The Seventh Column has a rich history of game nights and community projects stretching back farther than many can recall. While the times have changed, and will always continue to, the Seventh Conflux stands as a vanguard; bringing the Seventh Column's rich culture and traditions into the new times. Today we bring you, The Seventh Column, a Community Joe interview to read through. [b]Q:[/b] Who are you and what do you do? [b]A:[/b] Heya! I'm [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Profile/254/964968]Makeshyft[/url]! I moonlight as a mentor on the Bungie.net forums, but my slave job is a barista at Starbucks. I'm an ex-Graphic Designer, student, and aspiring Game Designer! When I'm not working, I spend my days writing, drafting, and building test levels in Unity/UDK. When I'm not playing Destiny or another game that is! [b]Q:[/b] So you deal with the likes of hipsters, soccer moms, and business snobs all day at work... and then you come on here to help us?! You must be a very patient person; especially when you work on game design. What inspired you to want to become a Game Designer? I suspect Bungie played a part in that. [b]A:[/b] Michealangelo once said "Genius is eternal patience". But to be fair giving back to the Bungie community is it's own reward. Serving piping hot coffee to indignant soccer moms? Not so much. I grew up having my parents read the like of Tolkien and Card to me, so I was inducted in the realms of fantasy and science-fiction at a young age. But my true plunge into the deep end came around the release of Halo. In one year I played through Baldur's Gate, Warcraft III, and played an untold amount of Halo multiplayer. From then on, I knew creating experiences like that was what I wanted to do for a profession. [b]Q:[/b] Haha. Indeed. So I take it that you were more of a PC gamer before Halo whisked you away to play on a console? Or are you still an avid PC gamer? And here's somewhat of a tough question since you're in the spotlight: Do you feel that Destiny creates such experiences for gamers (as well as you personally) that Halo did? [b]A:[/b] To answer your first question: Definitely. I lived in a Mac household and until 1999 I didn't even know what a console was. Luckily I scored a N64 for christmas and binged out on Super Smash Bros and Ocarina of Time. Now I ride the line between PC Master Race and filthy console plebeian, though Destiny is currently responsible for sucking up most of my free time. My other mainstays include League of Legends, Besieged, Starcraft II, and Dayz. As to the relationship between Destiny and Halo, it's definitely tricky. I consider Halo to be the paramount in linear sci-fi storytelling. Marty's sweeping, epic tracks and the great spectacle of taking on the nefarious Covenant captured my imagination time and again through my formative years. And the multiplayer? Man, if I had put as many hours into design as I did into headshotting scrubs? I'd the next Cliff Bleszinski by now. But Destiny is a different beast. And rightly so. As much as I'm nostalgic for those sweet Halo experiences, I'm not sure I would have been kosher with just another rehash of Bungie's old ideas. Are all of the new ideas Destiny explores properly implemented or working as intended? Nope. But I for one trust Bungie as innovators. So does it create the same experiences Halo had for me? No. But it does create something different. Something I'm looking forward to seeing the ultimate product of. [b]Q:[/b] I wish I could've experienced that kind of gaming from back then; must've been quite a childhood. And I also share your views regarding Destiny. Is there anything else that you would like to share with us before this interview is wrapped up? I know that you're currently working on a project related to Destiny that we'll get to see in the future. [b]A[/b]: Sure! I'm working on a player walk-through video series entitled "Boots on the Ground", in which myself and a few other dedicated fans will take a stroll through Strikes, Story Missions, and public areas and talk about design, intent, and the nuts and bolts of Destiny as seen from a player perspective. I'm having a lot of fun making it and I hope the community enjoys it as well! _________________________________________________________________________________________________ I do look forward to seeing that project. I wish we could keep going, but that ends our interview with Makeshyft. Mentor, aspiring Game Designer, science fiction lover, and barista slave to soccer moms... surely an impressive individual. I hope you all enjoyed getting to know our interviewee (I know I sure did). Be on the lookout for more Community Joe interviews from us in the future! If you haven't yet, be sure to follow our group to keep up to speed with our projects and/or join to take part in conversations with us. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Clan/Forum/520845]Seventh Conflux[/url]