Arclayn's Lair

What is an Arclayn?

Bipedal.  Kept by cats.  Gamer.  Software Developer (not in games).  Loves dark chocolate.

Where does an Arclayn come from?

"Arclayn", pronounced ARC LANE, is a personal nickname I have been using since the late 1990s.  It is originally evolved from "Arctica", another nickname I used when playing in an online Capture the Flag league (sadly, long since defunct).  We were playing a modded variation of Quake 2 called "Loki's Minions Capture the Flag", and the team I played on, "Forsaken", finished the season at #2. 😀

The moniker "Arclayn" made its very first appearance in Everquest — before the Kunark expansion — as a dark elven cleric.  Sadly, I ended up despising Everquest, and quit after a couple of months.  I really did try to get into the game, but I found it very inaccessible, inexcusably buggy, or simply put — a hot mess.  So I left before my 3 month pre-paid subscription expired.

I kept using "Arclayn" as an online and gaming identity ever since, now at more than 25 years.  As such, Arclayn has taken on many forms and existed in many worlds:  Hero and villain, galactic emperor, medieval king, wandering traveler, force of nature, and even mayor on occasion.  The stuff gamers do.

Great.  But WHERE does an Arclayn come from?

Oh that.  Most unfortunately, the Internet is a noxious swamp and I am a rare breed that still values some modicum of privacy.  So, I'm not revealing the location of my lair.  I'd rather preserve my peace and quiet rather than chance some disruptive evangelizing idiots dropping by unannounced.

"Lair" — that makes me sound like something bad.  But nothing bad is ever kept by cats, amiright?  😺

Is an Arclayn a truly unique entity?

I suspect not.  There is another Arclayn — who is not me — that has been around a few places.  The Epic Game Store (and Fortnite, perhaps?), Gmail, Twitch, and Star Citizen are a few.  So Arclayn is quite rare, but not truly unique.

Is this Arclayn a pro gamer?

I have considered the improbability of going pro.  But the basic fact is that I am a gamer for the personal experience, the journey, and the enjoyment.  Pro gaming is a job, and I already have one of those.

What games does this Arclayn play?

I am most active with Steam, but sometimes I will indulge in Playstation 5 or Nintendo Switch.  Most of my gaming of choice is either single player or with close friends or family.

For online gaming, I might occasionally drop in for Overwatch 2 as a D.Va main.  I played a lot more Overwatch in years past, but Blizzard has seriously devolved since its marriage to Activision.  I may also revisit Destiny 2 or Elder Scrolls Online, someday.

If there is a genre I despise as a whole, it is MOBA.  So I do not play League of Legends or DOTA 2.

"Software Developer" was also mentioned.  What kind of software does this Arclayn create?

In the interest of keeping a healthy division between work and home life, I do not identify as "Arclayn" in my professional work.

I earned my B.S. in computer science, summa cum laude.  My professional career is primarily building and improving "LAMP stack" information systems.  Think of open source, Linux, and databases.  PHP, Javascript, and Perl are my primary programming languages, and I've also worked with Python and Ruby on occasion.  C and C++ were prevalent during my days at university.

I did originally learn computer programming because I wanted to make games.  It's just the realities of a game development career — extra long work weeks, crunch time, lower pay, rampant discrimination, etc. made me rethink that goal.  Another disincentive is that the game industry is over saturated — especially of low budget shovelware.  I would have a difficult time finding my own perch in that crowd.  But I shouldn't say never.  Maybe someday as I have plenty of ideas and inspiration to draw upon and some familiarity with the process.

Dark chocolate?

YES, please.  With or without cherry, orange or raspberry.  A chai latte wouldn't go amiss, either.