The Community Content Creators of SWTOR - Meet Xam Xam

The next person that we'd like to highlight in our "The Community Content Creators of SWTOR" series is Xam Xam! If well written, concise, and informative guides are what you're looking for, then she has you covered with her website - mmobits.com. Recently Xam Xam has been covering news updates involving SWTOR, as well as creating up-to-date guides of the latest Onslaught PTS changes. We sat down with her to showcase her content as part of our Content Creator Program.

What got you into playing SWTOR?

Honestly, I got SWTOR because it was a ‘shiny new Star Wars game'. I'd seen the trailers and it seemed like a good game to have a crack at. I was a little nervous though because I'd never played an MMO before. But nonetheless, when the APAC servers launched on the 1st of March, 2012, I made my first character, a Sentinel.

What really got me hooked on the game was being able to visit and experience various iconic planets from the films. I can still vividly recall the first time I stepped out of the spaceport on Tatooine and saw Anchorhead for the first time. The nostalgia! I couldn't believe I was in a place where Luke Skywalker was going to be someday! I was so excited!

What's one of your most favourite memories over the course of playing SWTOR?

It's hard to pick just one, oh dear! I'd have to say it would be one of the various large scale open world PvP encounters I've been a part of over the years with my Guild. We used to have so much fun on Oricon and Ilum (doing the Gree Event) pre 3.0 (back when PvP flagging was a thing). The spontaneous encounters that start out as a one vs. one then escalate are always the most fun.

Did your Guild focus solely on PvP activities or were you more-so focused on group content as a whole? 

My cross-faction Guild, Korvus/Corvus has dabbled in all types of group content over the years. But primarily PvP (Warzones and Open World), Operations and Flashpoints. Corvus was founded on Dalborra (APAC Server) and I've been a part of it since May 2012. We're still around too! Quite a few members have come back to SWTOR recently in anticipation of Onslaught.

Now steering towards your content, what got you into writing guides?

Well, I started out with a Blog called Xam Xam Says back in December 2015. I mainly just wrote silly blog posts, for the most part. At some point, I realised there wasn't an up-to-date PvP Guide for my favourite Class, Mercenary Healer. So I decided to write one. I found I actually really enjoyed writing that Guide so I decided to start writing more Guides here and there.

When I moved to my current website, MMO Bits, I decided my focus was going to be less on Blogging and more on Guides and Articles. That continues to be my focus to this day.

When it comes to writing Guides there are a few things to keep in mind that'll make it easier (and this applies to all types of content creation too). You have to be passionate about the content you writing a guide for. Not just find it enjoyable but also be decently knowledgeable about it. Have a desire to help the community. The content may seem easy or straightforward to you but for others, it may not be. It also helps to have time. 'Real-life' obligations have always been my biggest bane over the years. They always get in the way so you have to be disciplined with your time (especially if it's limited) something I still struggle with sometimes.   

Why the name 'MMO Bits'?

The inspiration for the name actually comes from SWTOR. There was a time in SWTOR history (during the 4.0 era) when only story content was being released. The Developers referred to the MMO parts the game was lacking new content for (and players kept asking for) on their streams as the 'MMO Bits'. So the name is a nod to that and symbolises what I like about MMO's. While I do like the story in SWTOR it's the MMO ‘bits' (the various types of group content and other MMO things) that keeps me playing the game.

Lastly, do you have any tips out there for people writing guides themselves?

• Be clear and concise. Don't use too many unnecessary words and avoid large paragraphs. Break them down for easier reading. People don't like reading big blobs of text.
• In relation to that, be sure to explain things in simplistic terms/steps. But, don't do it in a condescending way. Explain it so a kid can understand what you're saying. 
• Explain lingo and write out acronyms fully the first time you use them. Don't assume everyone knows all the acronyms or lingo in the game. 
• Separate the technical jargon. Not everyone cares about the finer details or ‘the math'. They just want the basic ‘how-to' or ‘what'. Keep it separate so people don't feel forced to read it but have it there for those that do.
• Use images, tables, charts and other visual aids where applicable. Some people are visual learners so having visuals where possible helps them to more easily grasp the information you're trying to convey.
• If you can, find at least one person to go over your guide. Not just to double-check the info is correct but to ensure it makes sense and can be understood. Ideally, one person that understands the content you're writing about and one person with limited to no knowledge of the content. That way they can ask you questions or pick up on things you might've missed.

We want to thank Xam Xam for taking the time to sit down with us, and we hope you enjoyed the interview with another member of our Content Creator Program!

- The SWTOR Community Team