SmakenDahed

MMO community connection:

Random Ogre Thoughts

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

SmakenDahed

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I’m just a gamer who blogs about random things that I feel like writing/venting/ranting about.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

It cannot be categorized. I talk about games, politics, hockey, odd events, games, and what ever else pops in my head. I’m not in it thinking I’m a journalist or part of the media and I’m not out to save the world, I’m just trying to stay sane and blogging is a good release.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Montreal, Quebec (Canada) and spent the first 18 years of my life all over (and off) that island.

Where do you live now?

I am currently living in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada).

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

31-40

What do you do for a living?

I do software testing. My official title is Senior Software Verification Specialist, Lead. My job entails manual testing, automate testing, performance testing, load testing, security testing and probably some other types of testing I can’t think of at the moment.

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

I wouldn’t change my job, but I would gladly change the content I test to something more… fun.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• I’m proficient in three different styles of martial arts
• I have taken courses on writing
• I have a wicked temper
• I am surprisingly patient (which is good, given my temper)
• And … I think my memory is already starting to fail me.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I have a wife, two boys here. I’ve got a mother-in-law (who is driving me crazy), sister-in-law (…) and brother-in-law from my wife’s side. On my side I’ve got two uncles, one aunt, three cousins, my sister and her husband in the area. Rants about the mother-in-law and her antics almost have legendary status on my team at work.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I played a lot of games with my older brother and his friends, but also spent an equal time alone playing with various toys. I got into RPGs at a really young age (eight) and haven’t really looked back. When I didn’t have my nose in a book I was usually out getting into trouble with friends.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I got into martial arts around the same time I got into RPGs, the main reason was that my mother was going back to school to become a microbiologist and some of the evening courses where in seedy downtown neighborhoods. My dad tends to be an all or nothing type of guy so he signed the whole family up. I was a first degree black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate at about 12 or so. Other styles I picked up were Shirynjiru Kenkokan Karatedo and Jiujitsu.

I spent a lot of time outside playing, exploring and getting into places I probably shouldn’t have been.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

I was eight years old and it was a lot of fun. It was pretty simple, monty haul/hack and slash, but good fun. I’ve played a fair number of RPGs over the years, though my favorite has to be Shadowrun. I’m currently playing a P&P session with a group of guys every Wednesday night (I think it’s almost been 10 years if not close to 11 now).

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read comic books and novels. I was reading Tolkien at eight but was also reading a lot of Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. I usually read what ever my parents had around at the time. For comic books my favorites were X-Men, Spider-man, Ghost Rider and Rom the Spaceknight.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

Definitely. I always loved using my imagination and thought it would be great to be able to play these types of games on computers so I could play them when ever I wanted (as in, not needing to gather friends together and organize actual sessions). Eventually, I got into thinking of how great it would be to play these games online and quite some time ago I got talking with my brother-in-law about how cool it would be to have a massive, online virtual world to play in with all sorts of people from all over the world. It was funny, we started planning how it could be designed and he found Ultima Online was just released. It was a lot of what we thought would be cool (from reading the instructions) but we never bother playing it.

How were you first introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

Atari, I think. My uncle had Pong, but I don’t really remember it. I can remember playing Space Invaders, Night Driver and Combat at my uncle’s place. I think I was 5 or 6 years old – I don’t really remember.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Definitely. There were tons of arcades where I was growing up, we had one place that was about five minutes walking around the corner from where we lived. I played all sorts of games there, half of them I can’t remember the name of. I also spent a lot of time just watching others play as well.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

Wizardry I on the Apple 2 (actually, a clone called Golden 2). It used 5.25″ floppies and you had to swap disks for saving and stuff (my dad was a hero when he bought as second floppy drive!), but it was in 3d! Heh. I was about seven or eight and the damn ’small humanoids’ picture scared me. Pretty silly thinking back to it.

I learned about farming there (thanks Dad!). We would farm the Murphy’s Ghost statue room for +1 magic weapons and stuff. He also showed me some minor exploits like creating a back up disk for characters, loading characters, giving all their gear to one other party member, renaming them, then transferring over the back up so you ended up with an infinite amount of gear to sell off. He also taught me about mapping and things like that.

I still remember a good number of spells. ‘di’ was the rez, ‘dios’ type words were for healing, ’tiltowait’ was the big nuke. It amazes me what I remember about older games. Oh, I still have coordinates memorized for the garrison room in the Castle in Bard’s Tale – the room with four groups of 99 Berserkers? I used to teleport up there with some hefty tanks in the first ranks, two sorcerers and fill the last slot with a character I wanted to level. I’d then just Mind Blade the four groups with the two sorcerers and by the end of the fight the 6th slot character would get a ton of levels. (From the entrance coords were 2 up, 5 north and 12 east – that’d put you at the door).

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Atari, Sega Genesis, Nintendo, Playstation, PS2, Wii, and PS3.

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

I remember playing D&D with my parents, it was only one session but I remember it like it was yesterday. The module was Palace of the Silver Princess and I was playing a Halfling (basic D&D the demihuman races were classes heh). We came across a long hall where there was a storeroom and a kitchen. My father listened at the door of the kitchen and heard what sounded like goblins making a bunch of noises. He made us all go back to the storeroom and roll some kegs of ale to the kitchen door, then knocked and hid back in the storeroom. After a couple of hours we checked on the room and could hear the goblins singing drunkenly in the kitchen. We open the door and attacked, taking advantage of their drunken state. It was a lot of fun.

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

I heard of them from the brother of a girl I was dating. He was pretty into them though his sister was telling me he was getting too into them at the expense of his school work. I thought it was sort of weird that people could get so into something like that when it was just text. Marriages? Politics? Weirdos…

What was your first MMO experience?

EverQuest. It was the year it came out, though several months later. I couldn’t tell you the year. I was previously playing online Quake 2 in a clan organized by someone who became a really good online gaming friend (over 11 years now). We were a little frustrated by a mishap during a tourney and felt the clan we competed against took advantage of their position as organizers to turn what should have been a win into a loss. Some other folks had been talking to my friend about EQ and we decided to give it a shot.

Man, the subscription fee was a big hurdle for me to over come. I wasn’t used to buying a game then having to continue to pay monthly to play.

We started Erudites, he insisted on playing an Erudite because it was the best caster race and he wanted to play a Wizard. I was easy going so I made an Erudite Paladin (ouch). We played for several hours and go hooked pretty quickly after figuring out how to do stuff. Toxx Forest was a load of fun especially given the darkness and lack of nightvision. We had all sorts of fun doing some quests, exploring, dying, trying to find our corpses.

I’ve been hooked ever since.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

• EverQuest
• Asheron’s Call
• Anarchy Online
• Dark Age of Camelot
• Planetside
• City of Heroes (Villains)
• Star Wars: Galaxies
• Asheron’s Call 2
• Guild Wars
• EverQuest 2
• World of Warcraft
• Dungeons and Dragons Online
• Vanguard
• Tabula Rasa
• Age of Conan
• Warhammer
• Lord of the Rings Online

I think I’m forgetting one or two.

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

I am currently playing World of Warcraft where I have a level 80 Ret/Prot Paladin in mostly T7 (or T7.5) gear. I’ve started an alt to play along side my five year old son (refer-a-friend).

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

Everquest. It’s hard to say how long, but probably a couple of years in total.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

I don’t look at hitting level caps as all that big a deal because I know it’s a matter of time, however, I have hit the level cap in EverQuest, EverQuest 2, World of Warcraft and I was really close in VG before I threw in the towel.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

At the moment, I’d have to say World of Warcraft simply because I’m playing it with my son and I’m having a lot of fun watching what he does and has fun doing. I’ve recently bounced around trying out some of the older MMOs I left behind and they were fun for a bit, but not something my son is interested in; while WoW has him hooked (at least as hooked as we allow him to be).

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I’m curious about Champions Online and DC Universe, but those will probably just be a distraction. One in development would be Copernicus (38 Studios). I enjoy a lot of what the people involved in its development enjoyed or created so I’m hopeful about that one. Star Wars: The Old Republic is another one I’m interested in but I don’t think I’ll be swept up by it.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

I mentioned a long time gaming buddy, we started in Quake2 but moved into EQ. We bounced around from game to game for a bit until we heard SOE was releasing a brand new server that did not allow transfers – enter Stromm. He convinced me to give it another go – a real go at it this time because it was going to be the last time we ever played that game.

With that in mind, I created an Erudite Cleric named Fabinusar (the same name that was randomly generated for my very first character; an Erudite Paladin). I figured it’d be the first name I used in EQ and the last. He created an Ogre Shadowknight named Conflict. We duoed a lot of the content, adding the odd person into the group here and there. It was the first time I played a Cleric, usually I played the tank role, so it was a lot of fun. I was excited for every spell and every time I got a new one I had to try it out to see what I could do with it which meant rearranging my spell bar every time.

That added a little chaos to our sessions.

Before he was able to Feign Death, I used to use Lull/Pacify type spells to single out a target which he’d pull. It worked so well we’d hit dungeons with just the two of us.

We were in Upper Guk working our way into the Jail area. We were setting up to Lull and pull each one of the five or six mobs in the center of the Jail room. Now I just had access to Stun so I put it on my spell bar wondering what sort of use I could get out it.

Guess which spell I cast instead of Lull?

A lovely train ensued. The corpse recovery run was pretty fun too (I never carried a second set of gear).

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

30-40 hours then, about 15-20 now – if I’m lucky and willing to sacrifice sleep (which I am).

When during the week are your regular play times?

I tend to be a weekend warrior; I play Friday night and usually weekend mornings. I do hop on after 9pm for a couple of hours when I feel up for it. That’s usually when I do my farming or tradeskilling. The guild I am in raids from about 8pm to 11pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday so I try to make those when I can.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

All of the above. If I’m tired, I tend to just fall into what ever I’m doing and run about solo. When I’m more awake I’ll group up or build groups to hit what ever or I’ll pop into some PVP, BGs or otherwise. When I’m in a guild, I do try to be social, though I tend to miss a lot of chat if I’m into a dungeon or raid.

(My gaming friend would say I miss tells too, and it’s true. I’ve had to use ChatAlert type mods to put certain chat channels right in my face – the little pings in games like EQ2 doesn’t always work)

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

Hell ya. One I’ve already babbled about (Frank: Airstrike, Damogoth, Kaldonar); met in Quake2 LMCTF when I was organizing my clan’s side and he was on the other team. We were in email contact setting up a time and date. I was a little nervous contacting people outside the clan because I was expecting to get some corpse-humping asshat but the guy was completely polite, understanding and pretty easy going.

The match came about and my side was horribly overmatched (being more in to RA2 and not really being organized for CTF). The end result of a 30 minute match was a 3-0 loss to my clan. It would have been worse but I held their flag through most of the match. They capped twice when they finally got me and a third time when another clanmate was carrying the flag. I got hold of it again and kept it for the remaining time (I think I had it for about 28 minutes).

They were good sports and good winners.

In the following weeks I’d occasionally end up on a LMCTF server (I didn’t play RA2) where he was playing sometimes on the same team and sometimes not. When we were on the same team we’d dominate with me on D and him nabbing their flag. When we were on opposing teams we sort of canceled each other out.

