Blackguard remplace Moogard au poste de Community Manager

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As many of you know, I was hired to be the community manager for EverQuest II back in August of 2003. It was a great time to come onto the team, as the foundation of a great game was already established. For the next year or so I got to watch as the pieces came together and formed the core of what EverQuest II is today.

The role of community manager is not one that is clearly defined in this industry. At some companies, the community manager is a part of the PR department, charged with helping to market the game. At others, it is seen as a means to insulate the developers from player reaction. Fortunately for me, my first boss, John Blakely, had a very different opinion of what my role should be. From the very beginning, he made sure I was thrown directly into the mix, participating in the development of the game and advocating the players' perspective. Once I had proven to people on the team that I wasn't completely crazy (though I would never deny at least partial insanity), they got used to hearing my opinions and feedback on a regular basis, and came to realize that I wanted the same thing they did: to make the game better. I consider myself very fortunate to have developed this relationship with my fellow team members, and that wouldn't have been possible without the patience and support of every name listed in the credits of EQ2.

My personal opinion is that the most important function of a community manager is to act as an advocate for the players. This doesn't just mean passing along their opinions and suggestions; it means proactively looking out for their interests in relation to what's best for the game. As designers and coders and artists make changes and add new features, it's important for the community manager to be involved and represent the interests of those who will be experiencing those changes in game. It has been my privilege to have that role for nearly two years now, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been given the opportunity.

Another great benefit has been the people I've met as a result of this job. I've gotten to know some terrific fansite people, folks just as dedicated to building a strong community as I am. But maybe the best part has been interacting with the players themselves, both on the message boards and in person at events like FanFaire. In my opinion EQ2 has the greatest players of any game out there, and I'll never be able to thank you all enough for the support you have shown to the game, both before and since launch. I've had the honor of representing EQ2 all around the country and in places like France and China. This is simply a great job anyone would be lucky to have.

Over the course of my time here, I've also become more and more involved in the design aspects of the game. In many ways this came about as a natural extension of the fact that I'm constantly interacting with designers and pestering them to explain how the game works and how we can make it better. This interaction gradually made me realize that I wanted to take a more direct hand in the ongoing development of EverQuest II.

So I guess this is my long-winded way of letting you know that I am moving out of the community manager role and becoming a full-time game designer. It was not a decision I made lightly, but I look forward to facing new challenges and contributing to the game from a different perspective.

I wouldn't be making this transition if I wasn't confident that I could leave the community in good hands. Ryan Shwayder, a.k.a. Blackguard, has been a huge asset to the community team since he moved over from our quality assurance department last year. He shares the same dedication to improving the game that I do, and will act as a strong advocate on behalf of all the players. With the aid of Faarwolf and the support of Scott Hartsman and Alan Crosby, he's going to do a fantastic job as the new EverQuest II community manager. Please join me in congratulating Ryan as he takes on this new responsibility.

But I don't want all of you to think you're getting rid of me so easily. Like Hartsman, I'm far too entrenched in the online community to simply fade into the background. I'll continue to post as I always have about game issues, and I'll continue being an advocate for the interests of all our players. Plus I'll still be attending events like E3 and FanFaire, where I'll continue participating in panels and discussions. And I'll still do my occasional "it's not a blog" column to hopefully keep you entertained. In other words, I'm not going anywhere.

Thanks again for all the fun over the last two years. It's been an incredible ride, and I look forward to seeing where the future takes us.

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Steve Danuser, a.k.a. Moorgard

Game Designer, EverQuest II

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