Community Relations agent The Gnasher interviewed one of the very few members of the RPG Maker Magazine site who hold the title of Magonian Legend, Lantis. Lantis is known in the community for his work (together with SarahsKnight) in the game "Secret of Everyone: Arc Arath", for RPGM1, and for his unusual views on relationships. The following is the full interview, unmodified (except for very minor grammatical corrections), which took place between June 28 and July 6th 2007 through Private Messages in the forum.

The Gnasher: *clears throat* First. You're well known for being one of the co-creators of the so-called "longest RPGM1 game ever" (is that right?). We know the game's been in the making for a while now. The question is, how do you deal with time? You dedicate much time into RPGM, or you just stroll along the making of the game?

Lantis: Heh, as far as I am aware, there hasn't been an RM1 game yet that spans more than maybe 6 or so memory cards. We are going to be lucky to limit them at 16 when it's finished... so I think it's safe to consider it the longest. And I would love to dedicate as much time to it as possible, co-creating a game forces you to how much you can do at a time. And because of that, I'd have to say it's more of a strolling pace. But as it sits, we are still aiming to hit the Summer of '08 deadline we set.

TG: Second. On the same subject... What about videogames in general? How much time do you spend/waste/enjoy playing videogames? Are you okay with this amount of time they take, and why?

L: Actually, I've been playing less and less of games as of late. A lot of my time has been going to getting more proficient in image work and video editing. Mostly to help promote Arc Arath... But I usually still have an RPG that I'll currently be playing. It usually takes a few weeks to complete a RPG though. I'd say that I spend 6 hours or so a week on games... depending on my weekend.

TG: Do you think that spending too much time using 'electronical devices' (read: videogame, computer, TV, etc) can cause harm to someone psychologically?

L: Heh, no in the least. It's the digital age... I don't think I can see anything you can do that would threaten you on a psychological level. If you are influenced that much by TV or games, you can be just as influenced by the people you associate with.

TG: I'm not sure for how long you have been working on Arc Arath, but it must be some time now. And Summer of 2008 is a very distant date. Where do you find motivation to keep working on such a long and possibly tiresome project, even knowing that interest on RPGM1 is low and will likely be even lower by the time Arc Arath is relased?

L: Me and SarahsKnight have been working on Arc Arath since 2004. Though it kind of goes farther back than that. Back while I was still in college I made the original Secret of Everyone. SK was into it at the time but wasn't too involved. A year or so later (in 2004) he came to me with the suggestion to re-make it. So while 2008 seems rather far away, when you look at how much is behind us already, it kind of softens the blow. The motivation comes from two things really. One being just a love for games. I was a late bloomer in RPGs as I really didn't get into them until the mid 90's. So I picked up to them rather quickly and have since desired to make my own (which I'm sure is the same for most RPG fans). The other would be for the sense of accomplishment. A lot of effort is going into the far from mandatory project. And to put effort like this into something that isn't required makes me feel more productive than I normally do. Heh, in all honesty... when it's finished, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself. As far as "everyone's interest", I'm not too concerned. Yes, I'd love people to play it. But I'm not expecting it. If no one plays it, I will regret nothing. I'm proud of the work I'm doing, and that's all I need. I think more developers using RM software need to take this standpoint as well. I think that if you go out there and make an RPG just to get recognition, you may be greatly let down.

TG: Would you say you have that same kind of motivation in the other areas of your life? If yes, do you have any comment to make about it?

L: Motivation is rather a general term... being as such, yes. But it's in no way related to video games. Really, there's only two other aspects. My religion being one of them... the other is my views on relationships and such. Both of which aren't really accepted widely around the Mag, so I'd best not dwell on them too long.

As I said, my views aren't highly favored here. Religion, maybe. But definitely not my opinions on relationships. Oh well, eh?

TG: You say your opinions are not highly favored in the Mag? I beg to differ. The world would not be so interesting if we all thought alike. That said, can I please ask you to outline your idea on the topic of 'singleism', your view of relationships? That way, we can let the Mag know more about it and members can decide for themselves whether they agree or not.

L: I just get tired of how everyone believes that you HAVE to have a significant other. Society believes that if you don't have a GF/BF that you can't be happy in life. And guess what... everyone believes that to be true.

I can't tell you how that way of thinking is ruining people. You do not have to be with someone else to be happy. Mull this over for a second: A relationship is fine and dandy when it works, but as you know, no relationship is perfect. It is something that requires attention an dedication. It's one more thing in your life that you will have to juggle. Does your life-style even have room for you to take on any more stress? Besides, there are distinct advantages to being single: You won't have the stress of maintain the relationship (stated above), You will save money on what you would have spent on dates (and trust me, I did the math, it adds up to more than you think), you won't have to worry about bills outside of yourself (this is more true after marriage. Think how much money is saved by just buying food just for yourself), if you don't have kids then you won't have to worry about if they are being influenced badly, or have to worry about their safety (again, kids cost LOTS of money). And while on the topic of kids. I think the world and society is degrading worse every year. And as each year goes by, it will be harder and harder to raise a child the way you want due to the strong influences in the world. I'm not sure my influences would be stronger than the world.

