World Of Warcraft: Life as a WoW Employee and WoW Player

Vaneras: All of us at Blizzard indeed play with normal characters on the normal realms, be it PvP, PvE, RP or RP-PvP realms. We play in private when we are not at work and we play for having fun like the rest of you, and therefore it can definitely be a dilemma and of some frustration when such a discussion takes place in-game. But personally I always try to stay as neutral as possible in those kinds of discussions and I am fairly sure that all of my colleagues do the very same thing.

As a blizzard employee I have the unique opportunity to see things from both the players' point of view and blizzards point of view, and this can both be a curse as well as a blessing. :-)

Question: do people in your guild know that you are Vaneras?
Answer: No.

Question: Also, I wonder, do you ever reply on these forums as your normal nonblue-character?
Answer: generally don't use my nonblue-character on the forums, but it has happened that I used it on the realm forums for commenting on or discussing in-game events where my guild has been involved.

Question: What I would like to know from a job point of view is whether being a GM allows you time to attend raids which usually take place at 8pm or so GT. I know that there are 3 shifts and wondered if someone applynig for a position would be able to maintain current raiding times.
Answer: As far as I am aware the Game Masters who likes to raid manages to do so just fine, but if you apply for a job as a Game Master and you happen to get the job, then it is possible that you need to adjust a bit since you most likely won't always be able to raid at a specific time every week.

Question: Perhaps you are a hunter (avatar picture). How do you deal with the ranged shot bug? Wouldn't you stand on your chair and yell in the GM hall: "Will somebody please fiiixxx this stupid bug?!11!oneleven".
Answer: As a player I of course find these things annoying as well, and I do report these things to the Game Masters as everyone else.

But here it is a blessing to be a Blizzard employee since I can actually see that reported bugs are being forwarded to the relevant people in order to have them fixed in some future patch or hotfix, and I can see that those naughty players who do bad things are being dealt with. But some of these things take time and I can most surely understand the many frustrated in-game remarks and forum posts from players, because they cannot see the things that I have access to as a Blizzard employee, and thus it can look like that nothing or very little is being done to fix those kind of issues.

Question: Have you ever been posting on your non-blue, and gave them a blue response? Realized 5 minutes later, logged into the blue and quickly deleted the post? :P
Answer: No, that has fortunately never happened :-)

But then again I almost never post with my non-blue account.

Question: When you get ganked do you wish you could use .kill? :P I think to be honest, it's only natural for gm's, cm's, devs etc to play the game in a normal way - but did they use omgwtfhax to level? ;)
Answer:Being ganked is part of the game, so I really have nothing against that even though it can be annoying at times. If somebody corpsecamps me then I usually just log into another character and play that one instead... I mean if a guy like to sit and look at my corpse for an hour, then who am I to stop him ;-)

FYI we do not have godly GM powers on our regular play accounts.

Question: So some GMs do not like to raid? Can you inform us what they do instead of raiding?
Answer: Well I know that some Game Masters prefer to do PvP instead of raiding :-)

Others like to level up several characters and others again like to grind reputation for various factions in order to get rare epic stuff :-)

Question: If they catch you playing WoW while at work, would they punish you? ;p
Answer: Don't know... It has never happened ;-)

Question: A serious Question: If you know about all these issues, why aren't they being fixed? I mean, there are bugs that have existed since the game itself started that still have yet to be fixed.
Answer: They are being fixed, and if they have not been fixed yet, then they will be at some time.
Please try to understand that a game like World of Warcraft is an enormous project that is constantly being worked on, and therefore some things take priority over others and yet other things are very complex and therefore take time to fix. That is why you see some things fixed and others not, even though they have been present in the game for some time.

Question: You say you forward all these issues to the developers and you claim you are indeed in touch with the players and you know about all the stuff we experience on a day to day basis, yet you still nerf great potions like Spirit of Zanza and even make it unique (!!!) and still do very odd stuff which makes no sense other than trying piss players off: Forcing players to regrind rank 14 for new weapons, requiring stupid materials for Tier 3 items (as if the effort and preparation required to beat the encounters wasn't enough), forcing people to grind stupid factions for months and later nerfing the grind (Zul'Gurup).
Answer: Yes I forward issues and feedback to the developers (and other teams in blizzard as well depending on the nature of the issue at hand) and yes I play the game just like you do, but I'm afraid that you are confusing me with a developer, which I am not. I do not make the decisions about changes in the game, and I have no part in the design decisions made by the developers.

