This week's post happens to be a peculiarly awkward one. Probably because Yannis will be asking questions that Yannis would need to answer, on a post that Yannis ended up editting. If something's amiss, you at least know who's to blame!
So, struggling between writing too much VS not writing enough, and trying to avoid sounding like Ceasar talking about himself in the third person...
Have at it!
-- Can you tell us a few things about yourself?
My name is Yannis and I do most things related to communications and community building for Hammer & Ravens and - of course - Ale Abbey!
Although I do come from a more traditional approach to Marketing and Communications, what better describes what I do today can be traced back to my PR, Fundraising, and Business Development days. I feel more comfortable when I can be sincere when writing words and it makes me happy when I talk to people. Others seem to enjoy it, so I just keep doing it!
Among other things, I have worked with Hammer & Ravens in the past, writing and translating copy, communicating with press and gamers, and more often than not pitching in with some gameplay ideas that Emiliano will traditionally end up labeling as "feature creep".
Games I've been fortunate to be involved with are all of Hammer & Ravens' past titles; Empires in Ruins, Razerwire:Nanowars, and Headbangers in Holiday Hell.
Besides those, I have also worked on Clockwork Brain (iOS, Android) and Monster Snack (iOS, Android), among other smaller titles.
-- What does Communications in Gaming feel like?
There is a duality in answering this question. In communications and community building one has to be able to communicate and also be able to discuss games with gamers.
I'm a gamer at heart, so talking games with gamers was the easy part. Since I grew up in Greece and my hometown didn't have any communities around gaming at the time, my understanding of vidya developed by playing whatever I could get my hands on - to my parents' displeasure and my grades' detriment...
Titles like Rad Gravity (NES), Wizards and Warriors II & III (NES), Syndicate (SNES), Shadowrun (SNES), Secret of Mana (SNES), Breath of Fire II (SNES), Final Fantasy III (SNES), Fallout 1 & 2 (PC), Starcraft (PC), to name the most influential, provided a sound grasp of good - and bad - gameplay mechanics, aesthetics, and story development I could later expand on.
In the matter of being able to communicate, in written or spoken form, one has to find their way and style. And it's a bit of a longer, more introspective process. The fact that gaming as an industry allows for a more casual approach to Communications and is always at the forefront when it comes to the platforms available to exercise it, is a huge advantage that anyone and everyone should be able to benefit from.
-- What's the first game you remember playing and what games are you playing today?
Although I remember my first game being Boxing (Atari 2600), it wasn't until I played Solomon's Key (NES), Battle of Olympus (NES), and Faxanadu (NES) that I knew games were going to be a huge part of my life.
Right now I am playing Hunt: Showdown (PC) and trying to 100% Blasphemous (PC), which I consider one of the best games I've ever played. I always keep Titanfall 2, Vagante, Caveblazers, and Angband installed on my PC at all times as they are my comfort games!
-- What is your relationship with beer?
A good one. One of the few things I would not be able to quit, besides cheese.
I like drinking it and I have brewed some in the past. Homebrewing helped me understand the process and develop a lot more respect for the craft. Due to time and space constraints, I had to stop for what has now been about 8 years. Swooned by Emiliano's enthusiasm, who does brew more than he can drink, I'm kind of itching to start again...
Although I will drink any beer at least once, I will a) never say no to a La Trappe Dubbel, b) need to pace myself when drinking Ionian Pilsner (goes down faster than water), and c) seek any new Lambic because even if I do hate loot boxes, drinking a Lambic sure excites like one!
If you feel like chatting up with Yannis, or have any questions about your game, looking for advice on communications and marketing, etc. feel free to reach out to him either via Twitter or find him on our very own Discord server!
Thank you for your time and see you all next Friday!
-- Hammer & Ravens
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