EQ2_Bloggers
02-18-2011, 03:02 AM
http://www.station.sony.com/images/community/features/employee_spotlight.jpg
2011 has arrived and with that we would like to highlight more of the many diverse employees here at SOE! You’ve met the Community team on the forums and at Fan Faire. But what about our fine folks in Finance, Human Resources, Development, Legal, Quality Assurance, Office Operations, Public Relations, Administrative Assistants, Marketing just to name a few, we have people from all walks of life here at SOE.
The Community team would like to introduce you to those people in a monthly feature titled, “SOE Employee Spotlight.” Each month our spotlighted employee will also appear in some fashion on the Official SOE Podcast. This month you will meet Michael Walters from the Quality Assurance Department. Take a moment to find out about what a typical day in the office is like for them, what their favorite SOE game is, and other fun tidbits. As a special bonus, we learned where their favorite location in-game is and included a screenshot for you to download!
Question: Tell us about yourself!* What’s your name and what do you do here at SOE?
How long have you been working at SOE?
Answer: My name is Michael Walters and I am a Quality Assurance Tester for SOE-Austin. I have been working for SOE for 11 months. Next month, I will be able to say I have worked for SOE for a full year!
Question: How did you get into the industry?
Answer: I was working at an airport when I saw a job posting for a “Game Tester Position”. I sent my resume in thinking that they would have received hundreds of applications, so there was no chance I would get it. Two weeks later, I got a phone call asking me to come into an interview! After the interview was over, I was offered my first job as a Quality Assurance Tester on Rock Band 2. And thus the journey began…
Question: Tell us what a typical workday is like for you.
Answer: A typical workday consists of morning discussions about current tasks, download patches and regress bugs that are marked Fixed – Awaiting Verification, a few cups of coffee, and either granola bars or pop tarts. Rinse and repeat for the five projects my team is responsible for testing on a daily basis.
Question: Let’s talk Favorites… What is your SOE game title? What is your favorite location, favorite thing about that game? Do you have a favorite memory or moment from that particular game?
Answer: My favorite zone/location is easily Gotham City’s Robinson Park. The pillars of floating rocks and boulders that are suspended in mid-air along with the entire environmental atmosphere really immerses you in that feeling that all hell has broken loose! The demons walking around, the fire and brimstone rising from the earth’s surface, the ruins of the park from the demonic invasion… all of this adds to an incredible experience that feels authentic and makes you believe that there are unearthly events taking place and it is your duty to Gotham to join the fight to save the city!
The art style in DC Universe Online is absolutely one of my favorite parts of the game! The gameplay is wonderful, the combat system is intensely fun, but the world in which my character lives in has never been brought to life in such accurate detail. Gotham City looks like it was, literally, ripped off the pages of the comic books and pasted on my screen. Exploring Metropolis can be an overwhelming experience because you never know what iconic figure or building you may see next! I’ve been playing DC Universe Online since Beta, yet I am still discovering new places that I have never been to!
My favorite moment/memory of the game was during one of the higher level instances where Batman and Robin, Joker and Harley, and You… stuck right in the middle of one of the most epic battles to ever be told in comic book history! It felt as though my childhood dreams of jumping off the couch with a towel tied around my neck for a cape while fighting along side Batman and Robin to stop the Joker from taking over Gotham! It is a memory I will not soon forget.
Question: If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
Answer: Although I feel there are so many I wish I could be, if I had to choose one it would be Batman. Through the death of his parents, the pressures of his family legacy, and the horrors of the past that plague his nightmares… Batman took the negative that surrounded his life and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that others do not have to go through those terrible experiences. I feel that he is one of the most complex Heroes that has ever graced a comic book.
Question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Answer: I’m deathly afraid of the learning process that all super heroes and villains go through, so things like Flying are out of the option. Knowing my luck, I would fly into a building or crash on the landing. *laugh* If I had to pick a superpower though, It would probably be the power of Teleportation. Being able to think of a destination and then teleport instantly there would be insanely useful and fun. Let’s just hope if I do develop those superpowers that I do not teleport inside of a wall or something. *laugh*
Question: Let’s get Real! Hobbies? What’s last book you read? Last movie you saw? What do you do to unwind after a busy day?
Answer: I have an immense passion for writing. I write mostly Fantasy, Science Fiction, Epic struggles between good and evil. One of my dreams is to have a book series published or to help create the storyline of a game.
The last book I read was “Wizards First Rule” by Terry Goodkind. Those books are an amazing series that I have grown quite fond of.
The last movie I saw was “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows”. It was a wonderful film that I would highly recommend.
At the end of the day, I enjoy flying around in DC Universe Online, fighting in Super Street Fighter 4, feeling the rush of the battlefield in Bad Company 2… and sometimes, just curling up on the couch with pen and paper. In life, sometimes it’s the simple things that make everything worth it
Enjoy this screenshot from DC Universe Online in Gotham City’s Robinson Park, Michael’s Favorite Locations!
http://www.station.sony.com/images/community/employee_spotlights/feb2011/feb11.JPG
We hoped you enjoyed meeting Michael and will take a listen to Podcast #104 where Michael will be featured Return next month for another SOE Employee Spotlight.
