Star Trek Online at Ten Ton Hammer

Are you curious about the creators of Star Trek Online? STO's "Meet the Team" interviews developers and gets the answers to those burning personal questions like "monkeys, robots, pirates, or ninjas?"

In this edition of Meet the Team, get to know UI programmer Matthew Kenneally!

Which is cooler: monkeys, robots, pirates, or ninjas?

When I think “cooler,” I think of which one I’d want as a main character in a game. Then I think of things like gameplay and art direction. If monkeys, robots, pirates and ninjas had to remain separate entities, I would have to go with monkeys. Inherently, I see monkeys as more versatile than the others. Robots are too cold and calculating, and pirates and ninjas seem like they are a one-purpose type of character, at least by default.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into the gaming industry?

I think that having an obsession for building and inventing things is all that it takes to make games – with a little persistence and luck mixed in. In my own experience: I was the type of person who was doodling game ideas during class lectures and writing stories during long car rides. I remember the countless hours I spent with my brother, creating vast Lego armies and fortresses, or running through our creek shooting invisible monsters with bows and arrows, or penning story after story about games, movies and books that inspired me. This desire to endlessly create did not disintegrate with age.

There are other great facts and info about Matthew and you can read the whole Q&A on the official STO website.