Editor’s Note: Looking to break into the video game industry? You’d do well to read Trevor’s interview with Shawn Schuster. Shawn used his passion for Guild Wars to launch a career in games journalism. Now he’s the managing editor at popular MMO Web site Massively. Oh, and he writes sci-fi podcast novels, too. -Brett
The first MMO that I became obsessed with was Guild Wars. Around that same time, I got into podcasts. I started looking for a Guild Wars podcast and found one: GuildCast. This turned out to be a great podcast, and it introduced me to a really cool guy named Shawn Schuster.
Shawn was just another Guild Wars player, but he knew his stuff and was fun to listen to. I was crushed when GuildCast ended, but Shawn kept podcasting. His specialty was always MMOs, and his dedication to the genre paid off: He became a writer for Massively. He has since risen up the ranks to managing editor and provides a great inspirational story for anyone who wants to get into the gaming industry.
I recently interviewed Shawn about the future of MMOs, how to break into the games industry, and how he figured out his true passion in life.
Trevor Hinkle: I was and still am a huge fan of GuildCast, your podcast about Guild Wars. What were your motivations behind starting this podcast?
Shawn Schuster: I started GuildCast because at the time [November of 2005] I was in love with Guild Wars and podcasting. So I figured, why not mix the two? There were two other attempts at a GW podcast at that time, but none of them made it past episode two or three. Now you’ll find a podcast for just about every MMO out there.
Podcasting was relatively young at that time — about a year old — and no one knew about it until Apple added podcasting to iTunes in early July of 2005. That’s when I knew this could really take off, so I went for it. I actually started with a comedy music podcast in August of that year which helped me get through some of the initial rookie mistakes. I gave it up soon after starting GuildCast because I was getting hundreds of new listeners a week with GC, while the other one had maybe 10-20 listeners after three months.
TH: I know that GuildCast got me even more obsessed with Guild Wars just by listening to it. Would you say that happened to you too?
SS: Definitely! Doing the research for each episode — combined with what I eventually felt was an obligation to the listeners — is what fueled the fire for me. I used to think of Guild Wars all day while I was at my day job, planning out new character builds or strategies for a certain mission. Most of that excitement for me was relaying what I found to the listeners.
TH: What was the reason for ending GuildCast?
SS: Well, lots of things. My interest in the game was dwindling. At the time I was getting into another game, Tabula Rasa, and I made a podcast for that as well. My work schedule was getting insanely busy, where I would work 14-16 hours a day, and it was draining the life out of me.
I also felt like nothing new was happening in Guild Wars. I felt like I was spinning my wheels by revisiting old topics and talking about every scrap of news I could find, which wasn’t much. Here we are almost two years after I stopped doing GuildCast and we’re just now getting the first real news on Guild Wars 2. Sure, it’d be great to do GuildCast now, to talk about that news, but those two years until now would have been very boring for me.
Another reason that I don’t think I ever mentioned was at the time I felt I was being ignored by [Guild Wars developer] ArenaNet. Now, being in the MMO journalism field, I see that that’s just how things go sometimes, but it’s how I felt back then. I would work my butt off for that podcast, getting the community together, staging events and contests, but my requests for interviews would go completely ignored. All the while, other sites (that weren’t even fan sites) would get interviews with the founders of ArenaNet.
TH: I remember hearing on GuildCast that your previous job was in graphic design. Do you think doing all these podcasts made you realize your interest in games journalism?
SS: It sure did. I went to college for graphic design, and I still enjoy it, but my passion was for gaming. I actually love research, and I love to find every piece of news I can on a game. MMOs fit into this passion quite nicely because they’re organic and ever-changing.
When I was a designer and a graphic artist, I would find myself jealous of those co-workers who DIDN’T watch the clock all day. That whole notion of “time flies when you’re having fun” really hit home, because my days crawled by. Now, I am usually doing something related to my job from 7 a.m. to midnight every weekday, and I don’t even realize it.
TH: What advice can you give to up-and-coming podcasters who want to break into the games industry?
SS: My advice is to just be persistent. When I started GuildCast, I tried to advertise everywhere: Guild Wars Guru, GWOnline, etc. They all pretty much told me to go take a hike. That drove me to show them that I can do this. I’m stubborn that way.
As far as taking it that extra step into the games industry, the persistence can still pay off. Yet, in addition to that, make sure you’re attentive to details and can make a positive impression. That will separate you from the masses. We just recently went through an open call for new writers, and we received hundreds of applications. If one had a typo, I didn’t even bother reading more. I moved on to the next one. There are just too many people out there looking to make gaming a career option, in any capacity, and you need to stand out.
