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Interview with The-Great-One
November 10, 2012
The-Great-One is a writer and journalist. For information about his work, visit the-great-one.newgrounds.com.
Tibbetts: You work almost exclusively on Newgrounds (although you are now on Twitter and YouTube as well). How did you find this site, and what led you to become a member?
The-Great-One: I found the site in 2004 through Randy Solem's series Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom. As I lurked more on the site I wanted to leave feedback for some different movies and games, so I made myself an account.
Tibbetts: Are you active in any other online communities?
The-Great-One: No I'm not. I am looking to start getting active within the YouTube community. That is a good bit of time away though. However as of right now, I am not a part of any other online communities outside of Newgrounds.
Tibbetts: Over the years, The Interviewer has conducted over a hundred interviews. What led you to this kind of online journalism?
The-Great-One: I loved the Newgrounds Mag and reading the interviews that were done there. The NG Mag was shutdown though and with it the interviews. I noticed that just standard Newgrounds members had conducted these interviews and I thought if they could do it, why not me? So I started doing interviews on my own page, it failed. I picked it back up in 2009 and have been doing interviews ever since. I guess it is because I am fascinated with a lot of young creators here and how they're works came to be. One big inspiration for me has been the TV show Inside the Actors Studio.
Tibbetts: What are the qualities you look for in a potential interviewee?
The-Great-One: Well I take a look at their profiles as a whole. I will watch some of their works, go through some of their posts. If there is enough there to find a story then I send a request letter out. If they don't reply I wait a few months and then send out another request letter. That's the point of journalism, getting the story. Not only that, but the interviewee wants to tell me their story.
Tibbetts: I remember when you came out with your list of "masterful" submissions in 2008. Since then, you have updated this list a couple times. Now, there are seventeen entries which have received a perfect score from you. In your eyes, what makes for a perfect movie or game?
The-Great-One: If I can critically find absolutely no flaws in it, that is what makes it perfect. Sure nitpicking will always uncover some problems, but taken that out of the equation and looking at the movie or game as a whole, if it can all come together perfectly then I deem it masterful. I still challenge people to send me their movies or games for my critique to see if they can achieve that masterful score.
Tibbetts: Over the years, some of your forum-based discussions have been serious or relatively serious, and others have been comic and absurd. One thing which they all have in common is that particular comraderie which exists within the Newgrounds community. Can you talk about the role played by the Newgrounds community in your life?
The-Great-One: Oh, it has played a huge role in my life. Personal, creative, and political. I was a dumbass kid when I came to Newgrounds and thanks to two members I became more mature overtime. MaestroRage's kindness really helped me out and ZekeySpaceyLizard pretty much kicked my ass on this site... which I'm glad he did. The community has always been very open and kind. They introduced me to a lot of information and different ways of looking at the world.
Tibbetts: What made you decide to take up writing?
The-Great-One: I have been writing since I was 4-years old. At a young age I wrote picture books. As I got older though I noticed that my drawing skills were not good by any stretch of the imagination, so I decided to stick just to the written word. I love writing my thoughts and ideas onto a sheet of paper and watching them grow overtime. Having others read what I write is what any writer dreams of, but to be able to tell or share a story is why I love writing.
Tibbetts: Taking together all of your articles, forum posts, reviews and accounts, your output is tremendous. What motivates you to write on a daily or weekly basis?
The-Great-One: I want to be a writer, I enjoy writing more than anything else... it is my passion while video games are my hobby. It is nice to mingle the two together though. Most of what I write has never been seen by Newgrounds members. I feel that everyday I have to write something, if I don't I'll start to go a little crazy. It's one reason why I do like the forums; it gives me the chance to do some form of writing everyday.
Tibbetts: You and I share a skeptical and complicated relationship with religion. You've written beautifully about this in the forum post, "Growing Up in your Family". Has this relationship had any impact on your work?
The-Great-One: No, I tend to keep religion out of my personal work unless I am learning about it from another person or speaking about it on my own behalf. I'm working on a philosophical work that will be discussing religion, but for the most part it doesn't have any impact on my work, because I am not guided by religion.
Tibbetts: In addition to religion, you have written with candor about a variety of personal and interpersonal topics including breast cancer, politics and your own bisexuality. What has it been like to breach these topics on the Newgrounds forums?
The-Great-One: I have been a supporter for the fight against not only breast cancer, but all cancers. I have always been political and my political viewpoints have changed overtime thanks to Newgrounds. I used to be a diehard Republican Conservative, watched Fox News, hated Democrats, the whole deal. However as I learned more and more my views have changed. As for my bisexuality, I mainly just came out here on Newgrounds and everybody here were very accepting of it which made me feel great. It is nice that I can come here and talk about that without the judging or criticism of my family and friends. Complete strangers I have found can be more trusting than your own family at times. It has been interesting bringing these topics to Newgrounds and I want to continue to bring more of them, that's why I set up my second account under my name Dohn to discuss these topics more in-depth.
Tibbetts: Of everything you have written, what do you consider your best or most important work?
The-Great-One: I certainly haven't written my best work yet and to even think I have would be ludicrous. As far as most important, I would have to say The Interviewer, due to it becoming more of an archive of these famous creators than anything else. It has become the one thing I have written that has gotten the most feedback and popularity to it. Which I am happy for, but I hope I can sway some fans of that to my future writing projects.
