BlueBoxSC Profile Blog Joined October 2011 United States 582 Posts Last Edited: 2012-02-02 03:25:59 #1 EDIT: The ESFI interview isn't published yet. Read my response (fourth post in thread) for details! <3



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Really quick, before the meat, a little about yours truly~



I'm TheBlueBox, but I really just prefer Blue. It's easier to say, read, and it's Gary Oak. This being my first interview, I'm really excited to post and read all of the feedback. Hold no bars. In game, I'm just a Platinum-level Zerg player trying get into the scene. As Ben goes on to say, "just get involved."



Thanks for the traffic!







Hey, TL



I recently had the great pleasure of getting to sit down and meet Ben, one of the head community managers of Playhem's SC2 division. The interview went really well, I think, and it flowed pretty naturally. =) Now, I'm fairly new (this was my first interview), but I think that Ben was a great guy to work with because he's really straight-forward, extremely chill, and easy to talk to.



Excerpt:



Blue: Moving back to Playhem as a business, could you comment on how Playhem sees itself when compared to other huge names in SC2, like GSL, MLG, IPL, etc? How do you see Playhem on the scale of those names?



Ben: I look up to GSL/MLG/IPL a lot, I think they set the bar for what we're aiming to produce at Playhem. Often times when we're working on our stream or considering tournament/match formats and casters we're working with the idea in mind that "GSL does it like this, let's try and live up to that standard". We try very hard to make our stream have the quality and production value of those big tournaments even though we're running on a much smaller scale with very little budget.



Entire Interview:

+ Show Spoiler + Blue: This is BlueBoxSC, bringing you Ben, the SC2 community manager of Playhem! Ben, before we begin, would you please introduce yourself to the readers? Any opening statements?



Ben: I'm not really very good with introductions but, most people probably know me as Ben or Godulous though. I'm always around the TwitchTV chat or in game usually just making sure everything is going as planned and no problems pop up.



Blue: Well, maybe you could introduce the website you represent a little bit more comfortably? What is Playhem, and what do they offer the community?



Ben: Playhem in short is a site where people can play games or tournaments with friends and strangers and actually get something out of it. We hold daily Starcraft II tournaments for both EU and NA that are always free to enter and have over $200 in cash prizes each day for all different skill levels (even bronze) as well as streaming our tournaments every day to provide entertainment to those that just want to spectate.



Blue: And what do you do for Playhem? Anyone who plays in the tournaments will recognize you as the guy they run to when they have problems, but is there a more clearly defined role?



Ben: I have a lot of roles really. I work on everything from auditioning and scheduling casters, setting up the tournaments and rules, organizing showmatches and invitationals, overseeing their running, as well as developing new features and content for PlayhemTV.



Blue: Playhem showmatches - I've never personally seen one. How often would you say you get big-name players into the arena? What's at stake between players?



Ben: Our normal schedule for them is every Sunday (though we've had to delay them for the last few weeks, finally back on track now), some of the players we've had on include White-Ra, TLO, Stephano, viOLet, Sheth, iNcontroL, and many other well known names. Our format is a best of 7 with $100 to the winner and $50 to the loser.



Blue: Oh, I'll definitely tune in to this week's then! Look for me in the chat! ^.^

Moving away from Playhem as a website and more towards you as a community manager, how did you get involved with Playhem? Are there similar opportunities throughout eSports?



Ben: I got involved when the previous community manager Neeb brought me on, he since left to pursue other things so I ended up filling the hole he left behind. There are probably a lot more opportunities for people in eSports than you might expect, though the majority of them have very little money in them and are something you really have to just do because you love doing it. Anyone that is dedicated and wants to be involved in eSports can do it if they just take the initiative.



Blue: If you wouldn't mind sharing, do you get money from running Playhem? Isn't there an agreement with ad revenue?





Ben: Just a note, probably best to avoid questions about any of the financial stuff, that was the main topic about the ESFI interview I did a few days ago, so that'll go very in depth about it.



