TEK’s Meet the Editor - Candice Shane:

Hey guys! My name is Becky “Aktrez” Young. I’m the creator of the Girl Gaming Network community as well as the Event Director for Video Games Live, Consultant for a few current game projects and co-host on “The Next Level“ (gamemusicradio.com) and Level Up on Maxim Radio.

I’ve been in the gaming industry for over 5 years now and I have met many men and women who really know what it means to be a “geek” (in the most flattering of terms). When I met Candice, I immediately knew that she would become anything she wanted to. She’s an amazingly strong woman with ridiculous skills and a passion for technology.

That’s enough from me … Let’s get to know what Miss Candice is all about:

Tell us three words that sum up who Candice is: (laughs) Uh, let’s see. Dorky. Demanding. Comedic? I think that works.

What is Your Gaming Alias: It changes a lot. Depending on what I get into at the time. My current one is based on the Hitman ad campaign where it said “Beautifully Executed”. I loved that. I use “BeautyExecuted” a lot. Can’t always fit all the letters I want.

First Game That Had You Hooked: Altered Beast for the Sega Master System. What followed from there were things like Golden Axe, Golvellius, all of the very early Sega stuff. Then I started creeping into Nintendo territory. Being raised by gamer parents definitely paid off.

Ideal Gadget That Has Not Yet Been Created: One of those sneaking suits with nanomachines from Metal Gear Solid. I’d look like a leopard seal in it, but who cares? I want nanomachines.

What got you interested in reviewing games and technology: When I was about eight, maybe nine years old - my little brother and I’d play videogames and write little reviews and give them to each other. It was our thing. Sometimes we’d even spout our reviews to each other WHILE we played. I got very into dishing out my opinion from an early age.

Gadgets You Are Looking Forward to the Most: I really want to see what Jobs can do with the iPhone and what people are planning with Harmonix’s upcoming “Rock Band” game. I love it when games and gadgets produce products out of their imaginations.

What Are You Better at Than Anyone You Know: Man, that’s hard. (laughs) Game-wise? Tekken. Non-game wise? Probably witty-retorts. I’m pretty spot-on with those. Oh, and hyphen usage.

Yao or Yuri: Whoa. Left field. Um. Yao is a sub-culture of anime and such that I can watch and giggle over, but mostly because I want to find out who is the top and who is the bottom. Yeah, I said it. Not much chance I get to blurt that kinda stuff out here on TEK. (laughs) So, Yao. That’s my answer.

What Message Would You Send to Techies Everywhere: I think my message would be, “Always expect that the best has yet to come.”. We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what our brains can come up with and with some of the craziest and most inventive technology being invented by high-school dropouts and bored businessmen, we’re becoming more unified as tech geeks.

Thanks for clicking-in and checking out this interview. Expect more interviews from our staffers in the future!