By Aimee “Ashlanne” Rekoske

Summer is almost over but we haven’t run out of SOE Employees to meet! We’re a big company with a lot of moving parts, and it takes more than game designers and programmers to produce triple A games. We want you to get to know folks in Platform, Human Resources, Development, Legal, Quality Assurance, Office Operations, Customer Service, Administration and Marketing, just to name a few.

Each month the Community Team will highlight one of SOE’s many diverse employees. This month we’d like you to meet Jennifer Bridges, Web Developer on our Web Presence Team*at SOE! Take a moment to find out about what a typical day in the office is like for her, what her favorite SOE game is, and other fun tidbits. As a special bonus, we’ve include a screenshot from her favorite SOE game!



Tell us about yourself! What’s your name and what do you do here at SOE? How long have you been working at SOE?

Hail and well met! My name is Jennifer “Pinky” Bridges and I’m a Web Developer here at SOE. I’ve been working at Sony Online Entertainment for a year now, though I’ve had a couple of different roles in that time.

How did you get into the industry?

l, like many others, had long been vying for a spot in the video games industry. I had grown up with video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering. A little over a year ago, I happened to volunteer at a video games conference called LOGIN and that’s where I first met Brasse. She invited me to go to Fan Faire later that year so I saved up the money for the airfare and hotel room and all that. Fan Faire (excuse me, ‘SOE Live’) was such an incredible event that it drove me to write a blog post and tell everyone I talked to about how awesome it was. I like to think it was that enthusiasm that caught Brasse’s eye, because a few months later a position opened up on the Community Team and she asked me if I wanted to work for SOE. It was only a temporary position, covering for the illustrious Tiffany “Amnerys” Spence as Community Manager for EverQuest II and co-Community Manager for Legends of Norrath. Leaving my old life behind, I came to San Diego, CA in a heartbeat. It was the best decision I’ve ever made! I feel so blessed to be here.

Tell us what a typical workday is like for you.

Hmm…a typical work day for me usually starts out with checking my e-mail. I check for any bugs and new projects that I will have to tackle, in addition to changes to current projects. If there is a lot to do, I create a to-do list for the day and prioritize my projects. I’ve also started eating breakfast again since we have this great little coffee shop cart on campus. Once I have acquired my delicious food, I get to work knocking out my tasks for the day. When I need to work fast, I put my headphones on and listen to some dance music. My job often requires me to get up out of my seat and track down people to get assets or further clarification on projects. I like to think of these as epic quests. Sometimes this means camping out in front of someone’s office for hours at a time and sometimes it means circling around areas like a shark. Sometimes I have to battle ninjas, too.



Let’s talk favorites… What is your favorite SOE game title? What is your favorite thing about that game?

EverQuest II is absolutely my favorite SOE title! I didn’t get into it until much later than most but now I love it. My favorite thing about EQII is the breadth of content the game holds. There are so many quests and different things to do! If I feel like killing monsters, decorating my house, grinding AA’s, learning about the lore, role-play, raiding, building a dungeon – I can do it all. And the other great thing is these can be done at just about any level. This means that I have fun while I level and I’m not simply trying to race to get to the end.

Do you have a collection?

I do indeed have a collection!. At my desk I keep a wide array of stuffed animals and action figures. Once a month or so I add a new piece to that collection. We have discussed taking over the world together.

If there was a movie made about you who would you cast to play you?

While I’m not sure if anyone is ready for a movie about moi, I think I’d like to see Amy Adams play my part. She is so cute and a bit derpy, like myself. It would also be so kick *** to see her in a role where she battles demons with giant swords.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

This is something that I’ve thought about for a long time. Since I first read The X-Men comics when I was in elementary and middle school, I fell in love with Ororo (Storm). It would be cool to have her powers over the weather and be able to fly. Now if only I could have that body, too! If I had those powers, I would probably make it sunny and beautiful all the time. Luckily here in San Diego, I would rarely have to use that power.

Do you have hobby? What’s the last book you read? Last movie you saw? What do you do to unwind after a busy day?

I have a few hobbies, actually. I love to read, play all sorts of games, and learn new things. The last book I read was “Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman” by Gail Evans. It was a great book, especially for a female working in this mostly male-dominated industry. I don’t agree with all the points in it but I took away a lot of knowledge that I’m going to adapt in my own interactions with people. The last movie I saw was “Batman: Dark Knight Rises.” SOE actually took us all out to the movies to see it so that was pretty cool. It was a great movie and everyone there seemed to be glued to their seats. I can’t say what I loved most about the movie because that would be a spoiler! To unwind after a busy day I usually do what any other nerd does: I play games! Whether it’s EverQuest II, another MMO, a console game, or even a card or board game – I’m always playing something.

Enjoy this screenshot which was taken from Jen’s favorite zone in EverQuest II.



Anashti Sul stands in her temple in the Silent City.

We hope you enjoyed meeting Jen and will join us next month for another SOE Employee Spotlight!

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