madhouse, a well-known Japanese animation studio, was hired to do the fight scenes in Boondocks.
• Baseball is American as apple pie, but it’s just as popular in Japan. There are currently 15 Japanese-born players in the MLB.
  

Cultural connections make it easy to broaden my interests, and within each interest come many genres. They are my life. I live, eat and breathe games, cosplay, conventions, anime, music, TV, and movies. In the last 10 years,  I have attended over 50 fan conventions. Nowadays, most of my time at cons is spent promoting my company and selling my work. Though, with events like Comic-Con and Penny Arcade Expo, I will show up as an attendee only.

My most recent cosplay, Pinkie Pie. Photo by Vinh Vu.

At each event, a game developer or artist would explain their product or work to me at length. At the end of their spiel, they will then ask me, “Who are you with?” Meaning, “Who do you work for?” I’ve been asked, “Do you work for a game site?” and “Are you a community manager?” My answer is always, “I’m just an attendee.”  I found it a little puzzling as to why people think I am some kind of reporter, but after a while, I realized I can use this to my advantage and start my own site.  Although Asian Americans are common as gamers or otaku, I haven’t really heard their voices in these communities. So, here I am. This is my first post for Little Cyborg.