I did GuildCast for three years on my own dime and my own time before getting hired on in this business. If you’re doing a podcast for the sole purpose of getting into the industry, you may get impatient with the wait. You need to establish yourself as more than just a person who enjoys gaming. I’ve seen about five of my gaming friends make it into the development side of things, and each one was for a different reason, but they all had something to prove [with] their devotion to the business.
TH: Of the many podcasters I follow, you seem to be the most experimental. You’ve created a sort of “Ask Shawn” podcast in Oh My God Real Life and even made a sort of podcast audiobook in the form of Eve of Adam. Can you explain the motivations behind these podcasts and why you are such an experimental podcaster?
SS: I’ve just always been like that. I’m like that with games, as well. I’d rather know a little about every game than a lot about one game. That works well with my job, too.
With OMGRL, I wanted something where I could just be myself, be funny and talk about real life issues that affect gamers. It changed quite a bit from the original idea, but the addition of [co-host] Jenna was a smart move I think, and she and I work well together.
With Eve of Adam, it was a story I always wanted to tell. I don’t think it turned out exactly how I wanted, because I found myself hurrying up to get the next part done, but I would like to one day restructure that story into a proper book. I like to experiment, though. My mind is full of ideas that haven’t even been fleshed out yet, and sometimes I just NEED to get these ideas out. GuildCast was a great way for me to try new things as well, such as contests for in-game items, a strong focus on building a community with an in-game alliance, and different segments of the show that kept things fresh. Most of those ideas that worked have been carried over to what I do now at Massively.
TH: Besides WoW, it seems like MMOs are sort of like social networks, in the way that they both have a flavor-of-the-month, a new big thing that makes you almost forget about the last one. Do you agree with this? Do you play most MMOs that way? If you do agree, what would you say is the big MMO right now?
SS: I do hop from game to game as new ones come out, but I still have my old favorites. I love to see what the new flavor-of-the-month is, but most of the time I can tell in a few hours if it’s something that I want to keep playing. The only exception to this rule (a game that has brought me back successfully) would be Age of Conan. Other than that, even when I retry a game a year later, I still find it’s not for me. Launch days are also great fun for me, as it’s the only time you’ll get to witness the birth of that particular game.
I’m not sure if there is one big MMO right now, except WoW. There are games that are making a profit, ones that are making a comeback, and ones that are anticipated. All the rest probably won’t last much longer as the bar keeps getting lifted. I personally think a game like Runes of Magic is doing everything right, and will set the stage for future MMOs as far as business plan, quality of content and community.
TH: We’ve seen many different pay structures in MMOs, like subscription fees and microtransactions. Which method do you think will be the universal method in the future, if there is a universal method?
SS: I don’t think there will be an exact universal method, but I do believe that some form of microtransactions will dominate for a long time. The best way to get someone into a game is to give them the client for free, hook them good, then charge them for extras. The days of initial box sales may dwindle a bit, but if they do continue, they’ll be in the form of collector’s editions only. People love little cloth maps and art books.
TH: Do you prefer a certain kind of setting in MMOs? Are there any settings that you think should be used more but have not?
SS: I prefer post-apocalyptic, which is why I’m loving Fallen Earth right now. I do love most genres, but fantasy has reached its pinnacle and I don’t think most MMO gamers can stand another game set in a fantasy world.
As for untapped settings, there are tons if you think about it. I’d love to see a Wild West MMO one day. Something like Red Dead Revolver or Gun in a persistent world. Gatheryn has a good idea with a Victorian steampunk MMO, but I’m not sure how well-received it will be. The trouble is, it takes around five years to develop an MMO. Lately, it seems everyone has been having the same bright ideas at the same time. When the games are actually announced, they discover that four other studios have been developing that exact same game, too. This has happened with fantasy in the past, and now it’s happening with all these sci-fi and gang MMOs coming out in 2010. By 2011, we’ll be sick of those, too.
TH: So what MMO coming out within the next couple of years are you looking forward to the most (notice how I said the next couple of years so Guild Wars 2 is a possible answer)?
SS: Must I pick only one! You’re right, Guild Wars 2 is on the top of that list, but also The Secret World and Star Wars: The Old Republic as well. I would even say in that order.
I’d like to thank Shawn for the interview. I had a great time doing it, and I hope he did too.
You can check out Shawn’s podcasts, writing, and voice talent in these places:
GuildCast
Tabulacast
OMG-Real Life
Massively Speaking Podcast
Eve of Adam
shawnschuster.com
massively.com
Here are the links to all the MMOs that Shawn talked about:
Guild Wars
Guild Wars 2
Age of Conan
Fallen Earth
Gatheryn
Runes of Magic