LU Yosi Break SPECIAL EDITION: Mich Orosa, the GF.

LU Yosi Break SPECIAL EDITION: Michelle Orosa, the GF. :)

I always thought of games as just that, games. And for a while I couldn’t understand why you were so serious about it. But I understand now (biglang bawi heehee).

Mich currently works for ANC as one of their premiere business journalists. She's worked for the very best in the industry, including a 2-year stint as Senior Editorial Assistant to business media giant Tony Lopez (BizNewsAsia Magazine). Mich has also travelled to Germany on several occassions to refine her craft. It's simply amazing and bizarre how such a elegant, classy, and hot girl hooked up with a grizzly gamer like me (haha!). We've been together for 6 years now and we just can't wait for *that* day to come.

Wauks: Okay, let’s get down to business! I’m big, into games, and clumsy. What is it that you found in me that made you say “yes”?

Mich: You were a paradox of sorts. You were uber confident when you were speaking in public (a.k.a giving reports in the classroom) but with me you showed a softer side, kind of shy, and very caring. I felt very flattered you showed me that side of yours, even as I was already infatuated with your "public" side.

Wauks: How hard was it to have a boyfriend for a gamer? I mean - what was it about me being a gamer that pissed you off?

Mich: I knew it was going to be hard the moment my kuya said "He plays counterstrike?! Buti if he'll still pay attention to you!" I guess that while I understood that someone could get lost while playing a game, I never really encountered someone that could get lost while playing a game and after playing that game because he was talking about strategies with his guildmates. I always thought of games as just that, games. And for a while I couldn’t understand why you were so serious about it. But I understand now (biglang bawi heehee).

Wauks: Okay, good thing I didn't get to much flak from your brother. By the way, I've been meaning to ask this for some time...What's your take on it? I mean, about me being serious about games?

Mich: You're serious with anything you're passionate about. It's that simple. It could be a book, or even a monopoly game for crying out loud, and you'd still think beyond the rules and do your best and beat everyone else because they didn't think of it the way you do.

Wauks: Wow, thanks for the ego boost, hehe. Is there anything positive about me being a gamer that has made any impact on our relationship for the past 6 years?

Mich: Like you always say, it's better than drugs or alcohol! It gives you a stress reliever-outlet kind of thing when we have problems heehee.

Wauks: Hey hey hey, it really IS better than drugs or alcohol. Better a gamer than an alcoholic (LOL). Was there an instance na you were happy that I was a gamer?

Mich: I think I was happy when I found out we could get married in Ragnarok. It’s the closest we could get to the real thing. And I thought seeing a blacksmith and a dancer stand together was really cool.

Wauks: Let's talk in general terms - do you think everyone is a gamer? I mean, they just haven't found the game that would hook 'em in yet? Have you found a game that sucked you in like RO did to me?

Mich: I think games exist because everyone wants a chance to get away for a little while. I do believe there's a game for everybody. Could be as simple as Tetris or something as complicated as RO or WOW, it's really just a matter of what distracts you to the point of sheer joy for those few minutes or hours you set aside to play the game. I liked City of Heroes for a while… but I guess I like Diner Dash 2 more. :)

Wauks: Okay last question. Mas masarap ba mag-mahal ang gamer?

Mich: All I can say is for this gamer, yes. :)

Michelle Orosa will be a happily married woman with a dedicated husband in a few years from now.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this. To all my readers, hope you guys find your special someone soon. :)

CHEERS!

I think I was happy when I found out we could get married in Ragnarok. It’s the closest we could get to the real thing.

LU Yosi Break 02: Pet Syling, CTO

LEVEL-UP YOSI BREAK 02: PET SYLING, CTO

I joined Level-up because of the challenge to build an industry and to build a team of talented individuals with a common goal.

Pet Syling currently serves as the Chief Technical Officer of Level-up Games. He's one of the best Pangya players in the company, beating me and even the Pangya Brand Manager on several occassions (without the use of the calculator). Sir Pet is also one of the most reliable and hardworking bosses you will ever come to meet. He was our CTO back then at netGames and he is just as good now, actually, even better.

Wauks: Hi Sir Pet! Thanks for accepting my inviation for this session. Anyway, let's kick this off with a simple question. Are you a gamer? If ever what games have you played? What game are you currently playing and why do you like that particular game?

Pet: Yes of course. TONS of games. MMORPG games, LAN games, strategy games, mini-games, casual games. Im' not currently playing 1 solo game. I like moving around the different games to keep myself from getting jaded on one.

