Amelia Talon is a dynamic individual. In addition to being named Playmate of the Month for June 2012, Amelia was a co-host on Playboy’s ‘Gamer Next Door.’ Nowadays, she prefers a family-first approach as she navigates the challenges of motherhood.

Playboy: Tell me about Gamer Next Door. How did you get invited into this?

Amelia Talon: Gamer Next Door actually originated with Joe Garcia at Playboy Plus. It had been around for a while and it was way before I shot with Playboy. I heard about it and I was like, “My God, I need to be a part of this.” There’s another Playmate, Pamela Horton, who was on the show with me and she’s my best friend. She’s still my best friend. We met previously through Playboy. In October 2014, we both got into taking Gaming Next Door to the next level.

Playboy: What were some of your favorite episodes?

Amelia Talon: Gosh, I have a lot of favorites. “Splatoon” at Santa Monica Pier is one that stands out. That was so fun and it turned out amazing. I actually edited the whole episode! It was a good experience. I also have a few that I did myself being a silly gamer. There was one with The Sims where I murdered everybody. That was me going all out and being able to be so goofy, which is why I loved doing it.

Playboy: Let’s talk about your Playboy experience. How did you become a Playmate?

Amelia Talon: I shot with photographer Dominic Petruzzi. I always give credit to him because he helped me get into Playboy and with my modeling agency. When I moved to L.A., he saw great potential in me. He knew the Playmate editor at the time and he was able to get a meeting in person with her. I had been trying for four years, sending in pictures since I turned 18, and he was able to get me a meeting with her and she really liked me. I shot that January for my test and then in February 2012, they did my whole pictorial and centerfold. That June, I was published. It was amazing. I love shooting and doing all that.

Playboy: What are you up to these days? Are you still modeling?

Amelia Talon: I have been dabbling in photography. I take pictures every now and then. I’ve always been creative, so I have an art page. I actually went to culinary school for specialty desserts and artsy pastries.

Playboy: This might be an obvious ask, but what video games are you playing right now?

Amelia Talon: For some new games that I’ve been dabbling in, there’s the new Star Wars Outlaws. Also, Baldur’s Gate 3, but there’s so much going on and it’s hard.

Playboy: What are you passionate about right now?

Amelia Talon: I am a mom and I’m eight months pregnant at the moment. I have a 19-month-old boy and another boy on the way. I’m going to have two boys on my hands. They’re going to grow up loving all the gamer stuff, though. So, I’m a mom, and then on the side, I do my art stuff. I paint a lot. I have an Etsy page!

Playboy: What is making you really happy these days?

Amelia Talon: Spending time with my family. I’m in that time of my life finally. I had such great experiences all through my 20s, working with Playboy for so long. I traveled everywhere, but the best thing that I ever did was make these babies.

Playboy: That’s wonderful. What’s your favorite video game of all time?

Amelia Talon: I grew up with Pokémon majorly and I still love playing it. Also, Zelda. Both of those are classics. Then, there’s World of Warcraft. Minecraft, obviously. I’d say those ones. I have some others like the horror games, but I don’t really replay those because they’re scary, like Silent Hill.

Playboy: In this new phase of your life, what is your superpower?

Amelia Talon: It’s definitely being able to stay awake because I love sleeping, but I’ve learned how to stay awake and get just three hours of sleep every day. It’s insane. I didn’t know I had it in me.

Playboy: Is there a current meme or a viral video that you really love?

Amelia Talon: There’s so many that are funny nowadays. I can’t seem to put my finger on a singular one. I do have to say that I am obsessed with this Calico hair trend right now. It’s orange, blonde and black with other mixed colors. I’m very tempted to dye my hair. I’ve seen so many good pictures and it’s like this trend going so viral. I almost did it this Saturday.

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