End result was we had a lot of fun and played really well together be it defense or offense. He ended up asking me if I wanted to join his clan and after some thought I did. Eventually we formed our own then went into EQ together.

In EQ I met up with another guy I’m still playing games with today (Chris: various names starting with Cel). Frank had actually met him and we all got along eventually tried other games together.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

I usually have some sort of plan. Farm, tradeskill, explore, PVP or do some instances. I’ve often planned what we’ll do for a session ahead of time and invited people by sign up.

When you have less time to play, you want to spend more time playing and less time waiting or trying to build a group so I like to get that sort of thing out of the way before hand.

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

Yes and no. I usually don’t subscribe to more than one MMO unless I’m starting to get bored of the one I’m playing in which case I’ll sub to another and play it at off times. I’d rather get somewhere in one game than halfway in a bunch of other games – that’s just me though, I don’t force my expectations on others.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

Again, when I’m getting bored I’ll binge on some other PC game or console game. I play D&D with a group of friends (almost) every week for about 10 years now so my MMO gaming is on top of that.

Are you something of an altoholic?

Only when I’m first starting a game and when I first started playing a MMO. I’ll experiment with all sorts of classes to see what I enjoy. At the moment, I tend to focus on a character until it hits the cap then I might create an alt to play with. I currently have about five alts in WoW but I also have a max level Paladin (Ret/Prot) who raids.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

I sometimes listen to a podcast or music but no, I usually focus on the game when I’m playing (spouse and children permitting). I might have online radio streaming a hockey game to me or I might have the TV on with hockey going in the background, but I’m not watching it (it’d hurt my neck to see the screen from where the computer is).

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

Not so much anymore. I talk about it with my son, in my blog but not so much with my friends.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

Yup, I have felt that way but I don’t feel it ever goes on long enough to impact work or my social life (generally, I play a lot when I’m on vacation). I don’t? It’s a hobby I enjoy. It gets pushed aside if I need to do work or if I need to go to family events or if I need something more important than entertainment.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

Yes, I’ve taken a few breaks here and there. The most notable was before the EQ Stromm server was released. I didn’t touch a MMO for several months until my bud got me thinking about it. I’ve taken a few other breaks but never really for any particular reason.

Chapter 5: Blogging

When did you first start blogging?

The blog started in October of 2006 with my first post being about boredom with currently available games. Surprisingly enough, I’ve lasted another three years and survived my boredom.

Why do you blog?

It’s an outlet. I vent about various things, talk about some interests or topics of interest or share things that just seem a little screwed up. I don’t guarantee quality, I don’t guarantee researched posts, but I do promise you’ll get my thoughts on things (often my thought process). My blog is my own, I don’t do it for anyone else but I do like arguing with commenters even if I agree with them.

Do you have a schedule or some sort of routine you try and follow when blogging?

Nope. I just blog when I get a moment and have something to unload or a thought on something.

Is there some grind involved in blogging? If so, what is it and how do you cope with it?

If it took effort then I wouldn’t be doing it.

By contrast, what do you find pleasurable about blogging?

Just getting things out of my head and out there, whether people read it or not. I do get a kick out of how people react to it.

How many people offline know you blog or podcast?

Very few actually. There are three guys that also blog from my D&D group that read my blog from time to time and another one that doesn’t. There is an online friend (Chris) that reads it from time to time (I even posted a review of his for NWN2: Storm of Zehir which actually gets a bucketload of hits). Aside from that? No, I like to keep somewhat anonymous so I can rant and vent and be a jackass.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to try their hand at blogging?

Focus on the goal of the blog or podcast but don’t be shocked if you never see any comments – any idiot with a computer and internet connection can blog (I’m living proof!). Do it for you, not for others.

What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you first started?

I can’t really think of anything. I guess that means I know it all?

Can you picture a future where you will hang up your keyboard and no longer blog?

Blogging is so easy (and free therapy), I can’t imagine stopping. I could picture changing the content of my blog but I couldn’t imagine stopping.

At your funeral, what song(s) would you have played as your corpse is set alight and cast out to sea on a funeral barge?

Say Hello 2 Heaven, Temple of the Dog. I love that song.

Bonedead

MMO community connection:

Bonedead’s Adventures

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

Bonedead, which I made up when I first started gaming online in 7th grade. Before Bonedead I was ImA FaTBoI and |2ump |2ider but didn’t use either name very long.

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I write a blog named Bonedead’s Adventures (clever huh?). I’ve almost been doing it for 2 years now which makes me feel pretty good, especially since I’ve finally got at least 1 regular reader! Hah

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

ME! Haha. It’s pretty much just a diary of what I do in games, what I think about games, what I think about the blogosphere, and all that good stuff. I tried to make it have a reason a few times, but that just doesn’t work for me.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Bradenton, Florida. I lived there until I was about 7 and then moved to Franklin, North Carolina. I lived there until I was 12 or so and moved back to Bradenton. Around 16 or so I moved one city over to Sarasota, Florida and I’ve been here ever since.

Where do you live now?

Sarasota, Florida

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

21-30, I am 22 years young/old.

What do you do for a living?

I am a bookkeeper at a CPA office. I also do monthly/quarterly payroll and unemployment for companies. I’ve recently learned a little bit about depreciation and soon will be learning to do simple 1040 returns. Exciting!

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

I’m pretty satisfied right now. I’m a fan of math to an extent, after a certain point in progression it began to seem pointless to me. Bookkeeping to me is like putting together a big puzzle, there’s always a new bent piece every month.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• I work for my dad.
• It’s embarassing to say that.
• I haven’t done much college wise. (See no. 2)
• I pretty much like every MMO.
• I am always being sarcastic, because I think I’m hilarious.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I am engaged to a wonderful lady. We’ve been together for a little over 3 years and we’ve lived together for most of that time.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

Well back then my games were called sports. I played Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, and neighborhood street hockey. The first video game I played that I remember was on the Atari. We had some tank game, some cowboy game, and Pitfall. After that was a regular Nintendo with the good ol golden case Zelda. Then my parents bought some learning console called Socrates. It was the first game I had with wireless controllers. Then we got a Super Nintendo and my whole world changed. I played with my older brother and my dad. There was a time when I had a Sega Genesis in my room and my brother had the Super Nintendo in his room. That’s when I became a fan of Beastmaster, Golden Axe, Fifa Soccer, Megaman Soccer, etc. Mario Kart was the first game I picked out on my own and fell in love with (still do love me some Mario Kart).

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I always answer a question in the question before. I started with Baseball. I remember this one time while playing 3rd base some kid came up to bat and the adults started acting weird like he was going to ruin our day and all the parents of the other team were like, yelling the kids name. Well he slammed it straight to me and I jumped and stretched more than I know and caught his ball. Pretty much everyone started roaring and it made me feel pretty good. When I played soccer I was pretty durn good. I scored on a kick off once by toeing it down to the goal and one of the defenders tried to knee it and bounced it over his goalies head heh. I was on some local team in North Carolina in the 12-14 age range. We were beating everyone with scores ranging from 5-0 to 12-0. We got moved up into the 14-16 league and still won the majority of our games.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

Only a few times with one of my old middle school/high school friends. He introduced me to Magic The Gathering and also to Ultima Online. Once he was showing me how to make my character in D&D I was pretty much hooked. It was just me and him most of the time, but it was a fun game. Sometimes it felt more like me just trying to be right by explaining why what I’m saying is right and him getting mad that I’m beating his game but that made it more fun to be honest.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read a lot when I was in school (that wasn’t high school). I started thanks to Pizza Hut (or the Velveteen Rabbit) and their Book-It program which awarded you a free personal pan pizza every 5 books or something like that. Then there was Accelerated Reader where they assigned points for books read. Being the competitive type that I am I began sorting the list of books by the points they were worth. That’s when I discovered The Hobbit. I also read pretty much every Goosebump book, pretty much every Boxcar Children book, and a few random books like one on Michael Jordan. Even some on the Judicial System and Law in general (I’m pretty sure they were made with kids in mind).

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

I will always have a soft spot for fun racing games (that aren’t going for realism) like Trackmania and even Free Realms’ racing jobs. I don’t think the books really had an affect on my appreciation towards computer gaming and/or MMOs, maybe The Hobbit, but I still do not own LotRO. The sports, however, definitely affected me. I’m very competitive when it comes to computer games/MMOs.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

We had an Atari when I was 3-5 I believe. I remember playing it a lot with my brother. Of course there was Pong. My favorites were the tank game, the cowboy game (used to play that on IRL on the couch with my brother), and of course Pitfall.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Around the same time we had the Atari we also had a Pink Panther pinball machine. On some weekends my parents would drop me and my brother of at this arcade place. We’d be there for 3-4 hours before they picked us back up and it was always a fight to make us leave. The only game I really remember from there (besides like the Simpsons games and fighting games) was the Aerosmith game where you shoot CDs out of guns.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

The first computer game/multiplayer experience I had was with my brother over my dad’s work lan. We were playing Doom on Co-Op. I’d played this game a few times before solo and I was young and I really would get scared. I remember in the beginning there is a pitch black room you have to navigate through while hearing crazy pigs breathing all around you. As soon as I could bring my big brother along, it didn’t seem so bad.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Atari, Socrates, Nintendo, SNES, Genesis, Gameboy, 64, Playstation. That was it for being a family and having consoles. Since then I’ve bought myself a Wii and hardly use it ever. Still need a nunchuck and Mario Kart to even consider playing it. It is a good party game though (sports/wii play).

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

I pretty much traded in sports for computer games. So when I found the Quake 2 Paintball community that had clans, IRC, and competition it opened my eyes. I played a lot, tried to get good, and honestly became half decent. I don’t think I was a member of any of the bigger longer standing clans, but I do remember having a few matches and not always losing. It was Counter-Strike that really opened the competitive gaming world to me though. I pretty much raised myself on the internet in the game Counter-Strike. I was in CAL-M before there was a CAL-P and CAL-IM. I was also in I think IGL with team XZ (lizard, inferno, names no one knows). Basically I’ve played since beta 7 and thus have a 6 digit steam id (which is low, even lower than some are aware it could possibly be, because not everyone understands what the steam id numbers mean). Anyways, at the Pinnacle of my CS times I was playing fun maps with CAL-I players, mainly Hide n Seek with TSG, DiE, and I think some U5 players. All of those clans have placed very high at CPL (which is pretty much world wide). Some people I knew locally and was in a clan with at one time became lucky enough to get a spot in the CPL (due to the real winning team being too young) and they finished I think in 19th place, which is pretty amazing imo. It feels like I’ve been striving for similar peaks since then, though competition in MMOs has much less to do with skill than it does time invested (which makes me not win in my head).

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

Not in the “good ol days” but recently (last two or so years) I played some game called Grendel which I assumed was pretty much like what they used to be. I killed a few things, got chased by something I couldn’t beat, and the next day I forgot about it.

What was your first MMO experience?

