EV Heritage: Founding Member's Spotlight

I would like you introduce another founder of EV. In celebration of our 5 years an interview with Dor'yn (Doran).

Kahpnar: So just the basics of you to break the ice. Age, height location, job etc future ventures? Whatever you wish to reveal.

Dor’yn: right, I am 23 years old, 6 feet tall and I live in the southern portion of the province of Ontario in Canada. I currently work at a call centre full-time but am trying to find a better job in the Television Broadcasting industry, where I got my education from.

Kahpnar: So why did you choose a degree suited for the Television Broadcasting industry?

Dor’yn: well, from a young age, I was always wondering how TV programs and films were made also, I began noticing tiny things in shows that I watched. Continuity problems and the like. I started looking for them everywhere. But mainly, I just wanted to satisfy that young desire to figure out how they were made. example, I'm a big fan of Star Wars, and I wanted to know how they made lightsabers

Kahpnar: Ahh cool. Don't we all! Would you say programs are better these days compared to say the 90's well your youngling days?

Dor’yn: Depends on what they are better at. TV programs certainly have much bigger budgets (approaching the budgets for movies) than they used to, meaning their production values are much better than they used to be when I was growing up in the 90s. That said, I think reality TV is a detriment to the industry as a whole. I prefer story rather than style, and I think it shows in what I like (My favourite show is LOST, and it has a very convoluted story)

Kahpnar: Interesting, Lost. I now have a fear to travel to America from Sydney because of that TV show. I'll have you go the long way

Dor’yn: ahaha just don't fly to LA

Kahpnar: Indeed. Thanks for the tip. So you and your brother have been gaming for quite a while, well so he tells us. What is he really like? Got any dirt?

Dor’yn: Ahaha, any dirt? Well, Dan started off as a really quiet, soft-spoken boy that never really said much, so it was hard to get a read on him. I guess I was pretty soft-spoken too until I reached high school and met several friends that helped me break that shell. Dan's not really that same boy anymore. But, yeah, even back then, we always played video games together, usually me, my brother and my best friend at the time who, unfortunately, we tragically lost. We only really had an SNES and a terrible PC to start with, but a PlayStation and a better PC led us to more graphically powered games and, eventually, online MMOs.

Kahpnar: When did you make the jump into MMO's? What was the first?

Dor’yn: Well, like always, it was Star Wars that got me into them! Star Wars brings me many things in my life, like Arianna. Heh. But Star Wars Galaxies was my first MMO, a game I had the luxury of playing with TG and meeting lots of excellent people.

Kahpnar: How did you meet Arianna?

Dor’yn: I made an account on the most popular Star Wars fansite, TheForce.net, back when The Phantom Menace was a distant movie that we were all salivating for. Several years later (2004), I found that site again and made another account (I had forgotten the old one) and started getting a little active on the forums there. There was an RPG section dedicating to roleplaying, and my third RPG was a game similar to LOST, with a group of us stranded on a "strange planet". Anyway, Arianna was also in that game, and we met through MSN talking about that. Things moved rather quickly.

Kahpnar: Wow. That is impressive. And who said Star Wars can't bring two people together!

Dor’yn: I owe Star Wars a lot

Kahpnar: Haha. Indeed, thanks GL. So The Guardians was what Eternal Vigilance was founded from. What are your memories of the split and founding of EV

Dor’yn: I might get off on a rant as I talk about it, so beware. I remember my first fault in TG that I found was when a certain little group split from TG several months before we did. Their leader was a good friend of mine in SWG, and they were apparently angry that the TG leadership was beginning to focus on WoW more than SWG. I remember that certain TG leadership members said really nasty things about her, their leader, that I just could not believe she would do. Doubt seeped into my mind then. Although, when Petan/Sirgerbil was kicked out of TG about a year prior, I guess I felt bad about that as well, but he's a dick. Ohhhh, I'm kidding, Will. Anyway, after that, lots of other members, who I won't name, started being really arrogant towards me and Nik, another of our founders. In MSN chats with him and Dervish, my dissatisfaction boiled as we related each of our problems. When Nik and Dervish both left on the same day, New Year's Eve 2004, I probably should have guessed that was the end, but even then, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Luckily, both Nik and Dervish told me about the plan for EV about a day or so later, and I jumped on the bandwagon. I remember secret discussions with Nik, Dervish, Cordo, Arcarius, Petan, Farkrash and Waagnba about how we were going to break off and form our own group. It felt really cool, but I was a young teenager so my mind was going through a cool spy trip. We formed the basis for EV's government right there, got the forums and split off from TG, very publically.

