Waukster Online

Celebrity Player Interviews 04: Polgara
Armada Whitesmith, Ragnarok Online

As with any new civilization, competition in pRO was brewing to a feverish pitch and I found that I can compete… more than that, I discovered that I wanted to. -Polgara

People always tend to generalize that girl gamers are best as support characters in MMORPGs. Most of the time they are pressured into taking a priest type job class. However, some girls have more game in them than most guys. Yes, I’m talking about one of the powerhouse whitesmiths in Chaos, Polgara! She has always been there in Chaos, vending and polishing her merchant skills. You can often see her sweet talking her way to a very one-sided deal in her favor. She’s elevated her game from the marketplace to the PVP rooms as she is now of the most dominating smiths in server history. Like what I said earlier… this girl definitely has game!

Wauks: Another girl gamer in the spotlight! Thanks for accepting the invite, Ruby. Maybe you can start by telling us more about your whitesmith, Polgara. What’s her untold story?

Ruby: Polgara started out as a merch/battleforger in open-beta pRO. My love for the merch-blacksmith class did not come naturally, it was tested. During the earliest days of pRO, I excitedly joined a guild. Sadly, I cannot remember my first guild’s name. However, what stuck in my memory was how they laughed at my merchant because she couldn’t do much in terms of combat, and was asked politely to leave the guild. I stubbornly held on to my first jobclass, and ignored all taunts to leave it for a new, more-effective melee character, or at the very least, a useful support priest character so I can help people out. Pride-wounded, I hit google and learned everything there is to know about the merchant-blacksmith class. I vowed that when they next hear of me, it will be with great regret that they ever doubted my potential to power-play in Philippine Ragnarok Online and contribute to the growth of a powerful guild… using my merch-class character.

As with any new civilization, competition in pRO was brewing to a feverish pitch and I found that I can compete… more than that, I discovered that I wanted to. I decided to take my game to another level and created a new name as a Pure-battle Blacksmith. I joined the ranks of the early battlesmiths and, with them, pioneered the agi-hybrid build that will turn out to be the most popular stat build for our class. I am most grateful to have joined the guild Enigmatic Asylum (Societes Magnus), because here I met players who are encouraging and supportive of my playing style. Trident guild taught me the basics of in-game politics and strategy. But it was in the guild Untouchables (that later adopted the name, Armada) that I found my home in pRO. The camaraderie and warmth that I feel with this guild makes all the time I spent playing pRO worth it.

Wauks: Talk about having a rich history, hehe. Can you tell us about the woman behind the avatar? Who is Ruby?

Ruby: I work as a home-based information analyst, in a multinational company that outsources for international database publishers of scientific journals. I graduated from UP Manila, with a degree in BS Biology. I left my parents’ home in La Union at 16 years old for college. Right after graduation, I took odd jobs tutoring students from kinder to college level in English, math, chemistry and science. I finally found my dream job and have been at it ever since. I lived alone for several years, in dorms, boarding houses and finally in my own apartment. To fulfill my childhood dream of learning how to speak French, I studied at L’alliance Francaise de Manille for almost 2 years. I am not a high maintenance girl because I cannot afford to be. However, I can say that I have a voracious appetite for life and am always willing to try out an adventure. I am independent, liberal-minded, optimistic, fun-loving and reasonably opinionated.

Wauks: You’re definitely an independent woman. You’re also one of the most popular girl gamers in pRO! What do you think happened that suddenly catapult you into the spotlight?

Ruby: I never really felt famous, except for that time when gigler (Leic, GM of Armada) introduced me to a large group of pRO players and they all applauded. I think the popularity stems from my accessibility in-game. I always answer a polite message, no matter how “noobish” the question is. Funny, I developed this habit by hanging out with Waukeen during the beta days, when he was the most famous smith then but still stopped long enough to answer forging requests or “noobish” questions (seriously, haha!). I go out of my way to point out elusive NPCs, and spend time discussing stats, skills, weapons and armors with players who obviously just started playing the game. If the person wants to rant (read: trashtalk), I give him a good-natured fight ‘til he cools down and apologizes. If a person begs for stuff, I gently remind him that a significant part of the game is the challenge of zeny-making by selling hard-earned loots. All these I did not to be “popular”, but to encourage players to keep playing pRO. After all, if I don’t have anyone to play with, I might as well be playing an offline game.

Wauks: Said like a true gamer. Let’s get to the juicy part of this interview! Have you ever had romantic relationships with anyone in-game that blossomed into RL?

Ruby: Yes. I have dated some players in-game and eventually, IRL. Sadly, the relationship ends (though I want to believe that the friendship is still there) when he decides to leave pRO. My love for RO is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because I meet great people here, and a curse because I literally lose some really good people because they don’t want to play anymore, but I still do. This game is what we have in common, and when he leaves the game, my interest drops. Shameful, but it’s the truth. My partner now is one of the biggest fans of pRO, though I met him long before pRO. We spend significant quality moments jumping up and down with excitement as the client patches up a new pRO episode. Ragnarok has been one of the many factors why we click so well.

Wauks: Is there anything distinct about gamers? What’s the difference between a gamer and your average guy?

Ruby: A gamer is generally cool, carefree and fun-loving. He gets a good training on determination and perseverance as he labors to reach levels and points. He is imaginative and creative, and good with words too, as he needs to interact a lot in an MMORPG. Some girls may think that gamers love their PC’s or consoles more than their GFs, but lemme ask this question: Which would you rather have as a rival? The PC/console, or another girl?

Wauks: That’s what I keep telling my girlfriend (laughs)! Let’s be serious for a moment. Where do you see the gaming industry, say… 10 years from now?

Ruby: It will boom! Internet companies are lowering their rates to compete with each other for the new generation of gamers and internet people. Even now, mid-income families have DSL-powered computers in their homes. Soon, more people will go online and thus, online games will continue to be a venue for interaction. The challenge for online gaming companies is innovating new schemes to herd these gamers in, including up-to-trend games that encourage group activities and teamwork.

Wauks: I definitely agree with you that it will. There’s no way to go but up. If you were in charge of Ragnarok for one day, what would you do?

Ruby: I will hire people who really love the game to work in the game as vanguards/moderators. There’s nothing more frustrating than talking to someone who cannot possibly know the pain of not being able to log in during siege time, of being hacked or of being short-changed of in-game enjoyment. You cannot promote a product if you didn’t enjoy it first. That, and implementing more challenging events that will give players a sense of achievement and excellence.

Wauks: Do you have a message for all our RO readers?

Ruby: This is a great game. The people are great (most of them anyway), and so are you. Love the game, love the people. Always be on the lookout for people who want to destroy our game.

Click HERE to watch the ARMADA Guild Video made by Leic.