Hey, Farmers!
Each week we get questions about the people behind FarmVille 2. Questions like, “Who are they?” and “What do they do?” Every month, we’ll be featuring one person from the FarmVille 2 Studio, so you can get to know the creators of the game you love to play.
Today, we’ll continue to answer these questions (and more) with our January Edition of the Team Spotlight Event!
Our fifth team member profile is Ben, Director of Design for FarmVille 2.
Q: Thanks so much for chatting with us today! Can you tell us a bit more about what Director of Design does on the team?
A: What that really means is that I'm leading the design team, and helping, planning and supporting all the game designers on our team to come up with great ideas, stories and features to bring to you.
Ben looking for adventure at Old Town, San Diego!
I've been working on the game almost since the very beginning… I was on the team before launch, where initially I was in charge of all the economies how they worked together. A Director of Design is there to provide the big picture for all that we do to the game – so that the game feels fun and fair, and always constantly strives to be the best player experience it can be.
Q: What got you started making games for a career?
A: I've loved playing games since I was a young child and even made them at an early age. I designed my first game in second grade… and I still have a copy of it!
Q: What makes working on FarmVille 2 special to you?
A: Farmville 2 is special to me for many reasons – it is the biggest and most important project I've worked on in my life, and something I've had a hand in from start to finish. One of the reasons I love it as a game though, is that you get to make things.
I'm an amateur chef, and love the process of putting something together from raw ingredients and creating a gourmet meal. That we can have our version of "being an organic chef" in our game really resonates with me. Building things with my hands makes it worth it.
Q: What’s your favorite way of helping your Neighbors when you play?
A: I love the character that comes from the animals when I feed them – so unless I have a quest that tells me otherwise, I'm a big fan of feeding animals!
Q: What’s the one thing you’d most like to hear about from our players?
A: I'd love to ask our players what "classic" Farm thing they want, that currently isn't in the game yet. I want to make sure our game is authentic as possible!
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do when you aren’t working on FarmVille 2?
A: I actually grew up in Australia, and moved to the US about 9 years ago. Australia has a culture that is really very similar to the USA, and has a really strong country and farm history. I'm also a violinist, and have played in venues such as the Sydney Opera House! As I said before, I'm definitely into food – making it, eating it and thinking about it!
Q: Wow, you are a world traveler then! What’s that been like?
A: I've been lucky enough to be able to travel the world, and seeing how each culture lives really gives you an appreciation for all the diversity the world has to offer. But the more important thing I have learned is that the things that we share far outweigh our differences. I would absolutely encourage everyone to travel to a new place this year, whether it is to a new part of the country, or even better a new country itself!
Q: And now for the big question, if you could give players any consumable, what would it be and why?
A: I'd love to give everyone Fertilizer :) Fertilized crops make me happy!
Since we're pretty sure fertilized crops make everyone happy, we’re going to follow Ben's suggestion and give all of you 10 FREE Fertilizer! Click below to claim your Fertilizer and be sure to share this Spotlight with your friends so they can collect some too!
If you have any special requests for who you'd like to learn more and/or read about (artists, game designers, tech guys & gals, etc.), please leave us a comment below this post!
Thanks for visiting & Happy Farming!
