This month we got to know Chris Lena, the Producer for EverQuest, a little better.

How long have you worked for SOE?
My first day on the job was September 10, 2001.

What other jobs have you held while working for SOE?
I started out as the Assistant Producer on EverQuest Online Adventures and also did a chunk of design work for that game as well. After that I was the manager of International which handled all of the localization of our games including EverQuest. I transitioned from there to the Project Manager of EverQuest for about 2 years. I did a short stint in Research and Development which was really interesting then came back home to EverQuest as the Producer.

What work did you do before coming to SOE? br> Just before coming to SOE I worked for a short time at a competitor in technical support. Prior to that I managed bookstores for a few years…ah, the glory days of retail. Now that is a tough job.

Did you need to have any specific education in the gaming industry to get where you are today?
Always a good question but I would say no. A lot of things can help such as having a background in art, writing, business, or computer science but I don't think there is anything specific. My education has nothing to do with any of those things. I would say I got here through common sense and elbow grease.

What does a typical day's work consist of for you?
The morning starts with coffee! Then I read through email and the boards. I spend most of my day talking with the team and other departments in the company trying make sure everything is on track. Of course, all of this is sprinkled with a heavy dose of meetings, meetings, meetings.

Did you play EverQuest prior to working on it?
Oh yeah, my account has been running continuously since '99. I have always been much more of a casual player and seem to get sidetracked finding ingredients for baking recipes rather than raiding.

What race and class is Raghnell?
Barbarian berserker of course.

How did you choose his name?
I didn't – it was fated since before the dawn of humankind. So it is written and so it shall be.

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most?
Although I played plenty of Atari 2600 and Intellivision as a wee lad, my first real magic gaming moment was playing Ultima on my friends Apple IIe. I was just blown away and must have played that thing for days straight. I am obviously a big fan of the MMO and that continues to be my favorite type of game. But I also like a good FPS to blow off some steam.

What do you do for fun other than games?
I collect lawn gnomes and I am trying to figure out a way to start my own country.