First interview is about a dedicated LAMEplayer called Mope, I believe one of our first members and living the Gentleman’s approach we like so much. I decided to interview this mysterious LAME’er, who lives in Israel. We wrote each other answers and question because we all are busy in real life. I asked a bit about his job, country, his interesting family history (looks like a new John LeCarre novel 😉 and our mutual love for graphic design and illustration. Mope added kindly a lot of inspirational links.
“I’ve been raised on Jack London, James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain books, German Western movies about Indians, so I feel comfortable in this world”
We kick off with a Personal Picture. In this case, this is Mope’s own Merida bike. Mope: ‘That’s my horse, Merida, I love it very much’.
A: Mope has 2 meanings. The first, more direct one is exactly it’s English meaning, describing my slightly phlegmatic and depressed mood. The second , if you read the Latin letters as Cyrillic ones means sounds like “Móre” and means “The Sea”. I love the sea, it’s romantic and misanthropic mood.
A: Introdued by some friend. The friend has left the game, I stayed forever.
A: I love the mood and the idea behind the Lame Clan. That’s clan of friends, and a gentlemen’s club.
A: SG is a good-balanced, very light and low-resources needed game. I like the RPG element of earning money to buy stuff and weapons during the game. The graphics are awful, even for a low-polygon 3D game, but I’ve got used to this fact, it’s doesn’t matter anymore.
Something that’s I miss – is some sort of medical care during the fight, even a small one. It could be balanced by loosing hp continuously, if you are heavily wounded.
Would be nice, but a damaged camper would have to leave his spot to get it I believe.
That’s more my interest in vintage and history. I’ve been raised on Jack London, James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain books, German Western movies about Indians, so I feel comfortable in this world, it’s taking my childhood memories back.
Well, none of us lived back in those days so we’re all a bit nostalgic on the theme I think. At least I am, it’s all bases on childhood memories. Freud speaking here.
Q: I believe your family migrated from Latvia, your native tongue is Russian. There might be a story about that voyage? Why Israel?
A: I was born in middle Russia, in a dull town on river Volga, surrounded by forests. My parents have been married in Moscow during their studies, but had to move from the capital. Then there was a long journey, because my father has been prosecuted by KGB for keeping forbidden literature about Israel at our home. That’s why we moved to Latvia, where secret services were a little more tolerant. Just as the borders of Soviet Union have opened, we’ve emigrated to Israel in ‘91. You must understand the whole background of the last years before Soviet Union has collapsed, antisemitism was at it’s peak, and emigration was an ultimate solution, especially emigration to Israel, as a new shelter Homeland for Jewish people.
A: The differences are huge. Latvia is still Europe, much more Europe than Russia, even though it’s Eastern Europe country, with a very short independence history. Culturally Israel is a very complicated state, you’ll feel free there, the basis is much closer to Europe than to Middle East.
Q: Any plans of moving out yourself? Perhaps to a different country?
A: I think no. It’s pretty hard to live here, but I feel committed to this country fate.
Israel
Q: From an outsider-view there are a lot of cliches about Israel.
A: The European media is mostly unfriendly towards Israel, it’s one of the sad symptoms of inner cataclysms Europe’s undergoing lately.
Q: But it’s not like that the whole if Israel got the same political opinion?
A: We love to argue about politics. There’s a well-known verb: “2 Jews – 3 opinions”. On Israeli side you’ll find all spectre of political views, and as well regarding the conflict.
Graphic design
Q: We’re sharing a bit the same job. I read about Israel’s graphic identity: ‘Israel is still making A: it’s identity?’ Does this generate possibilities for designers or are the conservatives taking over?
Israeli design is indeed still unshaped, it has some brilliant artists. The influences of European school is strong in every cultural field. What’s nice, is that it’s young and open-minded, leading to sometimes very controversial trends, for example in illustration. Here’s some nice and synoptical review article about Israeli design. Very critical, I must admit, but it’s all true: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/23/shalom-showcase-of-web-design-in-israel
Q: Illustration!? Interesting, you have another example for us?
A: Here are some good ones: http://www.illustrators.co.il/index.asp
And some more of my favorites:
Oh there are a lot of more, can’t remember all at once…
A: The orthodox religious groups are a weak customer force, and they reject any kind of design, except very cheap and conservative, very insignificant. Arab sector is more interesting, you have different taste and cultural qualities to consider.
