Guild Wars: That Name Reached Terminal Velocity

Okay, so I can't let that speech rest. Is it just me or would a line like this not look out of place in that script, "I wanted to find out how to get a nasty grape stain removed from the carpet so I turned to ArenaNet Chief Custodial Engineer Bert Burtson for get an expert opinion." I'm not sure how these things normally work at the GC Conference but, to me, there was an awful lot of references made to ANet employees and a wealth of examples made from Guild Wars itself. Which strikes me as extremely selfserving.

I'm reminded of the speech I heard at my brother's graduation earlier this year. It was given by one William Jefferson Clinton and, heading in, I fully expected to hear plug after plug for his wife whom, as you might well know, is seeking some kind of high office. A quick reference thanks to UofM president Mary Sue Coleman, though, and he launched into the kind of moving, elegant, policy filled speech that reminds you why he got to be president in the first place. And beyond that initial mood-breaking joke, nary a mention of his wife at all.

Which, I think, was the exact best thing to do in that situation. Did more to convince me that it might be worthwhile voting for his wife than cramming reference after allusion to her down my throat would have done. Everyone there knew who Clinton was (And if they didn't, the glowing introduction would have taken care of that.) and everyone knew who his wife was. And about her presidential aspirations. There wasn't a need to hammer home that message. And doing so would have looked like a cheap political ploy. Instead, the former President respectfully turned that sunny morning talk into a sermon, a motivating event for the graduates. A hard trick to pull off since the natural impulse is to speak from one's own experiences, to one's own interests, about one's own ambitions, in order to connect everything to one's self personally because that's the easiest way to relate (Hmm...my ears are burning...). But doing so said miles about his confidence. Did wonders for his reputation.

Something tells me that a similar dynamic was at play for that conference. The people in the audience, the ones who were turning an open ear to Mr. Strain already knew who he was, already had a good idea about him. Were well acquainted with his product. And he would have gotten a lot more mileage out of that appearance by not using it to plug his company and game at every opportunity. If he had, instead, delivered a wide-reaching sweep of the entire industry, showed off a knowledge of all his rivals and competitors, and dazzled the attendees with his erudition before dropping the mike and stomping off stage to "Eye of the Tiger" it would have made a much deeper impression. Convinced at least a few neutral observers that this was someone to listen to, someone who knew what they were doing, and whose work it just might be worth checking out.

But, hey, again, it might be just me.