My first MMO experience was on a free server for UO. My friend introduced me to it. It was an RP server and you had to apply with an RP story about your character. I had my friend write mine because I thought it was dumb. To be honest I don’t remember anything from that server, but my next one, Athlore, I will always remember. This was when I was in around 8th grade, so I’d say about, 1999/2000.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

UO. I was never a Xx GM mfker but I did use bugs to my advantage a lot. Mainly to get phat lewt. I GMed tinkering because there was a bug where you could create copper keys without any materials, so I left that running all night. Whoopee.

DAoC was probably next. I’ve played it on and off since release. I have I think 3 level 50s. A Kobold Warrior, a Dwarf Skald, a Minotaur Mauler, and I think a 49 Lurikeen Ranger, might be elf though. It took me forever to finally reach max level, and this is pretty much the only game I’ve done it in.

AO was around this time (in my head at least). I played around release. it was buggy as crap, laggy as balls, but they had live events for a lile while and that was just plain cool. I don’t think I made it passed level 15. Since I have gone back and now have a 50-60 Martial Artist and probably 4 guys in their 30s-40s.

Then there was SWG. I loved SWG the way it was, but I like it now too. I remember using some more bugs to my advantage kekeke. If you had Bleed shot (or something like that) as a Pistoleer, you could shoot the big slow bunnies and let them get down to 1% HP, and whatever weapon you used to finish them off with would get the full amount of Combat XP. This didn’t help very much, especially since I liked Pistoleer more than anything else, but it made me feel special heh. I have two level 90 Structures Traders now. I think I have 3-4 level 50 combat professions as well.

WoW blew my mind. I’ve never pregamed so hard in my life. I leveled 3-4 Gnome/Dwarf Rogues to level 15/20 in the Open Beta just to get a good groove down for launch day so I could get ahead of the pack. At this point in my life I was really bad at sticking with it and making it to max level. I still have not reached max level in WoW (highest level is 56). I am currently playing a free server though, with UO rules, and 10x exp. I have an 80 Rogue, 71 Warlock, 60+ Shaman, and a 60+ Priest. Apparently all I needed was 10x exp.

From there I went to EQ2. I didn’t get one character over level 25, I think I’ve only left the Commonlands once. But I did enjoy playing it when the playing was good, it just seemed there was always a point when you had to start grouping. MEH I SAY! I think during my last stint I bought the fairy expansion.

After that I believe I went on a free to play spree. I played Knight Online pretty heavily at one time. At the time they were hosted/published/owned (whatever) by a Malaysian company. This company also had 3 or 4 other MMOs that I played a little.

Then came Vanguard. I loved the open beta and the first week or so. That is until I kept crashing and “chunking”. I remember losing a whole level once while “chunking”. But I loved the PvP server, especially as a Bard.

Warhammer. Got to my late 20s on a Witch Elf. Was specced to proc a lot and I felt pretty powerful. But I don’t stick with games apparently, so I stopped.

Darkfall Online. I was really into this game. I joined a guild, I spent 5+ hours a day playing, and I neglected my fiance a whole lot while getting drunk with my guildies on vent and taking orders from a woman who was my guild leader. Fiance wasn’t a big fan of the whole, guild leader, 5+ hours a day thing, and I fully understand that. So I gave it up, cold turkey (unless Counter-Strike makes it, err, warm turkey?)!

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

Right now I am having a blast with this UOWoW.com free server. I can make a character and get him to level 50 by the end of the day. I don’t see how that could ever be a bad thing.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

It is probably a tie between WoW and DAoC. My Xfire has me at 747 WoW hours, but I’ve had Xfire turned off the past week or so and I’ve probably added at least 50 hours to it since I had a nice 4 day weekend. DAoC has 598 Catacombs and 326 Labyrinth of the Minotaur. So I guess DAoC.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

DAoC (but only after Catacombs, which increased leveling speed dramatically), SWG (but only as a Trader, twice, which can be grinded easily with use of macros), and technically WoW (but only with 10x exp on a free server).

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

Need more parameters! If I choose UO will the graphics be considered butt ugly? Because if not, I would say UO. Give the genre a Tabula Rasa, if you will. If it is perceived to look like bawls then I guess I’d have to say WoW, just because the market would still be huge.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

Nope. Maybe Star Trek because the new movie kicked sooo much arse. But I learned not to get my hopes up on MMOs a little while ago. So screw em, if it releases and it looks okay and sounds okay (via reading the features) and there’s an open beta then I’ll give it a shot. If there’s no open beta and no free trial and nobody I know is going crazy over it, then I’m not touching it, and I don’t know many MMO players who could even possibly go crazy over it.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

I used to log into free UO shards with the default admin account/password. Which at the time was %Administrator/%Administrator. My friend who introduced me to UO told me this (as he ran a local private 5-10 person server which I created a couple items for). So we would both do it and use our downloaded GM tools to buff ourselves up and then walk around town ruining peoples’ days. Ahh, the good ol days.

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

My peak was probably only a week long, but I remember getting above 80 hours a week on my Xfire once.

When during the week are your regular play times?

It depends on if my fiance wants to do anything (like leave the cave). If she does and I can see myself sacrificing a year of my life due to the sun’s damaging rays, I don’t get to play that day. If she is fine with not doing things (Huzzah!) then I play from when I get home until I go to bed. Sometimes I’ll get burned out an hour before 10 (when we try to go to be) and see what she is doing. Ideally weekends are uninterrupted game playin time, but every now and then it’s go outside and lose more years of my life.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

Lone wolf all day long. My problem is that I do what I want to do, I get 10 quests, figure out what order I want to do them in, and go. If I absolutely have to group for a quest I’ll either abandon it or if another player is near the quest location when I arrive I may group with him until we complete the quest, say thanks, and gtfo of the group. I hate when I end up grouping with people who play like me, but are stupid kids who think now I’m their personal slave. I hate when I group with someone and they act like my slave, I don’t want to drag some stranger around while I do my thing. I take small breaks somewhat frequently, people don’t like that. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I hate people who are bad at doing their job, and after many failed attempts at grouping I now label everyone as bad at their class. This way if I lose, I know it is my fault, and I can live with that.

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

I guess you could say that. I’ve hung out at PKer.org since 2003 and we went from having a lot of usual members to maybe 6-10 people who sometimes come by and post something. But the ones who are still there I would consider friends. I met one in real life when I went on vacation and had a blast.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

Sometimes I have a plan of action but it is usually extremely vague. When I was leveling Structures Traders in SWG (have 2 level 90s) I would log in knowing exactly what I was going to be doing. It is a good feeling knowing what you’re going to do. I’m playing LotRO right now and I pretty much never know what I’m going to do. However, today I instructed my fiance (who has the day off) to download abc files and get them to play ingame properly. So when I log in (tomorrow as tonight is wine night) I’ll be rushing to the Prancing Pony to play a bunch of crap for people. I plan on “griefing” many people with the Benny Hill song as they quest about.

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

Multiple MMOs never works out with me. I’ll forget about one completely and forget to cancel the recurring subscription and then damn. I try and keep it to 1 MMO and as always, CounterStrike.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

CounterStrike. I could play Hello Kitty online all damn day as long as I could still get my CS fix.

Are you something of an altoholic?

I currently have a level 20 Champion, a 19 Rune-keeper, two pre-10 alts, and a monster character. But yes, oh hell yes, am I ever an altoholic. My WAR server select screen is ridiculous. Probably 5-6 servers each with anywhere from 2-8 or so characters. I’d guess I have at least 20 WAR characters. DAoC, I’ve created at least 40.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

I used to listen to one of the early WAR podcasts while playing, but then they stopped making the podcast. I did it with Yivvits and Mr Bubbles (right?) in SWG. I’ll talk on the phone if I’m playing the MMO with that person. That is about it though, no TV, no other games, no IMing.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

I find it is the only thing I ever want to talk about when I’m sober and around friends. I don’t have any other hobbies really so it is either MMOs or discussing the radio shows I listen to on my drive to/from work.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

Yes. Well I’ve had my breaks. When I moved a while ago I went like a whole two months without internet. That’s right, who wants to touch me?

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

I’ve tried. It was probably recently (within the last few years). All of my options were just the same thing. I’d played them all until I reached my dead end (leveling taking too long) and all that was left for me was to go back and replay them. I’ve just begun to understand (read: accept) that the levels take a long time for a reason. I read a good quote on a blog today about how you hit your head against the wall slowly breaking it down and what keeps you going is knowing that there is something good beyond that wall. End game being the something good. I’d be glad if I started playing more end games in the future.

Chapter 5: Blogging

When did you first start blogging?

August 28, 2007 I wrote my first gaming related blog post about crafting in SWG. Since then I have revisited the subject probably 20 times and would not be surprised if I’ve said the same things multiple times. I’ve been a member of PKer.org since 2003, we tried to turn it into something a few times but nothing ever came of it, nowadays the last few members are almost all admins because we have to donate to keep it alive. I’ve tried to branch out a few times but never really try hard enough. I’d like to just be a rambling asshat in a video but I’ve yet to just throw that out there.

Why do you blog?

I’d love to answer this by saying I want to help people or store my thoughts or some shit, but honestly, I wanted people to know me. I wanted to dive into the MMO community and give my 2 cents and I was pretty sure 2 cents had never been given the same as as I gave mine. If you can’t tell I’m about halfway over that, I realize that my ideas aren’t as unique as I once believed, but I still hope for some sort of recognition for, I don’t know, talking about butthole looseness as it pertains to total levels achieved across all MMOs. Someday…

One of the things I’ve come to enjoy most from my blog is seeing visitors arriving from search engines. Recently I’ve had quite a few people looking for information on Dyna Camp bosses in Anarchy Online. When I was looking for this information, it wasn’t right there when I looked for it, so I wrote a big ass post about it and I guess for the people following in my AO footsteps the info is now right there, right when they look for it. I like that, I could be that guy. Only problem is I’d have to start caring about it enough to not just play games but to write down guides and check facts and shit like that, which is sounding kind of iffy. I’d be more motivated if I searched for something and couldn’t find it.

Do you have a schedule or some sort of routine you try and follow when blogging?

I’m pretty friggin random to be honest. I’m on and off while also being hit and miss. I’m on topic but I’ll be out of order. One day I’ll be talking about how we should be nicer to people and the next week I’m yelling at kids for being fuckin stupid. I guess my main guidelines for myself that I sometimes stray from but always try to return to are to say fuck and shit a lot and also make myself laugh. Ya shit fucker.

Is there some grind involved in blogging? If so, what is it and how do you cope with it?

For me there is only when I’m trying too hard. I read Syncaine and Ixo’s questions today and one of them mentioned grind as a good thing, like in MMOs. I never thought grinds could be considered good. I thought the whole reason it was called a grind was because it sucked and you didn’t want to do it. So using my definition, yeah, when I care too much about the numbers instead of the content then it becomes a grind. It also happens when I care too much about the content, because I’ll shoot every idea I have down because it’s just not good enough!

By contrast, what do you find pleasurable about blogging/podcasting?

Comments, visits, more than 1 page view per visit, being linked, and being searched for and knowing that the person found what they were looking for.

How many people offline know you blog or podcast?

Most of the people I know.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to try their hand at blogging or podcasting?

Do better than me.

What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you first started?

You’re not going to be one of the few ranters who gets invited to work for a game company.

