Chat Log from Creative Series With @matt_sturges

Cuppycake: Matt Sturges is our guest today, he is a comic book author with many comics under his belt :)
Cuppycake: You might be familiar with a couple of them, such as the Jack of Fables series and the House of Mystery series.
vraxoin: And hopefully blissfully unfamiliar with some of the others....
Cuppycake: Matt, how long have you been writing comics?
vraxoin: I had my first comic published in 2006, which was Jack of Fables.
vraxoin: I'd been pitching to Vertigo comics for years before that, though.
Cuppycake: And there it is!
vraxoin: And I'd been writing tons of unpublished prose prior to that.
vraxoin: Including the first version of Midwinter, which is over there.
Cuppycake: Great!
Cuppycake: So, can you tell people what all the author of the comic book DOES? For example, what is the process?
vraxoin: Sure
Cuppycake: (I ask this because when I told my boyfriend we had a comic book author, he assumed you were the artist too)
vraxoin: It's much like writing a movie or television script, in that you're writing for a very small audience, which is the artist(s) and editor.
vraxoin: The scripts are broken down into pages and panels; essentially you're giving an artist a blueprint for what you want them to draw.
vraxoin: The artist acts as a sort of cinematographer, picking the shots, the angles, that sort of thing.
vraxoin: It's very much a collaboration in that respect.
Cuppycake: That's neat. :)
vraxoin: It IS neat.
Cuppycake: How do you go about picking the artist to illustrate your comic?
vraxoin: Typically in mainstream comics the artist is picked for you by your editors.
vraxoin: I'm very lucky though, because in House of Mystery .. hop over there cuppycake...I get some latitude to request artists and sometimes even get the ones I ask for,
vraxoin: In House of Mystery there's a short story each month that's self-contained and illustrated by a different guest artist each month.
Cuppycake: I liked those parts, are those mostly the "stories" that are being told in the bar?
vraxoin: But I've been very lucky in that I've gotten to work with some really spectacular artists.
vraxoin: Yes, all the stories that are told in the bar are the "inset" stories, we call them.
Cuppycake: Got it
vraxoin: But it's not alway ssomeone standing in the bar talking, because that would get old pretty fast, so we try to mix it up and do different things with them from month to month.
Cuppycake: We have a question from the audience :)
vraxoin: shoot
FatherAzerun: Hey matt, Bill jahnel -- thanks for inviting through facebook. What has been the most sensitive issue you felt you haev dealt with through comics, and which issue have you been most proud of handling?
vraxoin: Good question.
vraxoin: I think they're both the same story, which is "Maidenhead" from House of Mystery, drawn by Gilbert Hernandez. I think it's in issue 14.
vraxoin: That was a very oblique stab at cultural misunderstanding and oppression, sort of an Israel Palestine thing, but with werewolves, in an alternate history.
vraxoin: It was more about the loss of innocence, and how difficult it is to come back from.
vraxoin: Hi Bill, btw
Cuppycake: Wow. I haven't gotten that far yet. I'll be getting to that one soon :)
vraxoin: But Gilbert did a fantastic job with it -- it's one of my favorites.
vraxoin: And plus also he's a comic book legend.
Relay: Matt for me comics are comical so you can get at the really important stuff without having to confront it- - is it the same for you or what is your motivation to use comics?
vraxoin: To comic book people, comics are simply another medium.
vraxoin: You can tell any kind of story, from the silly to the serious, sacred, profane, sublime to ridiculous.
vraxoin: Comics does certain things very well.
vraxoin: Just as every medium does.
vraxoin: It's the marriage of words and pictures that makes it unique.
vraxoin: You can read the words at your own pace and participate in how those words are interpreted, as in a novel. So basically you're "performing" that part.
vraxoin: And when you're processing the images, your mind fills in the space between them, what Scott McCloud (comics guru) refers to as "closure."
Cuppycake: I actually sometimes find it difficult while reading to jump back and forth between the imagery and the text. Are there techniques used to marry the two together well to keep the reader engaged?
vraxoin: It's a skill that comics readers develop naturally -- it just takes a little while to get used to.
vraxoin: I didn't star treading comics until I was in college, so it was very odd for me at first. A little off-putting.
Cuppycake: I think I just need to read more :)
vraxoin: It was the same the first time I read manga -- translated Japanes manga reads right to left, both in the pages (you start at the back) and in the panels.
vraxoin: Everyone needs to read more comics.
vraxoin: Did that answer your question, Relay?
Cuppycake: He can't talk out here, but I'm sure it did :)
vraxoin: ok
FatherAzerun: Matt, in teh Fables Universe and other titles, one of their great strengths is teh ability to re-examine world mythos -- form incarnations of the Devil to Jack Frost. . . are there any particular world Myths you have not have a chance to tackle (say teh 7 Chinese Immortals) that you are hoping to in
Cuppycake: It was cut off
Cuppycake: But I think we can guess what he was going to say :)
vraxoin: The Fables universe is a very big one, in that it allows us (Bill Willingham mostly, but me in Jack of Fables) to appropriate from any mythology or folk tradition.
vraxoin: Which is fun
vraxoin: There are particular things we toss about from time to time. For a while we were having fun fooling around with these embodiments of literary ideas...
vraxoin: The Pathetic Fallacy, Dex the Deus ex machina, that kind of stuff, but now Jack of Fables has taken a new turn, which is that we're playing with wholly invented mythoses.
vraxoin: Mythoses? I don't think that's a word.
Cuppycake: LOL
Raph: Mythoi!
vraxoin: But there's always stuff out that we want to look into. The chinese and japanese folk traditions are ones that haven't been touched, nor have we really looked at India.
vraxoin: We try to stay away from religious things, and things that have been done to death by others, but that leaves a wide swatch of world culture to steal from.
Cuppycake: Endless possibilities, definitely.
