Carley Garcia

Carley Garcia began learning Japanese at the age of six, and the rest is history. In May 2020, she joined the Otaquest team, specializing in lesser-known aspects of Japanese pop culture, rambling about retro games, forgotten anime series, and Tokyo’s indie musicians in her first official paid gig as a staff writer. Since then, she’s continued sharing her love for gaming and honing her writing skills by contributing hundreds of articles to sites such as PC Gamer, Siliconera, and Gameranx.

Utterly obsessed with gaming, anime, and manga for the past 25 years, Carley grew up in Dunedin, Florida. Attending Florida State University, she graduated with a degree in Japanese in 2012 and immediately moved to Kashiwazaki, Japan as a JET Program participant. Realizing quickly that teaching small children was a much too harrowing experience for her introverted self, she moved to Tokyo in 2013, working as an editor and translator for a financial company in Ginza and wearing a suit every day like a grown-up.

Eventually, Carley remembered that she was engaged. She moved back to the states to marry that neat guy in 2015. Since then, she and her husband have lived in South Carolina, Oregon, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. She returns to Japan as often as humanly possible.

During her decade-long career as a translator, Carley has worked on everything from manga to medical dictionaries, with the former being much more enjoyable. Her first “I made it” moment came when she worked alongside Emmy Award-winning director Leo Eaton on the documentary series Sacred Journeys. She translated a number of high-profile interviews for the 2020 Otaquest CONNECT online event, including those from famed composer Yoko Kanno, voice actor Mamoru Miyano, and SEGA’s Toshihiro Nagoshi.

Carley spends her free time gaming with her husband, scoping out breweries and wineries, writing self-indulgent fanfiction, and doing freelance translations for fun. Her favorite food is foie gras and her favorite drink is scotch.

She prefers lore-heavy RPGs and walking sims and has played Dragon Age: Inquisition 13 times. Her favorite Final Fantasy title is all of them.



What Are Saving Throws in Baldur’s Gate 3?
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Saving Throws are passive rolls that can help protect your characters from damage or painful effects.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Alchemy Guide
In Baldur's Gate 3, you can use Alchemy to craft a variety of poisons, potions, elixirs, and bombs to assist you on your journey.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Change Your Character’s Appearance Mid-Game
With Patch 3, Baldur's Gate 3 has introduced a Magic Mirror that lets you change your character's appearance at any point in a playthrough.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Concentration Explained
Many spells in Baldur’s Gate 3 require Concentration to be cast. However, if Concentration is broken, the spell fails and must be cast again.
13 Must-Have Mods for Baldur’s Gate 3
The popularity of Baldur's Gate 3 has led to the creation of countless mods, and these can make the player experience even better.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Party Builds
The best party builds in Baldur’s Gate 3 combine four characters who have ideal synergy. Pick a goal and then assemble your team around it!
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Romance Guide
There are eight companions in Baldur's Gate 3 you can romance: Astarion, Gale, Halsin, Karlach, Lae'zel, Minthara, Shadowheart, and Wyll.
Baldur’s Gate 3: What Is the Dark Urge?
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Dark Urge is an origin archetype granting your character a uniquely mysterious and bloody backstory.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Cleric Class Builds
The best Cleric class builds can heal and hurt enemies in Baldur's Gate 3. War, Light, Nature, and Life Builds are particularly tough.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How To Get The Loviatar’s Love Buff (& How It Works)
In Baldur's Gate 3, Loviatar's Love is a permanent buff that grants +2 to attack rolls and saving throws when HP falls below 30%.
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Cure Poison
To cure poison in Baldur's Gate 3, use an Antidote or cast Lesser Restoration. Or, drink an Elixir of Poison Resistance to prevent poisoning.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Companion Guide
There are a total of 10 companions in Baldur’s Gate 3, and choosing who to bring along on your adventures can be a tricky exercise.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Race and Subrace Guide
The Baldur’s Gate 3 race and subrace variety is huge, with 11 for the former and 28 for the latter—and the differences aren't just aesthetic.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Illithid Powers Guide
It's possible to obtain Illithid powers in Baldur’s Gate 3, but what are the consequences of accepting your new mind flayer-like side?
Baldur’s Gate 3: How to Change Your Class
It's possible to change your class in Baldur’s Gate 3—or even respec your character's stats—by speaking to a certain skeleton NPC.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Feats Guide
Baldur's Gate 3 Feats are passive buffs and talents that can improve your character's stats or capabilities in major ways—here's how!
Baldur’s Gate 3: Skill Proficiency Guide
You'll want to use our Skill Proficiency guide in Baldur's Gate 3, as every action you take comes down to a roll of the dice!
Baldur’s Gate 3: Character Background Guide
Your character background in Baldur's Gate 3 impacts how other characters interact with you and how you interact with the world.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Complete Class and Subclass Guide
With an overwhelming amount of options, you'll need a class and subclass guide in Baldur's Gate 3. Time to create the perfect character!
RimWorld: How to Get Steel
In RimWorld, Steel is a vital and limited crafting ingredient. Later in the game, it's crucial for upgrading your technology.
Dragon Age: Inquisition – How to Acquire All Inquisition Agents
As you explore the lands of Thedas as the Inquisitor in Dragon Age: Inquisition, you'll be able to recruit agents to your righteous cause.
Complete Disco Elysium Thought Cabinet Guide
The Thought Cabinet in Disco Elysium contains many ideas that pop into your head. Internalizing them can grant helpful bonuses.
Dragon Age: Inquisition – The Best Order to Explore
The best order to explore areas in Dragon Age: Inquisition can be tough to determine. Here's how to decide where to go first!
Dragon Age: Inquisition – Sit in Judgment Guide
The Sit in Judgment quest tasks you with passing sentences on many of the villains you encounter throughout Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Guide to Inquisition Perks in Dragon Age: Inquisition
You can unlock Inquisition Perks in Dragon Age: Inquisition by gaining Influence—but choosing the best perks can be tricky.
Inland Empire in Disco Elysium, Explained
Inland Empire is one of the more unique and bizarre skills found in Disco Elysium, pertaining to gut feelings and imagination.
How Long Does it Take For a PS5 Controller to Charge?
The DualSense PS5 controller is an incredible piece of technology, and charging one is easy and relatively quick.
RimWorld: How to Get Cloth
In RimWorld, Cloth is an incredibly important material used to make clothing, furniture, armor, carpet, and even medicine.
RimWorld: How to Get Components
In RimWorld, Components are incredibly useful materials used to build firearms, craft armor, repair electrical devices, and more.
Persona 5 Royal: Tae Takemi Complete Confidant Guide
Maxing out Tae Takemi's Confidant in Persona 5 Royal will reward you with medicine and stat boosters, along with some hefty discounts.