Chaos Raiden
Avid Gamer & Reviewer
This is an interview carried out between Angel and me. Have a look at what her thoughts about this site, DMC series, and general view on gaming.
Site related questions
1) What is your part/role in this site as an administrator?
Fairly basic stuff, really - I have access to a control panel which lets me take over the world, one member at a time. So far everyone here has resisted, but it's only a matter of time. Other than that, my role is to help members, maintain order (such as it is), do stuff like moving threads, editing/deleting posts, changing usernames/passwords/emails, issuing warnings or bans and handling reports from other members. I'm sure I'm supposed to do more than that, but I'm getting old and my memory isn't so good. Sad, really...
2) Do you have any part in creating this site with Steve or Dark Drakan?
This place is solely Steve's baby - if I'm ever allowed to touch it in a creative capacity, it's with Steve standing behind me, wielding a HUGE hammer in case I break the internet. I've done incredibly minor stuff such as changing colours for names (how exciting!) and offering my opinion on stuff when Steve changes the look of the site (which he always ignores) - but other than that, everything you see and click on, so to speak, is down to Steve alone.
3) Do you prefer Xenforo software or vBulletin software for the forum? Why?
I struggle with change from time to time, especially when it involves a complete overhaul of how things work. When we first changed over on this site, I'd had the luxury of knowing what it would be like beforehand courtesy of being a member of the Fable forums - but it's still a lot to get used to in the first few days or so. Initially I was torn between VB and XF; VB at the time had sooooo many cool mods but it was crappy in other areas that Steve has already addressed. XF is still, to a degree, in its infancy and over time we'll see more and more stuff introduced as it's supported. Right now I actually cannot pick between the two because they both have their good and bad points. How terribly diplomatic of me!
4) Devil May Cry series are certainly targeted to Mature audience, but this forum allows anyone below 16 years old to join. Why is that so?
Good question. GET OUT, ALL OF YOU!
Nah, seriously though - how do you moderate age on the internet? Sure, you can do what some boards do and put in an age checker at the beginning but I'm fairly sure no one is honest with those things. The other thing is, regardless of the age rating of the game, we're not so naive as to believe that only 16+ people play DMC. Of course they don't! Those much younger play and enjoy DMC games and so we welcome everyone, but our rules are probably a tad stricter than some other sites because of this. There's only so much we can do to check ages - there is no foolproof way on the net to ensure only a certain age group gets in. So far we've not had any parents emailing us to request their child is removed from our site but if they do then...yeah, sorry to whoever that is
.
5) What features do you like best in this site?
Me. Fo' Srs. I'm the best feature you'll get here. From my epic sig made by the lovely Meg to my awesome photo of a caek I made - I'm just too amazing for most of you guys to handle. Alternatively, I'd say the spam cleaner function. Won't mean anything to the rest of you but compared to how VB lets you deal with spammy or problem posts, it's awesome. One click compared to about 6 is always preferable. Wow I'm sad...
6) Does this site have any competitors?
Sure - just see how many DMC or Capcom sites there are out there! Some have died a natural death over time, some are more popular than us and others are still starting out. We don't view ourselves as in competition with other sites though; we're who we are and they are who they are. People come here from other sites and similarly people leave here to try elsewhere. It's just how it goes
7) Tell us about the warning system.
Each staff member handles things slightly differently but as a general rule we adopt the "3 strikes and you're out" approach - you get three warnings and then it's a temp ban. Personally, I prefer verbal warnings over "official" ones because usually that's all it takes. But if people really won't listen then for the sake of the community we have to issue more official reprimands. The warnings themselves can last indefinitely on the profile of the member in question, but we tend to give them an expiry date because people can change and it would be unfair for them to sort themselves out only to have a constant reminder of their past.
8) On what reasons do you ban a member in this site?
