The victim of this week is Voluns2, a writer who recently joined The Buzz Team. He’s extremely active as a Buzz Writer and his articles are great. But who is this new writer? Some interesting questions and even more interesting answers. Enjoy the interview!
Voluns, could you please introduce yourself to The Bootleggers Community?
Well my name is Chris, I'm 26, I live in Southampton and I used to play bootleggers from 2003-5 and left the site when I went to University. I came back on a few months ago after talking to my Dad and seeing his success on here.
Your dad?! Tell us more!
Well my Dad is MrLawrence. Interesting story actually, back in high school me and my brother used to play on here. We had a lot of friends and both got to around godfather when we were talking about an OC one day and my dad was in the room. He was interested in what we were talking about and together, well more my brother, we introduced him and he has been playing ever since. As I'm sure you know he is the boss of Gangsters Sanctuary and has been for a very long time!
Do you find it weird that your father plays or rather fun? He's watching you!
Well when I was younger it was a bit weird... He is very active and always has been and it was very weird! But now that I've come back and I no longer live at home it’s great because it means I can stay in touch easily as we get to talk about things every day! In reality being on here has brought us a lot closer together then we were before I came back on and I find that a very good thing!
Enough about daddy now, let's continue. You said you went to University. What kind of study?
I studied Psychology with Performance and New Media. I passed with honours. It was a great time and I studied at Chester. It’s also where I met my girlfriend, who also plays on here! I graduated 3 years ago now.
What’s her username?!
Her username is Liliana. She'd kill me if I did an interview and didn't mention her name!
Women… Alright, your study! What kind of job can you get with it?
A very good question and one that I have been trying to answer for three years lol! With Psychology it is very hard to get any job anywhere without first doing your Masters and usually specializing in one aspect, be it cognitive, developmental, biological etc. With Performance and New Media there are a lot of doors opened. It’s basically creating and editing films so a lot of companies always need editors or film crews etc. But I found that by doing a combined degree outside of the dramatic field it seriously limited my chances of applying where thousands of people apply every year. So with my combined degree? I ended up working for Mecca Bingo for two years and I'm now unemployed and looking for work!
What kind of job are you searching at this moment?
Right now I'm searching for anything I can find! I just want to be doing something. If I'm not out giving companies CV's, and that includes places like Co-Op, then I'm stuck inside with almost nothing to do! Which is why I'm so active on here. Ideally I'd like a position either with the BBC or at the University of Southampton in the Psychology department. But I'd take anything to help pay those bills!
What if the BBC has a job for you? What kind of work is that?
I'd love to do something like work on the doctor who tapes, adding in special affects and just learning from the masters! I'd even work the camera or take the actors coffee. It would be amazing.
Coffee, good idea! Anyway, it’s time for Bootleggers. What's your opinion about the current state of the game?
Interesting question. On the one hand the game is stagnant. We are bleeding members every day, there are fewer and fewer people online all the time, there are almost no shootings anywhere (not that I enjoy dying but it is a part of the game) there is more money in the game than usual and prices aren't rising and promised updates are getting later and later. On the other hand, compared to when I used to play to now the game is smoother, has more aspects, is more enjoyable and a lot of the community (off of the forums) are friendly and helpful. The game is still free and that’s a big thing when the real world is struggling with debt. It’s a great way to kill time and I really enjoy playing. In terms of the updates we all know BSF is a busy man and he has now promised next week! I think if more people took a step back and looked at how great the game is and complained less, the community as a whole would benefit. Yes more work is needed but on a site this big there will always be more work needed. State don's and nation dons don't work? Oh well. They didn't even exist a few years ago and there are still a lot of aspects you can achieve within the game without them! The Blackjacks need updating? Great! But the other casino's are top notch and you can win lots or lose it all in a day! I think the game is awesome. Needs some work, but what doesn't?
If you were BSF2000 and you had to add a new feature. What would you invent?!
Ok it’s going to sound strange, and difficult. But I would invent a way for players to sell points, in batches of 1000, for $20 a time. You pay $20 dollars for 100 points, so why not sell ten times that amount for the same price? Yes it would cost BSF money in the short run. But when word gets out on the internet that you can make money, for free, on a fun game, they would flock here. And a lot of players would start buying points knowing that the CPP would rise sharply, probably over $20,000 per point. He would be making as much as he was spending in the long term and have a massive player base. Everything would change almost overnight! However, if that kind of feature was to come out, a coder would be needed to fix issues and expand the site. Plus there is always the option of sticking an advert on the jail page or the home page which, with enough players on here, would bring in tons of money from outside sources. I don't know about anyone else, but I go to the home page about 3-4 times per day to check my busting stats and OC number etc. and I'm in jail for about half hour per day!
For the record, at this moment it’s NOT allowed to sell anything for real life money on Bootleggers. Anyway, at this moment, you're a Buzz Writer! Why would someone join the Buzz Team?
As you can probably see from the length of my answers, I like to write. I enjoy it, it allows me to feel free and be in a world apart from the one I know. However, like most amateur writers, I lack drive and focus. I've started tons of stories and never finished them! Joining the buzz team has given me focus. You guys direct me onto articles I can write and its usually stuff I've seen happen. Plus its fun and another aspect to the game! It gives me a reason to read through the forums, seeing what’s happened, and the team have been very welcoming to me so I can now call a few of you my friends on here!
You're writing stories outside Bootleggers as well?
Well since I had so much free time, yes I'm writing a story. I've thought that if I finish I could always try to get it published. I've not got a lot else to do! I'm about 1/8th of the way done. I know exactly where its going but some of the feedback I've received has been less then desirable! I keep hearing its written well and keeps the reader gripped but the material isn't their cup of tea so they only read what I've got because they felt obligated to, or because they wanted to give an honest opinion. As my Dad calls it: "The ugly baby syndrome." If you have a baby, and its ugly, none of your friends or relatives are going to tell you it’s ugly. In all honesty I'll end up finishing it off and either discarding it or forgetting about it!
Time for some short questions and hopefully answers?! Alright, favourite colour?!
Green.
Favourite meal?
Pie and mash.
Yummeh. Burger King or McDonalds?
Burger King every time.
Obama or Romney?
Obama.
S.don/N.don feature or Blackjack?
Blackjack!
Now, it’s time for the last question! Will you ever kill your dad on Bootleggers?!
He is my crew boss and my friend. He has helped me out a lot. But if I was paid 20,000 points? Yeah, I'd kill him AND share the points with him on his new account. He has already died 6 times on here this round, what’s another time if he gets a ton of points out of it?
Thank you very much Voluns for answering my questions! Who will be my next victim and what kind of questions will he get? If you have any ideas or questions, feel free to post them here or bootmail me! Until next week!