Kahpnar: So the actual founding happened pretty quick?

Dor’yn: Over a period of about... 5-6 days, for me. I know Cordo has said that he was planning it for much longer, however, and Waagnba also had an idea when he left about a month before that, but it only came to fruition when he discussed with us.

Kahpnar: Cool. Very SW-Rebellion like What was the first few months like as EV?

Dor’yn: Very cool, especially as the new members starting coming in!
I remember being very happy and so glad that it all started to turn out so well, especially so quickly. We formed our first divisions (cohorts, back then) and had matches, mainly in CSS. We also tried a WoW division but it didn't take off. I also planned on a division around Star Wars: Republic Commando, but scuttled it when the multiplayer in that game was not very good. My first failure, in EV

Kahpnar: Oh. So that comes into my next question. Any regrets about EV? Or for yourself during your membership at all?

Dor’yn: The last 9 months? I'm so sorry I haven't been around a guild that I hold very dear to my heart, one I helped, at least a little, to form. I guess my bigger regret is my last tenureship as Master Chancellor. The major member shakeup went down during that, when a large, large amount of my friends left, and it came out of left field. I obviously knew that they felt neglected, at the time, but I feel I did nothing to control it, to help them. I got very complacent that those people, no matter how bad it got, would leave EV. Take a break, maybe, but leave pernamently? Not a chance. I was wrong, obviously. That whole experience has scared me from leadership roles for a long time.

Kahpnar: But still 5 years is pretty impressive now. Can you believe it? How would you describe the last 5 years in a couple sentences?

Dor’yn: Life. Ups and downs. We've been through a lot. From the beginning, we wanted to try to avoid the drama that TG had, but it's so unavoidable when so many good, intelligent people come together. I think we've, at least, handled our drama professionally.

Kahpnar: Indeed. So what do you think has been key to the success of EV since it's founding?

Dor’yn: An active community in the leadership process. I have always liked how EV is a guild where the members can form what division they want, rather than the disconnected leadership making the decisions for them at a whim.

Kahpnar: Indeed. So how different do you see EV today from 5 years ago?

Dor’yn: Well, with no FPS division, the amount of activity has become more dedicated to forums and less to in-game activity. I mean, with two great MMOs on the horizon that we'll jump into, we have lots to talk about, and so did the Source divisions and such that came before. Matches and strategies discussed, as well as what happened in rounds. But... lots of things happened in the game, and sometimes stayed there, in the FPS divisions. Not that I'm saying it wasn't moderated, but it seems more chatty now than it did before.

Kahpnar: Interesting to know. Any general comments you wanna shoot out there? Cause I know your a busy man lately and I really do enjoy learning about EV- one benefit to seeing all former board too

Dor’yn: No, other than I hope to be very active soon. I mean, starting now.

Kahpnar: Awesome. Well it is great to have you back. I have always looked up to you mate, replacing you as the long-serving Community Manager. I just want to thank you personally for all the great work you and everyone else have done to make EV what it is today and what it will be for the next 5 years! And lastly, one for the kiddies. Favourite colour (yes I spelt it correct Zark ), animal and sport even though I know the answer for the last one

Dor’yn: Ahahaha.

Kahpnar: So predictable Or I might be surprised

Dor’yn: My favourite colour is black. My favourite animal is a dog. And my favourite sport is football-on-ice, which is hockey. And I wouldn't have any other person replace me other than you, mate.

Kahpnar: haha thanks mate

I want to thank Dor'yn for letting me extract the information from his brain. Cheesy

It was really interesting. I hope you all enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed it.