Cuppycake: (Question from Kitty) Question for Matt: The original HoM is my all-time fav comic - I love the horror anthology format with the creepy narrator Cain. I enjoy the new format as well with the back story but would love to see a little more of the original vignettes - your perspective?
vraxoin: Lots of people ask us for more anthology-type issues, like the one we did for issue 13, and like the Halloween Annual, which comes out tomorrow (at a comic book shopt near you).
vraxoin: We love doing them, but apparently over the long haul they don't sell very well.
Cuppycake: Any ideas why?
vraxoin: And I like Fig & Co. so I'm happy to include their adventures.
vraxoin: I think primarily it's that comic book readers like continuity, and they like the creators that they like. It's hard to get a reader to keep coming back to a book month to month knowing that it's going to be something completely different each time.
vraxoin: But I certainly do love doing those short stories.
vraxoin: It's really the highlight of my career, currently.
Cuppycake: Thanks :)
mamarama: vraxoin - how do you juggle so many projects at once?
vraxoin: I work a lot.
vraxoin: A really lot.
vraxoin: I should be working right now in fact.
vraxoin: And I type really fast.
Cuppycake: Hahaha
vraxoin: I'm one of those people that can't sit still.
vraxoin: I have to be constantly working.
vraxoin: The money helps.
Cuppycake: :)
Raph: You are working, it's just marketing instead. ;)
Cuppycake: That's right!
vraxoin: Exactly!
vraxoin: I'm not so much with the business sense.
Cuppycake: Do you generally write everything out on pen and paper the old fashioned way, or use the computer? And any particular software you prefer for writing?
vraxoin: I have no use for pens.
vraxoin: Like I said, I type really fast, so much faster than I can write longhand.
vraxoin: And my handwriting is utterly illegible.
Cuppycake: You do type fast! We're going to go through more questions than most guests!
vraxoin: Recently I started using a program for the Mac called Scrivener, which is a wonderful, wonderful program for writers.
vraxoin: I write all of my comics scripts on it, and I'm doing a novel on it as well.
Cuppycake: Oh yes.
vraxoin: Highly recommended.
Cuppycake: I'm a Scrivener fan too, I hoped that's what you were going to say ;)
vraxoin: I used to do everything in MS Word, but this is so much better.
vraxoin: If you've never used Scrivener, it's very good at helping you organize information and flow the chunks of your work.
vraxoin: It's kind of a dream tool for writers, in that it lets you outline as you create; it all kind of becomes a single process.
vraxoin: I don't write outlines anyore.
vraxoin: Anymore
vraxoin: Anyore is Eeyore's cousin, I think.
Cuppycake: LOL
NeilsWonkers: I'm curious if there's a different process between Matt's prose work and his comics - like, does he read different kinds of stuff, is it a different mindset, is there a common font or muse
vraxoin: Yes, it's a very different mindset.
vraxoin: Let me see if I can work out how to describe it.
vraxoin: One thing about comics that's both a blessing and a curse is that it's very rigorously structured.
vraxoin: A standard monthly comic has 22 pages, no more, no fewer. So you have to make your story (or portion of story, since most comic stories span multiple issues) fit into that space.
vraxoin: And you're very pressed for space wordwise
vraxoin: Becuase if you have two people sitting there talking for ten pages, your readers are going to feel pretty ripped off.
Cuppycake: I didn't know that
Cuppycake: 22 pages exactly, that's interesting
vraxoin: Why do it as a comic if it's just people sitting around talking?
vraxoin: Yup. Sometimes I can get an extra page, but I always have to pay it back in another issue!
vraxoin: In a novel, on the other hand...
vraxoin: you have all the room you want.
vraxoin: Sitting down to write the new novel (which is a sequel to Midwinter over there), I had to constantly remind myself that it was okay for people to stand around talking.
vraxoin: This is what happens in novels -- people have conversations.
vraxoin: In comics you have to kind of get in and get out, stick to just the really important parts. But in prose you have a lot more leeway.
vraxoin: The downside of prose, however...
vraxoin: is that you have to describe everything yourself. You don't have an artist to make everything look pretty for you, so you have to describe your world to the reader, not just do the fun part, which is the dialog.
vraxoin: That's the main difference.
vraxoin: As far as storytelling goes, though, it's mostly the same. A story is a story.
Cuppycake: That makes sense. I'm impressed you can jump back and forth to both :)
vraxoin: There's definitely a switching cost involved.
vraxoin: If I've been writing comics all day, it's very very difficult to go into novel mode.
vraxoin, private:  done, btw
Relay: What inspires you?
vraxoin: I have no idea.
Cuppycake: ROFL
vraxoin: That sounds flip, but I honestly have no good answer.
Cuppycake: Do you read a ton of comics?
Cuppycake: Watch a lot of movies?
vraxoin: There's this great quote from Albert Einstein that goes, "What I do is, I struggle."
vraxoin: That's kind of how I do it. I grope.
vraxoin: Maybe that's what he said. "Grope." Although that sounds kind of dirty.
Cuppycake: LOL
vraxoin: I watch tons and tons of television and movies -- not haphazardly, though. There are lots of great things from England, and HBO stuff and such.
vraxoin: For TV.
vraxoin: I watch everything on DVD or Netflix now.
vraxoin: And I watch all the standard geek fare as well.
Cuppycake: Of course :)
vraxoin: I do read a lot of comics, although lately not so much because otherwise my life is just comics comics comics
Cuppycake: I can understand that.
vraxoin: And my wife doesn't read comics, so sometimes I have to venture out into the real world in order to have actual experiences.
Cuppycake: Hahaha
vraxoin: but to answer the inspiration question, there are a few things...
vraxoin: One thing is when you're working on a project, read and watch everything you can get your hands on that's sort of like that thing.
vraxoin: You can learn a ton from seeing what other people have done. You can learn what mistakes not to make, see what works, and you also make sure that you're not doing something that's already been done better.
vraxoin: And then also read and watch things that are nothing whatsoever like that.
vraxoin: If you're writing an sf novel, read Dickens.
vraxoin: If you're writing a fantasy story, read a history of WWII.