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Visit StationBlog (http://stationblog.wordpress.com/)
2011 has arrived and with that we would like to highlight more of the many diverse employees here at SOE! You’ve met the Community team on the forums and at Fan Faire. But what about our fine folks in Finance, Human Resources, Development, Legal, Quality Assurance, Office Operations, Public Relations, Administrative Assistants, Marketing just to name a few, we have people from all walks of life here at SOE.
The Community team would like to introduce you to those people in a monthly feature titled, “SOE Employee Spotlight.” Each month our spotlighted employee will also appear in some fashion on the Official SOE Podcast. This month you will meet Michael Walters from the Quality Assurance Department. Take a moment to find out about what a typical day in the office is like for them, what their favorite SOE game is, and other fun tidbits. As a special bonus, we learned where their favorite location in-game is and included a screenshot for you to download!
Question: Tell us about yourself!* What’s your name and what do you do here at SOE?
How long have you been working at SOE?
Answer: My name is Michael Walters and I am a Quality Assurance Tester for SOE-Austin. I have been working for SOE for 11 months. Next month, I will be able to say I have worked for SOE for a full year!
Question: How did you get into the industry?
Answer: I was working at an airport when I saw a job posting for a “Game Tester Position”. I sent my resume in thinking that they would have received hundreds of applications, so there was no chance I would get it. Two weeks later, I got a phone call asking me to come into an interview! After the interview was over, I was offered my first job as a Quality Assurance Tester on Rock Band 2. And thus the journey began…
Question: Tell us what a typical workday is like for you.
Answer: A typical workday consists of morning discussions about current tasks, download patches and regress bugs that are marked Fixed – Awaiting Verification, a few cups of coffee, and either granola bars or pop tarts. Rinse and repeat for the five projects my team is responsible for testing on a daily basis.
Question: Let’s talk Favorites… What is your SOE game title? What is your favorite location, favorite thing about that game? Do you have a favorite memory or moment from that particular game?
Answer: My favorite zone/location is easily Gotham City’s Robinson Park. The pillars of floating rocks and boulders that are suspended in mid-air along with the entire environmental atmosphere really immerses you in that feeling that all hell has broken loose! The demons walking around, the fire and brimstone rising from the earth’s surface, the ruins of the park from the demonic invasion… all of this adds to an incredible experience that feels authentic and makes you believe that there are unearthly events taking place and it is your duty to Gotham to join the fight to save the city!
The art style in DC Universe Online is absolutely one of my favorite parts of the game! The gameplay is wonderful, the combat system is intensely fun, but the world in which my character lives in has never been brought to life in such accurate detail. Gotham City looks like it was, literally, ripped off the pages of the comic books and pasted on my screen. Exploring Metropolis can be an overwhelming experience because you never know what iconic figure or building you may see next! I’ve been playing DC Universe Online since Beta, yet I am still discovering new places that I have never been to!
My favorite moment/memory of the game was during one of the higher level instances where Batman and Robin, Joker and Harley, and You… stuck right in the middle of one of the most epic battles to ever be told in comic book history! It felt as though my childhood dreams of jumping off the couch with a towel tied around my neck for a cape while fighting along side Batman and Robin to stop the Joker from taking over Gotham! It is a memory I will not soon forget.
Question: If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
Answer: Although I feel there are so many I wish I could be, if I had to choose one it would be Batman. Through the death of his parents, the pressures of his family legacy, and the horrors of the past that plague his nightmares… Batman took the negative that surrounded his life and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that others do not have to go through those terrible experiences. I feel that he is one of the most complex Heroes that has ever graced a comic book.
Question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Answer: I’m deathly afraid of the learning process that all super heroes and villains go through, so things like Flying are out of the option. Knowing my luck, I would fly into a building or crash on the landing. *laugh* If I had to pick a superpower though, It would probably be the power of Teleportation. Being able to think of a destination and then teleport instantly there would be insanely useful and fun. Let’s just hope if I do develop those superpowers that I do not teleport inside of a wall or something. *laugh*
Question: Let’s get Real! Hobbies? What’s last book you read? Last movie you saw? What do you do to unwind after a busy day?
Answer: I have an immense passion for writing. I write mostly Fantasy, Science Fiction, Epic struggles between good and evil. One of my dreams is to have a book series published or to help create the storyline of a game.
The last book I read was “Wizards First Rule” by Terry Goodkind. Those books are an amazing series that I have grown quite fond of.
The last movie I saw was “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows”. It was a wonderful film that I would highly recommend.
At the end of the day, I enjoy flying around in DC Universe Online, fighting in Super Street Fighter 4, feeling the rush of the battlefield in Bad Company 2… and sometimes, just curling up on the couch with pen and paper. In life, sometimes it’s the simple things that make everything worth it
Enjoy this screenshot from DC Universe Online in Gotham City’s Robinson Park, Michael’s Favorite Locations!
http://www.station.sony.com/images/community/employee_spotlights/feb2011/feb11.JPG
We hoped you enjoyed meeting Michael and will take a listen to Podcast #104 where Michael will be featured Return next month for another SOE Employee Spotlight.
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Author:
Visit This Blog Page... (http://stationblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/soe-employee-spotlight-february/)
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