We all know what Whyville City Workers do. They created and manage Whyville.
But what about the people behind the computer? I interviewed several City
Workers through Y-mail and asked them a few questions. Here are their answers.
1. What is your main role in Whyville?
Mark: I'm the lead programmer. I write most of the software that runs
Whyville: the website, the games, the chat, etc.
Neutral: I am the most recently-hired Whyville city worker. My primary role is
computer programming. I am also somewhat involved in writing content: for
example, I often write trivia hour questions.
Gumbytam: My main role is to help manage the Whyville community.
2. How did you become involved with being a city worker on Whyville?
Mark: The founder of Whyville was a professor at Caltech, where I went to
college, and I started working with him then. When he started Whyville, he asked
me to be his programmer.
Neutral: At some point, it became apparent that in order for me to become an
essential Whyville contributor, I would have to be not just behind-the-scene
programmer, but also very pro-active on the site. That's how I became the city
worker.
Gumbytam: I became involved as a City Worker while I was still in college and
learning about games
3. What is your favorite thing about Whyville?
Mark: I like making new and interesting games for Whyvillians to learn from.
Neutral: My favorite thing about Whyville is that we are not just a web site,
but a web community. In general, a social aspect is very important to me.
Gumbytam: My favorite thing about Whyville is the citizens of Whyville. You
rock!
4. What is your least favorite thing about Whyville?
Mark: The fact that we are always struggling for ways to earn money so we can
keep Whyville alive.
Neutral: My least favorite thing about Whyville is that, unfortunately, we
have some scammers, although not many. I wish we could all live in peace, and
citizens would not steal passwords from one another; I wish everyone was treated
with respect
Gumbytam: Sometimes it breaks my heart when I see citizens being big-time
bullies. It just isn't very fair and brings back memories of elementary school.
5. What would you like to see improve on Whyville?
Mark: I'd like to see multiplayer games that everyone can help with and that
take days or weeks to complete, not just 2- or 4-player games that take a few
minutes to play.
Neutral: There are a lot of things that could be improved on Whyville, and I am
glad we are constantly working on them! For example, we will be opening a newbie
center in the next couple of weeks, and that will be a major improvement!
Gumbytam: I would like to see the world expand a little. That's something
we're working on every day!
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I hope that you enjoyed my article and now know a little more about the
people behind Whyville. I'd like to thank Mark, Neutral and Gumbytam for their
answers.
Sweettrt
