Let’s take a moment and get to know a little more about a critical member of the Gala Games team who’s also a keystone pillar of the community.

Decentralization is a little paradoxical– disconnecting our digital infrastructure from centralized authorities seems to inherently bring more connection between individuals. As the Web3 world grows, we see communities form all over this frontier. Here at Gala Games, we’re lucky to have an amazing community and team with diverse viewpoints and a robust supply of brilliance across many disciplines.

Few people stand as paragons of this rich tapestry of wonderful people that have rallied around the idea of empowering gamers more than the multi-talented expert we feature today. Dual wielding art and science seems to come naturally to him, without any of the drawbacks your typical dilettante faces. He is a jack of all trades and a master of more than you could know.

Many from Discord will know how helpful he is addressing problems or welcoming new users, but those who talk with him a little more will soon find a wealth of knowledge in the nuances of crafting and creating– whether it be creative and clever coding or musical composition and recording.

We’re of course talking about Michael, who some of you may know as Tarrega!

What is your role at Gala Games?

I’m on the QA Team!

Why did you choose your Galaxian title?

I like the sound of Artificers because they’re coupling creativity and practicality into their profession.

What’s your favorite book?

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I had randomly picked it out on a shelf years ago, scanned through it to see if I liked the writing style, and immediately picked it up and went home to read it. It has been a really nice surprise the series is getting so much love in Gala Games.

What’s your favorite part of the Gala Games community?

It has a ton of my favorite kinds of people, gamers and creative types! Everyone I’ve met is pouring themselves into their work and cares a lot about what we’re doing here.

Turtle or Tortoise?

Tortle.

What are your favorite games?

I’ve spent a number of hours that I’d like to not speak out loud on XCOM 2. It got to the point where the Legendary difficulty was getting to be too easy so I had to throw in extra enemies with mods.

Modded Skyrim is a blast too- go play the Requiem mod if you want a challenge.

If you were on a deserted island and could only have 1 game, what would it be?

Something with the most replay value, or something with realistic characters so I’d feel some type of human connection despite being alone on an island. You know, think Wilson from Castaway but less volleyball and more NPC that knows some good jokes.

Favorite music?

Lately it’s Louis Cole but I grew up listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd. Then I listened to a lot of metal, like Dream Theater and Tyr.

For old composers it’s got to be Chopin and Bach.

Biggest role models?

I think I try to take a bit of the best from everyone- everyone has something to teach.

Cool hobbies and interests?

I like music theory a lot — there’s some really cool stuff you can do with harmony. I’m writing a program that lets you input notes and it displays the chord those notes make, what keys it’s in, the functions it plays in those keys, and some other cool stuff.

Proudest gaming moment ever?

Hard to choose, but probably beating XCOM 2 on Legendary for the first time. The process of getting to that point is ROUGH, but you eventually learn what not to do and when to take risks.

Favorite Food?

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.

Least favorite food?

Spaghetti.

Which Spider Tanks Prop best represents you?

The duck! Ducks are useful for weighing things and determining if someone turned you into a newt or not.

Ninja or Pirate?

Pirates because I like ships, but I do think Ninjas would probably be nicer to just hang out with- you know, there’d be less insistence on drinking rum all the time with ninjas.

Which EoE Faction would you be aligned with?

The Arbeiters!

Skydiving or spa day?

Skydiving, but I do like relaxing too.

Which Town Star character could you replace, if only given the opportunity?

Are we talking about one that I would replace with myself? If that were the case I’d take the role of builder- she seems to have the most varied type of job. Lots of different types of architecture to work on.

Which Exemplar best embodies you?

The first ones I bought were the Seafarer and the Rider of the North. I think there’s something about the freedom of swift travel that suits me.