Blue: Alright, I'll be sure to dig up the link and include it with this interview then.* Moving back to Playhem as a business, could you comment on how Playhem sees itself when compared to other huge names in SC2, like GSL, MLG, IPL, etc? How do you see Playhem on the scale of those names?



Ben: I look up to GSL/MLG/IPL a lot, I think they set the bar for what we're aiming to produce at Playhem. Often times when we're working on our stream or considering tournament/match formats and casters we're working with the idea in mind that "GSL does it like this, let's try and live up to that standard". We try very hard to make our stream have the quality and production value of those big tournaments even though we're running on a much smaller scale with very little budget.



Blue: Playhem is quite famous among the community for their daily tournaments. Is there a possibility of an online league, or more tournament formats? I might be the only one, but I think single elimination matches can produce hazy results.



Ben: That's a question we get a lot actually, it's something that our devs are definitely going to be working on but adding something like a different tournament format can often means hundreds of hours of development and testing so it's probably still a ways off.



Blue: I think I speak for all of the community when I say that we're looking forward to seeing Playhem grow as 2012 moves on. =)

Outside of different tournament structures and new formats of competition, is there a set direction for Playhem? Where are the developers looking to go with the site? It seems like there is a lot of untapped potential in this regard.



Ben: There are a lot of new ideas we've been throwing around as well as some new things we're working on already, most of them I wouldn't want to spoil just yet so you'll have to wait and see I can tell you though that our next endeavor is going to be a (hopefully weekly) event for another popular game which we'll stream on PlayhemTV.



Blue: That answer was flirtier than a drunk Mira Han. But, I think that'll open some speculation as to what you're doing behind the curtain (hop on that, Reddit!).

Well, we've spent a lot of time talking about Playhem so far, but what about you? Are there any SC2 projects outside of Playhem that you're working on?



Ben: Most of my personal SC2 projects tend to spill over to Playhem, often times I figure out some new trick to do with XSplit or think to myself "I wish I could see these 2 players against each other" and next thing you know it ends up on PlayhemTV. A lot of our current 'extra' features on the stream were things I was randomly inspired to code at night.



Blue: I'll admit that I spent some time on Reddit today, and I think I remember seeing your name involved with setting up a tournament with a crew from there. Are there any details about that yet?



Ben: Not really any details yet, it was something just posted up yesterday and one email exchanged so sadly I can't really comment about if that'll even happen or not.



Blue: Darn. I'm personally interested to see how that will break down.

As we close the interview, I'll also admit that I browsed your post history on reddit, and you had a few choice words for Tastosis? Something along the lines of, "they say 'Oh my God!' too much"?

As a bit of a tease, if you could say anything to the pair and know that they were guaranteed to hear it, what would you say and why?



Ben: Just to be fair, it was in the GSL Code S finals so they probably couldn't help it with the excitement. Anyone who missed those games should definitely grab a pass and go watch them! If I could say anything to them it would probably be "thank you", they've been probably the only SC2 casting duo that I really go out of my way to watch regardless of the players. The amount of entertainment, enthusiasm, and analysis they provide to everyone is amazing.



Blue: I think we'd all agree that they're an amazing duo.

Well, Ben, it's been a real pleasure getting to meet the man behind Playhem's SC2 community. Before we close, is there any last things you'd like to say to our readers?



Ben: I guess the best thing I can say is get more involved! Tournaments like us exist entirely because of the people who watch our stream and the people who play in the tournament. It's the feedback from the viewers and players that helps us improve and grow, and it's the best way to grow eSports as a whole. If you're ever watching or playing in a small event and you love what they're doing or don't like something, take the minute or two to email them what you liked and what could be improved. There are real people working behind the scenes that'll listen to your suggestions.



Blue: And that's something we can all take to heart: get involved. <3



Thanks for the time, Ben. Good luck with Playhem, and always have fun with whatever you do.



