Every once in a while, you meet a local gamer who finds a way to win over undead hearts. MechHeadZA is one such gamer. It could be his enthusiasm for the local scene. It might be that he is a fan of Rainbow Six, or even that he played a mean Guitar (Hero). It could be that he generates entertaining content. But we reckon its his slightly unhealthy fascination with zombie in bikinis that won us over.

We found out more about him recently, and bring it to you in this week’s Profiled feature.

Go ahead and introduce yourself. Don’t be shy.

My name is Gage Ridley, otherwise known as MechHeadZA and I am a content creator.

What’s your platform of choice? Why?

PC because of the versatility/game library, but right now I play on PS4.

Can you remember the first time you ‘gamed’?

Yeah definitely! I was 3 years old when I played Road Rash on my brother’s Sega Genesis.

How long have you been gaming?

Since I was three, so about 20 years now!

When do you think you’ll stop gaming?

Never. I’ve grown up with it and it will be a part of me until I die and enter the Gulag.

Are you a serious gamer? Or do you enjoy a laugh?

Serious gamer, but I would say if you’re a serious gamer and don’t enjoy a good laugh then there’s something wrong.

Singleplayer or multiplayer?

Multiplayer.

Is playing online important to you?

Yes, very! I’ve met so many great people online that I would never have met otherwise. Also it’s just more fun to me.

Favourite game currently?

Rainbow Six: Siege.

Are you a member of a clan? Who are they and why?

Yeah, Motion Esports. I play for their PS4 Siege team. They were originally a CoD clan that started in 2018 but they are expanding now to other titles.  Motion signed us as their first Siege team recently and took over our original roster from Lunar Gaming.

How long have you been making video content?

I’ve been making content on YouTube since October 2018.

What sort of setup do you have for creating content?

Right now, I record all my gameplay on PS4 and use a number of editing softwares to make my content like ShareFactory, Davinci Resolve, PicsArt etc.

Which games do you focus on?

I make content for Rainbow Six: Siege.

Do you have an upload schedule?

No, I find it difficult to have an upload schedule with the type of Siege videos I make. My content is mainly meme content, which takes a while to record and put together as a final product.

What’s the most embarrassing or worst game you’ve ever bought or received as a gift?

The worst game I ever received was Alien: Colonial Marines. I got a promotional copy for Xbox 360 from one of my previous jobs and I saw unspeakable horrors in game design…

If you were a game designer, describe your ultimate game design.

Probably a multiplayer open world survival shooter similar to DayZ with Ghost Recon: Breakpoint gunplay mechanics/controls.

A MechHeadZA spotted in the wild… MWEB Gaming Gathering 2019.

Do you have any hobbies outside of gaming? What?

Yes, training Jiu Jitsu, hiking, playing guitar. Also found a new love for cooking. I like to think that my life isn’t that boring haha.

You’re stranded on a desert island and a genie grants you five items. Name them:

A game: Far Cry 2
A CD: The Darkness – Last of Our Kind
A movie or TV series: Hot Fuzz
An organic life form: Does my girlfriend count? [Well, as long as she is organic and not imaginary… or worse… – Undead Ed]
Something edible or drinkable: 7 Star Energy Drink

The zombie apocalypse has happened. You’re facing down a ravenous zombie horde (which may or may not include members of ZG in bikinis). What weapon do you grab?

I mean if I have to grab the most viable weapon close to me right now it will be a baseball bat but if I had any choice it would probably be a t-shirt cannon to cover up the dirty ZG members in bikinis.

In the aforementioned zombie apocalypse, you humans are all toast. Become a turncoat and assist the superior zombies or stay with the soon to be wiped out human resistance?

Assist and then take over to become the most superior bikini wearing zombie there is of course! [Little unsure if we should be flattered or horrified by this. – Undead Ed] 

Thanks for taking the time to answer our silly questions. What game are you off to play now?

Probably more Rainbow Six: Siege – Mozzie and Gridlock aren’t going to play themselves.

You can find MechHeadZA here:
Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

If you are keen to feature in this column in the future (as a gamer, clan or industry person or company), please feel free to contact us at info@zombiegamer.co.za and we’ll think about – after you’ve sent us a sample of your braaaaaaiiiiinnnnsss.