I am fully aware that some players get frustrated and in some cases outright angry when changes are made to the game, but I can assure you that changes are made for a good reason. If you think that the sole purpose of the developers is to annoy you at a personal level by changing the things that you happen to like in the game, then I'm afraid that you are sadly mistaken. Some design decisions are tough indeed, because some people get affected by them in negative way in the short run, but the changes made by the developers are always done for a good reason.

Question: If you are indeed trying to make this game as FUN as possible, why are you constantly proving the opposite every single patch?

Maybe you indeed don't share the same idea of fun as the players do? Maybe you don't understand the preparation and effort some of your raid encounters require?
Answer: The game is indeed supposed to be as fun as possibly for everybody who plays it, and the game is being constantly developed and modified. It is unavoidable that people like some content more than other, and that some people like some changes more than other and the reason for this is that people are different. It is not an easy thing to satisfy everyone, because per definition, that is impossible since everybody is unique in their own way.

I can gather from your post that you are not at all satisfied with the current state of the game and that you think it is being destroyed by the people who make it. Those thoughts of yours can't make me stop thinking that you should maybe step back and take a look at your motives for playing, because if you are not having fun, and you honestly think that every patch makes the game worse and that it is no longer possible to have any kind of enjoyment while playing it, then I really don't see a reason to play.

Question: Don't you guys feel very far from the US sometimes? I mean, on a forwarding infos point of view.
Answer: Well I would say that we have pretty good communication between the different regions of blizzard, but sometimes the distance can be frustrating. I think this is mostly due to the time zones though :-)

Question: btw vaneras any of the GM/CM have tried to do hardcore pvp also if they work there and have only a few time? let's say some rank 14 gm or maybe a rank 11 cm ?XD
Answer: For sure yes, but I am not sure if they ever managed to reach rank 14(I didn't ask).

Question: what's the thing that you like most with your non blue character?
Answer: My huge gun and my pig :-)

Question: How do you deal with people that have a problem with you in /w (if any since you seem a nice relaxed guy :)). Also, who's the best at pvp in the Blizz building and with what class? :P
Answer: Well I never seem to get into any real conflicts, but it has happened once or twice that I have come accross people who needed to have their mouth washed in soap. The ignore option comes in handy in those situations, but if people are being seriously abusive then I report them to the Game Masters :-)

Question: Isn't it bad to play when you know too much about WoW? I mean, doesn't it feel like the gaming experience is spoiled for you, because you "know too much"?
Answer: I would not say that the gaming experience is spoiled at all. I have fun playing the game, and the fact that I may "know too much" has no real influence in my enjoyment :-)

Question: was just wondering if you are playing with some other Blizzard employees?
Answer: Yes I have been playing together with other Blizzard employees, and I still do it now and then on some of my characters.

Question: And you've also worked with WoW for a very long time... Have you ever thought like "f... this game, I'm so sick of this"?
Answer: How do you define a long time?! I have worked for Blizzard for almost one and a half year, and for me the time is flying. I have a good time everyday and even though some times are tougher than others, I still love the game :-)

Question: And have you ever explored the game, for example going to Mount Hyjal, top of the Ironforge, etc?
Answer: Well sure to some degree. I do not actively go seek out these places, but it has happened that I have strayed of the path once or twice.

Question: do you like better pvp,pve,what? give us more info =P
Answer: It actually varies a lot. I wouldn't say that I stick to one particular thing... I like change in my gameplay :-)

Question: Can you do your job as CM meanwhile playing WoW?
Answer: No... I do not play while I work.

Question: What exactly does a CM job require from you, I mean, is it just posting some times in the forum, and else just C/Ping stuff from the devs?
Answer: Unfortunately the invisible part of doing my job is the time that takes the longest. Things like forum moderation and gathering feedback etc.

One of our fansites interviewed me shortly after I got the job, and in that interview there are a few more details about the job that I do:http://www.wowi.dk/news.php?extend.63

Question: Vaneras: i'd imagine ur playing on a realm thats pretty old (correct me if im wrong)
how do u react to the extreme lagg that sometimes accours .. ~3k MS random D/Cs sprees ...
ever gone like "this freakin sux, need fixing ASAP slackers!" ? =)
Answer: I have characters on new realms as well as old realms, and of course there sometimes is a difference in performance. I will not lie... Latency and disconnects are very frustrating, especially when it happens at a key moment in the game, but for me it never seems as bad compared to what others have. I have indeed had lag spikes now and then, but I have never gone above 1500ms and I have had disconnects, but never 20 times an hour.