Tibbetts: What is it like to reread some of your old work?
The-Great-One: Humbling in a way. To see where I have come. I feel my work has gotten better through time, others will disagree. I feel that I am always getting better and I'm learning more and more. One should never forget their roots. I certainly don't. I can look back on my past works and still be proud of them. It is important for creators to stand behind their creations and their works to the bitter end.
Tibbetts: You have expressed your love for some video games from the 1990's, including Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen and Resident Evil 2. This past summer, you've also talked about your experience of rediscovering video games through the pleasures of Minecraft. Would you still consider yourself a "gamer"?
The-Great-One: Yes I would still consider myself a gamer. I have been playing video games since I was 4, so nearly 20 years now. I consider myself more of a scholar than a gamer though, since I see video games as a hobby. I am working on a book now giving a light history on RPGs and the creation of Chrono Trigger. I am also working on an archive of all video game knowledge. I am still a gamer, just not as hardcore as others are.
Tibbetts: Chrono Trigger is wonderful...is there any reason why you picked that game in particular?
The-Great-One: Chrono Trigger is one of those games that shows that video games can be treated as an art form. It is the culmination of the birth of video games pretty much, which I'm writing a book about the game. It is one of my favorite video games because of its story, characters, and especially it's art, music, and gameplay. Those are the two biggest selling points of this game. It truly is a masterpiece.
Tibbetts: Can you tell me about your forums-based project, "The Underground"?
The-Great-One: That's where that writing and video games mingle. I am always studying video games and the industry in-depth, they are an art form and deserved to be looked at as such. It is also training for my upcoming web series. The feedback both positive and negative are helpful. It is also nice to see how other gamers think when it comes to these topics.
Tibbetts: What are you playing now? Are there any recent commercial releases which you'd recommend taking a look at?
The-Great-One: Well I play Minecraft whenever I get the chance. I'm still playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. I haven't beaten it yet, but then again it hasn't been pulling me in like the other Zelda games have done in the past. Not only that I have been busy writing and researching.
Tibbetts: Do you watch television? What are some of the shows you like? (I'm a Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire guy myself.)
The-Great-One: Yeah I watch TV. I love watching Conan, Penn and Teller: Bullshit!, and a new show on called Arrow has piqued my interest. I also love my fair share of American Dad, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Legend of Korra. Inside the Actors Studio and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are also two of my favorites. There is just so much that I watch on TV from time to time that it can be hard to keep track of.
Tibbetts: Who are some of the films/directors you admire?
The-Great-One: Forrest Gump is my all-time favorite movie along with Titanic and 12 Angry Men. My favorite directors are Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, although none of their movies are part of my all-time favorite movies. I can gladly sit down and watch their films from beginning to end. It's like they know that magic that goes into movies. Other directors I admire are Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, and Alfred Hitchcock. However I don't like all their movies.
Tibbetts: What are some of your favorite books?
The-Great-One: I love books about video games, such as All Your Base Are Belong To Us, Little Wars, Halo Encyclopedia, and Dungeons & Desktops. However I am a fan of more classic books such as Silas Marner, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Murder on the Orient Express. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is The Butter Battle Book. My favorite comic strips are Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.
Tibbetts: How about your favorite authors?
The-Great-One: I really only have one favorite author and that is H.G. Wells. I love practically everything he has ever written. A very intelligent and brilliant man, way ahead of his time.
Tibbetts: This year, you began a small interviewing-related endeavor you called "Somber Pensive", and you uploaded a new interview with aviewaskewed. What is your vision for this project?
The-Great-One: It is different from The Interviewer. While The Interviewer focuses mainly on creators on Newgrounds, Somber Pensive will look at some of the regular members of Newgrounds and pick their brains for a while. I am thinking of bringing in some creative people in here, but I'm not sure as of yet. This project is still new and still being developed.
Tibbetts: Would you ever consider going into writing or journalism as a career?
The-Great-One: Absolutely. It is the one thing I have wanted to do my entire life is be a writer.
Tibbetts: What can your readers expect from you in the future?
The-Great-One: Some more stuff related to my Dohn account. More interviews, including a very big and upcoming guest, but that's a secret for now. However at the time I am writing this, my computer has been broken, so most of my writing is now with the pen and paper.
Tibbetts: Do you have any words of wisdom to offer to aspiring writers?
The-Great-One: Write every day. Even if it is just freewriting, you should write every single day. If you're used to doing a majority of your writing on a computer, then switch over to pen and paper for a while. As long as you are doing some form of writing every day you will always be on top of your game when writing. Other than that, practice makes perfect. You will grow and thrive overtime. Also take advice from other writers, other writers are more helpful than you think... they're also a bit jealous if someone writes something better than them, but they'll also love that someone did because that means they got to read it.
Speaking of which, it is important for all writers to read as well. I'm not talking about Shakespeare or the other old farts who are spoken so highly of, whose language is lost in their time. Read what interests you. If you can't find something then I suggest H.G. Wells. He's an old writer yes, but he was ahead of his time and he's a great place to start for any writer.
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