Stefan Arnold Mini-Interview

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and what your job is with respect to Empire Earth.

A: I am the full-time writer at SSSI and I've been writing professionally for more than four years, in total. I've worked as a writer at various companies, but my job at SSSI has easily been the best one. I've also written stuff just for fun, including a science fiction novel which I finished about 3 years ago. It's really long and dense and has never been published, but it was a lot of fun to write.

Currently, I am writing the manual for Empire Earth. I'm also creating the Tech Tree foldout that will come in the box. Both are coming along well - some of you may have seen a version of the Tech Tree online. Additionally, I've been writing press releases, interviews (co-written with Rick Goodman), all the unit blurbs (which have accompanied the unit artwork we've released), and all sorts of other material. I also do some of the database work in the game, specifically for the UI layout. The variety of things that I do is the reason why I chose the job title "Documentation Specialist" instead of the more austere "Writer." (Actually, I stole the title. I once applied for a job at another company and "Documentation Specialist" was the job title. It was such an absurd title that I had to use it.)

Q: How long have you been at SSSI and what were you doing right before you were hired?

A: I've been at the company for over 16 months - jeez, has it been that long? Wow, time flies. Anyway, right before that I was living in Madison, WI, working as a Technical Writer for a company that manufactures circuit boards for the communications industry. My wife was finishing up her Masters in History (so I come by my interest in history naturally) at the University of Wisconsin when we decided to move back East.

Before we moved I started looking for a job in the Boston area. That's when I came across SSSI's website. "Damn," I thought, "that's exactly where I want to work." I had worked for Raven Software in Madison until I was downsized, and I really wanted to get back into the gaming industry. I contacted SSSI and Dara-Lynn, VP of Operations, told me they might be needing a writer down the road. That was good enough for me, so I decided to take a chance. I drove to Massachusetts while my wife tied up loose ends in Wisconsin. I stayed with a friend and poured myself into the task of landing the job. To my great delight I was hired and I've been happily employed ever since.

Q: What's the first thing you'll do after Empire Earth is released?

A: Have a party. Then sleep. For a week. I might just curl up under my desk.

Q: Are you a morning person or a night person, and why do you think so?

A: I am decidedly NOT a morning person. I never have been. However, the most expedient time for me to commute into work is on the 6:36 bus (yes, that's AM). I sometimes take the 5:50 now that we're hitting crunch time. Hence my answer to the previous question. Basically, I owe my life to coffee.

Q: Besides games, what other hobbies or interests do you have?

A: Writing is probably what I like to do most. Reading, too. I also enjoy music and I play the bass. I don't get the chance to play as much as I used to, but I still enjoy it when I do get the chance.

Q: What's the coolest place you've ever been to? What made it the coolest?

A: I've been lucky enough to visit a lot of cool places, but my favorite is Australia. I went there with my family about 12 years ago and I simply loved it: the people, the climate, the culture, the wildlife, the nightlife… it was unbelievably cool. I really hope I'll be able to go back some day.