vraxoin: It's those random connections that you find doing that that can really spark things.
vraxoin, private:  done
Cuppycake: Here's a question from Raph
vraxoin: I've totally leveled up since this conversation started, btw.
Cuppycake: You’re also doing more mainstream comics these days, with stuff in the superhero DC universe (JLA, BLUE BEETLE). Do you prefer superhero stuff, or the more Vertigo-like stuff, and why?
vraxoin: I'm such an entertainment %%%!% that it's honestly all the same to me.
Raph: haha
vraxoin: That was a word that rhymes with "more" btw
Cuppycake: hahaha
vraxoin: Seriously, I like everything, so it's more like I get different things from different types of projects.
vraxoin: It's fun to write superhero comics because they're so operatic and stuff blows up and people hit people and there's like aliens and %!!!.
Cuppycake: (does that rhyme with hit?)
vraxoin: But then I also have the opportunity to write things that are more nuanced, that have a little more poetry or sensibility to them. I'm very very lucky as a comic book writer to have that kind of latitude.
vraxoin: Cuppycake: yes
Cuppycake: I bet jumping from genre to genre keeps the work from feeling stale or tiresome.
vraxoin: It definitely keeps my brain from being able to rest.
Cuppycake: Comics seem to be becoming just a factory for movies. Where do you see the business of comics and comics readership going?
vraxoin: But again, it all kind of melts together in my head alot of the tie.
vraxoin: Comics and movies, yeah.
vraxoin: I think it's a trend in the industry that grew out of a couple of different convergent factors.
vraxoin: I don't know that it's a trend that's here to stay, but it's very tempting for lots of comic book creators to jump on that train with their creator-owned material right now.
vraxoin: It happens a lot, and it seems like a lot of them get made, too.
vraxoin: My guess is that the comic provides a visual storyboard that's easy to get into and get out of, comics tend to be pretty cinematic in their conception.
Cuppycake: For sure, which of your series' would you most like to see as a movie?
vraxoin: And most comic creators are pop culture savants, so they kind of know what the pulse of the culture is.
Cuppycake: (or novels, for that matter)
vraxoin: None of my comic book series, because I don't own any of them :0
vraxoin: I think Midwinter would make a pretty good movie, though.
Cuppycake: Can you explain the ownership issue actually?
vraxoin: If you read it, think Gerard Butler in the protagonist's role.
vraxoin: Sure.
Cuppycake: For those of us (like me) who don't understand that.
vraxoin: A book like Fables is creator-owned. Bill Willingham, who writes it, own the concept.
vraxoin: So if it gets sold, he's the one that gets the money.
vraxoin: House of Mystery is owned by DC. So if someone were to make a movie out of it, I wouldn't get a dime.
vraxoin: It's a house-owned property, like Superman or Batman.
Cuppycake: Got it.
Cuppycake: So did Willingham come to you about writing for his series?
vraxoin: Yes.
vraxoin: We'd been in a writing group together called Clockwork Storybook...
vraxoin: which also included novelist Chris Roberson, and Robert E. Howard biographer Mark Finn.
vraxoin: We'd read and critiqued each others' work for years. So when he needed a writing partner for Jack of Fables, he already kind of knew what he was getting into with me.
vraxoin: I'd been pitching creator-owned books to DC for several years, and gotten very close to getting something going, but that was the first one.
Cuppycake: Thanks for the clarification :)
Cuppycake: Another question from the audience
ina: what advice would you have on writing sff short stories?
vraxoin: I'd advise you to go out and buy Orson Scott Card's two books: Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction and Character and Viewpoint.
vraxoin: Those are two excellent books that tell you really all of the stuff you can't learn from just sitting down and reading and writing lots of short stories, which is pretty much the only real way to do it.
vraxoin: Read a lot, write a lot. That's pretty much my advice.
Cuppycake: Awesome :)
Cuppycake: One quick last question from me - have you participated in NaNoWriMo? Are you planning to this year? :)
Cuppycake: (National Novel Writing Month)
vraxoin: I'm about 95,000 words into a 120,000 word novel that's due at the end of the month, so to say that I have no interest whatsoever in NaNoWriMo would a massive understatement. :-)
Cuppycake: Hahaha
vraxoin: I don't even want to HEAR the word novel until the new year.
Cuppycake: Got it
Cuppycake: One last really quick one from Relay, because I think it's a good one :)
vraxoin: ok
Cuppycake: If someone wanted to read something of yours, who hasn't before...what novel or comic should they start with?
vraxoin: Good question.
vraxoin: For the prose stuff, definitely start with Midwinter. Kind of a no-brainer since it's my only published novel.
vraxoin: For comics, if you're not into comics, try House of Mystery or Jack of Fables.
vraxoin: Superhero comics are lots of fun, but they in some ways serve the same function as soap operas.
vraxoin: So if you come in in the middle it's easy to feel totally lost.
vraxoin: There's decades and decades of history there that can make them difficult to navigate.
Cuppycake: That's my problem, I usually feel overwhelmed.
vraxoin: Of course mine aren't like that at all. I am the exception to that rule so you should go buy all of my comics.
Cuppycake: I actually found House of Mystery really easy to get into, and I'm a comics newbie.
vraxoin: (I am not the exception to that rule.)
Cuppycake: lol
vraxoin: Thanks!
vraxoin: That was definitely one of the intents behind the book.
Chat moderation has been turned off in this area. Everyone may now chat normally.
vraxoin: Fables (of which Jack of Fables is a spinoff) is an extremely accessible book for new readers, and one that I'd recommend to anyone who wants to try comics.
vraxoin: Is that it?
Cuppycake: Alrighty!
Relay: Excellent tahnks!
FatherAzerun: Thank you Matt, and continued success to you.
vraxoin: welcome.
vraxoin: Thanks.
NeilsWonkers: Thanks very much Matt.
Cuppycake: its 3pm so we'll call it :) Thank you very much Matt for coming and chatting with us.
RobH: Thanks!
vraxoin: You can follow me on twitter: matt_sturges, if you want.
Cuppycake: Raph had to AFK, but he wanted me to thank you specifically :)
Relay: Brill Vrax true inspiraton
vraxoin: My pleasure.
Cuppycake: Good luck with your novel!

