Community Interview: Claude Errera (Louis Wu)

For this interview, I've had the pleasure of talking to Claude Errera. To some, that name might be familiar. To others, you might have seen his face in Bungie ViDocs. Claude is a longstanding member of this community who has hosted game nights, fan sites, and been at every meet up he can make. Below you'll find my questions in bold and his replies in plain text. [b]Hey, Claude! Nice to talk to you. To start off, though many of the old guard might be familiar with you, why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a little about you for the newer community members who might only just be hearing of the likes of HBO (halo.bungie.org) and DBO (destiny.bungie.org).[/b] [u]Claude:[/u] I’m Claude Errera, sometimes known as [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Profile/254/90]Louis Wu[/url], and I’ve been a Bungie fan since Mac Warehouse sent me a $2 copy of Pathways Into Darkness in early 1994. I hosted my first Bungie fan-site, the Marathon HyperArchive NorthWest (a home for fan-made Marathon add-ons), a year later…and I’ve been doing my best to connect Bungie fans with Bungie fan creations ever since. Bungie.org got off the ground in early 1999, and it’s been a huge part of my life right through today. [b]That's great! $2, what a deal! I wish I could get Bungie games for that price now. Can you tell us a bit more about Bungie.org? What was the philosophy behind making it and keeping up with it to this day? Is it just you who runs it or are there other Grizzled Ancients in your midst?[/b] [u]C:[/u] The philosophy was simple: Marathon.org had just gone offline, we thought maybe permanently, and we wanted to make sure that some of its resources, at least, were saved. When we started to think about it, though, we realized that we were all (there were half a dozen of us at the time) fans of ALL of Bungie’s games, not just Marathon - we loved PiD, we loved Myth, we were fascinated by the recently-announced Oni. (Heck, some of us even remembered Minotaur.) Why not go all out, start a FAMILY of sites? The original crew faded over time - life moves on, and people have new interests. I stuck around, and many others have come onboard over the years. I’m the only one of the original 6 still involved, but we’ve got a lot of people who contribute to the maintenance of the various sub-sites that make up bungie.org. [b]Honestly, that's amazing to hear. 1994! That's at least se7en years, maybe more (22, to be exact). I'm thrilled to hear that new members have come where the old have gone. It sounds a lot like Bungie.net. I remember when I first jumped into the stats and stayed for the lame jokes. To many, you've been a face for the Bungie community. We've seen you in ViDocs, at events, and more. To some of the older members reading, you're probably one of the (many) reasons people were curious about Bungie and joined the community. What has that journey been like for you? How have you seen it grow? Any favourite memories?[/b] [u]C:[/u] The journey’s been fascinating (well, that’s probably obvious from the fact that I’m still here). Through this community, I’ve met (am still meeting) super-talented, super-interesting people, people I share a love with - the love of Bungie games. Sometimes, it’s just one game. Sometimes, it’s one aspect of one game. But it’s always a jumping-off place; there are always opportunities to learn more, to discover different parts of that person’s life. And to broaden my own. I’ve had the opportunity to visit folks where they live, and I’ve had the opportunity to invite folks to where I live. Over the past 20 years, I’ve seen video games in general change from a distracting activity primarily for young people to a way of life for some, a valid adult form of entertainment, a social nexus. It’s common to play with people in their 30s these days (with teenagers on the same team). I know gamers in their 50s and 60s, and even beyond. I’ve gotten the chance to meet artists, musicians, sculptors - people with serious creative talent, whose love for Bungie games has led them to come up with beautiful works of art. My favourite memories are usually people-based. LAN parties have always been really fun for me - there’s plenty of gaming, of course, but there’s also plenty of other stuff. Gaming conventions provide the chance for parties hosted by Bungie, and an occasion to not only meet the people who make the games I’ve been following all these years, but to get to watch them interact with their fans. And that’s beautiful. I think when it comes down to it, Bungie has made my life richer through the myriad of people I’ve met because of their games. [b]That truly amazing and heartwarming to hear. Based on your long history with the Septagon (the Bungie Community, also known as the Seventh Column) and how involved with it you are, what's something you'd like to say to all of the old and new fans alike? What appeal is there in our little community that they might find of interest?[/b] [u]C:[/u] I find Community Creations (https://www.bungie.net/en/Community) to be a nearly endless source of spectacular tastiness. If you’re feeling like you haven’t seen something Destiny-related that’s made you smile this week, stop by; your day will get better. [b]All too true. There's more talent in this community than I can even begin to express. Where do you see DBO in the future? Can we expect good things from a cornerstone of our community? What can readers do if they want to get involved over there?[/b] [u]C:[/u] The best parts of Bungie.org have always been community-generated; what we offer is a home, more than anything else. If someone has an idea for a cool offering that they’re not sure how to house… we’re a good place to start asking. I’d love folks to get involved! [b]Hopefully a few people reading this will go check out DBO. If the community wants to reach out to you and ask about DBO or the Septagon, what's a good way for them to do that?[/b] [u]C:[/u] Email is always an option (errera@bungie.org works), and joining our forum is a great way to meet folks, and get involved! Contacting me on B.net works too - my username is the same as my XBL gamertag: Louis Wu. [b]Great to hear! Thank you so much for this interview, Claude. You've been a longstanding pillar of this community since before many of the newer members were born! It's crazy, yet amazing, to think about just how far back this dedicated community goes. Claude and I have had a great talk, even outside of this interview. The community has changed, but this isn't the first time. Both of us have lost and gained friends with each of Bungie's new franchises. If you're new and reading this, just know that you're the next generation of the Bungie community. You're a Guardian of the City and the Traveler, sure, but you're also a Guardian of the Seventh Column. Bear our standard well. Have any questions? Any recommendations for interviewees? Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear what you think.[/b]