Hello Mercs, it is time for another Dev Spotlight! Now, it is time for Vladislav Perge - member of the Community Team for more than two years here at CCP Shanghai, in charge of DUST 514 content, communication, and all other things you find on our website and forums every day.
What is your official job title with CCP?
My official job title would be Community Representative, but I like to think of it as a Community Mastermind Of All Things Fun and Informative. Is that okay?
Sure. What does the job actually entail?
Coordination of a lot of things. When the next in-game event is happening, when patch notes/dev blogs are going out and what those will cover, analyzing and reporting on community behaviour and reactions, talking to the dev team here and providing a lot of feedback from our players’ perspective... And many more things, but that’s a short version. Players can always ask for more in the comments section of this blog.
Of course, forum peacekeeping and communication is something that goes without saying. I lost count of how many trolls I have banned so far from our forums. *Sharpens his trollcleaver.*
What were you up to before you got the job with CCP?
Before I joined CCP I was admin/editor of many fansites for various games. Eventually I decided to make my own fansite on DUST 514 back in 2011, called DUST 514 Base. I did everything on my own - writing, design, editing, and all that… and eventually I formed a relationship with another fan back then - current CCPer that you may know - CCP Logibro. We both were doing podcasts, writing articles, and covering all things DUST 24/7.
Eventually, I got a call from CCP Shanghai offering me a Community position which I took without even talking to anyone else. I relocated all the way from Serbia to China in 2012, and now I am here - happy to eat baozi every morning and talk to our players directly and indirectly!
How did you get a job with CCP? Can you talk about the process?
As mentioned previously, I worked on a fansite/podcast for DUST. I got a call from Shanghai and I did interview online. The result was positive and since CCP already knew how deep I am in love with their games, they quickly scheduled my flights and relocation to China! Once I landed, I went to the office, signed final few papers and started working. Orientation was not needed since I was very familiar with everything CCP related already, so I simply moved to my desk and introduced myself to other employees.
What’s your favorite part about working at CCP?
Other than sharing dolan pictures with CCP Blowout all day and night, you mean?
I really like to simply observe our players and learn from them as much as possible. I get to talk to the whole dev team every single day, and share community sentiment, talk about our players’ reaction about a feature that’s upcoming for our game, and give feedback to them. Playtest early builds of the upcoming features to the game, discuss promotions and events for the game and so on. Really - my favorite part about working at CCP actually is - working at CCP.
Oh, and breakfast is also great. Chinese pancakes and baozi are simply the best.
What’s the biggest misconception players have about what you do that you’d like to clear up?
Players think that there is not much activity/reading on forums from our side. I read all the threads on forums and always consider sending them over to the team if they are constructive and give great feedback. Fear not - if you made an awesome thread with feedback, idea or opinion, it already is in my “Favorites” section where it gets processed further to the team. Oh - and if you got banned/post deleted from our forums - I probably did it. Sorry! You can find forum rules right here.
And now the personal stuff - if there was one thing you’d be doing outside of your current job, what would it be?
I would probably like to become a DJ. Not a producer. Just a DJ. Play some awesome music for some awesome people and just enjoy. I really appreciate a wide range of electronic music.
When you’re not on the job, what do you enjoy doing?
CCP Blowout already took my answer so I will have to come up with another one. Let me see - does buying latest and greatest gadgets count? Yeah? Okay - that. I am obsessed with the latest and greatest devices that you can put in your pocket, bag, or backpack. Also, challenging myself to take as best photos as possible with my phone anywhere I go.
What are some of your favorite games, both past and present?
The very first Command & Conquer game definitely. When I was a kid I was first introduced to Civilization and I quickly discovered real-time strategies and fell in love with those until shooters came along. Red Alert, Tiberian Sun, Dune 2000, Age of Empires II, Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, WarCraft 2 & 3… as for shooters: Half-Life 1 & 2, Doom 2, Quake 2 & 3, Counter-Strike, and more…
The list goes on and on. But then I found EVE Online, fell in love with it, and followed CCP every step of the way a very long time until they decided to announce that DUST 514 thing at Gamescom back in 2009. I always wanted the complexity of EVE Online packed into a shooter because I always was a big FPS fan.
What’s something that people don’t know about you?
I have a powerful ability to keep my hat on for more than 20 hours a day… and I actually sleep with my hat OFF!
:O
I know, right? Bonus secret: I still use Winamp.
If you could use any weapon in DUST 514 to make a sandwich, what would it be and why?
I am a sworn Caldari patriot therefore I must say that I would just simply use the precision of my Rail Rifle to carve up a perfect loaf of bread, and Bolt-up with my pistol the ham, lettuce, and some cheddar cheese to it. Nom nom.
And that was it from CCP Frame! Hope you enjoyed it, and I will see you on forums, website, social media and everything else that comes to your mind that we use to talk to you guys.

original link