Interview with Doodle - JabbaTown Pixel Artist

**Homerun** · 04-30-2006, 06:09 PM

Can you give us a brief introduction about who you are, the community you work for, and the position you have there?
Well, my name is Ben, but you may know me by my online alias of Doodle. I'm a pixel artist for Jabba Town, and in fact, I think I'm the only remaining artist on the team, but I'm sure that will change soon enough. I'm also a Guide for Fusion City, a job I very much enjoy doing.

Favorite food? Drinks? Songs? TV shows? Movies?
I'm a big fan of the Mars Bar :D I do love a good curry though, and butternut squash is extremely tasty (try it!). I drink almost exclusively water and milk, though I'm known to indulge in the odd tipple when I'm out and about. As for music, well... I like a bit of everything. At the moment I'm loving Panic! At the Disco and Mariah Carey's entire album. An odd mix, eh? Lost is definately one of my favourite TV shows, but I also love House, Desperate Housewives, The O.C. and Gray's Anatomy. I don't just binge on American dramas though, I'm pretty much obsessed with The Apprentice and Shipwrecked right now! Mfavourite movie of all time is Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki's movies are breathtakingly beautiful; I still can't wait to see Howl's Moving Castle, but I just haven't had the time.

What would you consider your accomplishments up to this point in time?
I have done quite a few things I'm proud of in my time. In terms of the MMOCC business though, I'd have to say the (quite dramatic) improvement in my artwork and my confidence is something I see as a real achievement.

Any failures you'd like to mention?
Nothing too dramatic that springs to mind. Some of my older pixel art isn't exactly breathtaking; but we've all got to start somewhere, right? In terms of Jabba as a whole though, I think that in the past, organisation has been a shortcoming; with the restructure of Jabba and the entirely new client though, this is something we hope to set right.

How did you find out about Jabba Town?
I'd heard about Jabba through a few people's recommendation, but had always brushed it off as just being a Habbo Hotel copycat. It was only after attaining a position as a staff member that I really got to see what Jabba was all about. I've not regretted it since.

How did you get your position there?
It was Kyle (3D) that spotted my work on some forums. He offered me a position at Jabba, and although I was sceptical at first, his masterful skills of persuasion brought me on board.

How did you involved in pixel art?
I actually have no idea. Of couse, like many others, I played Habbo Hotel for quite a while before I decided to open up MS Paint and create my own furniture designs. I remember my first creation was a copy of a PlayStation 2 - albeit being the size of a Habbo sofa. I've never really done "alterations" as such though - I have always made my pixel art from scratch. I find editing work a lot more boring than creating it.

Are you a freelance designer or do you work for a company?
I think I consider myself a freelance designer. My loyalty lies with JabbaTown, but I'm not on a salery or anything there. I'm always open to helping out other sites for a fee.

How would you describe the Jabba Town community?
Overall I think it's a really good one. If I'm being honest it's not a welcoming and communal as that of Fusion City, but there are some good people involved in JabbaTown that make it worthwhile to be a part of. I think quite a few people only join our community because they think they have a chance of being staff. I must praise the VIP members who have stuck with Jabba and funded us for a long time.

Are there any other projects you're involved in? If so, which? Do you plan on getting involved in any others?
I'm always open to new things - I don't think I could ever tie myself to one thing exclusively. As I said earlier, I'm also a Guide for Fusion City, and I'm proud to be so too. It's a really fun job. I was also becoming involved with Soku City, but I have no idea what's going on with that at the moment.

Describe your typical workday schedule.
I can't say that I have one per se :P I work when I have the time. At the moment I'm going through my GCSE exams, so I'm putting that ahead of everything else. I tell all of the people I work for the same, and luckily enough they can understand :)

Tell us something we don't already know about you.
Hmm... I bet you didn't know that my Habbo Hotel name is Bear-Max - which I've used since 14th February 2002.

If you were to add one feature to any MMOCC, what would it be? Why?
I would probably like to see some sort of proper artificial intelligence. The Habbo Hotel bots are okay, but they're about as boring as talking to a brick wall. If you've speken to the SmarterChild bot on MSN, then you'll get what I mean.

Any advice to those wanting to start their own virtual chat?
Prepare. If you're clear in your own mind what you want to do, and you've planned everything down to a tee, then you should be fine. Oh, and make sure you have enough money before you even beging to think about it :P

Where do you see the MMOCC market in ten years?
I'm not sure. I still think Habbo will be the market leader, but things are either going to be blossoming nicely with new and innovatve ideas, or the market will be flooded with cheap Habbo imitators.

Where do you see Jabba Town in ten years?
Hopefully up there giving Habbo a run for it's money :)

What does the future hold for Mr. Doodle?
If only we could see the future :P I'd love to be in the JabbaTown head offices (yes, there'll be offices!) in Orange County or L.A. :D