As I prepared my office to go through months of facilities faff, I realised that in very few weeks I am losing some of my favourite people at work – my minions, the Testers. Not only are we going to be separated in different buildings for their last two weeks, but they’re then leaving for good. I’ve enjoyed having them around the admin team so much – I ply them with biscuits and they make me coffee in the morning. Now, QA/Test is always painted as “the worst job in the games industry ever”, but here’s why the people doing it are such absolute stars.

1. Keen. They’re bloody keen. They’re either graduates who want to step into the games industry, or people with no formal education trying to get their experience in the industry by testing the shit out of every game they can get their hands on. They work dog hours doing a job that annoys everybody else, and let’s face it, they are often the butt of jokes and derogatory comments. But they still show up and slug through it, because they want to get somewhere. Or, they’ve done it for years, and are good at it, and to stay 10 years in test you have to bloody love it.
2. They’re grateful. Not that devs aren’t, but testers always have time to tell you how great you are and how nicely you’ve done something for them. If you say “Thank you” for them putting in a food order quickly, they say “No, thank you” because they love you for feeding them. They appreciate the service they are given and never, ever take it for granted. Possibly because they just want to be everybody’s friend, but I’ve never seen such nice, polite manners in a workplace.
3. They always have time for a quick chat, and they are all bloody geeks. They want to be in the industry, they’re interested in the culture and what goes on – they live and breathe  all things geek. A picture of a biscuit-munching rabbit stuck to the back of the biscuit cupboard is met with a high five - accompanied by the exclamation “Eiffeltower!”. They giggle like little girls when you say “Lower.. lower.. lower”  in your best Zapp Brannigan voice. They put copies of UT on your desk in the hope that you’ll play some DMs with them on your lunch break.
4. They do what you ask them – not because they like you or owe you a favour, but because they actually realise why it’s nice to contribute to the smooth running of an office.

Yeah, I love testers. Even the smelly ones.

And I am going to miss my lost boys when they leave in two weeks

I don’t have it in me today, I’m afraid. Long day of meetings and then a long dark walk home makes Ella tired indeed! But, tomorrow the Jodster arrives and we get to do what we do best. Cuddle!

Was that a paragraph?

This weekend was spent in the field, and it was great. Even if the water came out black when I washed my hair this morning. I love it – I even got to shout at ancestors (godlike creatures) and Big Mighty Fae. And I discovered the amazing JaegerFloat – jaegermeister poured over toffee icecream. Nom.

Then one returns to work, and every time reality hits you after these events, you feel a bit drained. Because you can shape and control (to a greater extent) your world when it’s all make believe, it’s really hard to adjust back. Maybe that’s the peril of it all.
Either way – in a field full of geeks I know exactly how to take charge and get things done.
But, there are some thing we need to do in the real world, and being at Lionhead is amazing.
Now I just need to get J here so we can hang full time!

Apologies again for the short entry – iPhones are inconvenient and I am ‘sausted!

What a difference a 20 minute talk makes! Today during my weekly appraisal, I was constantly expecting my darling manager to come out with a “So… … What we need to work on…” – which was really hard, my nerves were on end constantly, an it wasn’t until I saw her closing her notepad and smile, that I realised we were done, I’d had my first drama free 1-2-1 at Lionhead. It could be the Valium I’ve been slipping in her water, or that it was her birthday, but I will put it down entirely to my excellent performance over the past weeks. Work life is good. And then, due to a marvellous genial stroke from Rhiarti, we had the most lovely tea party to celebrate her in the big boardroom – and I felt so happy sitting there, part of the Paladins team.

In other work related news, I was asked my opinion on some video editing, and wow – Fable 3 is looking soooo good. Head over to Lionhead to have a gander. I’m getting so excited about this game, specially the community aspect of it. More news an success stories to follow, I’m sure!
Despite not being a dev, strictly speaking, I’m still so proud to be part of this, and it’s starting to get the publicity and cheer it deserves.

