Because I’m terrible at good byes, here’s a blog post
Today marks my last day at 2K Games. It’s a big day and saying it’s also an emotional one would be the understatement of the year for me. 2K Games has shaped not only my professional life in a huge way, but also my personal one, making this a big milestone in pretty much every way possible. And while I may be moving on to new opportunities, today I’m spending this blog post looking back on the past six years and remembering the awesome people I met and the awesome things we accomplished.
I started with the company in November of 2006 as a Community Manager, and it’s changed my life in absolutely every way possible. Back then, I worked in marketing at a dot com: I’d just moved to New York City, I didn’t have any friends and I didn’t know how to make them. Being a child of the internet, I did the only logical thing: I started arranging real life events for people I knew on a gaming site (Shacknews, for inquiring minds.) From there, I met Jason Bergman, and when 2K Games decided they wanted to start a community team, he asked me to apply for the CM role.
I never thought I’d get it. Back then, community in gaming was a Wild West and Community Manager was a very undefined role (and I certainly didn’t know what people expected out of the position.) Reading the job description I thought a thousand people far more qualified would apply and get the gig. Hell, I’d never worked in gaming before – what did I know that tons of other people didn’t know better? But I did get the job and a large part of my success is due to the fact that I worked on the principle that I was a gamer, so if I did what I thought was right, I wouldn’t ever go too far astray. After six years, I think that internal guidance paid off: I’ve grown from overseeing the development of BioShock’s community (a task I’m still floored I got to undertake) to running our community department and customer service team.
So how did this company change my life? 2K Games was the catalyst that brought me to San Francisco and that, in turn, brought me together with the man that became my husband. 2K Games is the reason I call dozens of people “friend” (both from the company and through my work as the voice to the community.)
2K Games has also allowed me to do some crazy things that I don’t believe would have been possible anywhere else in the world. During my tenure here, I’ve gotten to found a community and watch members grow (and grow up), become best friends, get married, have kids. I’ve gotten behind one of the few internet petitions that actually worked and resulted in the creation of a BioShock Limited Edition. I’ve masterminded an ARG that spanned three continents, ten countries, and got over one thousand gamers onto beaches before the sun came without even knowing why. I’ve been fired on YouTube for allowing a Big Daddy to utterly destroy the offices. I got to host the live stream where the world saw Duke Nukem Forever rise from the ashes at PAX East. I have seen Reddit go crazy over my dog in a Borderlands 2 loot chest (8 million views and counting.) And that’s just a smattering of the more public endeavors – what we accomplished behind the scenes over the past six years is why I have often said (and actually meant) that Mondays were my favorite day, even on the roughest launch weeks.
In the past six years, I’ve shipped fifteen titles and worked on nineteen (if I’ve done my math correctly and am not forgetting something!) and even on my last day I can say I looked forward to waking up and coming into this office. I’m honored to have worked here and proud of everything I’ve been able to create, the teams I’ve had the privilege to meet and work with, and the fans who have supported me, our games, and our company all these years. Sappy as it sounds, 2K Games is an amazing place to be, and I can’t imagine a better group to help me grow from where I was back in November of 2006 until today. Without them, I wouldn’t be typing this post or pulled off all the ridiculous shenanigans I posted about. They believed in me and because of everyone here, our community and social team is among the best in the industry. While my chapter with 2K Games may be ending, the work we’re doing (and have brewing behind the scenes – and even stuff they haven’t even thought up yet) is only going to get bigger and better. I can’t wait to be able to enjoy it from the other side.
So, for the TL;DR version of this blog post: Thank you to everyone who has been there for me: whether you are my boss, my community team, the ever-elusive Tom Bass, or one of the many 2K Games fans I’ve met on- or offline over the years. You’ve inspired me, mentored me, kicked me in the butt, and made me laugh; I can credit you for being where I am today, and who I am. You’re awesome, and I’m going to miss you – but this isn’t really good bye, because thanks to the internet and the tight knit community that is gaming, I know we’ll being seeing each other a ton in the future.
And now… On to something completely different.
I started with the company in November of 2006 as a Community Manager, and it’s changed my life in absolutely every way possible. Back then, I worked in marketing at a dot com: I’d just moved to New York City, I didn’t have any friends and I didn’t know how to make them. Being a child of the internet, I did the only logical thing: I started arranging real life events for people I knew on a gaming site (Shacknews, for inquiring minds.) From there, I met Jason Bergman, and when 2K Games decided they wanted to start a community team, he asked me to apply for the CM role.
I never thought I’d get it. Back then, community in gaming was a Wild West and Community Manager was a very undefined role (and I certainly didn’t know what people expected out of the position.) Reading the job description I thought a thousand people far more qualified would apply and get the gig. Hell, I’d never worked in gaming before – what did I know that tons of other people didn’t know better? But I did get the job and a large part of my success is due to the fact that I worked on the principle that I was a gamer, so if I did what I thought was right, I wouldn’t ever go too far astray. After six years, I think that internal guidance paid off: I’ve grown from overseeing the development of BioShock’s community (a task I’m still floored I got to undertake) to running our community department and customer service team.
So how did this company change my life? 2K Games was the catalyst that brought me to San Francisco and that, in turn, brought me together with the man that became my husband. 2K Games is the reason I call dozens of people “friend” (both from the company and through my work as the voice to the community.)
2K Games has also allowed me to do some crazy things that I don’t believe would have been possible anywhere else in the world. During my tenure here, I’ve gotten to found a community and watch members grow (and grow up), become best friends, get married, have kids. I’ve gotten behind one of the few internet petitions that actually worked and resulted in the creation of a BioShock Limited Edition. I’ve masterminded an ARG that spanned three continents, ten countries, and got over one thousand gamers onto beaches before the sun came without even knowing why. I’ve been fired on YouTube for allowing a Big Daddy to utterly destroy the offices. I got to host the live stream where the world saw Duke Nukem Forever rise from the ashes at PAX East. I have seen Reddit go crazy over my dog in a Borderlands 2 loot chest (8 million views and counting.) And that’s just a smattering of the more public endeavors – what we accomplished behind the scenes over the past six years is why I have often said (and actually meant) that Mondays were my favorite day, even on the roughest launch weeks.
In the past six years, I’ve shipped fifteen titles and worked on nineteen (if I’ve done my math correctly and am not forgetting something!) and even on my last day I can say I looked forward to waking up and coming into this office. I’m honored to have worked here and proud of everything I’ve been able to create, the teams I’ve had the privilege to meet and work with, and the fans who have supported me, our games, and our company all these years. Sappy as it sounds, 2K Games is an amazing place to be, and I can’t imagine a better group to help me grow from where I was back in November of 2006 until today. Without them, I wouldn’t be typing this post or pulled off all the ridiculous shenanigans I posted about. They believed in me and because of everyone here, our community and social team is among the best in the industry. While my chapter with 2K Games may be ending, the work we’re doing (and have brewing behind the scenes – and even stuff they haven’t even thought up yet) is only going to get bigger and better. I can’t wait to be able to enjoy it from the other side.
So, for the TL;DR version of this blog post: Thank you to everyone who has been there for me: whether you are my boss, my community team, the ever-elusive Tom Bass, or one of the many 2K Games fans I’ve met on- or offline over the years. You’ve inspired me, mentored me, kicked me in the butt, and made me laugh; I can credit you for being where I am today, and who I am. You’re awesome, and I’m going to miss you – but this isn’t really good bye, because thanks to the internet and the tight knit community that is gaming, I know we’ll being seeing each other a ton in the future.
And now… On to something completely different.
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