SSG Speaks: Jayman Edition

 

Theolauncher: Greetings Jayman
SSG Jayman: Heyooo!
Theolauncher: I like to just start off with the start of SSG. We all read your blog post on the history of SSG. I like to take a look back with you and say, when you started off SSG did you expect it to grow to the extent is has thus far?

SSG Jayman: No, honestly I didn’t. As most people have read (http://roundtable.swordandshiel​dgaming.com/?p=405) I basically started SSG to give myself and the Allies FTW crew their own home. It was never meant to be “exclusive” to Allies FTW, we always wanted to recruit and give lone gamers a home. But now, having almost 30 Knights and a handful of recruits all committed to SSG is amazing. SSG and the GGN are inspiring people, all over our forums I see people posting ‘Good Game’ to each other and it makes me feel good to help propagate that.

Theolauncher: What really began your growth as a clan? You started off as a handful of people and now as you said you have a pretty big community. What would you say really made that transition possible?

SSG Jayman: Over time we’ve always had a slow influx of people from various sources: friends of friends, co-workers, and then we have people with cool random stories that find us. We have had two major increases since we began, one when we started and one recently. Early on, we recruited a TTL Ally, CodeMonkey76, and he soon became a Knight. Code was part of a clan that fell apart plus he had he own “community” of sorts over at www.commonsensegaming.com, and that brought us about 6-7 quality people that we also soon made Knights. But more recently, we got a lot of newer Knights from what we affectionately call the, “Bungie Rush”. Basically Halo: Reach has brought a lot of people to Bungie.net and from there gamers find their way to the GGN or TTL specifically. Since TTL is closed for recruitment, a lot of the GGN clans (SSG included) head to the TTL forums to recruit those gamers that found their way to TTL looking for a home.

Theolauncher: Interesting. Something I adore myself if the theme of SSG. What lead you to pick camelot and knights?

SSG Jayman: I have always been intrigued by the story of King Arthur and the Round Table, even as a boy. When I found TTL and saw that they were based off of the Stephen King series ‘The Dark Tower’ I loved what it brought to the clan. The King Arthur theme fit in every way, it set the tone for the clan. Arthur and his Knights are the definition of chivalry, and they stand up for what is right. SSG is a shelter for gamers that are sick of dealing with Xbox LIVE and some of the monsters you can run into. We uphold chivalry and fight against all the modders, cheaters, griefers, and hackers. Going with a theme, I feel, gets clan members more engaged. Instead of just being a “member” you are a Knight. It’s not just our forums, it’s Camelot. The history and mythology gives us a lot of people and places that we can incorporate into the clan. I’m still looking for the right time to bring Excalibur into the picture. 😉

Theolauncher: Very nice! Now we all know Jayman as a leader of SSG the founder. But SSG Speaks is really about the player behind the controller. On your thread it states that you are “paramedic by trade and I run a local computer company”. Can you dive into more detail on that? Do you save lives by day, play halo by night, and find time to run a computer company in the twilight hours? haha

SSG Jayman: Sure. Growing up I wanted to be either a Police Officer or a Firefighter. My parents, strangely, hated the idea of me being a cop and chasing “bad guys” all day, but were just fine with me running into burning building… 😉 Now here in St. Louis to be a Firefighter you have to be a Paramedic as well. So I started my schooling in that direction. I worked as a volunteer Firefighter for about a year while I was going to EMT school, then once I got my EMT license I started working in an Emergency Room full time and had to give up the volunteering. I worked in the ER for the next 8 years and towards the end got my paramedic license, since then I’ve been working on an ambulance for the last two years. Working in the hospital and in the ambulance gives you pretty flexible hours, so in 2001 I decided to start my own computer company as well, STL Computer Help. In the past I’ve always been the go to guy for family and friends to get computer help. Time and time again, everyone always wanted to pay me and wondered why I was even a paramedic at all… So I took it to the

next step and really got my computer business off the ground. Being in the medical and tech field is great, they are two area’s that the general population know little about so demand is high. The medical field is great because I literally get to save lives at work, and there is no better feeling than that. But the computer business is rewarding as well. Most consumers hate their computer, because they don’t understand it. Errors, viruses, incompatibilities, etc plaque the industry. I do my best to educate consumers on their computer and get them running as best as they can. I end up teaching a lot, to my patients in the field and my clients at home. As far as gaming goes, I’m fortunate enough to have a great wife that understands how important gaming is to me. It is so much more than just playing Mario on a NES these days. Gaming has gone social thanks to the internet, and Xbox LIVE. Now all my good friends that I never get to see that live in different States or countries can get together over LIVE to play Halo or even Uno and just catch up with each others lives. It used to be that in order to have a “guys night” you’d be heading to a bar or out on the town. But now I can sit in my living room and have the best of both worlds, I’ve got my family at home with me and I can virtually game with friends that could be hundreds of miles away.

Theolauncher: Seems your a busy man doing what you love. You say wife. Now I beg you to forgive me for asking but are there any little Jayman running around?

SSG Jayman: We both can’t wait to have kids, but none yet hopefully soon. We’ve got two dogs a Westie, Milo and a Yorkie, Dexter (named after the serial killer cop) that get all of our attention currently. So much so they have their own blog. www.dailymilo.com

Theolauncher: haha cute. Got any parting words for the readers?

SSG Jayman: Sure. It’s tough to balance a clan, life, and work, but it has been so worth it. The Knights here at SSG are truly some of my best, closest friends and I wouldn’t trade that. Just knowing that SSG and the GGN have helped so many gamers that would have otherwise given up on online gaming is a great feeling. So to my SSG Knights, thanks for helping spread the ‘Good Game’ you rock, and to newcomers reading this: what are you waiting for? Head into Camelot and start your journey today, you’ll be glad you did. – SSG Jayman

Theolauncher: Thank you for your time! This was SSG Speaks: Jayman Edition.