Wauks: Hahaha, that's nice to hear. Anyway, is there any particular reason why you joined netGames, and eventually Level-up?

Pet: An offer I could not refuse, hehe! Just kidding. The challenge of building an industry, of building a talented team of individuals with a common goal. There is also the challenge of solving business needs thru IT. Lastly of course, is to have a good excuse to play games during working hours (again, just a joke, hehe).

Wauks: Wah, hehe. Maybe we can go into detail about your job. What does a Chief Technical Officer do?

Pet: There are a lot! Manage the daily operations of the IT team, plan and align solutions to meet business needs, lead the company in technology direction, guide the different IT groups in their execution, and help in managing the profitability of the company.

Wauks: That's definitely a lot. Anyway, I was able to get questions from several members of our community that they want to ask you. One of the most popular questions is: GM, BAKIT PO MAY LAG?

Pet: Madaming sources ang lag. aaring sa ISP na gamit ninyo, o pwede rin sa café na pinaglalaruan ninyo na maliit lamang and kanyang network bandwidth para ma accommodate ang lahat ng players. Meron ding lag na caused ng PC, dahil kulang ang memory or mabagal ang CPU. Nangyayari ito kapag madaming players sa isang lugar (i.e. Chipwar ng RF) Minsan naman sa game application may problema o kaya sa network ng game provider or ng Internet Service Provider.

Wauks: Another popular question is: Baket kailangan ng maintenance? Sayang game time!

Pet: Ang maintenance po ay importanante para ma update yung game. Di natin maiwasan na may game bugs na kailangan ayusin. Minsan naman, nag maintenance din tayo para makadagdag ng items or features ng isang game. Minsan din, para ma reboot ang mga servers para fresh sila ulit. Parang pag ikaw ay naligo, fresh ka ulit.

Wauks: Eto pa isang popular question: Baket nag cra-crash ang mga server?

Pet: Kadalasan ang crash ay nangyayari dahil ma problem ang game applications or hindi tama ang pag configure. Maraming pinagmumulan na minsan madali makita, pero minsan naman, ang hirap mahanap.

Wauks: Thanks for taking the time for this boss! I won't disturb you anymore seeing as you have to fix RO technical problems (hehe). Any message for our gaming community?

Pet: LOVE the GAME as the game LOVES you. :)

Pet Syling is happily married with two kids who are following in his footsteps, addicted to computers and games.

Previous LU Yosi Break Sessions:

LU Yosi Break 01: Sheila Paul

LU Yosi Break 01: Sheila Paul

LEVEL-UP YOSI BREAK 01: SHEILA PAUL

Soon as Ben was in the middle, Dagul turned his face into Ben’s crotch and said, “Mic test. Mic test.” I thought for sure I was going to lose my job!

For our first edition of the LU Yosi Break segment, we're going to talk to Level-up Chief Operating Officer, Sheila Paul. She's the boss of my boss which makes her like my er... uber boss. Anyway, just check out our conversation below. Enjoy!

Wauks: Why did you join Level-up? As a marketing professional, wasn’t it dangerous to join a start-up company with a rather uncertain product at that time?

Sheila: I had a pretty good career path at the time back in 2002 with an advertising agency but felt the need to take a risk in my career. I was actually handling advertising for internet products and felt that content was going to be the driver to increase access in the country.

Level Up came at a perfect time! Definitely it was a crazy move, but Ben Colayco was such a good talker that he made me believe that we could change the industry in a big way. After Ragnarok was launched in 2003 I gave a big sigh of relief that our gamble paid off. It’s fun to work in a company where everyone is so passionate about their goals and so much relies on you making the call, it’s different from the corporate environment I came from. Plus I love sci-fi! It’s what really gets me into working on our RPG games.

Wauks: It's a good thing the gamble paid off! I agree with you 100% that Ben is a good talker. I still remember his speech during our Christmas Party. Anyway, it’s assumed that majority of the gamers are guys. How did it feel being one of the few women working in a male-dominated industry?

Sheila: Thankfully I’ve always been open-minded and you definitely need that when working with guys who are so used to working just around guys. I just take all the lousy jokes, the bad habits, the girl-watching, the drinking and smoking (oh, man I think I’m giving too much away about the Level Up culture!) in stride. Actually there are certain advantages to being a woman because you ought to know how to push a guy’s buttons, whether they’re our gaming public or the guys I work with. It’s also funny to see how our foreign developer publishers react when they realize “Paul” is a woman. They expect to take me Karaoke-ing when I meet with them, but then they end up taking me to nice dinners.