Can you picture a future where you will hang up your keyboard and no longer blog?

Of course I can. It will probably happen right after I quit smoking weed and seriously start taking 10 minute walks towards getting my shit together. lol

At your funeral, what song(s) would you have played as your corpse is set alight and cast out to sea on a funeral barge?

COME FROM THE LAND OF THE ICE AND SNOW

/kittyvikings

Brian

MMO community connection:

`

Blue Kae

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

Online I go by Blue Kae. It has no meaning, beyond I like blue and it matches my initials. I made it up when I wanted to get online with my Xbox 360 and needed to find a gamertag. Since then I’ve been able to stay pretty consistent using it for Steam, Xfire, GAX, Twitter, etc. That is also the name of my primary Eve Online character. In other games I like to stick to the lore so I try to come up with whatever is consistent with Tolkien, Warhammer, etc.

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

My only online presence is at http://www.bluekae.com, I haven’t hosted or guested on any podcasts, at least not yet.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

My blog is primarily gaming related since that’s what I do with my free time at the moment, but I don’t intend on limiting it so I may talk about woodworking, home brewing, or anything else I get into and develop strong opinions on.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Heidelburg Germany (Dad was stationed there in the army), but I grew up in a small town called Aurora in south-eastern Indiana (think Cincinnati).

Where do you live now?

I live near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

31-40

What do you do for a living?

Software developer.

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

Fiction writer.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• I’m left handed.
• I brew my own beer, stouts of course.
• I had dual-citizen ship between US and Germany until I was 18.
• I have two Parker Latitude stainless steel pens that I love to write with. I keep one at home in my office and I carry the other in my laptop bag.
• All of my MMO characters are male. I’ve tried to play female toons, but I’ve never been able to spend more than an hour on any of them.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I’m married and we just had our first child back in October. Being a parent is simultaneously the most fun, frightening, and frustrating thing I’ve ever done.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I grew up out in the country so we rode dirt bikes, played army in the woods, and swam in my above ground pool.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I had/have very little hand-eye coordination so my hobbies were music and reading.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

My very first experience with pen and paper RPG’s was in the boy scouts. A group of older boys were running an AD&D campaign and I remember sitting for hours and watching. It was neat because it was like getting inside a Tolkien story. I don’t remember how long after that, but I got the D&D Red Box game as soon as I could.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read quite a bit. My mom used to pay me to read books because she’d read/heard that it helped with intelligence. My reading was all books, no comics (that didn’t happen until college). I used to read anything fiction I could get my hands on. I read the entire Hardy Boys series from my elementary school library. My most memorable experience with books was reading Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings during the course of a summer when I was 10. That summer marked the point when I primarily read fantasy and science fiction. My favorite authors as a kid were: Tolkien, Alan Dean Foster, and David Eddings.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

Completely. My experience with Tolkien drew me to D&D which drew me to MMO’s. Computer gaming and later MMO’s were a way to get into role playing games without having to find other local people to play with or coordinate schedules.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

I started with a Texas Instruments 99 and besides some educational games, I used to type in game programs from magazines and save/load them from audio tape.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

There was no arcade near where I grew up, but I did get some time briefly in college before they all disappeared.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

The Bard’s Tale on the Apple IIe, I spent hours and days playing that and creating characters complete with background stories.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Nintendo Entertainment System, PS2, Xbox, and Xbox360. I have a big console gap between Nintendo and PS2 where I solely played PC games.

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

I had some exposure to MUDs in college although I can’t remember the names of any of them. I ran across some references to different games on various Usenet groups and tried a few out. I liked the concept, but I don’t remember getting very deep into them. I found that I preferred single-player RPG’s with some graphical element to them.

What was your first MMO experience?

My first MMO was EverQuest which I started a few months after launch in fall of 1999. I developed an immediate and intense addiction to the game that lasted for about three months. When I would get home from work I would boot my PC and while that was going change out of my work clothes and throw a pizza in the oven. Once I was set for the night, I would login and play for eight hours. So my days were work for eight hours, play EQ for eight hours, and sleep/commute the rest. This lasted for about three months until I burned myself out. It’s nice when your ADD can cancel out your OCD. I played for another six months after that in a more sane fashion before quiting.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

• EverQuest - Wizard
• Dark Age of Camelot – Shaman
• Anarchy Online – Adventurer
• Star Wars Galaxies – Marksman/Scout
• EverQuest 2 – Wizard 41
• World of Warcraft – Hunter 45
• City of Heroes – Blaster 28
• Guild Wars – Elementalist/Mesmer 13
• Lord of the Rings Online – Hunter 60
• Eve Online – Missions/Mining/Indutry 14 million Skill Points
• Warhammer – Dwarf Engineer 24

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

I am currently playing Lord of the Rings Online and Eve Online.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

I played City of Heroes the longest at 3 years, although LoTRO is fast becoming the current all time leader. Of course having a lifetime subscription kind of makes that the default.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

I’ve ony reached the level cap in LoTRO, first to 50 about two weeks before Moria was released and again to 60 once the cap was raised. I tend to obsess and then burn out pretty quickly on most MMO’s, so hitting the level cap in LoTRO was a pretty big deal to me.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

That’s difficult, but I would have to say LoTRO. I am a huge Tolkien nerd, plus Turbine has had an excellent track record of supporting the game.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I’m most looking forward to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I would be excited regardless because of the IP, but I’m interested to see Bioware’s story-driven approach to MMO’s.

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

My peak was probably 60 hours a week when I was a bachelor and could get away with it. Now that I’m married and a father, I’m usually in the 20 hours range with most of that on the weekends.

When during the week are your regular play times?

I play a little at night after my wife and son go to bed, but my consistent playtime is weekends from evening until whenever I drag myself to bed.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

I’m a lone wolf probably 90% of the time. I group occasionally when I need to, but I’m very picky about joining guilds and I usually don’t put much effort into tracking one down that would be a good fit.

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

Nope. Mostly being a solo player with the occasional pickup group doesn’t lend itself to developing friendships online. There have been two groups of players, one in DAoC and one in CoH, that I got pretty involved with, but the friendships didn’t last past my time in the game.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

Depends on the game. When I log into EVE I usually always have plans, but I’ve found that’s necessary for a sandbox game. With LoTRO, I often have no specific plan and just get on to play.

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

I used to limit myself to one active subscription at a time. As the genre expanded that became more difficult to do. My rule now is two at a time, but I’ve bent that rule a little by getting a lifetime subscription to LoTRO. I’m currently paying for EVE and CoH, which is my one serious and one nostalgia/experiment subscription. I’ll drop CoH sometime soon and pickup EQ2 or something else, I had resubscribed to WoW for a month before CoH.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

I play PC and console games as well. My PC tastes are mostly RTS games like Warhammer 40k Dawn of War and Sins of a Solar Empire. I play a lot of Xbox 360 games as well like Fable 2, CivRev, and RockBand 2.

Are you something of an altoholic?

Depends on the game. In EverQuest 2, I only every played my Gnome Wizard Mallon, but I LoTRO I have 6 of the 7 characters slots filled. In the original EverQuest I used to create a character, play to level 5 or 6, then create a different character and start over. In DAoC I only played my Troll Shaman Nallas. Usually I just identify too strongly with my initial character and never develop any interest in playing through the starting content again. LoTRO especially has been different because I enjoy pretty much all of the classes.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

I’ll often listen to podcasts while playing, although not if I’m grouping. TV, phone, and IM are too distracting, and music isn’t distracting enough.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

No, most of my family and friends don’t play games at all let alone MMO’s.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

I like this quote from Russell Bertrand: “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” http://quotationsbook.com/quote/39255/

I often hear people talk about feeling bad about time they waste playing games, but the question I always like to ask is, “What would you be doing instead?” There’s not much difference between playing a game, reading a book, or watching TV for an hour. Of the three, watching TV is probably the least healthy for you. The level of social acceptance of TV versus video games is something that has always bugged me, but fortunately is changing as more gamers become parents.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

Absolutely. I took a break after DAoC, but that’s because there was nothing new I was interested in. Since then, I haven’t taken a long break from the genre, but I will occasionally take a few weeks or few months off. Usually in that time I’ll be focused more on console or single-player PC games, or on another hobby like woodworking or home brewing.

Chapter 5: Blogging

When did you first start blogging?

I started blogging in September 2008 with Blue Kae. It’s my soap box for anything gaming related either PC or console. I may expand into comics, movies, etc. but so far gaming issues have been the only things that I felt a need to write about. I’ve recently started writing for QuillDragon, which is a new fantasy literature blog launched May 2009 by Regis from the Wizards & Wenches Warhammer blog.

Why do you blog?

I’d had been reading blogs (mostly gaming blogs) for quite a while, and then I discovered podcasts. I rarely commented on blogs, I was usually content to read the post and sometimes the comments, but almost never moved enough to comment myself. I finally started my own gaming blog because I had some rants related to DRM that I needed to get on “paper”.

Do you have a schedule or some sort of routine you try and follow when blogging?

I don’t have a regular schedule. I generally try to have at least one post a week, but if I don’t have something worth saying I’m fine with not posting. Sometimes a news story or a gaming experience will cause a flurry of activity and I might post two or three times in a day.

I do most of my reading from Google Reader and I have about 70 gaming blog subscriptions, more with comment subscriptions. I do my reading from work during spare moments and in the evenings after my wife and baby are asleep. Sometimes during my reading I’ll get an idea for a post and I’ll stop and put together a draft, although I may just comment on author’s post instead. Which one I do depends on how much I have to say about it, I don’t like to do link outs in comments but I will link to the original post that prompted mine.

Is there some grind involved in blogging? If so, what is it and how do you cope with it?

Not for me. I felt a little pressure early on to try and make sure there was always something up on the site, but I got over that pretty quick. I’m passionate enough about gaming that I usually have something I need to post about in any given month. If I do start to feel a grind, I’ll probably step back for a bit.

By contrast, what do you find pleasurable about blogging?

I love the writing. It’s an opportunity to organize and clarify my thoughts. Sometimes I’ll start a post and delete it because I realized I didn’t have enough to say on a subject, and sometimes I’ll intend to put up a quick note and write a screen-full. I also like the conversational element, I’m still excited anytime I see comments on a post and so far I’ve always been able to respond.

How many people offline know you blog?

Only a few. I don’t generally bring it up and it doesn’t come up much in conversation. I talk about it occasionally to my wife and to a friend of mine whose an MMO gamer. Most of my friends and family are not gamers or geeks for the most part and very few of them listen to podcasts or read blogs.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to try their hand at blogging?

Writing is deeply personal, so my only advice would be to do it because you need to, not because you feel like you should or are trying for money or popularity. Don’t try to imitate anyone else. Pay attention to grammar and spelling. Find other blogs about the same subject matter and make constructive comments, but don’t include you’re site link in the comment, if people are interested they’ll click on you’re name and find your blog.

What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you first started?

I had been reading other blogs for so long before I started my own, that I had a pretty good handle on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. The only thing I wish I had done differently was started sooner.

Can you picture a future where you will hang up your keyboard and no longer blog?

