Interview with 2DArray

You may have heard of 2DArray or his semi-recently released game The Company of Myself. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview him.

2DArray interview commencing in t-minus 3... 2... 1...

AbusedZebra: Every username has some type of story behind it. How did you come up with your username?
2DArray: 2DArray comes from coding terms. An array is a list of values, and a 2D array is a list of arrays. Half of my job is programming (the second half being game design), so it works.

AZ: Do you ever go on any Kongregate chat rooms, maybe to talk to some of your fans? If so, which chat room is your favorite?
2D: I used to be on Kong a pretty good bit, but I haven't been there much lately. I've actually got my own room (Chatmasters), but it's become a bit of a neglected child to my position as its drunken, abusive father. I usually end up in Cafe Kong or Mostly Harmless. I use Kong as a way to find quick testers for stuff I'm working on, so expect to see me throwing up links to work-in-progress games if you catch me in chat. You can also check my site, 2DArray.net, for working versions of my projects.

AZ: The Company of Myself was an excellent game. Are you currently working on any games at the moment? If so, when can we expect to see them?
2D: Yeah, I'm actually making a semi-sequel to Company already. It focuses on a character from Company, but not Jack, the original protagonist. For now you'll have to guess which of the other two it is. Not sure when it'll be done–If I had to guess, I'd say a few months. There's a quick demo of the game's engine on my site, so if you want to see it now, go check it. Bonus points: If you give me any feedback and leave a name, you'll get to be in the credits.

AZ: Making games is obviously a busy job. Do you do anything else, or is making games a full-time job for you?
2D: I'm actually a college student, and making games is only a hobby of mine, so I do it in my spare time. I got really lucky, though, and my hobby happens to pay me from time to time. It's how I'm paying for college at the moment, but I don't plan on making a career out of it. I'd rather keep it casual and relaxed. Too much structure would make the games feel rigid. Oh, and if you're curious, I'm in college to study photography.

AZ: There are lots of cool people on Kongregate. Who is the most interesting person that you have met on Kong?
2D: There are a whole lot of people who I've talked to, but I dunno who's the most interesting. There was a time that I met a depressed teacher who was unsure of what he was doing with his life. Way more interesting of a conversation than I ever expected to have on a casual gaming site. AlisonClaire (as it stands, one of the staff members) wins points for knowing me for a ridiculously long time and generally putting up with my stupid shit. Far as I remember, we first talked before I was a mod and before she was staff, and that was...way back. She'd also probably brain me if I didn't mention her in a question about people I've met on Kong.

AZ: Do you play other games often when you’re not busy? What are some of your favorite games on Kongregate?
2D: I actually don't play a whole lot of games these days, which might seem weird, but whatever. Favorite games...uhhhh, lemme think. I don't know if all of these are on Kongregate, but some Flash games that stand out to me include Madness Interactive (for being so far ahead of its time), Motherload (for mastering the art of being addicting as shit), N (for being so damn smooth, so damn slick, and so...DAMN...HUGE), and Dino Run (for incredibly well done control and a perfect balance of being easy to pick up and hard to master). My favorite console game ever is Resident Evil 4. I never played the first three, but Resi 4 has some of the most amazingly clever and risky game design psychology I've ever seen, and it just works so well. Really smart people behind that game, for sure.

AZ: Let’s talk about something other than games. What is the coolest place you have ever been to and why?
2D: Japan. Everyone's absurdly polite there. It's another world. For example: Someone who's getting desperate robs a convenience store, but gets caught. As the police take him away, the cashier suggests that he come back when he decides to be a better customer, please.

AZ: What is (or was) your favorite subject in school?
2D: Photo (thus, the whole getting-a-degree thing). I was always pretty good in math class, but I never really enjoyed it.

AZ: If you had the chance to do any one thing that you wanted, what would you do?
2D: Tough call. I'll get back to you.

AZ: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not on the internet?
2D: I really just like being around people. Anything is more fun with a few extra people around.

AZ: Who is the person that you would like to meet the most? (Alive or dead).
2D: There are a few. In no particular order: Woody Harrelson, Kevin Spacey, Doug Tennapel, Steve Jobs, Danny DeVito, Maynard James Keenan, and the guy who designed my printer, so I can punch him in the face and drown his children.

AZ: Finally, the most important question of all. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
2D: The egg. There was an animal that resembled a chicken very strongly, but wasn't quite a chicken. It gave birth to a mutated baby that would be the first full chicken. That egg is the first egg that you could truly call a "chicken egg." So it's Almost-Chicken, then Chicken Egg, then Chicken.

AZ: That was harmless, now wasn’t it? Thanks a lot for your time, 2D.
2D: Woop woop.