Star Trek Online: Meet Craig Zinkievich

The newest "Meet the Team" article has appeared on the Star Trek Online site. Featured this time out is executive producer Craig Zinkievich...who's got a goat. Find out all about him below:

What do you do on Star Trek Online?

I'm the Executive Producer on STO. I have to worry about every single aspect of STO. From the design vision to making sure the art gets executed, making sure that software does what they need to do. I have to make sure that, ultimately, you guys get to play this game. Basically, if something on the project goes wrong, everybody in the company can point at me. Woohoo!

How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Star Trek Online?

I have been in gaming for 6 years now. I came to Cryptic as a technical designer back before COH shipped. I enjoyed designing game systems for COH, working with Software to make sure that they implemented systems that the designers could use and then working with Design to make sure that they used the systems properly. Eventually it got to the point that I was working with and scheduling Art to make sure that they were making art that fit into the systems that we had designed. And then - wow- we all realized that that's what producers do. And so I became producer for COH and COV and then Director of Production at Cryptic Studios for the past few years. Now I'm Executive Producer on STO.

Who is your favorite Star Trek character and why?

I'm going to have to go with Spock. I think he's the coolest. I like the inner conflict that he has but, when push comes to shove, he's pretty cut and dry.

What is an interesting fact about you that players would be surprised to know?

They already know about the goat, so I can't double up on that. How about saying I don't like to talk about myself? In fact, I don't like talking about myself so much that it took six months to do this interview.

If you could choose to be an alien on Star Trek, which species would you want to be?

The alien races that really intrigued me are all the secondary and tertiary ones. Like the Breen, the Bolians and the Andorians - those kinds. The races that have gotten nods in the shows and you know that there's a lot more to them, that a lot more thought that went into the creation of that race, but the shows and the movies didn't really go into them. One of the joys of being on this project is getting to look at those races, to talk about those races, do the research on those races, and get those races a little bit more in the forefront. In an MMO like we are, which has got to be huge, we've got to go deep. So we really can't just pay lip service to all the cool races in the Star Trek universe. We really need to get them - and as much of their history as possible - out there.

What profession would you want to have if you lived in the 25th century?

I think the opportunity to just go out and explore; to just go out, point your ship at some place, and just go is really, really appealing. Just go and find something new. Not go and fight the Klingons. Not go and do something on the front of battle. But to really go out and explore planets, solar bodies -things that nobody else has ever seen before. That fascinates me.

What is your favorite episode and why?

There are so many important arc episodes that define the storylines and shape the Star Trek universe, but if I were to pick my favorite episode, it would be "The Inner Light".

I remember watching it when it first aired back in college and how powerful the emotions were in the episode. It is filled with such simple humanity, in the ship's crew trying to save their captain, Kamin's children and wife, the people of Kataan struggling and then building the probe.
I love how the episode ends with Picard quietly coming to terms with the two lives that he has lead.

It's not an episode with big special FX or explosions or events that shape the history of the galaxy - but an amazing episode that really captures that personal nature of Star Trek for me.

Which is cooler: monkeys, robots, pirates, or ninjas?

I'm not even going to try to be witty. I'll just say monkeys. Monkeys are cooler. They stand on their own. The ninjas, pirates, and robots, are all kind of in one category. Monkeys stand outside of that category.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into the gaming industry?

I spent ten years as a software engineer working right next to the gaming industry - I did 3D graphics drivers and work of that ilk - thinking I could earn my chops and get into the gaming industry. My advice to people would be to apply. Try to get in. Like most industries, if you're smart and talented and can show that in a resume, or a reel, or an interview, you can go really, really far. You don't need to go to school. You don't need a huge degree, although those things help make your resume look better. Apply and get in. I don't want to say that anybody can get a job in the gaming industry, but don't think that there's some sort of magical key. Just be smart. Just go after it.

What was the first Video game you really, really enjoyed?

You're going to age me! The first games I really, really enjoyed were Atari 2600 games. We were playing Adventure and Asteroids. Those two were the ones that my brother and I really got into. Legend of Zelda for the NES was the first one that really opened my eyes as to what gaming could be.

So, I hear you have a goat. How's she doing?

Snowflake is fine. It's been a cold winter, but she's doing well.

[/b]How did you get a goat?[/b]

She came with the house.

Monkeys ARE cool. They fling poo. *g*