But, let’s not forget our Kinect project, Milo, which I am even more excited about. I walk past it every day, and I wish so, so much I could tell you just how absolutely mindblowing it is. I’m serious here, guys. Seeing the great minds of our generation drag the technology screaming to create something so fascinating, so bloody brilliant and so damned beatiful is just… Sublime. In it’s truest sense.

Now I’m off on a weekend of adventures, and I’m hoping to regale you with tales of hacking and slashing on Monday night.

So, I apologise for being a very, very naughty girl and not writing my OADs as I should. Between my mother visiting and moving into a new house, my “other” life has taken a bit of a back burner, I’m afraid. But now I’m back, for one night only!

I showz u rite gud

Tomorrow I head towards Swansea and then onto Locko Park in Derby, where I will inevitably dress up in a pretty, purple and green tartan, sheath my dagger and wield my voice as I become Esme MacIasgair, clan chieftain and Deputy High Bard. Woohoo! Geekery! I can’t wait for time-in on Friday afternoon – epicness ensues! This, is what the LRP scene calls “keen”. Keen – I has it.

But, that’s not the reason why this is for one night only – tomorrow I also need to hand back my laptop to my ex-fiancé, who’s generously lent me the one currently purring away in my bed. We’ve become close friends, really, although I guess there has to be an end to all these good relationships. The laptop, I mean. Not my ex. He’s still a top bloke. Blokey bloke bloke.

So, yes. I fear there will be silence in Camp Ella, unless you head over to Twitter and hang for bit.

Or buy me an iPad. Or, you know, persuade me to type it all on my teensy iPhone keyboard.

I broked my kneesie! I was going to write about “The importance of being Earnest” today, but I really have to talk to you about my first “conversation” with Peter Molyneux.

I was walking over the road to deal with some lost property and deliveries, when all of a sudden my knee just gave in and started hurting as f**k. I made it into reception and tried to shake it off, but started making funny noises, according to Rhiarti. (Which is suspiciously close to Moriarty…), so our lovely first aider Woody came out and put ice on it, then forced me to travel 500 yards in an ambulance because of Health and Safety reasons. And Sue took my food away from me!

While waiting for the Ambulance, Pete came and sat with me, then Mr Molyneux walked past on his way out and there I sat like a plum, making our first conversation one about my knee. Nice. I’ve been there since June 2nd, so I should really have talked to him long before this – there just hasn’t been a reason for me to talk to him.

The doctor who saw me was called Tristan, and I didn’t have to wait too long to see him, either. Apparently walking in sandals and not getting enough arch-support isn’t good for you. Or your knees. I need to get old ladies shoes.

Dr. Tristan also took one look at my feet and said “So, ballet or naturally wonky?” Well guessed!

This will delay my plans for gymmage, but I think I’ll go swimming this weekend. I have to do something nice and exercising!

It’s not very often you hear a games dev go “Wow, I mean, the office admin in this place is amazing, she came over from Rebellion, I hear she did a great job on AvP there.”

And I didn’t hear it today either.

I love the games industry. I really do. It’s an amazing culture to work in, and I often look at what I do and grow a bit inside for being part of such a creative organism. But if I told anyone that I consider myself part of the industry, and every single bit as much a part of the Team as your next animator, I will be you 10 crunch-time pizzas that I’d get a few funny faces. It’s not for lack of gratitude, I don’t think, but I suspect it’ll be a long while before there are professional Games Admins (Or Office Paladins, as I like to call them)

We're trying to make a difference here, folks!

I don’t come in to work in high heels and corporate wear. I slouch around the studio in jeans and a t-shirt most days. That’s because I know if I arrive at someones desk looking like something HR dragged in from the City, and point out the not-so-health-and-safety-approved cable mess in the walkways, I’ll get 10 angry emails. If I bounce over in my slouchies and a BSG tee, and joke about the spaghetti monster appearing before me in glorious light, someone will fess up and clear it away.

I see a games studio as a big disc, on the back of elephants, standing on a turtle, swimming through space… And my job is to be underneath the disc picking up all the paper falling off, making sure the elephants are fed, that the turtle doesn’t get upset and that no one sets fire to the librarian.