Instant banning is for spammers, people who make a billion accounts just to be mean to others and massive rule-breaking such as joining, posting porn and then telling the staff to go **** themselves. Otherwise, we take each case individually unless it's blindingly obvious that someone has to go (for example, if they persistently break rules/ignore warnings/upset people). We have an area called The Batcave where all staff go and talk about certain issues or members and make decisions from there. Contrary to popular belief, I've never banned someone for taking a personal dislike to me - those people have been banned by other staff members instead
Devil May Cry series related questions
9) Have you ever played any Devil May Cry games?
I have indeed - I've had a little go on all of them but certainly not enough to warrant being classed as a DMC gamer by any means. I've watched all of them as Steve's played them too as the stories have interested me and I like cutscenes.
10) i) What makes the games appealing to you? (Answer only if you have played any DMC games)
I'll answer this anyway, even though I've only played snippets. If I'm honest, as much as I don't think Dante is all that, I like the fluidity of the gameplay. It's not my thing, this style of gaming, but you have to admire how quickly Dante/Nero/Bob The Builder (what, he's not in it? My bad) slice through their opponents. The cutscenes are great - even in the older games. They left me bugging Steve with loads of questions about who each person was, why they were a certain way, what motivated them etc. I especially like the look of the boss fights because they seem to hark back to the good old days when boss fights were supposed to leave you a little bit wired at the end because of the sense of achievement you get. They seem enormously satisfying to win, based on what I've seen when Steve's been battering enemies. Although Jester freaks me the hell out.
ii) What makes the games unappealing to you? (Answer only if you have not played any DMC games)
I'll asnwer this too because my "experience" with the games is unbelievably limited. It's just not my genre of choice. I've never been attracted to this sort of game and as a general rule, I don't play them. I don't think Dante or Vergil are cool *awaits massive backlash* and the script (in games 1-3) left a lot to be desired, in my opinion, although 4 was better. You also have to take into account the crappiness of my gaming ability. I can't play a thing - even Sonic baffles me. So when you have to execute combos and get the timing right and other such stuff, it just frustrates me more than anything else.
11) What do you think of DmC: Devil May Cry, the controversial reboot of Devil May Cry series by Ninja Theory?
Honestly? I'm not fussy either way. Because I'm not a fan, as it were, I can be completely objective about the whole thing, I suppose. I'm interested enough in the new game to give it a go and I'm intrigued by the new look, direction and character of Dante. The gameplay holds no interest for me whatsoever but any cutscenes and dialogue are bound to grab my attention and it will be interesting to see how opinions are formed after the game has been out for a little while. I think DmC offers the potential for new fans to get into the franchise and maybe it might even get people to visit the original series and see what all the fuss is about. Dante's new appearance, whilst controversial to those in the fanbase, is undeniably more up to date and, I feel, a tad more realistic to look at. He's banged up, dirty and dresses like his mother hasn't washed his clothes in a month - nothing slick or stylish about him. I find that oddly appealing in a main gaming character, I suppose. When you're darting about the place, beating on demons and the city is trying to kill you, you're bound to get a little grubby, after all.
12) It seems a lot of DMC fans have troubles in accepting the new Dante introduced in DmC: Devil May Cry. Why do you think so?
Because, I suppose, he's not Dante to them. Dante has white hair, loves leather, eats pizza and cracks one-liners off like there's no tomorrow. There's years of backstory, theories and canon/non-canon spin-offs to the current Dante and you can't just dismiss that overnight in favour of a different version. From what I've seen, the main problem appears to be that of Ninja Theory's reported attitude towards fans and the quotes from interviews that don't sit well with some. As much as I don't have a problem with the new direction, it's not hard to see how such a drastic change can affect fans. It's the unknown too - people can be a little afraid of the unknown. There is also the whole thing of whether DmC will be the death of DMC - that's bound to upset more than a few people.
General gaming related questions
13) If a developer of your favourite game series change your favourite character(s) drastically to the extent of making the character unappealing to your eyes, what is your reaction?
I'd be disappointed, of course. To say otherwise would be lying. I don't have many games whereby there is just one character who is known in a certain portrayal as I'm an RPG gamer primarily, but I think hypothetically I'd probably have a bit of a moan with like-minded people (but not some weird rage rampage across the planet or anything) and then most likely just get over myself and try out the new-look character to see if I could get on with it. Gotta try it before completely slating it, after all. You never know, it could end up being better than the original.
