[2022] Developer Interview - Nick - Community Team

We took a moment to chat with Nick from our community team about his work with Grinding Gear Games. Check it out below!

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Hey Nick, thanks for taking part in the interview! Please introduce yourself.

Hi! I'm Nick and I've been with the Community Team for a little over a year now. I joined the team just after the launch of the Ritual League. I've been playing Path of Exile on and off since Anarchy League (softcore Andy reporting in!)

Could you please tell us about your current role at Grinding Gear Games and what an average work day is like for you?

My current role covers a huge range of things from looking for feedback or issues with the game, preparing and posting the daily news posts and sometimes helping out with filming gameplay for microtransactions. If you see a Community_Team post on Reddit, that most likely would've been me! Almost every day is different, which is awesome for variety!

How and when did you find out about Path of Exile?

I found out about the game when I was still in high school in 2011. I think Closed Beta sign-ups had opened then, but I didn't actually play the game until Open Beta in 2013. Like many others, I'd have to say Kripparrian's coverage of the game is what really put it on my radar.

What was the moment that got you hooked on the game?

I think it'd have to be the different ways you can build your character and play the game. Modifying Fireball to be able to Fork or fire multiple projectiles felt like the coolest thing ever to me. Learning all the mechanics and having them "click" also felt really satisfying!

What are your favourite builds from your time in Path of Exile?

My memory might be failing me on this one, but one of my favourite builds I remember playing was I think when Mirror Arrow worked with Minion Instability, and you'd reserve your life so that your Mirror Arrow clone would instantly explode once it landed for juicy proliferating ignites. Something about it was bugged though, because I remember it being fixed shortly after!

Otherwise, I really enjoy CoC (YEP) builds, and fondly remember playing Shatterchuck back in the day, and Cospri's Malice Ice Nova more recently!

How did you end up working at Grinding Gear Games?

I actually applied for a community role in 2019 but didn't make the cut. In 2020, there was another call for applications so I thought why not try again? I was lowkey hoping Bex didn't remember I had already applied the year before, but she did :')

What are the highlights from your time with the community team?

Everyone in the community team is awesome to work with. Bex especially. For real though, she's awesome and the banter we have going between everyone in the community team is a lot of fun!

Are there any unexpected challenges in this job?

I think the most unexpected challenge was getting used to putting everything together for our livestream announcements. There's a loooooot of moving parts for these, and we wouldn't be able to cope without other departments like our awesome QA team and our UI Artists!

What hobbies or interests do you have?

I like playing a lot of video games (who didn't see that coming?). At the moment, I'm playing a lot of Path of Exile, Dota 2 and Street Fighter 5 but am excitedly waiting for Monster Hunter: Sunbreak and Street Fighter 6! I also like watching and lurking in Path of Exile streams, especially during events like our Boss Kill events or Zizaran's Gauntlet. Outside of video games, I enjoy playing badminton from time to time. I also like watching Anime and Marvel films. My favourite Marvel film would probably be Morbius, specifically the scene where he says "It's Morbin' time."

Anything you want to tell to all PoE players?

If you have any questions, feel free to drop a post and I'll shoot you a reply if I can answer it!

" 77x0 wrote: Is this the same Nick who has been accredited with the brilliant "per diemon" pun and many of the jokes in the English version of patch notes?

Could you let me know who it was that came up with the Isla's name a pun? [She is the only rogue for hire that is not involved in an unlock chain--no man is an island, but Isla is]

I wish I could take credit for the creativity for those, but that was another Nick.

" Aanton wrote: Nice!

What would you recommend to people who want to start their career on community communication in general? Specially in gaming industry? I have not been able to find much in these areas online. any recommendation would be appreciated.

I didn't study communications so my advice may not be sound, but I think having a variety of skills as well as having a good work ethic helps. In my particular case, I found that being competent in Photoshop and document/spreadsheet processing helps with a lot of behind the scenes stuff. Having experience with the game and being in the same country as its developers definitely helped too, I was very lucky there. People skills are also good to have since you'll end up communicating with them a lot! I'm very new to working in the gaming industry, so I'd say I'm learning as I go. Bex helps out a lot with that too (bless her).

" Frickyricky wrote: Whats your favorite build?

Of all time? Anything Cast on Crit related. Though last league I pushed the furthest I've ever been on an Explosive Arrow Hierophant! It was very comfy to play! (thank you xaitv and Ziz p:)