And readers, look forward to more interviews of the same style in the future. ;D



*Interview not yet released, stay tuned! : This is BlueBoxSC, bringing you Ben, the SC2 community manager of Playhem! Ben, before we begin, would you please introduce yourself to the readers? Any opening statements?: I'm not really very good with introductions but, most people probably know me as Ben or Godulous though. I'm always around the TwitchTV chat or in game usually just making sure everything is going as planned and no problems pop up.: Well, maybe you could introduce the website you represent a little bit more comfortably? What is Playhem, and what do they offer the community?: Playhem in short is a site where people can play games or tournaments with friends and strangers and actually get something out of it. We hold daily Starcraft II tournaments for both EU and NA that are always free to enter and have over $200 in cash prizes each day for all different skill levels (even bronze) as well as streaming our tournaments every day to provide entertainment to those that just want to spectate.: And what do you do for Playhem? Anyone who plays in the tournaments will recognize you as the guy they run to when they have problems, but is there a more clearly defined role?: I have a lot of roles really. I work on everything from auditioning and scheduling casters, setting up the tournaments and rules, organizing showmatches and invitationals, overseeing their running, as well as developing new features and content for PlayhemTV.: Playhem showmatches - I've never personally seen one. How often would you say you get big-name players into the arena? What's at stake between players?: Our normal schedule for them is every Sunday (though we've had to delay them for the last few weeks, finally back on track now), some of the players we've had on include White-Ra, TLO, Stephano, viOLet, Sheth, iNcontroL, and many other well known names. Our format is a best of 7 with $100 to the winner and $50 to the loser.: Oh, I'll definitely tune in to this week's then! Look for me in the chat! ^.^Moving away from Playhem as a website and more towards you as a community manager, how did you get involved with Playhem? Are there similar opportunities throughout eSports?: I got involved when the previous community manager Neeb brought me on, he since left to pursue other things so I ended up filling the hole he left behind. There are probably a lot more opportunities for people in eSports than you might expect, though the majority of them have very little money in them and are something you really have to just do because you love doing it. Anyone that is dedicated and wants to be involved in eSports can do it if they just take the initiative.: If you wouldn't mind sharing, do you get money from running Playhem? Isn't there an agreement with ad revenue?: Just a note, probably best to avoid questions about any of the financial stuff, that was the main topic about the ESFI interview I did a few days ago, so that'll go very in depth about it.: Alright, I'll be sure to dig up the link and include it with this interview then.* Moving back to Playhem as a business, could you comment on how Playhem sees itself when compared to other huge names in SC2, like GSL, MLG, IPL, etc? How do you see Playhem on the scale of those names?: I look up to GSL/MLG/IPL a lot, I think they set the bar for what we're aiming to produce at Playhem. Often times when we're working on our stream or considering tournament/match formats and casters we're working with the idea in mind that "GSL does it like this, let's try and live up to that standard". We try very hard to make our stream have the quality and production value of those big tournaments even though we're running on a much smaller scale with very little budget.: Playhem is quite famous among the community for their daily tournaments. Is there a possibility of an online league, or more tournament formats? I might be the only one, but I think single elimination matches can produce hazy results.: That's a question we get a lot actually, it's something that our devs are definitely going to be working on but adding something like a different tournament format can often means hundreds of hours of development and testing so it's probably still a ways off.: I think I speak for all of the community when I say that we're looking forward to seeing Playhem grow as 2012 moves on. =)Outside of different tournament structures and new formats of competition, is there a set direction for Playhem? Where are the developers looking to go with the site? It seems like there is a lot of untapped potential in this regard.: There are a lot of new ideas we've been throwing around as well as some new things we're working on already, most of them I wouldn't want to spoil just yet so you'll have to wait and seeI can tell you though that our next endeavor is going to be a (hopefully weekly) event for another popular game which we'll stream on PlayhemTV.: That answer was flirtier than a drunk Mira Han. But, I think that'll open some speculation as to what you're doing behind the curtain (hop on that, Reddit!).Well, we've spent a lot of time talking about Playhem so far, but what about you? Are there any SC2 projects outside of Playhem that you're working on?: Most of my personal SC2 projects tend to spill over to Playhem, often times I figure out some new trick to do with XSplit or think to myself "I wish I could see these 2 players against each other" and next thing you know it ends up on PlayhemTV. A lot of our current 'extra' features on the stream were things I was randomly inspired to code at night.: I'll admit that I spent some time on Reddit today, and I think I remember seeing your name involved with setting up a tournament with a crew from there. Are there any details about that yet?: Not really any details yet, it was something just posted up yesterday and one email exchanged so sadly I can't really comment about if that'll even happen or not.: Darn. I'm personally interested to see how that will break down.As we close the interview, I'll also admit that I browsed your post history on reddit, and you had a few choice words for Tastosis? Something along the lines of, "they say 'Oh my God!' too much"?As a bit of a tease, if you could say anything to the pair and know that they were guaranteed to hear it, what would you say and why?: Just to be fair, it was in the GSL Code S finals so they probably couldn't help it with the excitement. Anyone who missed those games should definitely grab a pass and go watch them! If I could say anything to them it would probably be "thank you", they've been probably the only SC2 casting duo that I really go out of my way to watch regardless of the players. The amount of entertainment, enthusiasm, and analysis they provide to everyone is amazing.: I think we'd all agree that they're an amazing duo.Well, Ben, it's been a real pleasure getting to meet the man behind Playhem's SC2 community. Before we close, is there any last things you'd like to say to our readers?: I guess the best thing I can say is get more involved! Tournaments like us exist entirely because of the people who watch our stream and the people who play in the tournament. It's the feedback from the viewers and players that helps us improve and grow, and it's the best way to grow eSports as a whole. If you're ever watching or playing in a small event and you love what they're doing or don't like something, take the minute or two to email them what you liked and what could be improved. There are real people working behind the scenes that'll listen to your suggestions.: And that's something we can all take to heart: get involved. <3Thanks for the time, Ben. Good luck with Playhem, and always have fun with whatever you do.And readers, look forward to more interviews of the same style in the future. ;D*Interview not yet released, stay tuned!



