LU Yosi Break Session 05: GM Lilith, ROSE Community Manager

I’ll share a different photo instead. This one was taken at Paco Park during one of our cosplay photoshoot. I’m cosplaying as Alexiel of Angel Sanctuary. I’m not photogenic, I don’t like most of my pictures because I think I look ugly. But I loved this one.

RO Players have seen her before in Midgard conducting in-game events and patrolling to enforce the rules. She later took over ROSE Online as the Community Manager. In the office, Lilith is both funky and funny, as she brings with her a japanese pop culture in the way she speaks and dresses. Truly one of the most unique individuals in Level-up, Leng, as we fondly call her, is a rising star of the company.

Wauks: Hi Leng! Thanks for accepting my invitation at such a short notice. Anyway, let’s begin! Describe to us a typical day of GM Lilith?

Leng: Typical day? Hmm, let see, I get a wake up call from my friends, then spend a couple of hours, browsing the net and catching a few minutes of sleep in between. Then prepare to go to work. Upon arriving at the office, the first thing I do is check my email and the roseboards. After that, work, work work, attend meetings, finish paper works, go in game etc. I don’t eat out during breaks, I eat in front of my PC while working and checking up with my friends thru YM! . I get off from work pretty late, then my friends will come pick me up and we’ll have coffee and dinner together, they often cook for me because I’m the thinnest one and it is their goal to have me gain some weight lolz.

Wauks: Yeah you definitely need to eat more (laughs). How’s it like being a Community Manager for Level-up Games?

Leng: I’m new to this community manager thing, so there nothing much I can say. Being community manager means, I have more responsibilities and more pressure. I also learn a lot of things everyday. Oh, I became a little restless because I always think about what’s going on inside the game even if I’m at home. It’s a huge undertaking but it’s all good, so far I’m loving it. I may be new at this, but I do try and improve myself everyday. I want to know how far I can go. Being a CM give me a sense of fulfillment, it makes me feel like I’m doing something worth while.

Wauks: Can you give us a brief history of your stay with Level-up? I’ve heard you’ve been here for a while now.

Leng: My story with LU is quite interesting. I started as an OJT in September 2003. After that I was assigned to the Customer Support Dept, my job initially was to answer the phone and transfer calls to the agents. Then my supervisor, Maam Yhe found out that I know how to play RO so she asked me to answer minor in game inquiries and moderate the old ragnaboards. I loved working at LU so much that I was pulling overtimes and even come to work during holidays, I finished my OJT hours a month earlier than expected. I asked Maam Yhe if I can still come to work and help out since I have nothing to do at home, and she said yes, and eventually they hired me. I officially got hired in late January of 2004 and it was a bit weird how it happened: I jokingly told them if I applied would they hire me? Viola! They said yes. I was a surprised and a bit hasty because I was still studying at that time. After weighing my options, I decided to accept the job, I figured, not everybody is given this kind of opportunity. Not everyone lands a job that they like right after college. I asked my manager to put me in the Graveyard shift so I can go to school in the morning. From then on Starbucks Coffee became my constant companion and I’ve been working for LU ever since.

Wauks: You really are hardworking. I’m sure it was very difficult balancing your studies and your work at Level-up. Let’s get to more juicy questions, if you don’t mind. We all know that Level-up merged with Netgames a few months ago. What was your impression of Netgames employees and has the company culture change in anyway?

Leng: My first impression of the people from netGames, they are a little more conservative. I don’t know why, but I find them a little reserved than us (LU). As for the culture, nothing much really, We did tone down a teeny bit but its still fun and pretty lenient than your typical corporate company. A lot still stay very late to work out of just because they feel like it. Ah, there is more “company bonding activities” like mmorpg game challenge between employees /dept, movie nights, and just recently the badminton thing.

Wauks: We’ve seen you before in cosplays, how did you get into the hobby? Is there any memorable cosplay memory you’d like to share with us?

Leng: I’ve been an anime fan since high school, there was no cosplay yet here. Very first cosplay event was in year 2000, but my parents were very strict and they won’t allow me to attend conventions. I really got into the hobby when I graduated from college. My college friends were cosplayers and I liked the idea of dressing up as my favorite anime character. I’m an extremely shy person, cosplay helps me boost my confidence. Memory I like to share, probably the most recent cosplay competition I attended. It was by far the most enjoyable one I’ve been to. It was TOEI’s anniversary event held in Eastwood. I joined the group cosplay with RO’s former Game Manager Paul Mendoza and some of our friends. We cosplayed the series called Saint Seiya. It was hard preparing, but it all paid off! We wont third place.

Leng: This photo one was taken at Paco Park during one of our cosplay photoshoot. I’m cosplaying as Alexiel of Angel Sanctuary. I’m not photogenic, I don’t like most of my pictures because I think I look ugly. But I loved this one.

Wauks: I think a lot of our readers will disagree with you saying you’re ugly (hehe). What are your plans for ROSE this 2007?

Leng: Definitely more in game and off line events. Watch out for our upcoming Major tournament, w/c will start in April We just recently launched the item mall and access for our EU brothers and sisters are in the works as well . We are also establishing a council composed of influential players in the community, it aims to bring the community and LU closer. There is also a lot of exciting in game changes to look forward to. If you want to know more about ROSE’s future plans, visit our forums, roseboards.levelupgames.ph.

Wauks: What’s the wildest experience you’ve encountered as a ROSE Community Manager?

Leng: As I’ve said, I’m only new to this job, so I don’t have any “wild” experience yet. The wildest experienced I encountered was when I’m still a Game Master. Once when a player spotted me at the MRT and he made a thread about it in the Ragnaboards, it reached 25 pages, I never thought players would make such a big fuss about it. Then another at the LRT this time, a player stopped me as asked my “You’re GM Lilith!”, I told him, not post make a thread about it. XD And last and not the least, players and parents of players who knows my family, one player in RO got hacked and he asked his mom to ask my mom to help him with his hack case. You should’ve seen the look on my face when my mom handed me a piece of paper containing a ticket number and a name. My mom said a fellow church member asked her to talk to me about the hack case ~_~ .

Wauks: Thanks for the time Leng. This was a good session. Let’s wrap this up! Do you have any message for our readers?

Leng: Augghh I’m not good at this kind of stuff. Hmm what to say… what to say… Optimism FTW! Lol . What I mean is, always look forward to the good side of things. No matter how bad the situation gets, always remember that there is always something good that will come out of it. Never ever let other people bring you down. Be proud but be humble. That’s all.. I hope this blabber make sense to you, it sure does to me. Ja!

Click here to read my Weight loss System which let me get rid of 50 lbs. in 5 months!