MMOrigins: Life's funny like that, page 2
To Massively and beyond:
I like to think it was EVE that convinced me I could be a programmer but in an unusual twist, it also convinced me I could be a writer. What started as simple forum posts on tanking and a little number crunching bloomed into a full guide in Issue 2 of EON, EVE's official magazine. When the article was finally in print, EON editor Richie 'Zapatero' Shoemaker came to me with a work proposal. It became my job to find experts for the Insider's Guide section of EON and work with them to get their guides ready for the magazine.
After writing several more articles for EON and acting as editor on countless others, university work began piling up and I had to stop. Not long after, I spied a notice that Massively was looking to hire EVE writers and the workload was much more manageable. With a decent portfolio of work behind me, I was accepted and for over a year and a half now I've been writing the weekly EVE Evolved column. If not for Richie's offer, I might never have discovered my skills as a writer or editor and I mightn't have even applied to Massively.
Social networking:
I've always been a social multiplayer gamer, as far back as I can remember. Some of my favourite Amiga games were two-player public domain titles that I could play against my brothers. Even with the single-player games I've played, it's never been enough to simply play the game. I've always had to be part of the game's online community, chat to someone about it or play alongside a friend. Getting my own gaming PC was a liberating experience and sparked a torrent of LAN parties. Right up until I hit my twenties, every holiday break I got was filled with LAN parties and midnight gaming. Being possibly one of the only teenagers in Ireland that refused to drink alcohol, I built my social network of friends from gamers and anime fans. As I approach my 24th birthday next month, that's a choice I'm glad I made because I'm surrounded by good friends with common interests.
Like a lot of people, I got to see my friends less and less as we all started getting into our twenties. Hectic work schedules and university timetables just never seemed to mesh. Our regularly scheduled games of Dungeons and Dragons became less frequent and LAN parties became an annual event. This is where MMOs really started to show their strengths to me as a way to stay in touch. My little brother and a few friends took up playing EVE and I've found it a great bonding exercise for us all to play together. Whether we're doing a mining op, chatting or engaging in some gang PvP, it always seems better with some real life friends and family involved. At get-togethers we talk of all the awesome times we've had and what the latest news is about EVE. Similarly, I play EverQuest II to keep up with another friend with a packed work schedule. We occasionally switch to another MMO like World of Warcraft and we tried Age of Conan but we always switch game together. I generally don't find MMOs worth playing without a few friends involved, be they real life friends or new ones you make while playing.
What am I at now?:
I still play EVE Online under the name "Nyphur" and I suspect I'll keep playing so long as the servers are up. Today you can find me tucked away in a hidden corner of the New Eden, parked at a starbase in one of the unknown Sleeper systems. If you're lucky enough to find a wormhole into my little corner of the galaxy, drop by for tea. I can also found in EverQuest II, on the Antonia Bayle server as a level 70-something Bruiser named "Mailea". After playing the game on and off for two years, I might finally get this character to level 80 just in time for the cap to be raised to 90. I'm looking forward to seeing if Star Trek Online and Black Prophecy can add something fresh to the sci-fi MMO genre but the game I'm really waiting for is Diablo III. I may even give World of Warcraft another shot when their coming expansion gives the old world a revamp.
When I was young, my mother always told me that one day I'd look back and wonder why I wasted so much of my youth playing computer games. Looking back now, I still don't see time wasted but time well spent. We sometimes hear negative stories about MMOs ruining people's lives but they've had a tremendously positive influence on mine. Games have given me ways to socialise, from pen-and-paper role-playing and LAN parties to grouping with friends in MMOs. The dream of making my own games and perhaps one day working on EVE pushed me to excel at university and obtain the programming skills I'd always wanted. Writing detailed posts on the EVE forums even led me to EON Magazine, where I discovered a talent for writing and editing. Eventually that led me to Massively, where the team here and the sheer volume of practice have helped make me a better writer.
All those little forum posts I made as a distraction during university may have led me to a career in writing instead of game design. I absolutely love what I'm doing now but five years ago I had no idea I'd end up here and I can't presume to know what I'll be doing five years from now. Sometimes life's funny like that.