Nope. Anything is possible, but I can’t imagine coming to a point when I don’t want to write/blog. I may take a break at some point if it becomes a grind, but I’m sure I would always come back.

At your funeral, what song(s) would you have played as your corpse is set alight and cast out to sea on a funeral barge?

The Overture from the Barber of Seville, it’s an excellent piece of classical music and the sound track from my favorite Looney Tunes episode.

Wiqd

MMO community connection:

`

iMMOvation

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

Wiqd

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I run a blog called iMMOvation.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

iMMOvation is where I discuss my ideas about game design and try to constructively build upon and redesign the ideas that are already out there. It focuses on currently existing ideas as well as hypotheticals.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

Born in Ipswich, England and grew up in Elgin, Scotland. Move to the US and have lived in a number of states.

Where do you live now?

I currently live in Las Vegas, NV.

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

21-30

What do you do for a living?

I am currently an IT Engineer and have been one for a good 15 years now.

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

Game Designer, definitely

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• Went to school in a farmhouse that Prince Charles attended.
• I love sleeping with stuffed animals
• I’ve had more than a few supernatural experiences
• I’ve been married and have a son
• I’ve only changed my online handle once in my life (used to be Rest In Peace)

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I was married once upon a time and had somewhat of a miracle baby during that time. My previous wife was told by doctors that she would never be able to bear children, but lo and behold she did become pregnant and the baby was delivered without issue. He’s a very smart little boy who currently live in Germany with his mother. I am currently (after 9 years of self searching) engaged again to a wonderful gamer girl named Dana. I couldn’t ask for a better woman by my side.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I always loved board games and imagination (toys) games as I grew up.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I played sports in elementary school for a little league football team. I’ve always been artistic and creative, so writing and drawing have existed in my repertoire for a long time. I tried playing the trumpet for a bit, but music never caught on for me as a hobby.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

I was exposed to it in my early teens and have been playing it ever since. I started with AD&D 2nd edition and have played a number of games. I won’t touch vampire P&P games though

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

Love(d) reading. My first set of books were the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. I haven’t yet read Wheel of Time, but I’ve read a few of R.A. Salvatore’s books and some Anne Mcaffrey stuff as well.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

I think the introduction to the fantasy world helped, but seeing as how I’m attracted to futuristic MMOs as well, that can’t be ALL the reason. I don’t really compare MMO worlds I frequent to any books I’ve read, I just see how their take on “fantasy” compares with others out there. I do it for the sanctity of the book really. I don’t want to ruin a book’s world by going “it would be better if it had…”

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

I don’t remember the exact age, probably around 7 or 8, but my first system was the Nintendo Entertainment System. I had seen other systems for sale, but that was my first owned system.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

I played coin-op games any chance I could. I remember flocking to them in pizza joints, movie theaters and the actual arcade places setup just for gamers. I miss those days and I miss coin-oping. I was quite sad when I first saw console games that outdid the arcade counterpart.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

I think that would be Sonic. I was old enough to be able to form impressions on my own and I played every Sonic game from beginning to end.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Genesis, SegaCD, 32X, Nintendo64, playstation, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, Gamecube, Gameboy, GameGear, PSP and some others (NeoGeo, etc).

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

I remember when Rampage first came out for consoles and I was SO happy. I took it over to my friend’s house to play it and we ended up staying up ALL night to do so. I think we stopped when we realized there was no end, but that was at like 4am. Then we played Contra

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

I only played a few MUDs, but none that I clearly remember. My gaming back then was almost strictly console based, with the PC games being single player. For the games I did play, I really don’t think they affected me as much as others.

What was your first MMO experience?

My first MMO was Everquest back in 1999. I loved and still love the experience of EQ. The world seemed massive and many of the mechanics and ideas used are things I’d like to see redone in current MMOs. I feel EQ was an appropriate difficulty despite its shortcomings and the recent move to easier, more dumbed-down styles of play really hurt the industry.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

Everquest (expansions up til OoW), Asheron’s Call, Asheron’s Call 2, Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxy, Dark Age of Camelot, Everquest 2 (all current expansions), World of Warcraft(all current expansions), Lineage II, RF Online, Eve Online, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Tabula Rasa, Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Warhammer Online.

There are others, but these are the ones I’ve spent the most time with.

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

I recently resigned to having just 1 MMO on my plate while I wait for something actually good to come along. That choice is Everquest 2.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

I played EQ for about 5 years and have played World of Warcraft and Everquest 2 for about the same amount of time now.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

I’ve hit the level cap in about every MMO I’ve ever played, if only to quit just after I like seeing everything in a game before I toss it.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

Honestly, whatever MMO I come up with to finally make If I had to choose just 1 from the current picks, it would be Everquest 2.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I’m interested in any and every MMO that’s in development at any given time. I do my research and try to alpha / beta as much as I can, avoiding open betas at all costs. Mostly it’s to see what, if anything, these companies are doing different with their game, but I can honestly say I’ve been pretty disappointed in the last few years.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

Well, despite my aversion to WoW, it’s where I met my current fiancee, so it wasn’t all bad She was actually my guild leader, introduced to me by someone else in WoW who thought we would fit perfectly. She was right

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

At one time gaming was all I did from the time I got home from school til I went to bed and all day on weekends. So anywhere from 40-80 hours in a week.

When during the week are your regular play times?

Now it’s a bit after work, then a good portion of the day on my weekends when I don’t have anything important to do.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

I’m a mix. I love the idea of guilds and camaraderie, but there are times I’d like to be left alone, just like in real life.

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

I’ve made many friends, many enemies and met my fiancee through MMOs. I’ve even connected recently with people I used to play with and recognize, but never knew I’d see again.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

It depends on how much fore-knowledge I have on the game. If I’ve been in beta, I know what to do and where to go, but if I skip the beta I usually just meander around and experiment. In beta, my focus is on bugs, so I just meander around looking for them

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

I used to play as many as I could to get a good sampling at any one time. I’ve recently resigned to playing 1 MMO at a time though, to get more out of it. The constant switching when I would get irritated wasn’t conducive to a good gaming experience.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

All of the above. I have one of almost every console ever made (and I still play the older ones from time to time), I have a couple games for the PC (the ones I’d like to get more out of graphics wise than I could from their console counterparts) and my friends and I meet weekly to play tabletop RPGs.

Are you something of an altoholic?

Before WoW I hated alts. I never saw the point in them because there was so much to do with just 1 character. WoW came along and made leveling easy, limited crafting to 2 options per character (1 gathering, 1 actual profession) and thus the need for alts due to lack of entertainment after having all the gear I wanted on 1 character, grew.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

Depends on what I’m doing. If it’s not involved I’ll watch TV or talk, but if we’re running an instance or grouping to do other stuff, I pay attention. I do listen to outside music over in-game music a lot though, regardless of what I’m doing and I use Skype to talk to my friends while we play.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

With friends, yes. Family not so much. All of my friends game, so our conversations naturally go that way. It gets quite funny when we’re out in public and people have no idea what we’re talking about.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

Absolutely. And to fix it, I simply take time off. There’s no use in playing a game or multiple games if it detracts from your lifestyle or the health of it.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

From the genre? No. From certain games? Yes. The MMO genre has always fascinated me so even with I have no AAA titles to play, I’ll go find some smaller scale game from an indie developer or a korean F2P that looks interesting. I’m always playing some form of MMO though as I have plenty of research to do

Foolsage

MMO community connection:

Fool’s Age

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

I have several depending on the online community, but for the purposes of this survey I answer to foolsage; that’s what I blog as and the name I use to comment in other blogs.

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I write Fool’s Age and comment where and how I feel drawn to in other blogs about gaming and popular culture.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

I write about games and especially game design, with focus on RPGs and especially MMORPGs. I also write about various bits of popular culture or random thoughts as they occur to me.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Denver and raised in the San Francisco Bay area.

Where do you live now?

I live in San Jose, CA now, having recently returned from 3 years in Australia.

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90.

I’ll go with 31-40 for now, thought I reserve the right to level up when appropriate, usually about once a year.

What do you do for a living?

I design products used in cancer surgery and train surgeons to use said products (Director of R&D).

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

A wizard, definitely. They get better feats.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

Hrm – well, most people don’t know me at all, to be precise, but I’ll assume this refers to people who know me.

• I have double jointed toes.
• I speak 10 languages, mostly poorly.
• I have a massive library; about 2000 books and 10,000 comics.
• One of my characters in an online game literally became a god (i.e. became an NPC deity).
• I had a piano scholarship to UCLA.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I have the requisite number of parents, a sister, and a half brother. I’m divorced.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I loved games as a child and still do. I started with checkers and chess, then moved on to board games like Monopoly and Life, then more complex stuff like Risk. Then this amazing new game called Dungeons and Dragons came out and the rest is history.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I played soccer for 10 years, played trumpet and baritone in band, and debated in the National Forensics League. I was also in the Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout).

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

Well, I’ve played or DMed almost everything released in the last 30 years, and have playtested several games prior to release. I also have coauthor credit on a couple of D&D supplements. So, yeah, I was exposed.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read the Lord of the Rings when I was 8 years old and loved it. I’ve read it at least once every year for the last 3+ decades now. See above re: my library to get a sense how much of a bibliophile I am in general.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

Absolutely; Tolkien influenced my love of the fantasy genre, which has led to fantasy being my favorite genre overall for gaming. I like scifi and comic themes as well but play more fantasy-based games than any other sort.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

I remember seeing Pong in a pizza parlour when I was quite young, and being intrigued by the bouncing ball. I moved on to proper arcades in the late 70s through mid 80s, playing stuff like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. At the same time I started computer gaming, with stuff like the Wizardry and Ultima series. At that same period I also used to get computer magazines like A+ and Byte, and use the code published therein to write my own games like Wumpus hunts.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Heck yeah, see above answer. I used to spend a lot of time and money on Kangaroo and Galaxian and that era’s titles.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

The Wizardry series is the first that really drew me in collectively, and made me care about the overall plot. It was the closest I could get to computer D&D back then.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Atari 2600, XBOX, Wii, XBOX 360.

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

When I was around 9, my parents and some friends were playing Risk, and invited me to join them. Long story short, I won fairly quickly and they never wanted to let me play again. Thankfully my friends liked gaming, and I focussed on non-zero-sum games thereafter so I wouldn’t repeat the experience. Cooperative is better for me than competitive.

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

Only indirectly by reading about them; I never played any.

What was your first MMO experience?

