[ESO] Catching up with.... CheetahCurtis!

Day 2,109, 20:12 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Elle Roslin
[/img]

Following up on last week’s interview with Dr. Hugh Jardon, this week we catch up with another member of the extended ESO family – CheetahCurtis. Cheetah (or CC as I like to think of him) struck me as an active and engaged player from day one. He is mostly known for his contributions to the media scene in the UK, writing intriguing articles that usually attract significant commentary and discussion. The questions I chose to ask him were intended to highlight how players can get involved when they are ‘new’, and to showcase the efforts of one of our leading media voices.

Since being in ESO, CC worked hard to grow his own party (the Great British Democratic Party). He served as the PP of GBDP for three terms, during which the party rose to be the 8th biggest party in the eUK with 30 members. The party ran Bob Bloggs for country president (a guy CC calls a ‘national hero), and he placed strongly but was not elected as CP. The party eventually faded when the core of the party lost interest. Since then, Cheetah has focused his efforts on the media. He also played a role in preventing a PTO of the Round Table party, and lobbied game admins for the addition of eJamaica. Currently he is a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he hopes to build into a major player in the UK political scene.

So without further ado, here is the interview!



Roz: When you first started, what were some of the most positive experiences you had with the community, individual players, parties/MUs, the government, etc?

CC: The community was very helpful to me. There is also a long list of people who helped me improve my articles and encouraged me to continue in journalism, eLiam and Max Blue(a.k.a UK's Finest) may not remember, but I talked to them often when I was eYoung and that taught me a lot. I'm not sure what I would have been like in other parties, but ESO seemed like the one for me. Everyone there was very helpful for getting me into politics, teaching me about Congress, government and manifestos. (which are no longer needed because of admins…)

Roz: Conversely, what were some of the worst? Did your opinions change over time?

CC: Nothing really... When I joined everything was pretty much perfect for me. I suppose complaining about being wiped (at the time the UK was wiped for months) lowers the mood a little, but it didn't negatively Affect my gaming experience. I guess things are different know in the UK, with what's going on in politics.


Granted Babou is technically an ocelot, but Archer is awesome

Roz: If you could give some advice to a young player that wanted to make a mark in the eUK community, what would you say?

CC: Get involved in as much as you can. It's only a game and if you do something wrong you won’t have much to lose. If you keep getting involved in your party, your MU and/or the media, you will make a mark in the eUK community soon enough. Don't be shy - you will never improve the community by only sitting on the sidelines and watching.



Roz: You have been a prolific journalist for your entire eLifetime. What inspires you to write, and what do you enjoy most about it? What topics are your favourites to focus on?

CC: This may surprise you, but I don't like English at school and I hate reading. I only really started writing articles because I thought it was easy to get the Media Mogul Medal. After a few articles, I started to get support and feedback from members of the eUK community, and they just kept me writing. I would have given up ages ago if I didn't get "good article" or "v+s" comments at the bottom of my articles. I still write when I have the time, and I like to focus on eUK wars when we have them. If there is political arguing going on in the eUK, I also like to write about that as well. I'm two-thirds of the way to my medal after almost 2 years and I would like to continue writing after I get my medal, if I'm still playing.

Roz: You have also been a strong voice for reform in the UK political sphere – in your opinion what are some of the things that the UK needs to do in order to create a more positive and productive environment? Are there any groups, individuals, or ideas that you think are positive role models for new players?

CC: A great role model recently would be ChewChewShoe as the PP of New Era. New Era entered their own bubble shortly after being formed, and the rest of the eUK pushed them further away. I believe that ChewChewShoe is trying his best to get both sides to be friendlier, and it looks like it is starting to work. The trolling will continue, and that is the main thing which sparks PTO's and other threats that we get in politics now. I know it will be hard to stop people trolling on the internet but I believe that more competitions, games, and communication will help people understand each other’s point of view and ultimately decrease the trolling. I've spoken to people on all sides and they can be good people, but since this game is played online I think we will never fully be rid of trolling. Possibly bringing completely new parties or leaders into the spotlight would stop people focusing on the trolls in the eUK, and could even bring in new ideas which will change the way the eUK is run or how the government works.

Roz: Final question – what’s your favourite pie?

CC: Lemon meringue pie... I don't eat a lot of pie, I hope this doesn't affect our friendship (I promise it won’t affect it THAT much 😛)



So there you have it – if you are new, you can always get involved by writing or by helping out in your party or MU. A big thank you to CheetahCurtis for being a willing interview subject, it was great to hear from you! Next week, we will check in with everyone’s favourite eBelgian and alliance figure, the extraordinary and lovely Mittekemuis.

❤ Roz