A farewell from @devonjones

Greetings, dear Eyewirers.

I write this not as the voice of HQ but as myself, because I think this kind of message is best offered directly to the player community. It’s been a long time since any Game Master here posted a departure notice, but here we are: after more than 10 and closer to 11 years serving citizen science in this role for Seung Lab, after January 31st I will be setting forth on a different life path.

What that path is, in transparency I must admit I don’t yet know. I understand that my absence could impact your experience on Eyewire because for many years I’ve been the primary GM you’ll see in chat and I’ve probably been the most visible regarding competition events. If you do have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact support or my direct GM e-mail; but please also know that my fellow GMs @sorek.m and @celiad will be taking over my duties, and as they have always been excellent GMs and colleagues I am completely confident you’re still in good hands with them.

In any case, the main thing I really wanted to say here is that it has been my honor and privilege to help you help science. From the very beginning of my time here, I have always worked in awe of the Eyewire player base’s intense investment of time and energy in gamified research, and I have made it my own mission to guarantee your efforts be rewarded with the fun, dynamic, supportive gameplay and environment you all deserve. I’ve worn many hats simultaneously here, but whether I’ve been answering e-mails and chat inquiries, writing for the blog, setting up and overseeing a competition, fixing weird (even evil) cubes and cells, troubleshooting bugs, or handling a moderation challenge, in each situation I’ve been guided by what will foster a healthy gaming community among folks who are contributing so much. Behind the scenes, I’ve also played a major role in designing or reworking a number of competition types, plus general gameplay mechanics or other features, and I’ve likewise hoped they all increase your enjoyment and connection on the game. I mention all of this not to tout any particular achievements — only to be clear how my day-to-day work has depended on what I’ve hoped to bring to you.

You are all truly incredible people. I admire your generosity, your patience, your honesty, your team spirit, your commitment to accuracy over points, and simultaneously your enthusiasm for the bonuses when they do roll in! I hope you are fully aware of just what a huge gift even an hour spent on this game is. Some of you who are no longer with us I have missed from the bottom of my heart, and going forward I will miss all of you much the same. I have also loved getting to participate in such an international community and hear whatever you’re willing to share about your lives.

Again, where I am going, I do not know — but I do know that it’s all of you who have inspired me to seek a career in the wider game industry. There are other places I could wind up as well, and as some of you might also be aware, I’m a published writer too. However, my decade on Eyewire has taught me so much about game production, design, community management, and more that I know I’m not done with this kind of work. I hope one day I’ll contribute to another game that you open up, whether in your browser, in your Steam library, on your phone, or on a console. And if that happens, I will thank you for it.

In leaving, besides thanking my fellow GMs I would also like to thank the rest of the Boston team, past and present, plus everyone else at Princeton I’ve worked beside (remotely). I’ll save the longer goodbyes for internal messages, but I’d still be remiss here if I didn’t acknowledge their hard work, their integrity, and their ability to tackle wildly complex problems under pressure. Connectomics is a turbulent but world-altering scientific field and I have high hopes for where my colleagues will help take it.

Thank you all for reading. Not to bury the lede, but just FYI there will be a special Happy Hour on January 31st at 2 PM EST if you’d like to come say goodbye in chat. Same time window and bonuses as usual — I’ll be there the whole time, though, available to discuss my departure further and also looking out for familiar faces in general!

For science,
Devon Llywelyn Jones

Artwork by Beth Almeida