I really do think there will eventually be a specific admin job role in a company, that needs specialist skills to handle the very quirky moods and volatile environment of a games studio. As I’ve seen over the past months, you can’t walk off the street from a City firm or local book keepers and into an AAA studio. Or, if you do, you need to get to grips with the actualities quickly.

That’s not to say I think we need to cradle the devs in cotton, so that they never have to take responsibility. We just need to facilitate their creative splurges by being equally creative and responsive in our way of presenting the reality of stationery orders and fire safety.

And never be afraid to get a bit assertive – creative people prefer honesty to ego strokes. They really do. That’s how they know friends from fans.

So, back to the room, back to life! I was going to write a long, soppy blog about love and other cutesy matters, but I doubt you’re interested in that, dear reader. You may, however, be interested in The Jodster’s blog - once he actually gets around to writing an entry. I’m hoping to get him on the #oneaday bandwagon!

Now, back to my entry for today: Girls!

I’ve never understood girls. I mean, I like every chocolate in the box and all that, and I’m supposed to be one, but they do puzzle me. I always blamed it on being completely oblivious to all the secret meetings undertaken in the girls bathroom at school. I, as a good OCD girl, found it immensely gross to go to the loo together. Even today I try to avoid being in a public toilet with others unless I’m nicely toppled up on Pernod. So, I must have missed the ancient passing-down of the occult lore of womanhood from generation to generation by simply refusing to let another girl stand next to me while I wee’d. Eew. Either that, or you guys just made up the rules as you went along, having convenient meetings to reach a consensus on matters such as dating ethics, definitions of sluttyness, what colour hair bauble was “in”, or which teacher we liked or didn’t like. Some rules confused me more than others.

1: It’s not fashion until someone says it is.

First of all, can we just reach an agreement on who this certain someone is? For the life of me, I could never figure this out. And most often I would do something to my hair or clothes, get utterly scorned and hissed at – only to find it incredibly fashionable within the next year! Why? I remember my friend cutting my hair when I was 5 year old hippie chick, layering it and making me look like a cute little pixie. Everybody laughed, pointed and rolled their eyes.

A year later – everybody looked like this:

I swear I invented this hairstyle!

Was it fair? Hell no! Do I understand it now? Hell no! Does it still happen? YES!

Maxi dresses – I spent a year trying to find a long flouncy dress, ended up sewing one instead, only to walk into H&M a few months later and seeing it all tarted up on a doll.

Not impressed.

But there must some kind of local council for this, because half the time what was fashionable in my little hell hole of a village was completely ridiculous. And looking in fashion magazines didn’t help either. Most of them had no real connection to the sadist whims of country bumpkins.

2: If you look good, you’re out to steal my boyfriend. So I’m going to pre-emptively call you a slut.

WTF? Seriously? There was a time when I was better looking – I danced and bounced around a lot doing performing arts. But I’ve always had an F-cup in bra size, and I guess that didn’t help the whole situation.

I never wanted to steal anyone’s boyfriend. Heck, for a good part of my life I was more interested in the girlfriend! But, oh my, did I have the s-word strewn about. I guess they thought there was a sense to spread that I was easy, so their boyfriend would think I was icky or something. To be honest, it did the opposite. Tell an 18 year old guy that the petite, yet busty brunette over there sleeps with anyone – and watch him sit back in disgust. Not.

3: Wearing make-up that makes you look orange, and refusing to leave the house without it.

I don’t wear make-up every day. And I think my skin is better for it, to be honest. I haven’t bombarded it with anything other than Clinique or Lush, and I never got into the habit of slapping beige stuff on every morning, when I could spend an extra 20 minutes in bed. I love sleeping.

And the orange. Seriously, guys? What’s with the fake tan? Why? Am I the only one who enjoys the pale alabaster of a well toned, almost translucent skin? I fought off a Mediterranean olive tint my whole life (whyyy?), and if you’re a goff, that’s not very conductive to looking the appropriate shade of dead.

I like my coffee like I like my women – pale and bitter.

So yes, women. You confuse me. Please forward any answers to my WHYYYYY?s to my email address. Illustrations of points appreciated.