What is it you do on a daily basis?
My title is "Senior Director, Operations," and as the title implies, I am the executive responsible for maintaining studio operations at Mythic. For the most part this means I am responsible for overseeing the departments that support the day-to-day operations of our studio (like studio IT, datacenter IT, and facilities) as well as cross-product engineering teams that build and support the studio's low-level technical infrastructure and platform (accounts & billing, web services, metrics, customer tools, etc.) I also work a lot with the legal and financial processes of the studio. So, I don't get to get my hands dirty on the code any more, but I am able to provide mentorship and direction to those who do.
What is your background? Where did you go to college and what did you study? Has it helped you with this job?
I've always loved computers and games, but didn't have my own computer until I was in high school (I worked and saved to buy a computer instead of a car.) As a kid, I occupied myself for hours hanging out in the computer lab of my father's college, or on the computer at school when we finally got one. I am a self-taught programmer, and I learned programming so I could write games for myself (and my friends & teachers) for fun. Early on I told myself I never wanted a career with computers since I didn't want to spoil my hobby. As such, in college my plan was to become a corporate attorney. Luckily, before I lost myself down that dark path, I eventually determined that being a lawyer was nowhere near as fun as making games, so I changed my mind and decided to embrace computers (and games) as a career. My college experience (and desire to eat on a regular basis) helped focus my priorities, but didn't really contribute directly to what I ended up doing in my career.
What other titles have you worked on in the past? In what capacity?
I've been working professionally in the online game industry for 21 years now (and several years independently for fun before that), and have worn nearly every hat in the game industry (many of them simultaneously, especially in the early days), including: software engineer, game designer, content developer, writer, technical support, community liaison, desktop support, system administrator, network engineer, auditor, manager, producer, and executive. My first game "title" was "Wizard's Workbench" which was a level and character editing tool for Wizardry I back on the Apple II platform, developed by a friend and I, and sold by mail order back in the early 80's. Since then, I have accumulated over 30 professional game titles to my credit (7 of which are MMO's or expansions, and almost all have some kind of online component). Of course, as one of Mythic's founders, I've also worked on just about every project at this studio. I've also contributed as a writer and/or consultant on a number of pen & paper RPG's over the years as well.
What was your "welcome to the game industry" moment when it hit you that you were really making games for a living?
I make games for a living? Cool! Seriously though, as a veteran of the 8-bit game wars, I've been living this lifestyle for so long, I'm not sure that I can really think that far back. I'd have to say it was probably the first time someone asked me about what it takes to make a game, and how can they do it too? That or the first time I saw my name on the credits of a game. :)
What excites you about the Warhammer property? What makes it perfect for an MMO?
It's got a great balance of humor and seriousness, and a compelling and detailed world that engages people right away. Given Mythic's prior track record with player-conflict focused games, the Warhammer universe was a perfect fit.
Now that WAR has launched, what aspect of the whole experience are you most proud of?
Our commercial launch was near-perfect. It was on schedule, smooth, and without major incident. For a major MMO, that is always an accomplishment. I am unbelievably proud of all the people on my team and in the studio who sacrificed so much to make the game and studio a success!
Do you collect Warhammer figures? What army do you play?
I didn't play Warhammer fantasy, but I did play Warhammer 40K (Eldar) for a while. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to play enough to get too crazy with collecting figures (which is good since I'm somewhat impulsive about collections), so I have a pretty basic army.
What are your hopes/goals for the game?
I hope the game continues to be fun, exciting, and compelling for years to come. We have great material in the Warhammer property, and leveraged properly, we can build a fantastic world which will continue to evolve and provide entertainment for people all over the world.
What are your key influences when making the game? Anything besides Warhammer?
I am an old school gamer (I still play pen & paper RPGs, tabletop miniatures, and board games, as well as console & PC games) and have several large bookshelves dedicated to my collection of game materials going back 25+ years. Beyond that, I am still pretty active with following new games, and look at (if not play) almost every new game that comes out, especially if it is an MMO game. All of those distractions provide experiences that subtly influence what I like to see in games I play or work on.
What is the biggest problem with current MMOs you hope to fix with WAR?
That is a hard question, as there are things I like and don't like about the current MMO's. I'd have to say that most are too similar, too mechanical, and not immersive enough. I'd really like to see WAR continue to evolve the genre, break out of the traditional repetition of play and help people feel more involved in the world ... being an active participant in game history rather than an observer, and breathing life back into the play experience, like it was back in the days when this was all brand new.
What are your favorite video/computer games of all time? What games are you playing right now? What game should the reader be playing if he's not?
I have a lot of favorite games ... though my favorite computer game of all time is probably Planescape: Torment. Followed closely by: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (I), the Civilization series, and EverQuest (I). Other than WAR, right now I'm also playing Fallout 3, Fable II, and occasionally WoW. Anyone who isn't playing WAR right now should stop reading this boring bio and get in there and play! :)
What music are you listening to right now?
I have an extensive music collection, which pretty much runs the gamut of everything from classical to industrial. On my iPod "most played" playlist right now I have ... Imogen Heap, Avril Lavigne, Sarah Brightman, Linkin Park, The Pussycat Dolls, Evanescence, Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Gwen Stefani, Akon, Pink, Timbaland, Sara Bareilles, Rob Zombie, and Marié Digby to name a random 15 in no particular order.
Is there a recent movie you've seen or book/comic you read that you'd recommend to others?
I really enjoyed The Dark Knight and WALL-E, though City of Ember wasn't too bad in terms of more recent films. I can't think of any other recent movies or books that excited me too much.
