Six Question Mini-Interview

NAME: Stefan "Shag" Arnold
JOB TITLE: Documentation Specialist

1. Tell us a little about yourself and what your job is with respect to Empire Earth.

   I am the full-time writer at SSSI and I've been writing professionally for more than four years, in total. I've worked as a writer at various companies, but my job at SSSI has easily been the best one. I've also written stuff just for fun, including a science fiction novel which I finished about 3 years ago. It's really long and dense and has never been published, but it was a lot of fun to write.

   Currently, I am writing the manual for Empire Earth. I'm also creating the Tech Tree foldout that will come in the box. Both are coming along well - some of you may have seen a version of the Tech Tree online. Additionally, I've been writing press releases, interviews (co-written with Rick Goodman), all the unit blurbs (which have accompanied the unit artwork we've released), and all sorts of other material. I also do some of the database work in the game, specifically for the UI layout. The variety of things that I do is the reason why I chose the job title "Documentation Specialist" instead of the more austere "Writer." (Actually, I stole the title. I once applied for a job at another company and "Documentation Specialist" was the job title. It was such an absurd title that I had to use it.)

2. How long have you been at SSSI and what were you doing right before you were hired?

   I've been at the company for over 16 months - jeez, has it been that long? Wow, time flies. Anyway, right before that I was living in Madison, WI, working as a Technical Writer for a company that manufactures circuit boards for the communications industry. My wife was finishing up her Masters in History (so I come by my interest in history naturally) at the University of Wisconsin when we decided to move back East.

   Before we moved I started looking for a job in the Boston area. That's when I came across SSSI's website. "Damn," I thought, "that's exactly where I want to work." I had worked for Raven Software in Madison until I was downsized, and I really wanted to get back into the gaming industry. I contacted SSSI and Dara-Lynn, VP of Operations, told me they might be needing a writer down the road. That was good enough for me, so I decided to take a chance. I drove to Massachusetts while my wife tied up loose ends in Wisconsin. I stayed with a friend and poured myself into the task of landing the job. To my great delight I was hired and I've been happily employed ever since.

3. What's the first thing you'll do after Empire Earth is released?

   Have a party. Then sleep. For a week. I might just curl up under my desk.

4. Are you a morning person or a night person, and why do you think so?

   I am decidedly NOT a morning person. I never have been. However, the most expedient time for me to commute into work is on the 6:36 bus (yes, that's AM). I sometimes take the 5:50 now that we're hitting crunch time. Hence my answer to the previous question. Basically, I owe my life to coffee.

5. Besides games, what other hobbies or interests do you have?

   Writing is probably what I like to do most. Reading, too. I also enjoy music and I play the bass. I don't get the chance to play as much as I used to, but I still enjoy it when I do get the chance.

6. What's the coolest place you've ever been to? What made it the coolest?

   I've been lucky enough to visit a lot of cool places, but my favorite is Australia. I went there with my family about 12 years ago and I simply loved it: the people, the climate, the culture, the wildlife, the nightlife… it was unbelievably cool. I really hope I'll be able to go back some day.