Halloween in Metaplace - The Essential Guide!

The best part about holidays is the Metaplace worlds that start popping up in preparation of the day.  This year, we have plenty to look at to get you in the Halloween spirit.  From events, worlds, and modules - October is time for spooky celebrations and haunted mysteries.  Let's take a peek at some of the Halloween themed worlds and events!

Worlds:

Catacombs by Ferall

Ferall has been working hard on this creepy Catacombs world.  While it isn't necessarily just for Halloween, we thought it was creepy enough to include here!  MacZ has also helped contribute some of the art assets to this world.

Hematite's World

Hematite created a very beautiful environment here, complete with a dark spooky walkway to find the Golden Egg.  If you click on the treehouse, you can go inside to discover the Golden Egg.  A lot of attention to detail went into this world, and it is truly gorgeous and worth a peek.

HalloweenTown by Katerri

A scary themed Halloween village with creepy buildings, spiders, monsters, and a great ambiance.  Make sure you check this world out!

Trick or Treat by Legend

One of the most interactive Halloween worlds this season, Legend has put a ton of effort into this world.  Click on various houses to ring the doorbell.  Each time, you'll receive either a treat or a trick!  A lot of fun and quite humorous as well.

Steamed by lostbetween

Steamed was actually an entry for a Cafe world contest held earlier this year, however it has such a great Halloween spooky vibe that we thought it needed to be included here!  A perfect place for a dance and a dinner and a haunted good time!

Whitechapel 1888 by zanygal

Whitechapel1888 is a murder adventure game that was created by zanygal earlier in the year.  Solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper, before he gets YOU next.

Baddies by MacZ

Avoid the scary monsters and the fire in this creepy world with familiar villians and a frightening atmosphere.  This was a submission for the Duality Duos contest held a few months ago, and a great one at that!

Pumpkin by Xuemei

One of the more artistic creations on Metaplace, Xuemei's unique art style is always recognizable.  A beautiful work of Halloween themed inspiration, don't miss this world.

Modules for your World:

Shock Pop-Up by Chooseareality - This is a neat module that lets you attach a behavior to an object, causing an image and a sound to come up when stepped on.  Great for trying to scare people in your Halloween world.

Halloween Pumpkin Patch by Raph - Place this object in your world and it spawns terrifying pumpkin meeps that will try to eat any other meeps in your world!

Pumpkins by Truffle - Truffle has made a series of Jack-O-Lanterns with two different directions.  The other two are here and here.

Fire Pack by jme - These fires are great for environment fire or fireballs.

Also, make sure to search for "dungeon" in the Marketplace.  We released a whole set of dungeon art for your world quite some time ago, and now is a perfect time to theme your world up! 

Halloween Events:

Halloween Bash: MacZ is holding an all day Halloween party from 12noon Pacific Time until 7:00pm.  Featuring a haunted house and a costume contest.  Come dressed in a costume!

Haunted House Grand Opening: Mario is debuting his haunted house world at 8:00pm Pacific!

Xuemei's party: Xuemei is having a campfire scary story telling time starting at 3:00pm Pacific Time in her Pumpkin world!

*~*~*

Did we miss something?  Post here in the comments and let everyone know about it.   There are tons of spooktacular worlds to visit in Metaplace this Halloween, so make sure you don't stop with my suggestions.  Browse around and you'll be surprised (and scared!) at what you find.

