Long Lost Matazonians, Where-O-Where have they gone? Options

[Daria]

InKy was the reason I first came to Matazone.

Oh fine. Blame me... ;P

Yeah, I'll be kicking around here once in a while. You're all well overdue favourite body part thread.

Syuu mentioned her already, but has anyone heard anything from Jaq? She's one of the three non-Brit forumites with whom I've shared a telephone conversation. She failed to say 'aboot', despite being Canadian. I wasn't that disappointed, but still...

I do believe Wytu talks to her now and again on msn? Dunno. I said "o hai" to her last summer, but as she isn't on my contacts I haven't seen her aboot since.

[{Gothic Angel}]

God, I was MARRIED to Porce...

I remember being majorly intimidated by Feylia and elf (and Missy) when I was a n00b. For that matter, where has Commie gone? I still talk to Queenie on msn and facebook occasionally, but she's never on here anymore... WeeJ I haven't seen around for ages.

I could write a list of about 50 members I felt quietly inferior to for being so awesome in the last 4 and a bit years

[Cath Sparrow]

I also have Jaq's msn but dont talked to that much which is silly seeing as I had great fun with her at the Glasgow Meet. If you want it Inky just give me a poke.

[Jaq]

I'm missed? Daw... (this is my sheepish face)

[Tarantio]

Yay old members! Jeez louize, I forget when I had enough of whatever it was to call myself a happy, active member of this place. Wish I hadn't. Aside from missing the entire lot of you so godd**n much it hurts, I've been mostly failing and resitting uni, and a whole lot of other grown-up things that in the end, I've managed to avoid completely. All that and I just turned 24. Figure I'm pulling quite the impressive peter pan.

Ok, so. Folk I wanna hear from as to how they're doing, who they're doing, wtf is teh mata-er and what the time is:

Cath, Jenn, Mata (obs), Syuu, Inky, P@t (still on Msn, get in touch you beggar), GA, Porce (seriously, we were local a few years back then you dropped off the radar...), Froggeeeee! (zomg miss you, are you still coming to fundee?), Lolo, Candi ( even now you're married I still get to call you that) and Ste, Rach (who sounds like they've been busy), Vic (who doesn't stalk me nearly enough any more), Elf (yay, thankees for the hippy barfday), Dave (you ken well who you are you Londener), if fact all the dang Londoners I met when I was down there last (too long since).

If I've forgotted you its because I've been away too dang long and really need to have kept in touch better than I did. Blame me, then forgive me, then say hello gorramit.

Peace and noodly appendages be with you.

Tara (not the female one who I hope is still teaching young'uns how to rave...).

AND TELL THEM I SAID HELLO TOO. THERE MAY BE TROUBLE OTHERWISE.

Oh yeah. Dace says Hi too. So there wont be trouble.

[Industrial Kybos...]

Dewdz! Jaq and Tarantio within two posts of each other! The excitement is surely uncontainable!

...

woo

...

Oh c'mon. I'm getting old. That's the best I can manage nowadays.

How the very devil are you people?

Dace - the Werebugger is pleased to see you. Be afraid.

[Mata]

Hey there, nice to see you both.

So, a quick recap on my life:
I finished my PhD early 2007 and got a job in Jan 2007 with Criterion/EA.
Worked my butt off on Burnout Paradise.
Was made redundant, along with lots of other people in EA, but they told us four days after we finished work on the game. Nice timing.
In the last few months I've been noodling about, made the Halloween and new Mittens animation.
I've written a novel since being made redundant. It's currently being edited before I show it to agents.
I've been job hunting for months and deciding that I might have been better off if I'd never worked for Criterion in the first place.
I've just started temping again to pay the bills. That sucks, but the work itself is okay enough.

Overall, I'm pretty good.

Tara: how come the uni thing's being a problem for a bright chap like you?

[Tarantio]

Oh, nothing really major, just a mix of illness and lack of funding made me not finish third year first time round, but I'm going back in September to finish the job, so its all good .

Sucks about EA, Mata, we've been well warned by folk on the inside that they're a pretty bad employer to work for with regards to things like hours and layoffs, but experience on a triple-A title like burnout can't be anything but good for the CV, surely? As far as I know most employers look for that sort of thing in the games industry. Good luck finding something else you enjoy though.

[Jaq]

Dewdz! Jaq and Tarantio within two posts of each other! The excitement is surely uncontainable!

...

woo

...

Oh c'mon. I'm getting old. That's the best I can manage nowadays.

How the very devil are you people?

Dace - the Werebugger is pleased to see you. Be afraid.

Well! Now that you ask. I'm back in Canadaland and have been for the last 2 1/2 years. Taking my (finally, thank god) last year of university and finishing my last requirement for my degree, a nine week practicum. Also, getting married in August and we're thinking of moving again, though probably just to another place in Canada, but you know it's a big country. These things matter.

I was looking through the forums a couple days ago and I can't believe that so many people that I actually know are still here! Holy crap monkeys verily! Snoo and InKy and Missy and Cand and Syuu and Cath and Vic and Pat you lurkers of MSN and of course Mata. I want updates too, on all your lives. Well, except Mata... That's really rotten about EA, but woo novel!

Also, remind me again, what server is #burrito on?

[Mata]

Sucks about EA, Mata, we've been well warned by folk on the inside that they're a pretty bad employer to work for with regards to things like hours and layoffs, but experience on a triple-A title like burnout can't be anything but good for the CV, surely?

Yes and no. I've got a lot of qualifications and I've got only one year's experience. This means that I'm considered above to graduate level positions (or I justifiably want too much money compared to a just-graduated student) but I don't have enough 'industry' experience to get mid-level positions because one year means nothing. Two years, yes, three, definitely, but one year isn't enough.

