-
Kinda Crazy
Who is Smitten?? The Staff didn't believe it!
I asked ”Mr.Smitten” for an interview and happily agreed to be asked a few questions.
Okay first question!
How did you start on Ownedcore?
I'd known about OwnedCore (then MMOwned) since 2009, where I was an unregistered lurker that visited every now and then to see what was going on in the guides and exploits section. In early 2012, I registered on the site to sell botting and carry services, as well as accounts for World of Warcraft. Possibly not the most glamorous reason to join, but it was what got me into the community here and encouraged me to begin sharing my knowledge and posting guides, and eventually finding the Shoutbawx.
What was your first impression of the community after you started to share your knowledge?
When I first started posting, I wasn't sure what kind of reception I'd receive from the community. I was only posting fairly simple "how-to" guides while other people were posting large, gamebreaking exploits. The fact that the community was very receptive to them while providing feedback, their own additions from their experience and being generally positive and encouraging was a very pleasant change from some other game oriented forums I'd visited and contributed to in the past.
That positive and encouraging community spirit is what got me into posting more obscure guides, exploits and funny little things here and there, of which not all were gamebreaking but most were certainly fun or amusing!
Have you ever thought of making your own exploits for a game?
In fact I have! I wouldn't describe myself as an exploiter so much as someone who likes to tinker and find things. Some of my favourite bugs I've found were getting non-English character guild/pet names and duping characters in World of Warcraft, never dying in Unreal Tournament 2004 and countless other minor things in a variety of games - and that's not to mention the things in private sections here that I can't discuss
How old are you and what are you doing in your spare time?
I'm 23 years old and turning 24 later this year. I have a couple of large hobbies. I love map making and mod development for a few games with Doom I/II and Unreal Tournament '99 being my favourites. I may not be the best at playing them, but it gives me a creative outlet to bring ideas I sit on to life. My second would be video editing and production. I maintain a YouTube channel and do freelance video production, film preservation and helping not-for-profit organisations - mainly museums - archive and display their video collections to the public. I also love playing with and collecting computer hardware, especially from the 90s and early 00s. Finally, there is of course playing games mainly in the FPS and MMO categories.
Do you have a job?
I currently work at a game development and publishing company - which shall not be named for obvious reasons - though it is certainly the best job I've worked in my life!
I was really lucky to get the position as there are not only a small number of game companies with a presence in Australia, but it is a highly sought after and competitive industry. It is a bit of a commute to work each day, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes each way, but well worth it to me.
If you could decide, what would the future for Ownedcore be like?
That's a really tough question since I really enjoy OC as it is right now, but I would really like to see OwnedCore flourish with even more new, active contributing members, and highlighting those rare moments where a truly epic exploit, guide or program is released to the community no matter the game.
I'm also a strong believer in people being recognised for their hard work and achievements, and to see some of the really talented members we have and will continue to attract in the future get the recognition they deserve will be great.
However, it's also nice to see the community shift back into rewarding all different rep level members for their contributions, even the small ones. I think a big part of that has been the addition of the Thanks system. There is so much great advice hidden away in small threads throughout the site, and the addition of that Thanks button has really helped people get that recognition. I'm not sure how, but I'd love to see the system continue to be expanded.
If you could give everyone on OC advise about life, what would it be?
There's a lot of younger members on the site, and I'm certain that many of them don't have a strong sense of what they want to do when they get older. I know I had no idea what I wanted to do. I've gone through so many jobs, lived in different places and gotten into a lot of situations just trying to find what I want - and that's not an experience unique to myself.
My advice would be to not be afraid to try things while you're young. Mistakes and wrong turns are easier to bounce back from, and stumbling upon a good idea early can really pay off both financially and emotionally.
Don't be afraid to pursue your hobbies, no matter how odd or obscure they are. Not everyone gets to turn their hobby and passion into a job, but having a solid hobby will always be a source of comfort and enjoyment during tough periods in your life.
If you do want to go after a job based on your hobby, begin building your portfolio now! If it's game development, start modding games and building your own - there's numerous modders out there who landed jobs in the industry because of it. Do you like exploiting games? Perhaps QA is something that'll suit you. Art? There's so many jobs out there that you wouldn't expect to exist.
There's something out there for everyone. Don't be afraid to take risks to find it.
Do you play any games, and if you do what games do you play?
I used to spend a lot of time playing World of Warcraft, but not anymore. These days I spend my time playing the new Unreal Tournament and shortly I'll likely be spending obscene amounts of time playing the new Doom game. I also dedicate some of my gaming time to a range of older titles, such as Doom 1/2, Quake 3, Red Alert 1/2, Duke Nukem 3D and Hexen to name a few.
1: The other day in bawx you said that you used to make a living out of wow?
2: Do you bot, exploit or hack?
3: If no, how come you are on OC?
That's right! I ran a WoW services business for a number of years, selling Gladiator carries and pilots, RBG carries, Raid carries, achievements and accounts. It started off as a purely in-game gold making exercise at first, but found there was a large enough demand to turn it into an actual profitable business using cash. This was around the middle of the Burning Crusade, so 2007 or so.
It was always a low-key operation. We didn't advertise or post on forums much, it was more word of mouth. It lasted for years until we all started to grow bored of WoW around late Mists of Pandaria to early Warlords of Draenor. A lot of us were young when we started, and we were not only growing bored of the game, but we wanted to move on with life. Families, proper jobs, responsibilities and all of that. We officially stopped in early 2015, but I occasionally sell accounts or provide services on my own if I have some free time or want some money.
Do you bot, exploit or hack?
Nowhere near as much as I used to. I'm a responsible game player now! I occasionally play with the odd bug that I find and post it
How come you are on OC?
The main reason I'm here is for the community. I love talking to the members here both new and old, and helping people where I can. While I may be out of "the scene", I really enjoy passing down my knowledge to people who are looking to get into it, hoping that they will find it useful and maybe even inspire them to find or create something great of their own.
How did you come up with your name?
I had to change my name last year and I just decided that I liked this word.
And that was the “Smitten Interview” and I’m insanely happy Smitten agreed to do this interview.
Most of you don’t know this, but I’m in some school thing where I write articles in OC. Because Kur asked Smitten to be my “boss” Smitten and I have texted a little in the past but I’ve never thought there would be so much knowledge behind that skype profile I chatted with!
Thank you so much for the interview Smitten! Glad I could get to know you better.
And hopefully you enjoyed this as much as I did.
Thank you all for reading this and let me know what I could’ve done better and who I should interview next!
And I apologize for the clickbait. :3
Have a nice day everyone!
Last edited by Smitten; 05-21-2016 at 05:35 AM.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 9 Thanks
-
Thanks for the interview! I enjoyed reading it.
Looking forward to more : ). I hope this could perhaps become a bi-weekly thing.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks
Mcskeen (1 members gave Thanks to hackerlol for this useful post)
-
You should interview the crazy polish HI5.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks
Mcskeen (1 members gave Thanks to Confucius for this useful post)
-
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Thanks
Mcskeen (1 members gave Thanks to Nyarly for this useful post)
-
Member
Good read!
It looks good.
-
-
Banned