Brand new roadmap features paid currency and voice/video chat!

At Metaplace, we semi-regularly post development roadmaps.  We like to do this because it gives the community a glimpse into what we're working on and lets everyone provide feedback and get talking.  Plus, I don't like keeping secrets from everyone!  Roadmap time is always fun.

This roadmap is one that I'm particularly excited about.  We're going to be releasing integrated voice and video chat into Metaplace!  This will be really neat because having voice chat enables many more events, such as live performances and discussions without the need to type constantly.  It's also exciting that we've been in Open Beta for months now, and have learned SO MUCH from our community.  We're planning all sorts of great tweaks and fixes based on what the Metaplace beta testers have been telling us throughout the last few months.  Things like revisions to our play embed experience, new user starter experience, and Metaplace Central - our fun hangout place.

Another huge announcement in the roadmap is that within the next 4-8 weeks we plan to launch a separate and paid currency.  We'll be talking more about these plans in the future and will be holding discussion events to talk about the developments with this particular project.  Content creators rejoice, because within the next 6 months we plan to let you cash out of that currency.  Start making your creations on the Marketplace, because soon you'll be able to earn cash for them!

We'd love to know what you think.  Read the full roadmap and then post there or here and let us know :)

- Cuppycake

Chat Log from today's Q&A session with Margaret Wallace

Today we chatted with Margaret Wallace, CEO of Rebel Monkey and Founder of Playmatics.

Named by Next Generation as one of the Game Industry’s 100 Most Influential Women in 2006, Margaret Wallace is an entrepreneur and video game professional. She is most recently a founder of Playmatics in New York City, New York. Since 2007, Margaret has been CEO of Rebel Monkey, a company focused on creating a massive free-to-play online game and platform. Prior to forming Rebel Monkey, Margaret was CEO of Skunk Studios, one of the first-ever casual game companies, based in San Francisco, California. Margaret has also designed and contributed to scores of online games and “creativity” applications while at Shockwave.com and at several other prominent companies during her 12-year career.

