Ask Massively: I have eaten so much birthday cake edition
It gets absolutely crazy around here once November 2nd rolls around. You'd think that another year of operation was something that only came around once every 9,000 hours or so. Of course, this means an opportunity for me to gorge myself on so much cake that I can't walk under my own power any longer without its just being arbitrary gluttony, and who can say no to that? I certainly can't. I'm still unable to walk two days later.
This week, in honor of our anniversary, I've pulled a few questions straight from our anniversary edition of The Daily Grind, so that readers who missed the answers before can see the answers again... and questions unanswered can get a response. So click on past the break for our offerings, and as always, you can leave a question right here or send it along to ask@massively.com. Hopefully by next week I will be able to walk again.
Mike asked: Is playing games literally part of your work day? Or is that just a lot of home research?
It depends on the writer and his or her situation. Here's the thing: Most of us don't have a strict "work day" here at Massively. It's a results-oriented workplace for the writing staff, meaning that what matters most is that pieces get written and submitted on time and without huge factual errors. There are usually time limits, but most of us do not get up at 9 and log in to work until 5.
Playing the games usually takes a mixture of work and personal enjoyment. None of us is forced to play games that we don't want to just for work, so anything we're subscribed to is a game that we play out of enjoyment. In some cases, playing the game is something that we did before working here that ties in nicely with work. In other cases, the game becomes very much a piece of research. I enjoy Final Fantasy XIV, but I clock in extra time to try and suss out exactly how the game works as well as for personal enjoyment.
Krystalle asked: Does Eliot randomly say "kupo"?
Nothing random about it.
Mike (again) asked: What puts [working at Massively] above other jobs you've had?
Since we work in a virtual office rather than a physical one, this is one of the few jobs in which you can spend your entire workday not wearing pants without ever mentioning it to anyone.
Really, pretty much all of us enjoy both writing and gaming, and having a job that combines both of these aspects is a dream come true for many of us. Plus we get to meet fans, host events, find out exclusive information on the games that we love, and help keep people entertained. And seeing as most of us wouldn't mind eventually working in the industry, well, our turnaround rate isn't that bad.
Steph asked: You're only three years old and already you're leagues better than that certain other MMO site. Perhaps you could give some tips to your ailing comrades?
There are other MMO sites? Man, we thought we had an original angle here. Well, next week, we're going to move over to talking about textile manufacturing and livestock.
Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!
