Interviews// Gears Creator, Cliffy B

SPOnG: Do you feel like, even with all the time they've spent, that they will ever really peg that down to where people won’t bitch and moan "Oh well, you’ve got that aim assist on the console.."

Cliffy B: People will always bitch and moan. The Internet abhors a vacuum. So even if you were to make something perfect they would find something, they would say something's too perfect… something’s not right. They have a way of finding problems in things. So, anyway, long story short, those guys took on that problem, that challenge, and from everything I’ve heard its a fun game. I think it’ll be a success.

SPOnG: A question that was requested of me was "how do you feel about the death of Captain America?" I personally didn’t even know he died.

Cliffy B: Captain America died? Well then freedom died a little as well.

SPOnG: I didn’t even know. Moving on. Today I believe, Jamil Moledina , the head of GDC, did an interview with the BBC talking about how celebrity developers have really been an up-and-coming thing lately and naming you, Miyamoto and such. Did you ever consider that some day designing a game would get you this kind of recognition? The celebrity factor?

Cliffy B: You know, I’m just not that smart of a guy and I knew that in order to get what I wanted out of life I had to get people’s attention. Besides doing the work, which I consider to be solid, I had to put a bunny suit on or say something stupid once in a while in order to cut through the noise. So, that’s why I attempt to brand myself the whole time, I’m not gonna lie about it.

SPOnG: No, of course, an excellent job by the way. Which leads to my next question: who does your hair?

Cliffy B: *laughs*

SPOnG: No, seriously, many people have asked me to ask you, "Who does your hair?", "Did you come up with the whole look or do you have a stylist working on the whole ensemble?"

Cliffy B: I have a stylist and her name is Tara and she a wonderful woman and a very, very sweet girl. So, she… um… we've been holding off on the blonde highlights for a while cos it’s just one of those things that takes way too long to do and I didn’t want to do the whole surfer boy look if I wasn’t actually surfing. So, I’m going au naturel.

SPOnG: So, before you got the stylist to help you out for the whole public image thing, were you like a surfer-nerd?

Cliffy B: My problem was that I was never cool enough for the cool people and never nerdy enough for the nerds. So, I was always stuck in this purgatory of social living, it’s one of those things. I’ve always kind of floated between both groups and I’ve just kind of blazed my own path I guess. I’m a mediocre geek.

SPOnG: Well thank you so much again for your time and congratulations again on your well-deserved awards.

Cliffy B: Thanks a lot man, really appreciate it.