User:Gaile Gray

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Journal: Updated March 11, 2011

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About Me Hello! I'm Gaile Gray. I served ArenaNet as Community Relations Manager (2000 - 2008); Support Liaison (2008 - 2014), and Communications Manager (2014-2019). This is my page; thanks for stopping by. What's your history with ArenaNet? I started with ArenaNet in September 2000. Ultimately I was Employee #2, after Mike O'Brien, our president. I was thrilled when the ArenaNet Co-Founders -- Mike, Pat, and Jeff -- reached out to me to invite me to join the team. It was refreshingly different to know that ArenaNet looked at community relations as a critical part of their company, and not as something that could be added just before the release of a game. Of course, joining so early means I was answering fan letters and working on communications long before Guild Wars was even announced. As you can read in a 10-year Retrospective I authored, we've had a lot of wonderful experiences through the years. My roles involved interacting with players, liaising with the dev team, and communicating about the company and the game for all those 18+ years, and I enjoyed every day. What did you do? I started as Community Relations Manager. Then, between April 2008 and September 2014, I served as Support Liaison, a player advocate and "bridge" between the development team and our support teams in North America, Europe, and Asia. In September 2014, I was promoted to Forums Team Lead, managing the GW2 official forums and the moderation team. As I began writing and editing more of our public-facing messaging; monitoring player feedback and relaying it to the dev team; hosting Community Showcase Live, a livestream about fanart; coordinating our guild and fansite programs; organizing in-game events; and traveling to and engaging at fan events I ultimately was given the title of Communications Manager. On February 25, 2019, I opted to leave ArenaNet as part of a company-wide layoff. It was a difficult decision, but I am glad to know that someone else on the team was able to stay because I elected to leave. Messaging: You can leave me a message any time on my talk page or drop me an email through the GWW email system. You could also feel free to say "howdy" when I'm in the game, any time.

In Tyria Playing I have a lot of accounts in both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. Some were for work, some were for playing, and, inveterate pack rat that I am, quite a few remain used simply for storage. I think I have pretty close to 50 characters, although most have not completed all the GW campaigns or made Level 80 in GW2. I admit that I am very impressed by those who have dozens of max-level characters -- that sort of passion and dedication is inspirational! My Characters Here are some of my Guild Wars characters: Gaile Gray -- My main girl for visiting with players Wintersday Gaile -- Item bearer for my favourite holiday Gaile Gray Holiday -- For Halloween and other holiday items Critter Collector -- Babysitter for my Miniatures Critter Keeper Too -- Back-up caregiver for more minis Dyekiesha Joie -- Storage for dyes and keys Runetomei Escrollia - Storage for runes, tomes, and scrolls Windy Gaile -- Bow Collection Storage Gailes Collection -- Storage for special collectible items I like to keep Gaile Gray Cantha -- For visits requiring political neutrality :) Gaile Gray Elona -- Couldn't wait to make a Paragon Keeper O The Greens -- She who stores all Unique Bows Party Thyme -- Collector of all things for the Party Animal, and more The Frog I am fortunate to have a very special friend in Guild Wars, a native Tyrian "older than the cobblestones of Lion's Arch." You'll find his portrait at the top of this page, each modeling his various looks: The Frog, The Halloween Frog, The Wintersday Frog. The Frog and I have been buddies for years, and we still are the closest of friends. In fact, my amphibian friend was a major part of the strangely-named Farewell to Gaile event. I say "strangely named" because, well, I did not leave the company, I merely moved to a different role. So the farewell party was a little unusual, but it was a very, very fun event and I know the players and I enjoyed it a bunch. Froggie is still my buddy and is still a very important part of my fun in Tyria.

Some of my Personal Guild Wars Projects Miniatures: I really adore the Guild Wars miniatures. You can see my little family at the top, center, and bottom of this page, all lined up in alphabetical order. I have some birthday gifts I haven't opened, and I'm hoping I can flesh out that set by doing that, for my dream is to have the full set. That's not terribly likely -- about a likely as FoW freezing over -- but you have to have goals in life. :) Special thanks to everyone who has helped me over the years with pet collecting -- I really appreciate all those who have helped the family grow! Bows! If Miniatures are an interest, so is my love of the Ranger bow. (I celebrated the date bows were (finally!) added to the game by baking the entire team my Triple Chocolate Brownies of Death.) I am focusing on the Greens and Golds, and to the right is a listing of what I have so far (with thanks, again, to many friends who have helped me build this collection over the years. Game Titles: I don't have nearly enough game titles, but I am still proud of the fact that in December 2009, my main character on my work account simultaneously reached the topmost levels of Party Animal and Sweet Tooth. Oh happy day! These were great fun, especially since they were a group project with so many friends I've met in the game. I intend to gain other titles, as time allows.

