Interview: Talking Gaming with Elvis Suhadolnik Bonesso (Guitar & Vocals) of Stone Sea
In this interview we talk gaming with guitarist and vocalist, Elvis Suhadolnik Bonesso, of the alternative rock band, Stone Sea.
1. Let’s begin by going way back to the past! Specifically, your childhood and what your earliest memory of playing a video game is?
Uh, got many of those. Earliest one is probably playing Goof Troop on the SNES with my sister. At some point my dad started playing the game to help us, and that got him hooked as well (laughs).
2. At what age and stage of your life did you start to find yourself hooked by gaming and was there any particular thing that bore responsibility for that?
I think I started loving games around 8 or 9. Can’t point to one specific thing — it was all of it: the puzzles, the music, the exploration, the competitiveness with whoever I was playing with… and my mom didn’t get annoyed because I wasn’t breaking stuff (laughs).
3. If you could point at one or two games that defined your childhood, what would they be?
Definitely Mega Man X and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which is still my favourite game ever.
4. What about a system? Everyone has one that holds a very special place in their heart. SNES, PS1, N64, Xbox 360, Phillips CD-i? What’s yours and why?
That’s tough. I had SNES and PS1 growing up, but I’d stick with the N64. I have very fond memories of going to my dad’s house and spending the weekend playing N64 with him, my sister, and my mother-in-law — mainly at war during Mario Party. And all of that paired with my grandmother’s food, which is priceless. Those games were so refined for the time.
5. Do you have a particular game genre that you enjoy more than any other? If so, what is it and why? Also, what’s a game genre you almost always avoid?
I usually lean toward action-adventure games — I love exploring, solving puzzles, but also having a clear objective. I’m also a big fan of horror, and if it’s a mix of both, like Shadow Man, that’s my sweet spot. I never really liked sports games. I’ll play them with friends because it gets fun, but otherwise, by myself, nah.
6. How about multiplayer? Did you have a game that you found yourself sinking untold hours into online or do you just prefer the single player experience?
I tend to prefer single-player. I’m sure there are amazing multiplayer games, I just rarely sync schedules with people. Overcooked is super fun, and Mario Party is always chaos. I also heard It Takes Two is amazing, but now our joystick is broken (laughs).
7. What is a game or franchise that you think you’ve sunk the most time into to date and what is a game or franchise that you’ve never quite been able to get into?
I loved all the games and stories by David Cage (Quantic Dream) — his storytelling is incredible. Fahrenheit and Detroit: Become Human are my favourites. And Detroit feels strangely modern now that we’re entering the AI era.
8. Over the past couple of decades, what development within the video game industry has been revolutionary?
Definitely virtual reality. I can easily say it’ll be great to be older in this generation (laughs).
9. Likewise, what development within the video game industry has been mostly negative for gamers overall?
Hard to say anything truly negative right now, but AI will definitely shake things up. Aside from the job impact, it risks removing some authenticity if everything becomes automated. On the other hand, it can improve so much. Big shifts always come with two sides, and we can’t stop it. We just need to be aware, adapt, and try to use it in our favour.
10. What is one aspect of gaming (all parts) that you consistently find yourself getting nostalgic over?
As much as I used to hate it, I get nostalgic over that suspenseful PS1 startup screen (laughs).
11. Likewise, what is one aspect of gaming (all parts) that you’d happily never experience again?
Sudden game freezes during big quests. I remember someone telling me that if I beat Dragon Ball Final Bout 20 times, I’d unlock Goku SSJ4. Around the 11th run the game just crashed, and I got really frustrated (laughs). Gave up instantly.
12. Focusing on the now, what are you currently playing and what is enjoyable about it?
Right now I’m playing a few: the remastered Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2, which I’m loving. I was always a fan of both franchises but never played the originals when they came out. Great puzzles, and Silent Hill still scares the hell out of me (laughs).
Also played Anodyne — the exploration is tasty and the music is great — and Paratopic, which is short, weird, PS1-looking, and very Twin Peaks.
And I’m working on a game called Darkside Detective 3 as a sound designer with the folks at Spooky Doorway — no spoilers, though. Do check out their previous games, especially the latest one, Séance of Blake Manor. If you’re into investigation, history, and otherworldly tales steeped in Irish folklore, you’ll feel right at home—it’s set in the west of Ireland in the late 1800s, following a detective searching for a vanished girl inside a manor full of curious characters and mythic echoes.
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