Above: The cover interview.
Ray360: A lot of them were into Call of Duty, of course. This issue also could have been the Halo issue because the cover model and several of the other models said that they definitely like Halo. A lot of them were into [role-playing games] as well.
There were five girls, and only three of them were really into games. The other two — they play games on their iPhones or iPad or some other device. Maybe they weren’t as into games as the more hardcore gamers.
The funny thing about it is that the girls that are contacting me now — some of them are actually game developers and game testers. And they are professional models as well. I have to say that the next few issues are really going to be something to see.
GamesBeat: That’s really interesting. Do you know which companies they work for or have any specifics on them?
Ray360: One particular girl out of Atlanta, Shannon Chase, happens to be a game developer and tester for Nightingale Games.
GamesBeat: Based on your answers, it sounds like you have previous experience in the publishing/photography business. What exactly is your background?
Ray360: Back in 2003, I created dcmusicandmodels.com, which was basically an indie music and models website that developed into a TV show that aired on the Comcast channels out here in Washington D.C. for about three years.
It was during that time that I developed a magazine called Cred Magazine, which basically featured the same model-and-music theme. That’s pretty much been the theme throughout my career in the entertainment circle.
GamesBeat: Are you a gamer?
Ray360: Oh yeah man; I am a gamer from way back in the day. I used to play a lot of first-person shooter games. I’m not really into MMOs much.
Right now, I am more into PC games than console games. I am a big Need for Speed fan. I think the last game I bought was Need for Speed: The Run. The kids are scared when I play first-person shooters in the house, so I just stick to racing games.
GamesBeat: When can we expect the next Gamer Girls Magazine?
Ray360: We’re looking at at least four total issues this year. The first one was really a test to see how people responded and what we needed to do. You’ll probably see another issue in early August. Then we will finish out the year with another two issues.
Above: The review of the Amazon Fire TV.
GamesBeat: It might be difficult to estimate so early on, but do you have any ballpark sales numbers for the magazine so far?
Ray360: I probably won’t have the metrics on sales until the end of the month, but I can tell you that my other site [Cred Magazine], which also has the Gamer Girls site listed on there, got about 8,000-9,000 hits just on the Gamer Girls section for two or three days in a row.
GamesBeat: Were those the first few days after the launch?
Ray360: I actually saw a peak of interest between May 12 and May 16. Everybody wanted to know what it was all about.
GamesBeat: Do you feel like Gamer Girls objectifies women? Why or why not?
Ray360: That’s the society that we live in right now. When you come up with a product that uses women to sell the product or has women in it — especially in swimsuits, bikinis, lingerie, or anything other than fully clothed — people say it’s objectifying women.
Honestly, the response from women who are gamers has been overwhelming. Like I said before, I have hundreds of emails from women who want to be in the magazine.
I look at it objectively. I like women. I like to look at women. The type of pictures that we have in the magazine aren’t overtly sexual.
The images featured in the first issue were all submitted by the models, who hired their own photographers to execute the theme. They did the styling and poses — it was their choice on how they wanted to be portrayed in the images.
Everyone has their opinion, but I don’t believe that this is a publication that showcases women in any way that isn’t a positive light. They’re sexy. They’re beautiful. And they love to play games.
GamesBeat: What’s next for Gamer Girls?
Ray360: As far as what’s coming down the pike for Gamer Girls, you are going to see a lot more editorials and pictorials of the models actually playing the games and getting into cosplay.
You are also going to see some things as far as actual gaming, like possible reviews of old, classic games and the latest hardware.
The focus of the magazine was never intended to be for a hardcore gaming person. This was a magazine that was geared to a specific demographic, which is guys that like girls and video games.
GamesBeat: Are there any final statements you would like to make?
Ray360: I just want to say thank you to everyone who is actually interested in the magazine. It got a lot of mixed reviews, but I can tell that the fans of the magazine are definitely going to be pleased with the very next issue and the issues after that.
We’ll probably be appealing more to people that are hardcore gamers. We are going to be getting articles written by those developers and game testers as well. These are women who are models and are involved in the gaming industry.
GamesBeat: Just to clarify: The gaming industry models are going to write the reviews themselves?
Ray360: That is correct.