My Bow Collection Golds: Amber Longbow Ancient Flatbow Ancient Hornbow Ancient Longbow Ancient Shortbow Aureate Longbow Azure Recurve Bow Azure Shortbow Bladed Recurve Bow Bramble Flatbow Bramble Longbow Bramble Recurve Bow Bramble Shortbow Caged Shortbow Celestial Longbow Composite Bow Dead Bow Destroyer Flatbow Destroyer Shortbow Destroyer Recurvebow Destroyer Hornbow Destroyer Longbow Dragon Hornbow Eternal Bow Feathered Flatbow Feathered Longbow Flatbow Forked Hornbow Grinning Recurve Bow Golds: Half Moon Hornbow Ironwing Flatbow Ivory Bow Jade Longbow Longbow Maplewood Longbow Naga Longbow Oaken Recurve Bow Plagueborn Recurve Bow Platinum Longbow Recurve Bow Shadow Bow Shortbow Skull Flatbow Skull Hornbow Skull Longbow Skull Recurve Bow Skull Shortbow Spiked Recurve Bow Stoneshard Hornbow Storm Bow Sturdy Recurve Bow Tormented Longbow Turtle Shell Longbow Undead Flatbow Undead Hornbow Undead Longbow Undead Recurve Bow Undead Short Bow Vabbian Longbow Vabbian Flatbow Wooden Longbow Zodiac Longbow Greens: Ahvha's Longbow Ashlyn's Shortbow Arachni's Longbow Bolten's Recurve Bow Benwah's Recurve Bow Bow of the Hierophant Chehbaba's Longbow Chiggen's Shortbow Chkkr's Flatbow Custo's Hornbow Deatheater Longbow Deldrimor Flatbow Deldrimor Longbow Deldrimor Shortbow Destructive Hornbow Drago's Vampiric Flatbow Droknar's Hornbow Droknar's Longbow Droknar's Recurve Bow Dzabel's Hornbow Elswyth's Longbow Elswyth's Recurve Bow Emeju's Longbow Forgotten Flatbow Forgotten Longbow Forgotten Recurve Bow Gargash's Recurve Bow Graygore's Shortbow Ironwing Flatbow Ironwing Longbow Jin's Hornbow Greens: Johon's Longbow Kaolin Longbow Koren's Hornbow Korg's Recurve Bow Lorelle's Longbow Mallyx's Longbow Mallyx's Recurve Bow Meynsang's Longbow Nandet's Recurve Bow Nooseknitter's Flatbow Petraj's Recurve Bow Razortongue's Recurve Bow Rotwing Recurve Bow Ryver's Shortbow Stinger Stoneherder's Flatbow Stygian Recurve Bow Tenezel's Shortbow Thornbeard's Horned Bow Tundoss' Shortbow Uhiwi's Shortbow Urgoz's Flatbow Urgoz's Longbow Urgoz's Shortbow Vah's Hornbow Wintergreen Bow Xalnax's Destiny Zelnehlun's Longbow

My favorite thing Favorite Thing: I sometimes am asked what my favorite thing is in Guild Wars. Well, aside from the real-world and in-game pleasure of hanging out with players, there are many things I love: the beauty of the world, the amazing variety of character customizations, the music, the lore, the gameplay... But there is one thing that leaps to mind when I consider my favorite things, and that is the festivals. I remember our first Halloween festival, and how amazed I was -- as all players were! -- by the whole experience. The team was small in those days, and yet they did so much! I remember sitting quietly on a hill in Lion's Arch, just soaking up the mad moon sky, the floating ghosts, the gleaming cauldron, the music, the sounds... it was sublime then, and festivals have owned a special place in my heart ever since.