14) What do you think about the culture of gaming currently?
It's kind of fascinating to see how much it has grown over the last few years. From being the sole interest of geeks in their parents' basements to a worldwide media phenomena, really, is astounding. And the leaps in technology are almost unprecedented - what was ground-breaking ten years ago is nothing compared to what companies are bringing out now. The gaming culture is a positive thing in that it brings people together from all over the world, united by a common interest and continued by friendships which remain unaffected by the distance between them. I've got more people on Facebook who are gaming friends I met via forums than people I see in real life - there's something special about putting on your headset, meeting up online with a handful of other people across the globe and settling down to a major gaming session together. I know people like to focus on the negatives of gaming, but as a subculture, it's something that has tremendous power and unity. Just look at how people have come together over the SOPA/PIPA stuff - ok, so it affects non-gamers too, but the gaming community at large has really pulled together to defend their territory. This sort of unity normally only happens when there is a hunt for a serial killer or a petition against having a registered sex offender living in your street.
15) How do you differentiate between fanboys/fangirls and average gamers?
Fanboy/girl = insanely committed to a game/character/franchise/console to the point where they will defend every aspect of it to the death and refuse to hear anything bad said about it. They'll sign up to a site just to flame everyone for not loving what they love and will pull people to pieces for daring to disagree with them. No matter what happens, they stay true to their love of whatever it is and get personally affected and affronted in a big way over everything that happens or is said about that particular thing.
Average gamer = anything other than that ^
Of course, it's a generalisation because you can be a fanboy/girl of something and manage to NOT be utterly obnoxious, but sadly those people are few and far between. But I know they exist.
16) Why does people having trouble in accepting people's opinion? This can be seen in this forum where a lot of DmC threads have been locked down due to that.
It's a real shame so many threads have been locked recently. The thing with opinions is that for the most part they tend to be emotionally charged things which in turn evoke emotional responses. Such is the way of the average human being. When we say "you're entitled to your opinion", we tend to really mean "so long as it's mine"; we're all guilty of that. We want to get our point across so badly that we end up being a bit over the top and, in some cases, downright offensive. The inherent need to clarify our position and why we think we are right can lead to the feeling in others of being bullied into our line of thinking, whether we mean to or not. I think there is also a degree of needing to be affirmed by others that our opinion has validity and that it could possibly be more "right" than another's viewpoint. When something affects us on a personal level, such as some DmC supporters/haters, there's more at stake than just getting our point across - it's a pride thing. Especially in the case where someone has been particularly vehement about something only to find out that they are, in fact, utterly wrong. It's kind of hard to back down from that sort of thing.
17) Do you have any intentions to expose gaming to your children in the future?
Way ahead of you - aside from Josh, who's small and therefore stupid, all our kids play games. We're of the opinion that so long as we're well informed about the games in question and know what our kids can handle, then they can play what we play, within reason.
Jake loves Sonic and has often gotten me killed on Skyrim by unpausing the game and taking on dragon priests without any idea as to what he's doing. Jessica plays a lot of the games we have and our rules are simple: they play in a family room, they play only games we have pre-approved for their personal abilities/understanding and they don't get online access until we say so. Jake, for example, is...different...so brightly-coloured games like Viva Pinata and Sonic are perfect for him. It helps him with his attention issues and his coordination.
Jessica likes RPGs and Halo, so she plays those provided there's nothing in them that we deem unsuitable for her. When friends come over, the rules adapt according to what they're allowed to do in terms of whether they can play an M-rated game or not. We only permit the playing of games that we have first-hand knowledge of ourselves and horror games are not allowed under any circumstances when the children are around. In fact, if Jessica misbehaves we just threaten her with a darkened room and Amnesia - she's pretty well-behaved after that
Many thanks to Angel for taking the time in participating the interview. If you are interested to read the interview with Steve, click the link below:
http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-steve-founder-of-dmc-org.10205/
Site related questions
1) What is your part/role in this site as an administrator?