I would like to add that we are working as hard as we can to prevent and eliminate problems causing latency and disconnections, but sometimes these problems come from outside our network from some other ISP having routing issues, and then it can unfortunately take some time before the problems are resolved.

Question: Is it true the GMs gets free cola? :O
Answer: All blizzard employees in Europe get 2 free cans a day :-)

Question: So vaneras your[sic] 28 atm ?
Answer: Indeed :-)

Question: Vaneras, isn't it very rewarding to see so many people like a game that the company you work for made, and even you being a CM? :)
Answer: Sure it is. This is the best job I have ever had :-)

Question: Isn't it scary to think about the fact that WoW 'will' die at some time, and then there will be no community = No job for you? What will you do then? Get a job in another Blizzard MMORPG? (If they've made one at that time that is :P )
Answer: I will cross that bridge when I come to it :-)

Question: what happens when ur guild want to go raiding and ur working?
Answer: If I'm at work while my guild is raiding, then they raid without me. It hasn't really been a problem for me so far :-)

Question: Free cola,,, but if I, when I become *dreaming* a mighty shiny GM I need dr Pepper in my veins :D
Answer: Sorry to say this, but we do not have Dr. Pepper in our machines... Why would you drink that anyways... It is foul.

Question: haha, btw, my guild is having a laugh about you trying to get me to quit the game - I won't hear the end of that one :)
Answer: Please don't get me wrong. I am not trying to make you quit at all. I wrote what I wrote because your original post made it look like the game was just so horrible for you, and that there was no fun left at all because the game had been destroyed by the many patches that do nothing but plaguing and destroying your very existence as a gamer.

If you think the game is still fun, then that is really great, but I just did not get that impression before your second post.

Question: Vaneras, have you ever met or talked with Michael Morhaime or any others of the upper-men? :) If yes,m how are they like? "How dare you talk to me, slave!?" or friendly? :P
Answer: I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting him no, but that day will hopefully come soon. :-)

I have met some of the big boys in Blizzard, and they really are great and friendly people.

Question: hey van, if you lose to a certain class in pvp alot of times dont you ever think like 'damnit we gotta nerf that class' and what happens when you do?
Answer: Sure I have a tough time against some classes more than others, but I have not yet reached a point where I can claim that certain classes most surely are overpowered and must be nerfed ASAP.

But again all classes are quite different from each other and some of them are really strong in mass PvP where others are better in 1 vs. 1.

Question: So Vaneras, what do your guild think you work as? They've probably asked at some point, and you can't tell them you're a CM, but even if you did, they wouldn't believe you.

So what job does your guild think you have? :)
Answer: They have never really asked exactly what I do and I have never really told them either. All they know is that I work and I have flexible work hours :-)

Question: But when you see 3 threads on EU and US forums, all with 30 pages of people going "What are you doing, this makes no sense!", does that not make you think "Ok guys, this change might not be so good, we might have to reconsider it or find another solution"
Answer: When we see a 30-50 page thread full of complaints about a specific change in the game, we are of course aware that someone is not happy. And of course we do forward the concerns from those threads even though it is not always certain that you will see an immediate response from us.

Does it mean that Blizzard should not give feedback to those angry people who write and maintain angry threads on the forums? Not at all... We should give feedback in one form or another, and I must acknowledge that unfortunately this is where we sometimes fail.

Question: I realise you might not be able to answer that, since you are not part of those meetings, but when you let these kind of threads pass by unanswered, it makes people very disillusioned about the state of the game. Everyone is screaming "Look at this Blizzard, just look at it and reconsider" and you just ignore it (or at least give the perception of ignoring it, by not answering).
Answer: I partially agree on this, but unfortunately we do not always have the means to answer concerns from such a thread and thus they will sometimes stay unanswered for a while, at least until we actually have some valid information to give. I can understand the frustration from those who really seek a response to their concerns in such threads, and again I agree that we should maybe post more often in them, even though we may not have any actual information on the issue in question.

Question: Example: You nerf Spirit of Zanza, why?... why? Give us a reason, tell us what was wrong with it. You never argue the changes you make, you just make them.
Answer: I know that this is one of the questions you really, really want answered, but unfortunately I cannot relieve you of your pain on this matter. The change was indeed made and it was done for a good reason, but I do not have any specific information on this particular change.