Cuppycake: Margaret Wallace has generously decided to come chat with everyone here :)
MargaretW: Hey everyone.
Cuppycake: She is a casual games industry veteran who has been doing this sort of thing for a long time now.
Cuppycake: She was even chosen as one of the top 100 influential women in the game industry!
Cuppycake: Which is an awesome achievement :)
MargaretW: *blush*
MargaretW: lol
MargaretW: thanks so much - i've been in games for 12 or 13 years
MargaretW: lost count
Cuppycake: Margaret, do you want to start by just telling everyone a bit about what you've worked on, and in what capacity?
MargaretW: sure!
MargaretW: Well, I started in games in 1996 and worked on the first-ever virtual pets games
Cuppycake: Looks like she just crashed
MargaretW: back!
Cuppycake: Welcome back!
MargaretW: and then went on to work at shockwave.com
MargaretW: and worked on tons of online games there
MargaretW: during the dotcom boom - some great parties
MargaretW: :)
Cuppycake: Haha
MargaretW: in 2000 co-founded skunk studios in san francisco
MargaretW: a casual game company
MargaretW: and worked on some of the first casual games - QBeez, Gutterball
MargaretW: in 2007 started Rebel Monkey with Nick Fortugno
MargaretW: creator of Diner Dash
MargaretW: to build a virtual world
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: so lots of stuff with online games, virtual worlds
Cuppycake: Great!
MargaretW: its been fun
Cuppycake: You’ve touched games in many different capacities throughout your gaming career. Which capacity/role is your favorite so far?
MargaretW: My favorite is creating original games
MargaretW: not work-for-hire
MargaretW: but stuff that i own outright
Cuppycake: So the designing and the implementation?
MargaretW: yes
MargaretW: especially figuring out how to innovate on a game design
MargaretW: and the user experience
MargaretW: so many surprises happen when you launch a game
MargaretW: stuff you'd never even think of as a designer
MargaretW: i love talking with my players
MargaretW: and hearing their thoughts and feedback
Cuppycake: That's a good trait to have as a designer
MargaretW: ha ha
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: totally
MargaretW: i love doing online games mostly
MargaretW: for online games, you get to immediately interact with players
Cuppycake: How does your role now as CEO differ? Do you feel like you're no longer in the "trenches" and do you miss that?
MargaretW: oh, well, with a start-up you do millions of things
MargaretW: so, i am still in the trenches but not as much as when i started out as a producer
MargaretW: i think production on games is really hard work
MargaretW: a lot of people burn out on it
MargaretW: so being a little out of the trenches is sort of good
MargaretW: but being responsible for running a business can be very stressful and that's a whole other thing
MargaretW: the business of games can be intense
Cuppycake: So the game industry is stressful, regardless ;) Hehe
MargaretW: ha ha
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: but we love it,r ight?
MargaretW: right?
Cuppycake: Of course!
Cuppycake: So, how did you get into it?
MargaretW: well - when i moved to san francisco , i was playing in all sorts of bands
MargaretW: directionless
MargaretW: sort of because the music was going nowhere and
MargaretW: though the internet and games were a great way to reach lots of people
MargaretW: and make an impact
MargaretW: and make cool stuff
MargaretW: so, i worked on virtual pets games for the first 2 years
MargaretW: loved it
MargaretW: Dogz and Catz are still products that are in existence
MargaretW: via Ubisoft
Cuppycake: What did you do to get hired? Did you just apply and get lucky, did you know someone, etc.?
MargaretW: well, i had a friend who was the QA lead.
Cuppycake: (A lot of folks here as aspiring to get into the game industry)
Cuppycake: are*
MargaretW: i had zero experience
MargaretW: but was willing to be a low-paid tester
MargaretW: for only 3 months
MargaretW: then i found some things that the company needed --
MargaretW: they were your typical under-staffed start-up
MargaretW: and volunteered
MargaretW: to focus on that.
MargaretW: it was the website
MargaretW: petz.com
MargaretW: we grew it to over 1 million users
Cuppycake: Wow
MargaretW: so my advice would be to get your foot in the door
MargaretW: and then to find a way to make yourself indispensible
Cuppycake: Great advice!
MargaretW: hopefully you'll have a vision
MargaretW: for what you want to "specialize" in
MargaretW: (i did not)
MargaretW: and that will help you more
MargaretW: to say
MargaretW: "I want to be a designer"
MargaretW: or "I want to be a producer"
MargaretW: internships are also great
MargaretW: anything to get your foot in the door
MargaretW: know what I mean
MargaretW: ?
Cuppycake: So having a portfolio ahead of time isn't necessarily that important, would you say?
MargaretW: well, it depends on what position you're looking for
MargaretW: as an artist, for example
MargaretW: you MUST have an online portfolio
MargaretW: and my advice
MargaretW: would be to only show your best stuff
Cuppycake: Less is more, essentially.
MargaretW: my one artist at Rebel Monkey - he's amazing but his online portfolio had everything
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: i had to dig through his portfolio
MargaretW: and saw some gems - but i had to be very motivated to wade through all of the less good stuff
MargaretW: another piece of advice
MargaretW: when submitting resumes
MargaretW: don't put the summer you worked at costco
Cuppycake: lol
MargaretW: we want to see related work
MargaretW: even if it wasn't paid or your hobby
MargaretW: it's better to see initiative and passion than
MargaretW: that you maybe worked at starbucks
Cuppycake: Great advice!
MargaretW: it's so hard to sift through so many resumes so you really have to make it easy for a potential employer
Cuppycake: So make sure you're showing your best and relevant work.
MargaretW: yup
Cuppycake: Great :) thanks for the advice for our audience!
Cuppycake: Let's touch on your prestigious award ;)
Cuppycake: What unique challenges have you faced being a woman in the game industry?
MargaretW: well -- that's an interesting question
MargaretW: just being taken seriously at first
MargaretW: but that's changing quickly
MargaretW: so many more women in games these days
MargaretW: especially in casual or social games
MargaretW: and virtual worlds
MargaretW: i think women in the games industry
MargaretW: still have issues being seen as creatives -- but that is also changing a lot
Cuppycake: *nod*
MargaretW: i think that it's a generational thing
MargaretW: as more and more people grow up playing games
MargaretW: you see greater diversity in the industry
Cuppycake: That's a great point.
MargaretW: welll, thanks
MargaretW: :)
Cuppycake: How about in the business of games rather than the creative side?
Cuppycake: Any unique challenges you've faced there?
MargaretW: well --
MargaretW: let's see
MargaretW: well - rebel monkey is funded by venture capitalists in silicon valley
MargaretW: i was told that 99% of the venture capitalists i meet with will not fund a woman-owned company
MargaretW: i was told this by another venture capitalist dude
Cuppycake: Wow...
MargaretW: and i did experience some real old-skool stuff in that venture capitalist setting
MargaretW: it's like "mad men" in silicon valley. lol
Cuppycake: Hahaha
MargaretW: only wearing dockers
MargaretW: and pastel blue shirts
MargaretW: i was thinking of becoming a venture capital person for a while
MargaretW: had the same venture capital guy tell me his company would never hire a woman to be a vc (venture capitalist)
MargaretW: so....
MargaretW: but whinging about this stuff isn't useful, know what i mean
Cuppycake: That's true! You gotta just go out there and get 'em!
MargaretW: totally
Cuppycake: Which is what you're doing now :) Do you want to tell us what you're working on right now?
MargaretW: sure - well, i'm in a state of flux right now. ironically.
MargaretW: Rebel Monkey is 3 years old, we spent over $2 million building our virtual world
MargaretW: but couldn't raise a next round because of the economy
MargaretW: and maybe some of the issues I mentioned above
Cuppycake: Oh yikes =(
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: so I've started another little company
