We are thrilled to have OurWorld creator and Chief Executive Officer, Derrick Morton (Digmania), with us today to answer some questions.
OGC: Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
Digmania: I live in Seattle with my wife and two kids. I’m an avid hiker, backpacker, snowboarder and bicyclist — I ride a bicycle an average of about 60 miles a week. This Summer I went on a 90 mile backpacking trip in the mountains of northern New Mexico. I’m the Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop. I have been making games for 18 years and before that was a filmmaker and musician.
OGC: Can you give our readers a brief history on OurWorld?
Digmania: My partner Doug and I started FlowPlay in 2007 with the idea to create a new kind of MMORPG. First we had to build a bunch of technology to support it — that took almost a year. Then we started building the actual world and started letting people explore it in April 2008. At that time, there were no condos — there weren’t even Gems! We only had the Boardwalk and the Pier. Since then we’ve focused on trying to get a new Island done every year. The next phase is to let you guys build your own islands — more on that later.
OGC: Now that is certainly a teasing spoiler for our readers!
OGC: How did the idea of different islands and NPCs come about?
Digmania: The original idea for the islands came when I was watching a Gorillaz music video. I love the song, and the images of Noodle floating around free in the sky on her own island appealed to me. I expanded that to the story of a group of kids who lived on a boring planet who harnessed a magical power called Flow. They used it to break off a piece of their planet and float it up into the sky. Most people probably aren’t aware, but the idea is that the more fun you have the more Flow is created and that’s what keeps the islands floating and more and more appearing. Take a look through the telescope on the Pier sometime :) I’m providing a copy of a comic book that was created to establish the backstory of ourWorld.
OGC: Readers should take the time to see the very cool magazine Digmania has kindly provided: FlowPlayMagazine
Digmania: For the NPCs, we wanted to have islands and characters that would appeal to different styles — Goth, Rock, Hip Hop, Beach, Classic, etc.
OGC: What is your biggest concern on OurWorld?
Digmania: The drama gets me down. I hate to see people argue and take sides against each other. There’s enough strife in the world without bringing it into your entertainment.
OGC: What are you most proud of when it comes to Flowplay?
Digmania: My partner and I started the company with the idea of making a great place to work where people could be free to explore their creativity. We figured if we got that right, we’d have great products.
OGC: When you are on OurWorld, do you actually play or just make sure it’s working properly?
Digmania: Usually I come in for fun but people flag me down because they want help so I end up working every time!
OGC: If you could give OurWorlders any piece of advice, what would it be?
Digmania: Be nice to other people! People come to ourWorld to escape to a fantasy world. To come to a place where they can wear wings, fly around on a jet-powered hoverboard and play games. They don’t need someone spoiling their fun by bothering them.
OGC: You have our readers as a captive audience, anything you’d like to say to them?
Digmania: I’m very proud of what we’ve built and have big plans to keep on improving ourWorld. You see me in the world a lot because I like it too — even though I’m an old guy :)
Thank you very much for your time visiting with OGC readers. We truly enjoyed learning about the history of OurWorld as well as where you plan to take us in the future. It was a pleasure to speak to you.
There you have it, Readers, Digmania has given us a spoiler of some very exciting news. Creating our own islands! What would your island look like? Did you learn anything new about OurWorld? For future articles, who would you like to see interviewed? Comment us below!
