Blizzard’s free online card game Hearthstone hires one of the most distinguished players of its own game, professional gamer Ryan ‘Realz’ Masterson.
For Masterson, Hearthstone is not the first tango he dances professionally. He has already made a name for himself in the scene as a Magic: The Gathering player and is a popular streamer on Twitch. In his Twitter account, Masterson announced that he would be starting a new chapter and will be working as an Associate Game Designer on Hearthstone in the future.
He sees his role as ensuring that players have a representative behind the scenes. He particularly wants to pay attention to the needs of competitive players (Ladder Grinders, as he calls them).
It is not unusual for companies to hire their fans. However, they usually start at the level of a Community Manager if they have, for example, run a successful fan site or have recommended themselves for the job in the official forum. Many who now work as a voice between the fans and the developers once led large guilds, ran fan sites, or made a name for themselves with excellent forum posts – like Ramon Domke in Guild Wars 2.
Only modders, whose design talent is apparent and whose mods become so large that they attract the interest of companies, usually rise from the ranks of the players to the “programming” level.
It is relatively rare for companies to seek brainpower and expertise from people who only play the game at a top level, but it could also mark a new trend. Jimmy Whisenhunt, a former top Counter-Strike player, is currently working as a Game Designer on H1Z1, primarily responsible for the combat system and the weapons.
As the gaming industry increasingly relies on Twitch and similar video formats, it becomes ever more important for companies to find charismatic front figures who can represent the game and “click” with the fans. Pro gamers with strong social channels and Twitch channels are perfectly suited for such a role. They have, so to speak, the stamp of approval.
One can be curious how Masterson’s influence will manifest itself in Hearthstone.
