Star Wars Galaxies: Player Spotlight: Jod_Iegemai

Where in the real life world do you live? I live in the Metro-Atlanta area ("HotLanta").

How long have you played Star Wars Galaxies? I've been playing since April 9, 2004.

What other MMOs have you played? I have played World of Warcraft (WoW), Guild Wars, Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO), Lord of the Rings Online (Lotro), Tabula Rasa, and City of Heroes (COH).

What type of work do you do? I am a high school theatre teacher and director.

How long is your typical gaming session when playing Star Wars Galaxies? Usually about 4-5 hours during the week, and as much as 8-10 hours on weekend nights. It mainly depends on my real life schedule and work schedule.

What does a typical Star Wars Galaxies day consist of for you? I log in and spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour working on ingame emails and correspondence... anything from resource spawns, allied guild emails, questions, updates in guild information, city information, and the like. Once my "work" is done, I usually will see what the guild events calendar has on it and jump into guild chat and Ventrilo. Typically, I spend a lot of time in /tells answering questions as I am doing some other event, hunt, or activity. Depending on what groups are doing within the guild or allied guilds, I will move from one of my combat toons to another. Near the conclusion of my play session, I move to my trader to see what, if any, money I have made, check vendors and factories, and pull items from our guild collection vendor for guildies that are in need of items. I am usually also working on what the next guild or server event will be while alt tabbing to the SOE forums. In a nutshell, I spend my time multi-tasking.

What was the race and profession of your very first character? My first character started life as a Rifleman/Combat Medic and is currently an Elder Jedi (CL 90).

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I have always been into video games, whether it be console or PC platforms, and grew up in a household that always was playing video games. As a matter of fact, my real-life father is in the same guild as I am. It is a family affair. Without completely dating myself, my love for video games started as far back as Atari Pong.  

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing Star Wars Galaxies? I enjoy reading, performing and directing in theatrical productions, and listening to music. I don't have much time for much more than those hobbies.  Just playing SWG takes most of my spare time.

What is your highest character level in Star Wars Galaxies? I have five CL 90s.

What race and profession is your main character? Male Zabrak / Elder Jedi.

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? I like the idea of being an Elder Jedi. It is a symbol of time gone by when there was something to work toward. When I play him, I often think about the time grinding, the people I met, and the uniqueness of being a Jedi. I keep him as an Jedi because of what it symbolizes for me and my journey through this galaxy.  

What faction is your main character? All of my characters are Imperial.

What is your favorite player owned ship? I enjoyed the Vaksai on my main and the JSF on my alternate character. I don't fly with the other three characters.

What is your favorite ground vehicle? I enjoy the Command BARC. Not only for the speed and fact that not everyone has one, but because I love impaling Rebels with the sword on the front.

How did you choose your main character's name? My best friend in real life and I randomly generated the name and because everything in game is based on the first name, he advised me that a short name would be best. Thus, "Jod" was born.

Which current professions in Star Wars Galaxies have you NOT played? Officer, Smuggler, and Munitions.

What is your favorite expansion? Rage of the Wookiees is my favorite. It was the first expansion after I had unlocked Jedi. When it launched,  I took a huge break from grinding Jedi in order to play my new pikeman/CH (for some reason I thought that would be a good combination...boy, I was wrong). I spent a lot of time there with other guild members learning the quests and it was all so new and exciting that I enjoyed every part of it. Even to this day, I go and help people because I love the quest lines.

What is your favorite planet? Dathomir, because I spent so much time there killing rancors and nightsisters. I love the dreariness of it. A close second is Talus.... nothing like a Talus purple sky at dusk.

What is your favorite NPC? My favorite NPC would have to be Darth Vader. Is there anything more neat than being able to see him in game?

What are the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a singleitems for one of your characters?  The most I have spent is 150 million for a Nightsister Armgaurd (back when they were not as expensive).

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so, what is it and why do you keep it? I keep about everything for nostalgic reasons. I think that is why I have too much stuff and have to barrow lots from people just to store things. I think that my most prized possession, besides my first training saber, is my load-lifting medical droid named "Voltron" that I used to sit in C-net and buff with.  I still have him and pull him out on occasion. He is worthless now, but I wouldn't delete him or sell him for anything.

What do you like best about Star Wars Galaxies? The people. If it weren't for the people that I have met over the years, I wouldn't still be playing. The thing that SWG has over every other MMO is the community.

Describe your best experience playing Star Wars Galaxies. Unlocking Jedi and crying when I did it. Then realizing that I finally had a girl toon unlock that I could play and think about fashion and girlie things. [p]Do you run or work for a Star Wars Galaxies Fan Site? I co-host/administrate my guild's forums at www.swg-shc.com.