Fairly basic stuff, really - I have access to a control panel which lets me take over the world, one member at a time. So far everyone here has resisted, but it's only a matter of time. Other than that, my role is to help members, maintain order (such as it is), do stuff like moving threads, editing/deleting posts, changing usernames/passwords/emails, issuing warnings or bans and handling reports from other members. I'm sure I'm supposed to do more than that, but I'm getting old and my memory isn't so good. Sad, really...
2) Do you have any part in creating this site with Steve or Dark Drakan?
This place is solely Steve's baby - if I'm ever allowed to touch it in a creative capacity, it's with Steve standing behind me, wielding a HUGE hammer in case I break the internet. I've done incredibly minor stuff such as changing colours for names (how exciting!) and offering my opinion on stuff when Steve changes the look of the site (which he always ignores) - but other than that, everything you see and click on, so to speak, is down to Steve alone.
3) Do you prefer Xenforo software or vBulletin software for the forum? Why?
I struggle with change from time to time, especially when it involves a complete overhaul of how things work. When we first changed over on this site, I'd had the luxury of knowing what it would be like beforehand courtesy of being a member of the Fable forums - but it's still a lot to get used to in the first few days or so. Initially I was torn between VB and XF; VB at the time had sooooo many cool mods but it was crappy in other areas that Steve has already addressed. XF is still, to a degree, in its infancy and over time we'll see more and more stuff introduced as it's supported. Right now I actually cannot pick between the two because they both have their good and bad points. How terribly diplomatic of me!
4) Devil May Cry series are certainly targeted to Mature audience, but this forum allows anyone below 16 years old to join. Why is that so?
Good question. GET OUT, ALL OF YOU!
Nah, seriously though - how do you moderate age on the internet? Sure, you can do what some boards do and put in an age checker at the beginning but I'm fairly sure no one is honest with those things. The other thing is, regardless of the age rating of the game, we're not so naive as to believe that only 16+ people play DMC. Of course they don't! Those much younger play and enjoy DMC games and so we welcome everyone, but our rules are probably a tad stricter than some other sites because of this. There's only so much we can do to check ages - there is no foolproof way on the net to ensure only a certain age group gets in. So far we've not had any parents emailing us to request their child is removed from our site but if they do then...yeah, sorry to whoever that is
.5) What features do you like best in this site?
Me. Fo' Srs. I'm the best feature you'll get here. From my epic sig made by the lovely Meg to my awesome photo of a caek I made - I'm just too amazing for most of you guys to handle. Alternatively, I'd say the spam cleaner function. Won't mean anything to the rest of you but compared to how VB lets you deal with spammy or problem posts, it's awesome. One click compared to about 6 is always preferable. Wow I'm sad...
6) Does this site have any competitors?
Sure - just see how many DMC or Capcom sites there are out there! Some have died a natural death over time, some are more popular than us and others are still starting out. We don't view ourselves as in competition with other sites though; we're who we are and they are who they are. People come here from other sites and similarly people leave here to try elsewhere. It's just how it goes
7) Tell us about the warning system.
Each staff member handles things slightly differently but as a general rule we adopt the "3 strikes and you're out" approach - you get three warnings and then it's a temp ban. Personally, I prefer verbal warnings over "official" ones because usually that's all it takes. But if people really won't listen then for the sake of the community we have to issue more official reprimands. The warnings themselves can last indefinitely on the profile of the member in question, but we tend to give them an expiry date because people can change and it would be unfair for them to sort themselves out only to have a constant reminder of their past.
8) On what reasons do you ban a member in this site?
Instant banning is for spammers, people who make a billion accounts just to be mean to others and massive rule-breaking such as joining, posting porn and then telling the staff to go **** themselves. Otherwise, we take each case individually unless it's blindingly obvious that someone has to go (for example, if they persistently break rules/ignore warnings/upset people). We have an area called The Batcave where all staff go and talk about certain issues or members and make decisions from there. Contrary to popular belief, I've never banned someone for taking a personal dislike to me - those people have been banned by other staff members instead
Devil May Cry series related questions
9) Have you ever played any Devil May Cry games?