I played EverQuest from soon after launch in 1999 till about a year later. It was an epiphany of sorts to find an MMO, something I’d always looked for since my early roleplaying days.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

• EverQuest – Bard 52 or so
• World of Warcraft – Priest 61
• City of Heroes – Blaster 40
• Lord of the Rings Online – Champion 50, Minstrel 50, Hunter 50, Burglar 50 (pre-Moria)
• Age of Conan – Barbarian 55
• Warhammer – Archmage 28

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

I started the EQ2 trial 2 weeks ago and subscribed yesterday.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

I played LotRO pretty solidly through beta and then for a year or so post-launch. I spent more time in game playing LotRO than I think any other MMO.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

See LotRO above; I reached level cap with 4 of 7 classes, and had the remaining 3 classes close to cap.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

Hrm. I think I’d have to choose WoW, not because it’s a better or more fulfilling game than the others, but because it’s done the most to make MMOs and video games in general more widely accepted. Without WoW, MMOs would be in a worse situation overall. Contrariwise of course, with only one MMO (whichever one) we’d lose a lot of the diversity and openness to innovation that’s been slowly developing.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I’m definitely intrigued by Champions Online, since it’s a change of pace from the typical fantasy genre, and it’s an IP I appreciate. I like the concept of the Nemesis system and quite enjoyed a lot of features in City of Heroes. I’m also looking forward to both Star Trek Online and Star Wars – the Old Republic, again for the change of pace and for IPs I appreciate. I’m hoping for some good exploration gameplay in Star Trek, and for some interesting moral choices in Star Wars.

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

At my peak, I was playing probably 20-30 hours online, plus another 10 or so hours offline doing design and building work. These days, it’s more like 5-10 hours total.

When during the week are your regular play times?

I don’t have regular play times per se; I don’t play when at the office but otherwise might at any time, depending on other plans.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

Something of both really. I primarily solo but love having a guild to chat with, and definitely enjoy grouping sometimes. I try to strike a balance between freedom to log off at any time (soloing) and socialization (grouping).

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

I met my ex-wife when we were both admins on a NWN persistent world. I made a few other lasting friends there as well.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

I occasionally have explicit goals, but that’s fairly rare (e.g. in EQ2 my Fury hit 20th level so when I played yesterday I wanted to start the lvl 20 armor quest series).

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

I’m a serial monogamist and generally only play one MMO at a time. I do sometimes beta test other games at the same time though, but that’s casual; I’m not cheating on my relationship.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

Definitely. I enjoy single-player games (PC/console) and play them a fair amount. I also play in a tabletop D&D campaign once a month.

Are you something of an altoholic?

No question. I like the exploration and discovery portion of finding good tactics for each class. I also like having options when playing with friends (e.g. if a friend plays a tank I might bring a healer along). I’m also generally a dedicated crafter and like to cover all my bases by having different alts with different crafting skills.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

Rarely. I generally prefer a high level of immersion when playing games.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

On blogs, sure. With friends, sometimes… it depends on the friends of course.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

I felt like I was spending too much of my time and energy on the NWN persistent world I used to play and work in. I was a designer, builder, and DM, and it became really difficult to extricate myself for any free time. On the plus side, I did meet a lot of people there, including as noted above some lasting friends plus my ex-wife. I eventually coped with it terminally by leaving the world entirely a few years back.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

I’ve taken several breaks when I started to feel burned out on MMOs. Most recently, I grew tired of Warhammer and Age of Conan, and didn’t have anything I felt like playing between November 2008 and mid-April 2009, when I picked up EQ2.

Chapter 5: Blogging

When did you first start blogging?

I started blogging in August of last year. I took some time off at the end of the year, since my life was going through some major changes and I was reassessing how I spend my time.

Why do you blog?

I find game design interesting and like discussing it with other knowledgeable people. Then, too, I simply like to write.

Do you have a schedule or some sort of routine you try and follow when blogging?

Nope! Though I will admit that roughly 95% of my blogging is done at work during slow periods.

Is there some grind involved in blogging? If so, what is it and how do you cope with it?

Yeah, it’s been a lot of work getting high enough blog faction to start work on my epics. I try to whittle away at it with my dailies but it’s slow going. I’m hoping to unlock the first tier faction quests in the next month, and until then it’s just grind grind grind.

OK, no, that was completely tongue-in-cheek. I don’t treat blogging as a job and there’s no grind. I do sometimes want to write but lack things I want to write about in my blog; this has been ameliorated by getting back into playing MMOs.

By contrast, what do you find pleasurable about blogging?

I enjoy sharing my thoughts and ideas, and both giving and receiving feedback.

How many people offline know you blog?

Hmm. If you mean people who don’t actually read blogs, then not many, perhaps a handful. Pretty much everyone I know is online at least a little bit though.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to try their hand at blogging?

Don’t do it! It’s extraordinarily painful, difficult, and time consuming. Or, no, wait, that’s root canals. Blogging is painless and easy, and sometimes can be done quickly. I don’t think people all blog in the same ways or for the same reasons so don’t think general advice is probably helpful.

What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you first started?

I’m not completely sure that I know anything now, so I can’t answer this.

Can you picture a future where you will hang up your keyboard and no longer blog?

Sure. After the zombie apocalypse it’s all up in the air. OK, ok, more seriously… sure, I might find that I lose interest in blogging at some point. If it ceases to be fun for me then I won’t do it. I’m not getting paid for it and it’s not about padding my resume; it’s just a hobby.

At your funeral, what song(s) would you have played as your corpse is set alight and cast out to sea on a funeral barge?

Well, “Carmina Burana” by Orff is always popular for viking funerals. “Nellie the Elephant” by the Toy Dolls is of course nearly as popular but lacks a bit of the gravitas. I’m rather fond of “Time” by Pink Floyd though, so might choose that one, iconoclast that I am.

Wilhelm2451

MMO community connection:

The Ancient Gaming Noob

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

Wilhelm2451

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

The Ancient Gaming Noob blog as well as being a regular guest on the Shut Up, We’re Talking and Witty Ranter podcasts.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

Pretty much focused on the whole MMORPG thing. My blog has some commentary, but is mostly a journal of my MMO experiences and interactions. “I don’t know what I am doing” is a recurring theme on the site.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

Silicon Valley on both counts. Well, it wasn’t called Silicon Valley when I was born. People still referred to it as The Valley of Heart’s Delight back then.

Where do you live now?

Silicon Valley. Everybody else in the world seems to be moving here, why should I leave?

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

41-50 – it sneaks up on you.

What do you do for a living?

I run a software testing group for a fortune 500 company. It is enterprise software, so you cannot buy it on the shelf at Fry’s (though I started off in commercial shrink-wrapped software), but chances are very high that you have used some piece of software on which I have worked.

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

Um, if I choose wrong, how much does another respec cost?

I don’t know if I would re-roll, but during the start of the first dotcom bubble I was working at a start up making a hardware device with some really brilliant people. If we had turned that power to evil, we could have really bilked some VCs out of some serious capital. Instead I have a T-shirt and some hardware that doesn’t work with any current OS.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• I spent some time in the Soviet Studies program in college… about the time the Soviet Union went tits up. Bad timing in some ways. Things were changing so fast that it became a current events seminar in many ways.
• I met my wife through an online dating service, but it turned out we went to high school together and had friends in common.
• I used to work on Macintosh products, so I get more than a bit uptight about bad or inconsistant UI design.
• My parents were both, essentially, accountants. When I realized that, it explained much.
• I spent a lot of my childhood in a library. My grandmother was a librarian and I spent a lot of time with her and got really used to having access to a lot of books. This explains all the book shelves in my office at home.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

My beautiful wife is amazingly tolerant of my gaming hobby… or she has grown resigned to it at least. It was a point of contention early in our relationship. More recently she mentioned that, as hobbies go, it was at least inexpensive and did not take up, say, the whole garage. However, the “at least I am home” card has been over-played and no longer has much value.

My daughter is very interested in games and virtual worlds. She likes to see what I am playing and wants to try out everything.

My mother plays World of Warcraft with my daughter and I.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

We played games quite a bit at my grandparents place. They had a farm out in the California Central Valley where TV reception was spotty and there was a general “early to bed/early to rise” rhythm of life. In the late afternoon before dinner, there was a point where pre-dinner drinks were served up (I got to have a soda) and we would sit around and play a game. Dominoes was the popular choice for a long time. Gin or other card games were played at times. At home too, we played games. Monopoly was always popular. When I was older and Trivial Pursuit came along that became a favorite. I suspect it was because, as a family, we have a remarkable knack for trivia. My mother and I were an unbeatable team, with me covering science and history and her on entertainment and sports. With friends I ended up playing war games, usual the Avalon Hill bookshelf variety. While we played all varieties, I grew to like the game Tobruk the most. It was a much more tactical game than some others, like PanzerBlitz or Third Reich. The more strategic, and thus the more abstract, a game got, the less I seemed to enjoy it. At least to a certain level. A game like Risk, warfare abstracted to the extreme, I did enjoy quite a bit.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I played some sports. I was in little league baseball and ran track through junior high. For hobbies I built models, usually tanks or airplanes to go along with my toy soldiers. I had quite a collection of Airfix 1/72 scale figures.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

Not until high school. My family moved before my freshman year and I ended up at a different high school from all of the friends I grew up with. Then, alone and susceptible to the influences of strangers, I fell in with a crowd of role playing gamers. They started by introducing me to the light stuff like Tunnels and Trolls, but I quickly moved on to the hard stuff and had a copy of the AD&D Players Handbook before my parents could intervene. Soon I was reading Tolkien and affecting a bad British accent. Still, I was able to keep my head to a certain extent and never, for example became a Ren Faire regular or an SCA member.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

Honestly, I read very little of my own volition until about 8th grade. I used to mostly flip through books and look at the pictures. MAD Magazine’s “Spy vs. Spy” comic was my level of reading commitment. Then at some point in junior high school I decided I wanted to know more about the pictures than the rather scanty captions in a book I was looking at, so I started reading the thing. This is, of course, all heresy, since my grandmother was a librarian and I spent hours and hours at the library. I was just browsing the pictures most of the time. In high school I read a lot of Science Fiction. Larry Niven and Harry Harrison figured prominently. Oddly, I tended to steer clear of the “classics” from authors like Asimov and Heinlein. “Bil the Galactic Hero” was much more amusing when I re-read it years later after having soaked up more of a foundation in the genre. (I only recommend the original book, not any of the follow-ons.)

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

Certainly. Larry Niven was all about space. There is a direct line somewhere from me reading “Ringworld” to me playing EVE Online. And certainly RPGs and Tolkien mixed in unhealthy doses pre-disposed me towards fantasy. The one thing I disliked about table top games like D&D was all the accounting that needed to be done. While computer games and then MMOs restricted much player initiative, the hid ALL of the accounting that I so loathed. That made me a natural for the genre. I just want to attack, not calculate my THAC0.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

I played Pong at The Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown San Jose when I was just a kid. It was amazing.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Of course, from the point I found Pong to the day I got a personal computer, I spent a lot of time in arcades. It could be a lot of fun, but it was also expensive. For 25 cents back in those days you could get a comic book. This probably explains why I did not do much comic book collecting.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

I played Star Trek on an HP system. A friend’s dad brought us into the office one weekend and let us play it while he got some work done. My friend and I loved it and went about creating our own board game version of it since we did not have ready access to any sort of computer.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

I have owned three, an Atari 26000 that I got for Christmas in 1977, a Sega Genesis that I got as a bonus of sorts for a project at work in 1992, and we got a Wii in 2007. That is one console every 15 years like clockwork. I’m not due again until 2022.

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

A story about gaming? That’s what I have a blog for! Okay. At one point a friend and I were very excited about computer/console games. This was in 1978 or so, and I had an Atari 2600 and he had a Fairchild Channel F. We were both enamored with the technology but somewhat let down by the lack of depth there was to most games. Because of this, we tended to build metagames where you might have to play any given shallow two-minute-thirty-second “shoot the blocky thing with smallers blocks” as part of a single turn of the bigger game. There was a lot of role playing and pretend around it. We were nerds once, and young.