Of course, seven years making games on the internet with an international client list, being a self-taught programmer, graphics artist, and having had around 17 million people play my games in 2006 all means nothing because it wasn't putting boxes on shelves. Hm.

Mostly EA wasn't too bad as an employer, not nearly as bad as their reputation. There were plus sides, but I wouldn't say that we were actively encouraged to have a healthy work/life balance (quite the opposite at times) but I think that's a lot more to do with the bit of the studio and the state of the title I was working on, rather than the overall company.

[patback87]

Haha, I'm hoping that lurker and my name were concidently put next to eachother.

Well me I have been uber-busy with life this semester. It's gotten so bad that I actually did what I always said I would never do and I bought some sort calender device to keep all my stuff striaght. I dropped a class that wasn't really working out for me. Otherwise I've been working weekends and class on Tuesday and Wednesday and then my internship Monday, Thursday, and Friday. The internship is usually the bright spot in my week, I work for free, but I like so much more than my paying job. Next time you watch Jerry Springer or Steve Wilkos look in the credits for Pixel Brothers that's where I intern. Its cool to finally know people with names in credits, lol. Then outside of all of that still trying to schedule enough time to hang out with my friends, which I just hung out with a friend of mine that I haven't hung out with in months on Friday. Had a tasty burrito in the neighborhood they live in, they live in Pilsen which is predomintly Mexican and now artist and hipsters. Anyway look at me ramble on.

[Mata]

I am scared by the idea of scheduling time with friends.

I am also curious as to what qualifications a person needs to become a hipster, and where I can apply.

[Moosh]

I am also curious as to what qualifications a person needs to become a hipster, and where I can apply.

You need to have hips. I would have thought that was obvious.

[patback87]

Haha, it's hard to describe, perhaps it's a Chicago term here you go something like this LOL. Kind like a punk, but not a punk.

I guess I should have used the phrase make time for friends rather than schedule, lol.

[Daria]

Unfortunately, Hipsters are universal.

[ravein]

InKy was the reason I first came to Matazone.

Oh fine. Blame me... ;P

Yeah, I'll be kicking around here once in a while. You're all well overdue favourite body part thread.

Syuu mentioned her already, but has anyone heard anything from Jaq? She's one of the three non-Brit forumites with whom I've shared a telephone conversation. She failed to say 'aboot', despite being Canadian. I wasn't that disappointed, but still...

INKY!!!!!!!!!
*pummels*
*hugs*
*looks around awkwardly*
*pummels again*

Oh right hi all.

Every once and a while I stop buy, however a career is a dreadful wench who keeps me knee deep in development logs, white papers and conference calls. Joy. Plus I have a dog now, and he is way more fun than a forum.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

Haha, I'm hoping that lurker and my name were concidently put next to each other.

I think that was refering to me...I think, damn, I just don't know now...


Job-wise I'm working in a shop, it's not the most glamourous of jobs but it's actually quite good fun and, y'know, I'm just a little interested in seeing if I can stick a job and take it somewhere better than hourly paid till monkey. Alas that means I'm still living at home, for the time being at least.
Actually, very little has happened in my life since finishing university, I initially came home to be there for my sister while her fella had lymphoma, he's all better now, and to the surprise of most he managed to father a child...also with my sister. Which, for those out of the loop, makes me an Uncle...or a nuncle thanks to a typo.


Anyway, I've just got back from a trip to New York, which was fun, I'm very jet-lagged but I have pics and funny stories*, may post them somewhere.

*My favourite being how I managed to meet up with a friend from university who was in New York for the mastering of the new Kids in Glass Houses album, I may pester him for a job in the future...

[spiffilicious05]

While I feel like I may fall underneath the category of lost matazonians I try to come around. But I agree that when you're here it's better to focus on the now vs the past. Part of the reason I stopped coming around was because there were a lot of memories tied to certain people here. Now, it's just that I'm busy and I'm almost never around a working computer.

Seriously though, kudos to those of you who have insanely busy lives but are still able to keep this up =)

[patback87]

Unfortunately, Hipsters are universal.

I have some hipster friends, I mean a good portion of the film department at Columbia are hipsters, but some of them are just really annoying. I've been at parties where they just annoy the hell out of me, lol.

Edit: Here is the dry erase board I spoke of, lol.

[MistressAlti]

InKy was the reason I first came to Matazone.

Oh fine. Blame me... ;P

Yeah, I'll be kicking around here once in a while. You're all well overdue favourite body part thread.

Syuu mentioned her already, but has anyone heard anything from Jaq? She's one of the three non-Brit forumites with whom I've shared a telephone conversation. She failed to say 'aboot', despite being Canadian. I wasn't that disappointed, but still...

INKY!!!!!!!!!
*pummels*
*hugs*
*looks around awkwardly*
*pummels again*

Oh right hi all.

Every once and a while I stop buy, however a career is a dreadful wench who keeps me knee deep in development logs, white papers and conference calls. Joy. Plus I have a dog now, and he is way more fun than a forum.

Ravein! Holy crap! So glad to see you.

[Mata]

I second that! *Hugs Rav*

That's a very cute puppy!

[Industrial Kybos...]

Sweet lord! Tis ravein!

*pummelage*

Most excellent to see you. Almost as excellent as your fool-pitying avatar.

Nice dog too. I have a cat. He's an absolute arsehole, but I love him.

[MistressAlti]

God, it's practically a reunion around here... *grins*

[Cath Sparrow]

/joins in the reunion

Not a great deal to tell here and not much of it fun so I shall leave it there.

[Daria]

I feel like a n00b again