Isle gamer ranks 19th in world play
Up against the world's twitchiest fingers and fastest wrists, Hawaii's Natalie Choy reached 19th place out of 75 finalists in the international WorldWide Web Games held yesterday in Hollywood.
Contestants came from around the world to play "casual" computer games Bejeweled, Solitaire and Zuma. "It's about equal boys and girls," Choy said. "The youngest is like 20. And a lot of the guys -- they're businessmen who play the games to unwind at work."
It was a long day for Choy. "I was up at 4 a.m. to do an interview on 'Fox and Friends,' and then we started playing early," she said. "I am sooooo tired! And the games are still going on! It's down to two girls now, one from India, I think."
The style of play was "a huge factor" for Choy, who discovered that the laptops everyone was playing on were torqued for speed. "The mouse was totally sensitive, super-duper quick," she said. "There's no way to prepare for it until you have the mouse in hand. The basics are the same, but there were differences in how points are accumulated. I expected more out of myself, but there were no go-rounds. One try and that's it."
Despite not being able to crush all opponents, Choy said she was having a "really good time," that the sponsors and TV crews were treating the contestants well and that, for a first competition, there were relatively few glitches. "I am so totally going to try and compete again next year. And win."
The "W3Games" will be broadcast on the Game Show Network on Dec. 3. Choy received $1,000 in prize money for her level of play.
The grand-prize winner will receive $1 million.