I have indeed - I've had a little go on all of them but certainly not enough to warrant being classed as a DMC gamer by any means. I've watched all of them as Steve's played them too as the stories have interested me and I like cutscenes.
10) i) What makes the games appealing to you? (Answer only if you have played any DMC games)
I'll answer this anyway, even though I've only played snippets. If I'm honest, as much as I don't think Dante is all that, I like the fluidity of the gameplay. It's not my thing, this style of gaming, but you have to admire how quickly Dante/Nero/Bob The Builder (what, he's not in it? My bad) slice through their opponents. The cutscenes are great - even in the older games. They left me bugging Steve with loads of questions about who each person was, why they were a certain way, what motivated them etc. I especially like the look of the boss fights because they seem to hark back to the good old days when boss fights were supposed to leave you a little bit wired at the end because of the sense of achievement you get. They seem enormously satisfying to win, based on what I've seen when Steve's been battering enemies. Although Jester freaks me the hell out.
ii) What makes the games unappealing to you? (Answer only if you have not played any DMC games)
I'll asnwer this too because my "experience" with the games is unbelievably limited. It's just not my genre of choice. I've never been attracted to this sort of game and as a general rule, I don't play them. I don't think Dante or Vergil are cool *awaits massive backlash* and the script (in games 1-3) left a lot to be desired, in my opinion, although 4 was better. You also have to take into account the crappiness of my gaming ability. I can't play a thing - even Sonic baffles me. So when you have to execute combos and get the timing right and other such stuff, it just frustrates me more than anything else.
11) What do you think of DmC: Devil May Cry, the controversial reboot of Devil May Cry series by Ninja Theory?
Honestly? I'm not fussy either way. Because I'm not a fan, as it were, I can be completely objective about the whole thing, I suppose. I'm interested enough in the new game to give it a go and I'm intrigued by the new look, direction and character of Dante. The gameplay holds no interest for me whatsoever but any cutscenes and dialogue are bound to grab my attention and it will be interesting to see how opinions are formed after the game has been out for a little while. I think DmC offers the potential for new fans to get into the franchise and maybe it might even get people to visit the original series and see what all the fuss is about. Dante's new appearance, whilst controversial to those in the fanbase, is undeniably more up to date and, I feel, a tad more realistic to look at. He's banged up, dirty and dresses like his mother hasn't washed his clothes in a month - nothing slick or stylish about him. I find that oddly appealing in a main gaming character, I suppose. When you're darting about the place, beating on demons and the city is trying to kill you, you're bound to get a little grubby, after all.
12) It seems a lot of DMC fans have troubles in accepting the new Dante introduced in DmC: Devil May Cry. Why do you think so?
Because, I suppose, he's not Dante to them. Dante has white hair, loves leather, eats pizza and cracks one-liners off like there's no tomorrow. There's years of backstory, theories and canon/non-canon spin-offs to the current Dante and you can't just dismiss that overnight in favour of a different version. From what I've seen, the main problem appears to be that of Ninja Theory's reported attitude towards fans and the quotes from interviews that don't sit well with some. As much as I don't have a problem with the new direction, it's not hard to see how such a drastic change can affect fans. It's the unknown too - people can be a little afraid of the unknown. There is also the whole thing of whether DmC will be the death of DMC - that's bound to upset more than a few people.
General gaming related questions
13) If a developer of your favourite game series change your favourite character(s) drastically to the extent of making the character unappealing to your eyes, what is your reaction?
I'd be disappointed, of course. To say otherwise would be lying. I don't have many games whereby there is just one character who is known in a certain portrayal as I'm an RPG gamer primarily, but I think hypothetically I'd probably have a bit of a moan with like-minded people (but not some weird rage rampage across the planet or anything) and then most likely just get over myself and try out the new-look character to see if I could get on with it. Gotta try it before completely slating it, after all. You never know, it could end up being better than the original.