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

Yes, I have played a number of MUDs over the years. I think the first that would be recognized as a MUD was Gemstone. I was in the beta for it on GEnie back in 1988 or so. It was a lot of fun. Having played enough text games ala Zork, I was ready for the multi-player environment that MUDs brought to the table. From 1993 through to 2003 or so I played Sojourn/Toril MUD quite regularly. It is a Forgotten Realms based MUD, so had the advantage of being in my favorite D&D setting. I still play online games with people I met in that game.

What was your first MMO experience?

Does Island of Kesmai count? If so, 1986.

If, however, we’re going to stick with what we refer to today as MMOs, then EverQuest. I picked up the box on the afternoon of March 16th, 1999. I still have the receipt.

I had considered Ultima Online when it came out, having played some of the Ultima series. Unfortunately I had also gotten a bit tired of that series so never quite got around to the MMO iteration of the game.

EverQuest though… on day one it was buggy and slow and I got dropped a lot and it have high system requirements (a 3D card?!?) and I immediately felt at home. Part of the reason I felt at home was that many of the people who created EverQuest played Sojour/Toril MUD and sought to bring the fun of that MUD environment into a 3D world. There is an oft told tale that the city of Waterdeep in Sojourn/Toril MUD was the basis for the layout of Freeport in EverQuest.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively. Please start from the beginning and work your way up to the present. For extra bonus fun list your main (class & level) in each game as well.

Limiting myself to games I played for at least a year or more of calendar time, I get the following list:

• EverQuest (1999)
• EverQuest II (2004)
• World of Warcraft (2005)
• EVE Online (2006)
• Lord of the Rings Online (2007)

There are other MMOs I have tried, such as:

• City of Heroes
• Guild Wars
• Planetside
• Runes of Magic
• Star Wars Galaxies
• The Matrix Online
• Tabula Rasa
• Vanguard
• Warhammer Online

But I did not spend long enough playing them, for various reasons, to meet my own criteria for having actually really played the game to any great depth. I just played them long enough for me to decide they were not the game for me.

I tried to list my main characters, but that can be difficult. I have a serious pack of alts stored away, so it can be hard to decide who is the real me.

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

World of Warcraft is probably the one I play the most of late. I have a regular group that plays on Saturday nights. I also play with my daughter and mother on the weekends. And then I have a solo career. EVE Online is the other MMO to which I am currently subscribed, which I think defines it as an “MMO of choice.” It offers a different experience in that I spend at least as much time trying figure out how to do things as I spend actually doing them.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

In terms of total hours played, probably EverQuest II. I couldn’t tell you an exact number, but there were many hours of concentrated daily play for me in post-cataclysm Norrath.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

Because of the alt situation, I have not reached the level cap very often. In fact, I think World of Warcraft may be the only MMO where I have stopped levelling because I hit the then current level cap of 70 during the Burning Crusade expansion.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

Loki is always pulling this sort of crap too. Hrmm, that is tough. I would probably pick World of Warcraft, but then try to convince Loki that EVE is really just a multi-player sandbox and really doesn’t count. But if you had asked me a year ago I might have said EverQuest II. And next year I might say something else. But for the moment I would choose WoW because it is the game where I spend the most time playing with other people.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I have an odd personality quirk where I try to avoid something I know I will be interested in when released so as to not dilute the experience in advance or get my expectations set to high. So I avoid trailers for movies I know I’ll want to see or reviews for books I know I am going to pick up.

With that in mind, I am diligently ignoring Star Trek Online. Star Trek is deep in my psyche. The first game I ever played on a computer was Star Trek. I spent much of my youth playing Star Fleet Battles. And I have consistently been disappointed by Star Trek games on the computer. The best so far for me has been the Star Fleet Command, which was based off of Star Fleet battles. So I live in hope that maybe Star Trek Online can deliver.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

There is a quest in WoW called “Mudrock Soup and Bugs” that sends you out to collect some “Forked Mudrock Tongues.” I mis-read this as “Forked Murloc Tongues,” an error compounded by the fact that there are Murlocs running around not too far from the turtles that actually drop the tongues. I spent ages slaughtering Murlocs to no avail and eventually just abandoned the quest. Later, I picked it up with an alt, groaned in memory of my futile effort, the decided to read the quest closely as I was obviously killing the wrong Murlocs. And, of course, I figured out what it really said. The odd part is that almost anybody I mention this story to says that they too thought it said “Murlocs.” Not all that amusing or interesting once I wrote it down I suppose. Way to close on a down note Wilhelm!

Zonk

MMO community connection:

MMOG Nation

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

I used to go by ‘Dialogue’, but nowadays I use ‘whoisdialogue’ as a moniker in a bunch of spots. I’m also pretty well known as ‘Zonk’, a nickname from high school that followed me to my days at Slashdot.

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

I’ve been a blogger at MMOG Nation for about three years now, and for over a year I ran the super-awesome MMO news blog Massively.com.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

MMOs generally, with a focus on what I personally find engaging about the games.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

Born in Chicago, IL. Grew up in Madison, WI.

Where do you live now?

Austin, TX

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

21-30

What do you do for a living?

Game Designer

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

For more than half a decade, I’ve been fortunate enough to pretty much always be doing something that I loved. I hope it never stops.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• My favorite movie in a trilogy is almost invariably the second one. Empire Strikes Back, Attack of the Clones, Bourne Supremacy, Two Towers, etc etc.
• The very first MMO I played seriously wasn’t EverQuest (the first MMO I played) or Star Wars Galaxies (the first AAA MMO I played seriously), but A Tale in the Desert.
• I once dressed as a ‘mob’ from an MMO for Halloween. I wore a black vest and a skull mask, taking on the guise of a member of the ‘Skulls’ gang from City of Heroes. I affixed a piece of clear cellophane with the mob’s name to a headpiece so that I’d have a floating name over my head.
• My first portable system landed in my hands as a result of my ability to spell. I was in fourth grade and got sponsored in a spell-a-thon. A combination of invested relatives and the cogent placement of letters in proper order resulted in my coming out on top for my grade. As a result, I won a Game Boy!
• My favorite beer is the Belgian White Ale called “Blue Moon”. Yes, it’s not a microbrew, but I like those too. My favorite of those is the New Glarus, WI beer called “Spotted Cow”.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I’m married to another awesome gamer named Katharine.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

Before I got into videogaming, I was pretty much just into boringly normal stuff. Monopoly, Yahtzee with the grandparents, etc. My life as a videogamer began at Christmas of 1985. I was about 5 years old.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

I was in little league when I was very young, and did very poorly at it. I was always much better at Mario and Duck Hunt.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

I’ve been a tabletop gamer since I was 10. I’ve played using numerous game systems, but my favorites have always been Shadowrun and D&D. Since getting out of college I’ve mostly been running games, and I’ve had the pleasure of running two ongoing SR games and three long-standing D&D campaigns since 2002. I just began a new D&D Fourth Edition campaign about a month ago that I’m playing with some friends via Skype and the Fantasy Grounds software.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on when I was younger. Some favorite books/series from my youth include:

• The Young Wizard Series (So You Want to Be A Wizard, etc..) by Diane Duane
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
• The Bunnicula Series by James Howe
• The Tripod Trilogy by “John Cristopher” (Samuel Youd)
• The Johnny Dixon Series by John Bellairs

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

An appreciation for imagination and weirdness is a theme that runs through a lot of the stuff I like to read. I’d say that ties directly into my enjoyment of gaming.

How were you first introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

My mother purchased a Nintendo Entertainment System for my brother and I on the occasion of Christmas 1985. I was 5 years old.

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

Though I didn’t play in arcades as often as some folks (because of the NES at home), I definitely got in a lot of time there when the family was shopping. It was a pretty unique experience: the sound of the machines in ‘barker’ mode, the smell of the cheap pizza or uber-sugery soda. There were always older kids (teenagers) hogging the best machines, and my pitiful abilities at fighting games left me out of some of the best experiences those places had to offer. When I did hit an arcade, I tended to go for side-scrolling action titles that button-mashing would help with.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

The first game that really affected me deeply would probably have been Legend of Zelda. The sheer scope of the game, along with its real effort at a plot and story, were incredibly novel.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

NES, SNES, Game Boy, PlayStation, N64, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

Yes. In the mid-90s, I check out a few MUs on local BBSes in Madison. I honestly don’t recall their names and didn’t spend too much time with them. A friend of mine got a bit involved in one of the larger ones that allowed player programming, and invited me to check it out. That was probably my first social MMO experience. He later told me a story of how he created a hat as a vehicle/room, jumped into his hat, and was able to essentially scoot around in it. His fun ended when someone put on the hat and effectively trapped him in the room.

What was your first MMO experience?

As with a lot of people, my first proper MMO experience was with EverQuest right after launch. Some acquantances were playing it in College and I expressed a lot of interest in the product. They let me jump onto the client and create a character. A Troll, I believe, which would make it my first MMO character. I only occasionally played EQ again on the very rare occasion I was over to their dorm room; otherwise I didn’t really play MMOs until I got out of college.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

I’ve played pretty much every AAA MMO released since 2002, so I’m not going to go into detail of EVERY game I’ve played. Here are the ones I’ve spent a lot of time with:

• A Tale in the Desert - I joined up sometime near the middle of the “First Telling”, and along with my wife made a pretty extensive encampment on a hill somewhere in (I think?) the Sinai valley. My mentor in the game made wine, and we’d go over to have tasting parties and hang out.
• Star Wars Galaxies – I was in-world on launch day, and actually had my very first character go belly up due to server issues. I played hardcore for about six months and since then have only occasionally drifted back to it. At the end of my six month run I had an uber-powerful Mon Cal Pistoleer/Master Tailor that supplied uniforms to most of the PAs on the Starsider server. In the current game mechanics, he’s a Commando.
• City of Heroes - I’ve played a Blaster named “Jacob’s Ladder” in the game since launch day. CoH and I have always had a very much on again/off again relationship, with my coming back to it every six months or so, usually just for a month or so. I’m currently playing CoH with the same group I tackled EQ2 with. We’re in our low teens with those characters.
• Dungeons and Dragons Online - I played a Cleric up to about level 5 or so at launch and then jumped ship. I didn’t go back again until last year, where myself and some friend adopted it as a weekly play target. We, likewise, only made it to about level 5 or so before jumping to Lord of the Rings Online.
• EverQuest 2 - I played EQ2 for about two minutes at launch before deciding it wasn’t the game for me. With the innumerable changes that have happened to the game, it became well worth revisiting as a target for a group of friends a few years ago. I played a Gnomish Inquisitor once a week for about two years or so, and made it into the high 50s. We’ve since moved on to CoH.
• Guild Wars - I’ve played GW on and off since launch day. It’s fantastic not having to worry about a subscription fee. I leveled a Monk/Warrior to 20 in the first campaign, dabbled with a Necro in the second, and have a level 20 Dervish/Necro that I’ve played in the third and the expansion.
• Warhammer Online - I’ve played a Warrior Priest up to about 20 or so, and have a Runepriest in her low teens. I’m not actively playing the game at the moment, though.
• World of Warcraft - I’ve basically had a live WoW account since launch day. I’ve leveled a Dwarven Paladin to 70, a Human Mage to 60, and my current main (an Undead Rogue) is within spitting distance of 80. I also have a Troll Priest in his 50s, along with a slew of fun alts (all on the Horde side). I basically don’t see myself ever closing my account at this point, though I’m not always actively playing it.
• Lord of the Rings Online - After playing a Hobbit Minstrel up to about 20 at launch, I set LotRo aside. In the last few months my podcasting buddies and I have been playing the game diligently once a week or so, and we’re having a ton of fun working through the group content. We’re now all about level 40, and really looking forward to Moria! I’m playing a Guardian named Grodomil, and I have a much-loved Warden alt sitting in her low teens.

