Find out how DIYer and TV host Trisha Hershberger’s journey through PC gaming keeps evolving

Trisha Hershberger first fell into technology as a result of her gaming habits.

At that time her parents didn’t think this was a hobby for girls, because in the ’80s video games were primarily marketed towards boys. But fortunately, her parents eventually gave in.

Her dad brought home an old, used Commodore 64 from a guy he knew at work. That was her first foray into gaming. Zork and Ultima were some of her favorites, followed by classic PC games such as King’s Quest, Monkey Island and the Myst series.

Eventually she got a Nintendo Entertainment System – at the same time her friends were moving onto Super Nintendo.

But that’s when her parents finally blocked her, thinking that at 9 years old, she was a little too into video games. She wasn’t allowed to have any more consoles in the house. But they needed a PC in the house for school.

She quickly taught herself how to upgrade and modify the home PC to play the games she wanted it to play.

“Over the years I found a lot of pride and strength in that. And I like that if I’m going to spend a lot of money on my personal electronics, that I then have the control to customize them, to upgrade them, and to tinker with them as I see fit. There’s a lot of power in that,” Hershberger says. “As an adult I’m someone who has probably way too many devices, to be perfectly honest. But technology is a huge part of my everyday life. And I think it is for most people now. Whether you’re into gaming, or whether you use technology for your professional career, many of us have multiple devices, and it’s lovely to see them sync together and to be there for whatever use case you may have.”

Now Hershberger is a well-known face in gaming and streaming as a host and producer on channels such as MTV, IGN, Disney XD, Smosh and Nerdist. She enjoys building rigs on-camera and helping other self-taught DIYers. She posts many videos online, walking folks through simple problem solving techniques. She’s also followed for her entertaining and informative commentary on a streaming variety show called “The Twitch Gong Show,” which showcases indie games in their beta, alpha and early access states. The audience can vote real-time in chat via emote and give feedback to the indie devs.

Read more about Hershberger at Microsoft Stories.