MargaretW: and we're doing social games right now
Cuppycake: As in, social network? Facebook type games?
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: facebook games initially and
MargaretW: then more original content
MargaretW: natal looks interesting
Cuppycake: You want to make something that uses natal? :) hehe
MargaretW: yup. maybe.
Cuppycake: Neat!
MargaretW: am i a glutton for punishment?? :)
Cuppycake: Maybe Petz v2 - where you have to virtually walk your dog by literally walking around your living room?
MargaretW: oh, i love it.
Cuppycake: Haha
MargaretW: rebel monkey had built a real-time co-op mmo
MargaretW: like mario party
MargaretW: little co-op mario party-style games
MargaretW: it's funny - the economy is impacting the game industry
MargaretW: but there are still so many opportunities
Cuppycake: Do you think your game is just on hold until the economy improves?
MargaretW: probably
MargaretW: but online games are where it's at for me right now
Cuppycake: We have a bunch of questions from the audience.
MargaretW: nice!
Cuppycake: I'll ask one more and then we can switch to them :)
Cuppycake: There have been many new trends in the casual gaming industry within the last couple of years. Which trends are you most excited about?
MargaretW: Good question.
MargaretW: Well, I am excited to see how casual games are "infiltrating" other more traditional games
MargaretW: so, you'll see casual games popping up on console
MargaretW: and you also see the merging of casual games with so-called "social" games, like facebook
MargaretW: and also casual-style games you see on XBLA
Cuppycake: 1 vs 100!
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: i like the idea of broadening the audience for casual games, too
MargaretW: so that's a great new-ish development
Cuppycake: *nod*
Cuppycake: Alright, user question time!
MargaretW: yay!
solardus: Question: does Margaret think that it's hard to be inventive and creative unless you own the IP? (I'm referencing her work for hire / can't be creative comment)
MargaretW: well, you can definitely be creative with work-for-hire. definitely.
MargaretW: but...
MargaretW: when you own the IP, it's like a gift that keeps on giving
MargaretW: know what I mean?
MargaretW: you can be creative with it for the longer-term
Cuppycake: Definitely makes sense.
MargaretW: and really steer the direction of the content -- for better and for worse
Cuppycake: And you don't have to answer to the IP gods
MargaretW: lots of developers get into the work-for-hire grind and sometimes that makes it harder to pay the bills and keep cash-flow going
MargaretW: vs. when you have created regular revenue streams from your content
MargaretW: work-fore-hire usually ends up just paying for the production time
MargaretW: and nothing is usually left over --
MargaretW: unless you can negotiate for a revenue share
Cuppycake: Interesting
MargaretW: to "participate" in the success
MargaretW: but not everyone has that option
MargaretW: so, yes, you can definitely be creative with work-for-hire
MargaretW: just don't work for idiots :)
Cuppycake: Great
Cuppycake: Haha!
drealm: QUESTION: Do larger developer firms or publishers ever try to muscle you out of the picture? Or is the developer community friendly even between competing companies?
MargaretW: well, a couple of years ago, i would have answered that question a lot differently
MargaretW: so, basically the answer is yes
MargaretW: developers tend to stay friendly with each other
MargaretW: but when the economy tanked last year, there were some shady things going on
MargaretW: big publishers suddenly canceling contracts...
MargaretW: under-cutting
MargaretW: but that's not been typical
MargaretW: co-opetition is the word for it
Cuppycake: oops
Cuppycake: (MT)
MargaretW: lol
MargaretW: the social gaming space is rabid
MargaretW: much more aggressive than any other portion of the industry i've been involved in
Cuppycake: Do you think that's because people see it as a fleeting opportunity/
Cuppycake: And they all want a piece?
MargaretW: yes - it's a land-grab
MargaretW: that's all it is
Cuppycake: One of our users has to leave for dinner, but wants to get this question in before he goes :)
MargaretW: cool
KStarfire: Are you hiring? :)
MargaretW: yes - i am slowly hiring people back for my new gig.
MargaretW: flash developers and artists
MargaretW: but we're staying small for now
Cuppycake: Do you guys have a website yet?
Replied to KStarfire:  haha
MargaretW: not yet. the new company is called Playmatics.
MargaretW: margaret@playmatics.com
Cuppycake: Great, thanks for sharing!
MargaretW: sure thing
chooseareality: has the game industry started to become friendlier to people that want a family outside of a job?
chooseareality: As the CEO of a company, would you consider experience making things here at metaplace as experience that would translate to a job somewhere else?
Cuppycake: Whoops
Cuppycake: two questions right there
MargaretW: ok
MargaretW: first question - friendlier to people with families
MargaretW: i guess sort of
MargaretW: but
MargaretW: you work long hours, especially if you are in production
MargaretW: i had a friend who just got married the other day
MargaretW: she works for a big publisher
MargaretW: because she's under a deadline, her honeymoon vacation was denied
MargaretW: she was given 2 days off for her wedding across the country
Cuppycake: Wow...
MargaretW: and had to come back to Cali to continue working
MargaretW: she'll take her honeymoon sometime in 2010
MargaretW: so, that says a lot to me
Cuppycake: For sure, that's pretty intense crunchtime!
MargaretW: yup
MargaretW: so what was the 2nd question again?
Cuppycake: As the CEO of a company, would you consider experience making things here at metaplace as experience that would translate to a job somewhere else?
MargaretW: yes
Cuppycake: You could put any virtual world content type game in there...Second Life, IMVU, etc.
MargaretW: yes, i think so.
MargaretW: it depends on the job you want in the industry, of course
MargaretW: and if it relates to what you want to do
MargaretW: but anything you'd created in games -- good art, good games, etc
MargaretW: or if you've created some kind of "personal brand"
MargaretW: around your creations, then yes
MargaretW: i mean, if you make a ton of mods and want to work on FPS games, that's relevant
MargaretW: too
Cuppycake: I think one of the primary skill sets of being a designer is proving you can create fun experiences. Showing you've done that on a virtual world platform is translatable, I would like. :)
Cuppycake: would think*
MargaretW: yes
MargaretW: definitely
MargaretW: it shows passion
MargaretW: vision
MargaretW: dedication
MargaretW: all good stuff
MargaretW: i say just create and put it out there
MargaretW: it's awesome to have virtual worlds like metaplace where you have this forum for creation
MargaretW: and expression
MargaretW: you have to be a little careful how you present what you do.
Cuppycake: Definitely seems to be a lot more avenues to express your creativity, especially with the Web 2.0 concept being about personal creations.
MargaretW: make sure you really show why it's so cool
MargaretW: to a potential employer
MargaretW: they may not be as clued-in
Cuppycake: I think we have time for one more
MargaretW: yay
Barranco: would you consider going into the portable gaming maket - such as j2me games?
MargaretW: you mean like mobile phones?
MargaretW: mobile games?
Cuppycake: Hmm
MargaretW: iPhone is really hot right now. it's the only type of mobile game i'd make now
MargaretW: the market is totally saturated, don't get me wrong
MargaretW: but it's the only viable platform right now
MargaretW: for phone
Cuppycake: Yeah, I think he means mobile
MargaretW: other phones - not so interesting right now
MargaretW: esp in north america
MargaretW: may be different in europe or parts of asia
MargaretW: iphone is where it's at in the u.s.
MargaretW: mostly because it's the flavor of the week
MargaretW: in terms of publisher and investor interest
MargaretW: but if you have a j2me game - who knows maybe it could stand out
MargaretW: on other phones that don't have as much cool content as an iphone
MargaretW: but it would be risky imo
Cuppycake: Very good points :)
MargaretW: thanks
Cuppycake: Alright, I'm going to take moderation off here and let the hounds loose
Cuppycake: Thank you so much Margaret for coming :)

