INSERT COIN CLOTHING ENDS THE JOURNEY FOR GEEK CHIC
BY TARA BABCOCK

Once, long ago, in a barren world of attire mediocrity, lived a young gamer girl named Tara. This bright, hopeful lass spent night and day playing the exciting rollercoasters referred to today as video games. These games were colorful, enticing, vibrant, vast, and above all, exciting. In fact, all of Tara's companions, surroundings, and her entire reality, were positively chromatic! Now, this world wasn't perfect-- no, it was far from it. This inconsistency was one of the highest caliber, for looking at any of these gaming world natives, or nerds and geeks as they are most commonly referred to, you would immediately detect the flaw. Their t-shirts and hoodies, even when not tattered nor torn, were bland and unoriginal. The nerds simply could not express themselves through their clothing items! Tara, being a courageous and self-sacrificing gamer, volunteered to scour the worlds beyond looking for a rectification for her world's blunder... even if it meant she would go completely without gaming throughout her journey!

After a tumultuous and ungratifying journey, the young nerd maiden stumbled through the very last location on her map, the United Kingdom. Feeling disheartened and ready to give up, she sees a bright yellow, black, and white logo in a building through the stereotypically thick fog. "Insert Coin Clothing", it read. Upon entering the building, to her delight, was the most beautiful gamer gear, more enamoring than she could have fathomed! Cervantes, Umbrella Corporation... Monteriggioni! Surely Sonic the Hedgehog himself had forged the instrument that created the Eggman Industries tee!

Exhausted, but supremely pleased with her discovery, Tara packed up hundreds of articles of Insert Coin clothing for her people, and started her journey home. The nerds and geeks of Tara's world were overjoyed! So joyous were the festivities of her return that they deemed that very day a world-wide holiday, Insert Coin day!

Were the troubles over for this civilization of gamers? How, oh how could they continuously procure such quality clothing!? All was okay, though, for they ship internationally!

The unboxing was one of my favorite parts! I went a little crazy with all the excitement!

Gamers expect the absolute best from their games, and to receive the most out of anything they play. They strive for near-perfection, and they want to know developers are hard at work listening to the fans and players. How could you expect that, when it comes to our clothing as well, we would want anything less, as well? Take it from a life-long gamer, a model, and shopaholic alike, Insert Coin clothing will satisfy both the desire for quality gaming merchandise, and high-end attire!

There are many clothing companies and shopping outlets around the world that offer nerd couture to its patrons nowadays, so what exactly makes Insert Coin's clothing different? Firstly, Insert Coin prints on very durable, vibrant fabric. You can see the quality, effort, and love they put into their products at very first glance. Each piece arrived to me carefully folded and placed into cute, logo-bearing individual packaging. Even the tags are adorably fastened to the shirt, and adorn their stamp of nerdery. The designs are fade-resistant and eye catching. It is safe to say that Insert Coin presents a standard of quality not often seen, and at such a bargain!

I feel like a true Ezio in this! Hands-down the coolest hoodie I have ever slipped on! Buy it here!

It's not just the quality of the design and product that makes Insert Coin clothing stand out from the pack; it's their awesome way of thinking that got my attention as well! Insert coin is not trying to make a buck off of the average poser with shirts that blatantly state that you are a gamer. They strive to create shirts successfully referencing to games without the outright statement, "Yes, I am a nerd, look at me!" For instance, anyone who actually completed Mass Effect 2 will get the reference to the Afterlife Gentleman's Club! Wearing ICC's clothing (and no, I'm not referring to gear from a past WoW expansion!) not only shows your true nerd credibility, it also allows you to be enigmatic while still drawing in true fellow geeks! "Our products help you represent the games you love with cool, subtle references..." they state outright on their official site. How epic is that!?

Fun with Insert Coin clothing doesn't stop with their merchandise, either! Hardcore gamers know best that gaming is not just something to do; it is a lifestyle, and one revolving around a strong community. Insert Coin nurses this as a company. Not only is the staff amazingly helpful, swift, and kind, they also sponsor a ton of giveaways, contests, and share gamer news on their social networks. Fans can check out their Facebook and Twitter pages  for epic customer photos, tons of comments and topics to discuss, and never ending updates about future designs to get excited about! Following them has been a pleasure, and a nice pastime entertainment. They love their fan base nearly as much as I do mine, often replying to responses and retweeting praise.

"The hottest girls from across the galaxy!" Aww yeah! Check it out here!

To sum my review article up, I thought I would steal a bit of badassery from the company that has already said it best: Insert Coin themselves, and follow with some more of the epic imagery I was able to capture while wearing their brand, just to sweeten the pot! "We design with passion - and with an eye on the latest fashion trends. Not only do we spend time on the designs themselves, but we make everything from scratch - every tee and every hoodie - enabling us to create sleeker, cooler and wholly unique products. Nothing is 'off the peg'. Nothing is relabelled. No corners are cut. When you order an official Insert Coin product you're not just getting another tee or hoodie, you're getting our commitment to innovation and quality too." I'm sold, and I am pretty sure the rest of you will be shortly, if you are not already! Let Insert Coin clothing be your choice for gamer, nerd, and geek chic gear... internationally!

Ah, the Umbrella Corporation, the single most terrifying reference in all of gaming. Retro Resident Evil used to give me nightmares! Purchase here!  

EXTERNAL AND EPIC INSERT COIN CLOTHING ÜBERLINKS:

Insert Coin Clothing Website

Insert Coin Clothing Facebook Page

Insert Coin Clothing Twitter Page

Tara's Pick - Guy's Tee: Gold Saucer

Tara's Pick - Girly Tee: Eggman Industries

Tara's Pick - Kid's Tee: Red Shell Garage

Tara's Pick - Hoodie: Monteriggioni Sanguine Red

MEANWHILE, IN TARA LAND...

As always, I have been very, very busy, with my many "works". I quote this word because, to me, working as a model and a gamer, writer, and retoucher is really a blessing! Of course I work my butt off, but I am fortunate enough to be doing something I love! I am now currently working with NOS Energy Drinks (a Coca-Cola brand) in my area to promote eSports events and other gaming-related projects. I am also up for the Maxim Gamer Girl 2012 contest! If you'd like to vote for me, I'd love the support! The link is here! I am still trying to get my stream up and running, and I look forward to streaming for you all my random gameplay with my webcam and commentary! Are you excited!?

As for the Ask Tara  question, this article’s is quite the interesting one! "I want to ask Tara... If you were to ever create a video game what would it be, what's it about, what genre, and for what console." Yay! Awesome question! I would want to create something completely unique! I think I would want an action-RPG with a tiny girl as the protagonist. She would be fighting these amazing God of War-esque monsters and, of course, she would be scantily clad! I would want a deep, involving storyline and top-of-the-line graphics, as well as a user-friendly, yet challenging gameplay mechanic. I think my platform of choice would be the PlayStation 4, I don't think it would release in time to make use of the PS3, and I want pioneering developers on the job! I am thinking Ubisoft's ingenuity with Atlas's cuteness, and RPG elements! Also, if you want to pretend to be a game developer, like I just had the chance to, try out the amazing phone app, Game Dev Story! It’s on both the Android and iPhone, and it’s awesome!

Now, for some Insert Coin imagery! Enjoy the gallery!

Photography by Jared Ribic

Follow Tara at her official website, www.tarababcock.com