14) What do you think about the culture of gaming currently?
It's kind of fascinating to see how much it has grown over the last few years. From being the sole interest of geeks in their parents' basements to a worldwide media phenomena, really, is astounding. And the leaps in technology are almost unprecedented - what was ground-breaking ten years ago is nothing compared to what companies are bringing out now. The gaming culture is a positive thing in that it brings people together from all over the world, united by a common interest and continued by friendships which remain unaffected by the distance between them. I've got more people on Facebook who are gaming friends I met via forums than people I see in real life - there's something special about putting on your headset, meeting up online with a handful of other people across the globe and settling down to a major gaming session together. I know people like to focus on the negatives of gaming, but as a subculture, it's something that has tremendous power and unity. Just look at how people have come together over the SOPA/PIPA stuff - ok, so it affects non-gamers too, but the gaming community at large has really pulled together to defend their territory. This sort of unity normally only happens when there is a hunt for a serial killer or a petition against having a registered sex offender living in your street.
15) How do you differentiate between fanboys/fangirls and average gamers?
Fanboy/girl = insanely committed to a game/character/franchise/console to the point where they will defend every aspect of it to the death and refuse to hear anything bad said about it. They'll sign up to a site just to flame everyone for not loving what they love and will pull people to pieces for daring to disagree with them. No matter what happens, they stay true to their love of whatever it is and get personally affected and affronted in a big way over everything that happens or is said about that particular thing.
Average gamer = anything other than that ^
Of course, it's a generalisation because you can be a fanboy/girl of something and manage to NOT be utterly obnoxious, but sadly those people are few and far between. But I know they exist
.16) Why does people having trouble in accepting people's opinion? This can be seen in this forum where a lot of DmC threads have been locked down due to that.
It's a real shame so many threads have been locked recently. The thing with opinions is that for the most part they tend to be emotionally charged things which in turn evoke emotional responses. Such is the way of the average human being. When we say "you're entitled to your opinion", we tend to really mean "so long as it's mine"; we're all guilty of that. We want to get our point across so badly that we end up being a bit over the top and, in some cases, downright offensive. The inherent need to clarify our position and why we think we are right can lead to the feeling in others of being bullied into our line of thinking, whether we mean to or not. I think there is also a degree of needing to be affirmed by others that our opinion has validity and that it could possibly be more "right" than another's viewpoint. When something affects us on a personal level, such as some DmC supporters/haters, there's more at stake than just getting our point across - it's a pride thing. Especially in the case where someone has been particularly vehement about something only to find out that they are, in fact, utterly wrong. It's kind of hard to back down from that sort of thing.
17) Do you have any intentions to expose gaming to your children in the future?
Way ahead of you
- aside from Josh, who's small and therefore stupid, all our kids play games. We're of the opinion that so long as we're well informed about the games in question and know what our kids can handle, then they can play what we play, within reason.Jake loves Sonic and has often gotten me killed on Skyrim by unpausing the game and taking on dragon priests without any idea as to what he's doing. Jessica plays a lot of the games we have and our rules are simple: they play in a family room, they play only games we have pre-approved for their personal abilities/understanding and they don't get online access until we say so. Jake, for example, is...different...so brightly-coloured games like Viva Pinata and Sonic are perfect for him. It helps him with his attention issues and his coordination.
Jessica likes RPGs and Halo, so she plays those provided there's nothing in them that we deem unsuitable for her. When friends come over, the rules adapt according to what they're allowed to do in terms of whether they can play an M-rated game or not. We only permit the playing of games that we have first-hand knowledge of ourselves and horror games are not allowed under any circumstances when the children are around. In fact, if Jessica misbehaves we just threaten her with a darkened room and Amnesia - she's pretty well-behaved after that
Many thanks to Angel for taking the time in participating the interview. If you are interested to read the interview with Steve, click the link below:
http://devilmaycry.org/community/threads/interview-with-steve-founder-of-dmc-org.10205/