Featured Creator: Relay!

Relay came to our attention with a his Hospital world, which is an interactive learning environment for medical students.  We quickly found it fascinating, with the ability to diagnose ailments based on having conversations with the avatars in the world.  We thought Relay would be a great person to chat with about his experience with Metaplace.  Here is the interview!

What brought you to Metaplace?

I had been looking at virtual worlds to see if any could be an attractive learning environment for our medical students here in the UK. Metaplace was of particular interest as it doesn’t involve any large downloads and students can potentially access it pretty much anywhere.

What do you usually do when you're online here?

I am usually making changes to The Hospital or exploring new worlds.  I try to attend the official Metaplace events but family comes first, so I’m not able to go to everything that I’d like to.

Where do you find the inspiration for your worlds?

Mainly from real life – I have been involved with the design of a few healthcare buildings in real life and I have tried to incorporate that experience into The Hospital. It works the other way too – in Metaplace I can experiment with layouts and ideas and it helps me to visualise how we could improve the real-life experience.

What is your creative process for building?

I keep thinking that I should draw everything out on paper first but Metaplace makes it so easy to build that I start with the basic layout and the world develops from there. There is a great community in Metaplace and I have incorporated a few ideas suggested by other players. It is great watching your world evolve.

Do you have any tips for people new to Metaplace?

There is a great Metaplace community willing to help so just ask people if you get stuck. I also find that the official Metaplace events really useful. Above all, have fun!

What do you do when you're not on Metaplace?

I am either with my wife and kids doing family stuff, working, or visiting friends and places in the real world.

What is your favorite creation right now?

The Simple Dialogue Tree by Raph has great potential. I have made a Metabuddy called Jim and attached the dialogue tree to him. You can talk to Jim and diagnose him – I guess he might be the first Metapatient!

I’d love to extend the Dialogue Tree to include digital images, video and sound as part of the medical history taking and the differential diagnosis.

Once that was coded, I would love to see the concept extend to the treatment and management of the patient. As part of the treatment, in some cases, I think we could invoke a health bar which would go up or down depending upon whether or not you made good decisions. Not exactly reality but it might help engage the students. We would need to research that to see if there is a genuine learning advantage.

Are you working on any new worlds you want to discuss?

I am still working on The Hospital but I’d like to see if I could use Metaplace to make a Virtual Learning Environment which would interface with real-world data sets. You never know, you might be able to access your exam results in Metaplace one day!

There is also great potential to engage people in healthcare education using Metaplace and I am talking to a few clinicians about various ideas with that.

What is your favorite world made by another user?

Wow – that’s a difficult one. The first world that I can recall thinking “awesome!” was Sakura by Dalian. There are so many beautifully crafted worlds that I guess the real answer is that it changes every week.

What kinds of worlds and content do you hope to see in the future?

Metaplace has so much potential and there are always new and inspiring worlds popping up and I look forward to seeing them all. There are also lots of intriguing things that are mentioned on the discussion boards (e.g. monetizing creations) and I can’t wait to see how they get implemented into Metaplace.

Do you want to share any other thoughts with the rest of Metaplace?

It is going to be fascinating to see how Metaplace develops over the next year or so and see how it links to other services outside Metaplace.  On one hand I can see Metaplace as being the next evolutionary step in Social Networking and Community Content Generation but that would be underselling it – I am that sure Metaplace will become even more.

Day 9 of our Avatar Customization Preview - New You and Metacuts!

This is what the interface to customize your avatar will look like:

This is the shopping UI to purchase new clothes and accessories:

Day 8 of our Avatar Customization Preview - More costumes!

Here is a sample of more costumes you'll be able to wear!  Remember, you can Mix-and-Match!

Day 7 of our Avatar Customization Preview - Ninjas!

We showed you pirates, now here are the ninjas!