I've come to believe that it is better to be single that hurt. And even if you are the one dumping someone in a relationship, you are going to feel some form of pain (I know from experience). "But Jay, I believe it's worth the risk." Oh really? Lets say it works... all the way till marriage. Even if you are lucky enough to get that far you only have a 50/50 chance of staying together (that's the divorce rate right now, and it isn't getting any better).
If you let it, life can be so much more fun for you if you just realize that being single is not a curse. I've done a lot of fun things with my friends lately that I wouldn't have been able to do while bound within a relationship. Oh, and while on the subject of friends: I love my friends. And there is one truth you should try to understand.

Relationships often fail... they don't last forever (most the time). Friends, you will ALWAYS have. I've come to believe that I love my friends more than I ever will a woman. And if you come into that understanding, you will see how relationships aren't as important as you thought.
One more note: Sex is over-rated. It's another one of those "you have to have it to be happy" bull crap that the world tries to get you to believe. People need to quit being horny bastards and realize that sex will not make you happy, it's just instant gratification. I am happier now than I ever was and I am as single as it gets.

TG: So you believe in love for friends/family, but do you believe in love for a significant other? If two people meet and start having so many feelings for each other that they fall in love mutually, do you still think the risk of trying a long-term relationship or marriage is too big to be taken?

L: Oh, of course not. I believe in love for a significant other. What I believe is that it's just not for everyone. I think that there are some people who are meant to go through life and live it happily as independent people. What I'm trying to get across is that these people, who I think are greater in number than most of anyone would guess, try to force relationships without even knowing they are doing it. Again, this points to the feeling that you HAVE to have a girlfriend/boyfriend to feel complete. You are not an incomplete person, there is not a "missing" piece of you in some chick somewhere. You are a whole person who can live a happy life without marriage. If you manage to pull off a marriage, good for you. I wish you the happiest days of your life. But it just seems people are just completely shut off to the idea of staying single.

TG: On the same topic, don't you think that two people in love with each other (in the sense of wanting to stay together, no matter what) can have a 'perfect' relationship? Isn't there a feeling that can make one completely forget or ignore the risks involved in a relationship?

L: Absolutely not. No relationship will ever be 'perfect' reguardless of how watered down you define the word. Why do you think the wedding vows say "...for better, OR WORSE"? Because they know there will be rocky times. You just don't know how bad it's going to be... I suspect it is generally going to be worse than any one couple thinks seeing as the divorce rate is so high. Well, at least here in the States. As far as ignoring the risks... that all depends on where you set the bar for yourself. Me... my bar is a little higher than most people, I'd say.

TG: Thank you very much for your attention and time. It was a very good interview, IMO. ^^

And to wrap our little interview up, the following is a quick profile that Lantis made of himself. Members of the Magazine forums may recognize the format as similar to the one used in the "Poster Profiles" topic.

- Personal
Name: Jay House
Age: 24
Birthplace: Arkansas
Astrological Sign: Pisces
What you dress like: Jeans and a T-shirt (polo at work)
One word to describe yourself: Casual
Social/Marital status (does that even need to be asked?): single.
Occupation you have/desire: Computer Network Administrator

- Magazine Info
First came to the Magazine on: January of 2006
Origin of Screen Name: Magic Swordsman from Magic Knights Rayearth
Magazine members talked to over AIM: (AIM and MSN - yay Trillian) Regal, Chrssy, Ix, Feros, Sumisem, Kratos, Kajak, SarahsKnight, and probably a few more, but I run into them in the chat more often.
Magazine members you'd like to meet in person: I think the list of people I'd prefer not to meet would be shorter... though that kind of list may be insulting
RPGs you've made: The Secret of Everyone (Original)
RPGs you want to make: Arc Arath (Remade SoE)
Botched RPGs: Seeing as I never up the original SoE up for download, I guess you could say it's botched.

- Favorites
The book on your night table: Eldest, 2nd in the Inheritance series
Favorite Restaurant: Anything chinese
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Drink: Dr. Peper
Favorite Color: Forest Green
Favorite Car: Mazda MX5
Favorite Website: ... um... the Mag?
Favorite Musical Artist: Any artist who doesn't sing rap or country.
Favorite Song: See above
Favorite TV Show: I don't watch much TV in all honesty. I don't even have basic cable at my house.
Favorite Movie: The Lord of the Rings (all three of them... though I'd consider the books better)
Favorite Actor/Actress: I haven't really picked out a favorite of either.
Top 5 books/games/movies/animes/comics everyone shoud read/watch (pick one... or more):
(in no particular order)
Books: Lord of the rings, the Inhearitance series, The Chronicles of Narnia, anything from Dragonlance, and the Bible
Games: Chrono Trigger, Devil May Cry, as many of the Final Fantasy titles as possible, Secret of mana, Illusion of Gaia... actually this list could go on forever.
Anime: Magic Knights Rayearth, Air, Tsubasa Chronicles, Evangelion, Fullmetal Alchemist... and quite a few others.
Comics: The only comics I really read are web comics... that said - www.seraph-inn.com www.cad-comic.com www.vgcats.com www.pholph.com

- Video Games
Favorite Game: Chrono Trigger
Most moving/best scene in any game: Final scene in Final Fantasy IX... it's hard pic, and I'm not really sure that the one I chose is really what I think, but it's the first that comes to mind.
Best musical score in an RPG: Final Fantasy 7...
What RPG character you are most like: After sitting here for the past forever, I really can't say I know of an RPG that really has a character that fits me well enough. Guess RPGs are lacking in mildly retarded characters.