And please, be sure to follow both me and Playhem on your favorite social networking sites!



BlueBoxSC's Twitter:



Playhem's Twitter:

Playhem's YouTube:

Playhem's Twitch:

Playhem's Facebook:



xDReally quick, before the meat, a little about yours truly~I'm TheBlueBox, but I really just prefer Blue. It's easier to say, read, and it's Gary Oak. This being my first interview, I'm really excited to post and read all of the feedback. Hold no bars. In game, I'm just a Platinum-level Zerg player trying get into the scene. As Ben goes on to say, "just get involved."Thanks for the traffic!Hey, TLI recently had the great pleasure of getting to sit down and meet Ben, one of the head community managers of Playhem's SC2 division. The interview went really well, I think, and it flowed pretty naturally. =) Now, I'm fairly new (this was my first interview), but I think that Ben was a great guy to work with because he's really straight-forward, extremely chill, and easy to talk to.Excerpt:: Moving back to Playhem as a business, could you comment on how Playhem sees itself when compared to other huge names in SC2, like GSL, MLG, IPL, etc? How do you see Playhem on the scale of those names?: I look up to GSL/MLG/IPL a lot, I think they set the bar for what we're aiming to produce at Playhem. Often times when we're working on our stream or considering tournament/match formats and casters we're working with the idea in mind that "GSL does it like this, let's try and live up to that standard". We try very hard to make our stream have the quality and production value of those big tournaments even though we're running on a much smaller scale with very little budget.Entire Interview:And please, be sure to follow both me and Playhem on your favorite social networking sites!BlueBoxSC's Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BlueBoxSC Playhem's Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Playhem Playhem's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/playhemtv Playhem's Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/playhemtv Playhem's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Playhem BwCBlueBox.837