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SkilPhilHe's been a community member here for quite a while, but do you really know SkilPhil? Check out his background in this week's Community Joe!
Q: Whos behind the username SkilPhil? Who are you? and why are you so handsome?
A: Hello there! My name is Phill and I`m an alcohlic - only joking, my name is actually only spelled with one 'l'. I'm 25 years old and work behind a bar in the capital city of Scotland, I have a bachelors degree in Product Design which I obtained at the Art School in Aberdeen (its almost like real school but with better grafitti in the toilets).
My gamertag doesnt have a crazy story behind it, I just thought a play on the name 'Phil' might be cool, I actually came up with it during a slow day working at my old job in a petrol station so its nice to think I got paid to decide on it. I'd also like to say my gamertag in no way reflects my prowess on the online battlefield!
Q: What brought you upon this wonderful community? What keeps you coming back, even with the lights being out?
A: I first came accross b.net when I played Halo 2 at my friends, I loved it, so when I saw you could check stats online I got right on it. I didnt actually have an xbox at the time but I always used to check my friends stats, I guess it was kind of a novelty, I could always see his last game played so if he was playing at the time I would phone him up to see if I could come round for a game ha ha - I still play Halo with him today (I have my own xbox now though!)
I didnt start posting here until a little while later, I think I just decided to have a wander around the site and stumbled upon the Halo 3 forum just when Adjutant Reflex posted for the Iris ARG. It was the community spirit that made me want to join in and its the reason I still post today, even in these dark days. (I'm sure I can see a wee glimer of light on the horizon though)
Q: Ah yes, looking to the future! Seeking that light, no matter how small the beam. Would you say you're excited for the future of Bnet? Do you think you'd become more involved with the community as it came back to life?
A: I'm looking forward to Bungie.next and what its going to bring with it, I think its going to be pretty cool. Of course a lot of people are going to miss how it looks now, its been a damn good place to hang out these past few years and I think we've all become pretty comfortable with the layout, but it is pretty old. It might be a case of 'if it aint broke, dont fix it', but if everyone had that attitude, we'd probably still be living in caves.
I reckon the webteam probably have some great ideas for this place, not forgetting the many great ideas the community has come up with too. I imagine they will see eye to eye on a lot of these requests, plus with a little magic of their own, it can only be good.
Also, once Bungie go multiplatform too, this place will be buzzing. Good times ahead I think.
Q: What games are currently catching your eye? What have you been gravitating towards recently?
A: To be honest, now that Halo 4 is out the way, the only thing that's got me excited is GTA V - really glad to see they're going back to the ridiculous fun rather than serious business fun. The fact they took the tank out the last game was a travesty. After watching the newest trailer I was amazed by how film-like it all seemed, the animation, camera angles and script looked and sounded really good - cant wait.
I've also been interested in some of the old/new arcade games - Braid, Journey and Fez seem really interesting. Now that there's going to be a lull till Spring I might be able to put in the time for them.
Also nice to see Mirror's Edge is getting a sequel...Oh, and there's this game called, something like, 'Dostiny'? or 'Dynasty'? maybe 'Destiny'? I dont know - I doubt anyone's heard of it anyway.
Q: In terms of the future, How long do you believe you'll be a gamer? Think you'll ever come to a day where it will be a hobby of the past, or is this a way of life for you?
A: As I get older I find myself questioning this a little more, certainly as time has gone on there seem to be fewer and fewer games that keep me interested [see above]. But I think that has something more to do with the age and limitations on the console - its well known that this generation of console has been the longest. From 1988 to 1996 there was the Sega, Snes, Playstaion and Nintendo 64. In the same length of time we will have had the 360 and the PS3 - which are pretty much the same (careful now).
I think with the new generation, which is just around the corner, gamers are likely to get excited again - its not just about the shiny new graphics, new hardware is going to allow for totally new game mechanics too.
I think the social aspect of gaming is going to become insanely cool with the next generation, user content is becoming easier and easier too.
Stuff like Little Big Planet, the Far Cry 3 editor and the Trials Evolution editor are giving the development tools to the people to play with themselves. User created content is free from the burden of having to make the content profitable or even popular, this allows alot more really creative ideas to come to surface and I think this will be much more important in the next generation - As long as there are gamers out there my age, there will always be content that is likely to interest me. Even when the inevitable responsibilities of life begin to mount up and nibble away at my soul, I'm sure Ill always have time to play some online multiplayer with some friends - Gamer fo' life yo!
Q: Any shoutouts you'd like to make before returning to the darkness? Groups you'd like to throw out there that have kept you coming back?
A: First of all I'd like to thank your kind self for taking the time out to do these interviews - its always cool to learn a little more about the people behind the avatars. I'd also like to give a shout out to all the folk at B.net Regulars and Spawn for managing to tame such a beast.
Also, if you've made it this far into the interview without rolling your eyes and hitting the Community Forum banner, thanks for reading and give your attention span a pat on the back :)
And that's a wrap! Much thanks to SkilPhil for taking the time to answer our questions. Have a great weekend, Community!
Interview by dmg04 | Community Joes | Reporter Joe