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

Right now I’m playing three MMOs regularly. Ever week on Mondays I get together with the Podcasters of Bree to explore Lord of the Rings Online. On Thursdays I get together with the Shortiez, the same folks I played EverQuest 2 with, to play City of Heroes. World of Warcraft is the MMO I play for ‘me’, when I have some time to do so and feel like engaging in that sort of activity.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

In sheer in-game time, that’s probably World of Warcraft. As I mentioned above, I have leveled a number of characters into the ‘higher’ levels, though some of those higher level characters I’ve since deleted to avoid the temptation to play them. In terms of how long I’ve played a game continuously, that’d probably have to be EQ2. The Shortiez and I got together about once a week every week for about two years or so.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

Yes. World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Star Wars Galaxies.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

I know it’s trite, but WoW really is the kind of game I like to play. I honestly wish that I’d spent more time playing WoW when the opportunity was available in past years.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

Well, aside from my one-could-say overwhelming interest in DC Universe Online, I’m very keenly looking forward to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I imagine I’m not really alone there, but from everything BioWare is showing us it really feels like SWTOR could become my own personal WoW-killer.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

I have a lot of them, but most of them are really only amusing to me, you know? That’s one of the things I love about MMO gaming, how personal it is. A lot of people have been to the Mos Eisley cantina or IronForge, but we all have our own personal recollections of what those places mean.

Jaye

MMO community connection:

`

Journeys with Jaye | Shut Up We’re Talking | A View From the Top

`

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is your name (your online persona/alter-ego, what have you)?

I’m Karen, but in game I’m known as Jaye. It’s the character I played the most in EQ, and even though I’ve played under different character names in different games, people still usually call me Jaye.

What is your connection to the gaming/blogging/podcasting community (your chance to plug yourself here)?

My blog is Journeys With Jaye, and I do a couple of shows over at Virginworlds.com. I’ve been a co-host with Troy on Voyages of Vanguard and Equal Perspectives, and I’m currently co-hosting Darren’s show Shut Up We’re Talking. In addition, I recently started up a new podcast with my co-host Shay, called A View From the Top.

Please take a minute and describe what your blog/podcast is about.

I originally started Journeys With Jaye as a way to preserve game stories, screenshots, and experiences. A lot of the great screenshots and posts from EQ were rapidly disappearing, so I wanted to make sure I could preserve my MMO memories going forward. More recently, I’ve included game commentary in my entries.

As for podcasting, I have had a lot of fun doing the Vanguard and EQ2 themed shows with Troy. Darren’s show is a panel discussion of general MMO topics, with a focus on the blogging community. And my new show focuses on the ins and outs of guild leadership.

Where were you born? Where did you grow up?

I was born in Norristown, PA, but I grew up in Hamden CT.

Where do you live now?

I currently live in Franklin, MA.

Your level (age) is somewhere in the range of (pick one): 10-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90

31-40

What do you do for a living?

I am a stay-at-home mom

If you could reroll your career, what would you be?

I don’t think I’d reroll at all.

List five random things most people don’t know about you.

• I’m left handed
• I’m addicted to cilantro
• Echoing Openedge, I don’t like Twitter/Facebook/Myspace/etc
• I sorta, kinda, got escorted from the bleachers at a Red Sox game.
• Echoing the Gaming Granny, most people I know don’t even know I play/blog/podcast about MMOs.

Feel free to discuss any family you have here.

I am married with two children – a 3 year old boy and a soon-to-be 5 year old girl.

Chapter 2: Origins

What kind of games (if any) did you play as a child before you got into video gaming? Did you play with family, friends or was it more of a solo activity?

I played lots of board games with my family – Sorry!, Parcheesi, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, Master Mind, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Boggle, I Vant to Bite Your Finger (my brother and I used to compete to see who could get more bites)

I also played cards with my Grandfather – Pinochle, Poker, No Peek Poker (Acey Deucy Baseball!), Black Jack, Slap Jack, Pound Jack (A variation created by my brother and I), Crazy Eights.

What other hobbies and/or activities did you have as a child (sports, music, etc)?

Every sport under the sun – Basketball, Baseball/Softball, Football, Kickball, Street Hockey, Bike Riding, Pickle, Wiffle Ball, heck, we used to make up our own sports based on whatever was around at the time.

Were you ever exposed to pen and paper role playing games? What was that experience like?

I wanted to be but I never found the right crowd to hang with. I even had one of those Dungeons and Dragons red box sets, just waiting to be played. Still do, somewhere.

Did you read much as a child? If so, what did you like to read (books, comic books, etc?) Please list some favorite authors, titles, etc.

I read a lot of fantasy novels – C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien. I also read Paul R. Fisher, Terry Brooks, Peter Dickson, Robin McKinley, T.H. White.

I also loved the Choose Your Own Adventure series, as well as Nancy Drew, the Bobsey Twins, and the Time Machine Series.

Would you say that any of these games or books had an effect on your later appreciation of computer gaming and ultimately MMOs? Please explain.

I think I always had an interest in fantasy, so it probably made a game like EQ that much more appealing.

How were you fist introduced to video games? How old were you? What was the platform?

I don’t remember how old I was, but the first platform was the Atari 2600, which we got for Christmas. (Hi-5 Santa!)

Did you ever play coin-op games at the arcade? What was that experience like?

I played a little, but I never really got into coin-op games. I usually watched my brother play.

What was the first video game you can remember playing that really made an impression on you? Please explain.

My first video game that I remember playing was Pong. But the first one that made an impression on me was probably Kings Quest, a PC game. Something about the animation, and the whole idea of exploring a world, having adventures, etc.

What gaming consoles have you owned in the past?

Atari 2600. In our household, we also had a Playstation, but I never used it. (True story!)

Feel free to share a story related to your gaming experience as a child.

I still want to know why there are parts of the Atari 2600’s Night Driver that are physically and geometrically impossible to traverse!

Chapter 3: Online

Were you ever exposed to MUDs?

I played GlobalMUSH while in college. I was lucky enough to be friends with the person who ran the server, so I got to be a wizard. It was mostly a glorified chat room, although I had fun writing and creating some of the areas in the world.

What was your first MMO experience?

My first MMO was Everquest, and I started in the spring of 1999. What an amazing experience. Everquest had that “What is this all about?” feel to it. No one really knew what it actually *was* all about. We were armed with only a flimsy game manual that was somewhat inaccurate, and mainly filled with deity lore, and we were then dropped into the middle of this wonderful, blank slate.

If possible, list all the MMOs you’ve played extensively.

Ack, my first MMO resume! Nerd points to me!

• Everquest – 1999-2004. Main was Jaye Wizziefingers, level 69 Ranger
• WoW – 2005-2006. Main was Jeenie, level 60 Priest
• Everquest 2 – On and off from 2005-today. Main originally was Erika Prexian, level 80 monk. It’s now Riske, level 80 swashbuckler.
• Vanguard 2007-2008. Main was Jaye, level 50 Ranger

I’ve putzed around in Wizard 101, Fusion Fall, and Free Realms as well. I play those when the weather is lousy and the kids are bored.

What is your current MMO of choice, or perhaps, what are your current MMOs of choice?

My current MMO of choice is EQ2.

Which MMO have you spent the most time playing? How long would you say that has been?

I’ve spent the most time playing Everquest. I was there for about 5 years.

Have you reached level cap in any MMO? If so, which ones?

I reached the level cap in all of them, depending on how you look at it. I was level capped in Everquest through GoD, one level shy of reaching that cap before I left. I was capped in WoW when I left the game. Same for Vanguard. And both of my EQ2 toons are at the current level cap.

Loki taps you on the shoulder one day to inform you that you have fallen victim to one of his elaborate pranks. The world you’ve been inhabiting of countless MMOs to choose from and play has merely been a dream. In reality only one MMO exists. After laughing at you for a bit he decides to take pity on you and allows you to choose which MMO will remain. Which one would you choose and why?

It hasn’t been made yet. I think we’re about 10 years away from it.

Are there any MMOs currently in development that you are particularly interested in? Please explain.

I’m very interested in what the 38 Studios project “Copernicus” will be about. They seem to have a great team and a laser like focus on what they have in mind for their game. Usually it seems like MMOs are long on ideas and short on execution, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with 38 Studios, which is very exciting.

Feel free to share an interesting or amusing anecdote related to your MMO gaming experience.

I have too many to list. I guess I’ll just share my first memorable experience. My first toon was a troll, and I ran her out of town into the swamp. I died a few times and started doing the newb wall walk, till I found an entrance. I zoned through, saw a group at the zone in (it was Guk btw), wearing really cool bronze and patchwork armor, did a /wave and a /dance, but got no reply. I decided to check things out, but about 10 feet in, I got smacked by a frog, ran like hell for the zone, and totally trained that group I just saw in all that hot armor.

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

I will take the 5th on how much time I played at my peak. Currently, I play about 2-3 hours a night.

When during the week are your regular play times?

I might pop on during the day while I eat lunch or sip a cup of coffee, but I’m mainly on at night from 8ish-11ish EST, depending on the kids.

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

I’m definitely a social player in MMOs.

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

I’ve had the fortune of making several long friendships. I currently am guilded with some people who I have been gaming with for almost a decade. The neat thing is seeing an old face suddenly send a tell saying they tracked down the guild and want to come play. And I’m thankful for the new friendships I’ve made as well. I’m sure that 10 years later, I’ll be looking back fondly on the friendships that I’m making right now.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

A lot of what I do revolves around the guild. We have set raid and guild event nights, but we also have off nights. I try to have some kind of plan in mind for off nights, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

I am definitely a monogamous gamer

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

Nope.

Are you something of an altoholic?

I’m surrounded by them in guild, but I’m definitely not one of them.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

I used to multitask a lot in EQ, but I find that it’s nearly impossible to do that in EQ2. Too much button mashing.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

I don’t talk about MMOs with my real life friends and family. I often talk about gaming offline with other gamers and my podcasting peers.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

I probably gamed too much before the kids were born. But now, I make sure I balance gaming and kids. There’s a part of me that misses the more hardcore, long play sessions of the good old days, but I know it’s not an option for me.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

I actually have never taken an MMO break since I started in 1999. I guess that makes me a DecaMMOr. Or something.