GamersInfo.net: What is your position with CCP?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: I have been Lead Game Designer of EVE Online these last 5 years, overseeing general design of the game, but in the near future I am gearing up for upcoming projects within CCP, so I will pass that flag along to be able to concentrate on those.
GamersInfo.net: Upcoming projects??? (get's hopeful)
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: No comment. (dashed hopes)
GamersInfo.net: Do you recall your first video game?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: I remember seeing a game of Pong at some friend's house when I was a kid, and really envying him for owning one of those consoles and being able to play it _all_ the time.
GamersInfo.net: And since then, what five games have been your favorites?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: Civilization, Half-Life, Battlefield, Command & Conquer and Elite are all games that have given me hours of fun.
GamersInfo.net: Was working in games a goal from childhood?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: After getting my first Sinclair ZX81 back in 1981 and programming some simple games in BASIC, it was clear that this was something worth losing some sleep over, but I can't really say it was a goal. I had and still have lots of conflicting goals.
GamersInfo.net: What are some of those goals?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: Well, I have always wanted to write a novel at some point, but I guess I'll have to wait for retirement to find the time.
GamersInfo.net: Tell me about your "professional" life before Eve Online. What are you most proud of?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: Shortly after finishing my PhD in physics I saw the opportunity to join the dot-com circus, which gave me (and many other CCPers) a great roller-coaster ride through the end of the century. I think I am proud of having survived that. The survival gene is probably one of the most important one in nature.
GamersInfo.net: What brought you to CCP?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: There is a small and tight core group within the EVE Online team that goes waaaay back, including the dot-com roller coaster ride mentioned above. It seems that we can't get rid of each other, so we try to make the best of it.
GamersInfo.net: You consider the survival gene one of the most important in nature. How has it helped shaped your impressions of the community in EVE or vice versa?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: The EVE community is a proud one, even fervent at times. I think that by having stuck with us through all these years and having helped in evolving the game in such a way that it has become increasingly popular and respected as time goes on, the community can really claim to be a true survivor, and a strong one at that.
GamersInfo.net: Has your PhD in physics helped you as Lead Designer in EVE? Or do you find yourself throwing physics to the wind more often than not?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: I have used physics and mathematics more as a convenient toolset to build complex systems. All chaotic systems (and thus interesting ones), have common mathematical properties. If you design a system with these properties, you inherit a lot of interesting and rich behavior, while keeping the rules simple. The EVE economy as an example exhibits high complexity though the ruleset is simple. Mathematics helps you in thinking about systems and how they work together. Physical exactness has not been a strict design guideline, though we try to keep the 'feeling' as realistic as possible. Note the word feeling here. It's all about how the players experience the game.
GamersInfo.net: What do you enjoy doing most outside of work?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: Is there anything outside of work? I really like spending time with my kids, and that is probably my main hobby right now. If I could get up from my keyboard, I would fly with my family and spend some time on a quiet beach somewhere.
GamersInfo.net: What is the best Icelandic Beer? Defend your choice!
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: Frankly, I can't discriminate. Beer is not about taste, it's about people.
GamersInfo.net: If you had the chance to live in the Universe of Eve, where would you live and under what circumstances?
Kjartan Pierre Emilsson: On some nice private asteroid, close to a sun, sipping Margaritas.
I'm a mother of two boys, ages 11 and 13 and live in the chaos that ensues. I've a permanent disability that keeps me homebound, so books, kids, games and books are my constant companions. Oh, and books, too. *grins*
My children both play games so I often play them first, getting to know exactly how something may effect my sensitive and easily stimulated older child vs. my stoic and imperturbable younger.
I like games for games; for the pure enjoyment of them and believe that no game is wholly bad, though some are real stinkers.
I also have the dexterity of a camel in mittens so find playing FPSs difficult (and I also don't like the gore) and RTSs at times can stump me. I just can't seem to move quickly enough to keep up with them. Some of my favorite games are arcade games and I'll spend 3-5 years on the same 5-6 levels because I just never get any better. But, I have fun.