Wauks: As the marketing manager before, I’m sure you’ve organized tons of events and you’ve met a lot of players! What’s your most memorable experience with a player or a guild?

Sheila: There have been so many great experiences with players! I remember the first time I was asked for an autograph, at an Armed & Loaded EB in Cebu . I kept on telling them I wasn’t even a GM but they asked for it anyway. You also never know where you’ll encounter a player. Whenever I say the name of the company I get surprised. A guy behind the counter of McDonald’s asked me to help him solve his hack problem. A hotel bellboy at the Atrium near the World Trade Center asked me to bring him back some goodies from Level Up! LIVE since he was on shift and couldn’t make it. I almost didn’t make it to a flight to Davao until the guy at the check-in counter at Cebu Pacific learned I was from Level Up and just rushed me right through.

Another memorable experience was my first big Level Up event, the Ragnarok launch in the Samsung WCG Glorietta back in 2003, I got Mahal, Mura, and Dagul to cosplay as Ragnarok characters since they were small enough to mimic the actual sprites. They were supposed to go up on stage and introduce Ben Colayco. I actually picked them up one by one and place them onstage because there were no steps. The audience roared with laughter soon as they came out. Then they called Ben onstage. Soon as Ben was in the middle, Dagul turned his face into Ben’s crotch and said, “Mic test. Mic test.” I thought for sure I was going to lose my job!

Wauks: Hahaha! Well it's a good thing Ben has a good sense of humor. Okay... enough of the boring stuff! Let's go hardcore! Another online gaming company keeps saying they are number one! Do you have anything to say about that?

Sheila: I used to be in advertising and that’s where I learned that all advertising has to be based on the truth. That’s the way we’ve always practiced it in Level Up. What we say about our games and our company is based on the truth. We might say it in different ways, or make it look pretty, but they are based on facts. Level Up delivers the biggest revenue and has the most number of players. I don’t know what other companies are basing their claim on, but I guess it’s on their conscience if they still want to claim the number 1 spot.

Wauks: I agree with you on that a 100%. Next question, I’m sure a lot of players are wondering… are you single, taken, or married?

Sheila: C’mon, are they really wondering that? Ate Sheila is still single…maybe she works too hard. :-P

Wauks: Well at least you didn't break any gamer hearts. What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?

Sheila: There are too many incidents not fit for public consumption... the wildest thing I can mention is singing and dancing my way through Europe to get the trip for free. Maybe working in Level Up could also be one of the wildest things I’ve ever done!

Wauks: Thanks for the great chat boss. Maybe you can give the details of that Europe trip next time we talk (laughs). Any message to all of our gamers?

Sheila: We are working very hard at Level Up to make sure you get the best gaming and online entertainment experience. Keep tuned in to what Level Up! has in store for you, from our current games, our new upcoming ones, and we also have some surprises along the way. See you online!

-End of Conversation-

Again, thank you to Sheila for accepting my invitation for a chat to be posted here at my blog. For the next segment, I'll be talking up close and personal with Level-up's CTO (Chief Technical Officer). Among the questions that I know we are all dying to ask is "Bakit may lag?" Hopefully he can shed light on that issue. Hehe. Cheers!

Level-up Yosi Break

This blog has really taken off, and I owe it to all of you Level-up gamers who read and check almost daily. I was talking with one player a while ago and he was asking about what people do in Level-up Games. What's the career path? Who are the movers and shakers of the industry? He asked a lot of very simple but interesting questions. After consulting with a few officemates, I've come to a decision to introduce to you guys a different side of Level-up. Over the next few days, I'll be having a new category called "Level-up Yosi Break". To my readers that who don't understand Filipino, "Yosi" is Cigarette. People usually call for a "Yosi Break" when they need a few minutes to regroup and relax. And that's exactly what I want to show everyone! It's time for you guys to see beyond the games and the company name. It's time to put a human face on Level-up Games :)Don't worry though, I will still regularly post about Ragnarok 2, Perfect World, and other MMOG titles.

I will also be talking with celebrity players of our various games. Players who are famous and I will try to get them to share their thoughts about the industry in general. I hope you guys enjoy the next series of interviews.

If we're lucky, I can start having this section up and running by tomorrow, March 1, 2007. I've already asked our Chief Technical Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and other department heads and executive officers if they're okay, and most of them have agreed.

Cheers!

P.S.

I comissioned an artist to work on the blog template. Hopefully he can finish it soon XD