A: Flash won’t disappear so quickly from the sight,it’s still a good solution. Apple has never supported flash, it’s their problem, one of many reasons I don’t like that company. It likes to take decisions for the customer, considering he’s dumb and must be fed by a spoon.
I feel exactly the same about it. Too bad all Belgium studios are working with them.
Android, for example, is much more friendly, and supports flash in all it’s last versions. Still I think that Flash will take it’s niche.
- http://www.fontbit.co.il/downloads/Index2007.pdf,
- http://www.masterfont.co.il/home/doc.aspx?mCatID=144112 (download the catalog) ,
and there’s hope.
It’s great to hear you’re working towards a more efficient and friendly design. on the other hand, I also think it’s good we all make different stuff, especially on a worldwide scale. It would look boring otherwise. I like those Hebrew fonts, so I believe you when you say there is hope.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration from? Any hero’s? A favourite design country?
A: I’m common reader of the Smashing Magazine, and couple of Russian designer blogs. I’m feeling great influence from there, but that’s mainly because of my origin and language knowledge. The German, Italian and French are still the leaders of design, each one has some stronger fields. I love the organic simplicity of the Scandinavian design.
Q: On Lameclan.tk you posted once ‘Designing platforms for binary options trading platforms online’…are you still in the same job?
A: Yep, still there. Nice place to rest, after the madness of the advertising company. I haven’t updated my portfolio, because I’m thinking of reconstructing it completely.
Great theme to the clan, interview members and making this more that just a game. we are at the end of the day real people with real lives. but i think as would most of the clan, that we are brought together through the game into a world of virtual lives. i think Lame clan are the most positive, dedicated people on sg that ive meet. thank you for you interviews and sharing your lives with the outside world.
kind regards
Stone
GG! It was really interesting Mope and Zap.
I look forward to the next. 🙂
Wow interesting page Mope and Zapa , nice style of interviewing. I look forward to the next interview!
Smoked tuna…? 😀
Words and Pictures are my interest Biondo…no mather the ‘shape’. I often write a bit, or some translations, etc..An Antropology and other ‘human’ science is a major interest yes. (Hey! this article is not about me!)
Work situation would make a fine question, and also history of Europe, although a tough one indeed.
Concerning the italic, it’s up to the next editor…I noticed my code often failed, especially breaks 🙁 I’m no good lay-outer for website texts.
There is no interview without an interviewer, Zapa! There are 2 thinking brains in the dance. 🙂
Wow! That’s great! I’m saying it sincerely. Yep 🙂
First of all my congratulations to Zapa.
You have an experienced style in interviewing people (did you frequent anthropologist associations/groups, Zapa?). I love your style, you could be a good journalist. A masterpiece.
[Only one observation (this is my nature: to criticize about details also when I’m enthusiastic about the whole, please tolerate it): the use of italic fonts is not enough to discern what you say from what Mope says. IMO, better to add your comments at the end of interview, or join your comment to your next question.]
Mope, I “know” you because we talked together so many times, but you impressed me with your answers, you are so professional. I feel envy. Your personal history is so interesting that made me think more than once about our story (our = of us, sons of Europe, intended in a wide meaning). But I don’t want to charge you with the weight of a whole century and a whole continent. Correctly, Zapa’s interview is modest enough about this.
What I’d also had liked to read here is something about your work situation in Israel.
And about smoked tuna in extreme conditions.
Interesting interview Mope and Zapata. I am always wonder where Mope nick is from.
Great work Zap and Mope. Congratulation.
I could do so but it will limits the sorts of questions and so result. Different people makes different results; but you’re idea of a chain sounds great. As long as one is willing to continue the series off course, no pressure.
Glad I was also of any help. But I really love to analyze and systematize, it’s a bit my nature.
But of course, If Zapata wants to continue interviewing, he has a credit here, do you think you can handle more, Zap?
I believe, it’s my turn now, that’s can be interesting to turn the interviewed person into interviewer. But if we want this process to make a chain reaction the interviewed must be someone else, and the last one will close the circle. What do you think? I’m going ask people on jabber if they want to give an interview, because I don’t want to cause any pressure here.
Thanx a lot for patience and all that diligent work done on this interview, thnx a lot, it was very interesting for me too. Sometimes it’s hard to analyze, systematize and generalize processes, but this interview helped me to make order in some basic questions.