Question: Materials for Tier 3? Who came up with that? I pay around 60g every day for wiping on C'Thun already, and I will pay more than that for learning Naxx, and now I have to PAY an extra total of 400g+ for the reward of my efforts aswell? WHY? On top of that you nerfed the money dropped from bosses aswell, I make more money doing a full MC run, than I do on a AQ40 run, without any deaths. Logic flawed?
Answer: Again I have no specifics on the exact reasons behind the design decisions on this matter. But then again Naxxramas is indeed made for those power gamers, who truly put in an extreme and in some cases mind boggling amounts of time and effort into acquiring that special equipment. Tier 3 equipment is not supposed to be hard to get, it is supposed to be very hard to get. I would maybe even say that Tier 3 gear will be so very hard to get, so that MC, BWL and AQ40 gear will not lose its appeal by being considered obsolete or even useless, just because better gear becomes available.

Question: Do these arguments or comments escape you?
Answer: Not at all, but please let me ask you the same question in return. Do the arguments or comments that I presented to you escape you?

Question: I love the game; don't get me wrong, I've invested tons of time and effort in to it, but some of the things you do make me consider why I bother to play.
Answer: I am really glad to hear that you love the game, and I think that it is both great and impressive that you have spent the time and effort that you have. But when you start thinking about why you even bother to play, then it sounds to me like the game has lost its appeal to you and it is no longer fun for you to play. And if the game is no longer fun for you, then I begin to wonder about why exactly you play the game.

Question: So vaneras is there any class you really hated to play and why?
Answer: There is no class that I really hate, but there are classes that I find more boring than others. I will not go into more detail on this, because I do not want to make some players think that I do not like them simply because they play a class I personally find less fun :-)

Question: Say Vaneras.. Where does "Vaneras" origin from?
AnswerVaneras was a name I came up with when I was looking for a name for my avatar shortly after I got this job. I wanted a name that was easy to pronounce and remember for as many nationalities as possible. I had a list containing something like 50 possible names and I showed this list to people from around 10-12 different nationalities, who were working here at the offices at the time, and I was asking them to point out the name that seemed most appealing to them. After this the list was reduced to about 3 names, where I then chose Vaneras for my avatar :-)

Question: Vaneras.. What's your boar called? I'm very, very curious now ;)
Answer: That is a secret I will never reveal :-)

Question: Vaneras, may I ask why you picked a Dwarf Hunter as your avatar?
Answer: I chose a Dwarf Hunter because that is my absolute favorite race/class combination in the game. I have always loved dwarf characters in fantasy games and role-playing games, and the Dwarves in World of Warcraft are nothing less than spectacular. The Dwarf in the World of Warcraft intro movie owns all by the way :-)

Many people have commented on the gear that my avatar is wearing, which is not that high level. In fact the gear on my avatar is level 30-40ish, and that is actually very much on purpose, because I always though that hunters looked best in leather gear at those levels :-)

Question: Vaneras i want to ask you have you ever answered anything in forums as Vaneras to a person you know in game?
Answer: Not that I am aware of, but I can honestly not remember.

Question: A bit offtopic; but i really want to know where the blizzard building in paris is located, and how it looks, do you got any pictures of that by any chance? :)
Answer: The Blizzard building is located not so far outside of Paris to the South West. The building itself is nothing spectacularly special I would say, but it is a decent sized office building made traditionally of concrete, steel and glass. I unfortunately have no pictures to show you :-)

Question: What I am curious about is that if a GM does his 11th run on a boss but still haven't had their item drop... Could they then alter the coding to get their beloved item?
Answer: No.

Question: Are they allowed to get a charatcher with full tier 2 epic gear or is that strictly forbidden?
Answer: It is not forbidden as long as they earn it the same way as everybody else. None of us gets premade über characters transferred to our accounts just because we work for Blizzard.

Question: If they have a girlfriend/boyfriend who plays WOW are they allowed to add tiny hearts around her on valentines day?
Answer: No.

But they would probably be more popular with their girlfriends if they gave her some flowers, some chocolate and maybe even a fancy dinner somewhere :-)
(Sorry I didn't mention anything about boyfriends, but I do not know what girls are supposed to give their boyfriends on valentines day)

If you made it this far, congrats, that's the end ;)