One of our most vibrant non-English wiki communities is the Russian Minecraft wiki community. This month, we recognize an editor and admin who has made significant contributions to that community and edits in two languages. We caught up recently with our September 2018 Editor of the Month, AttemptToCallNil.
Where are you from?
I’m from Perm, Russia.
Outside of Wiki editing, what are your hobbies?
Programming and playing games on my computer. The former should be obvious from my username.
How long have you been a gamer?
Can’t say an exact date, but I think I’ve been playing video games with substantial plot elements for at least ten years.
What drew you to Minecraft?
Minecraft drew a significant number of coverage and controversy on Russian websites. The game was polarizing, with some people calling it “the best game ever”, while others were criticizing it for being “a poorly made product for small children”. I guess I decided to at least see what the game is, because I have seen so many conversations about it I wasn’t able to contribute to: I knew nothing about the game except that it has low-resolution textures and gives players the ability to create complex builds from blocks (most of which are cubes).
I started playing the game with version 1.1. It didn’t take long until I decided to install some mods to add more variety to the game. While I didn’t like the survival and combat aspects of the game a lot, I found resource management and construction to be fun, especially with mods. I actually started programming with the mod ComputerCraft, which adds Lua-scriptable computers to the game. (Lua is also the programming language referred to in my username.)
What are some challenges about editing in multiple languages?
I’d say that for me, the issue isn’t with languages themselves (I can easily switch between them), it’s with the editor communities, their different mentalities, different views on what is proper procedure. For example, making decisions by counting votes, and protecting unargumented opposition, is pretty normal on the English wiki, but strongly frowned upon on the Russian wiki in favor of analyzing arguments. Another example is that English wiki users are more protective of others’ user pages, to the point that I was once told maintenance editing user pages of others is not acceptable.
What do you enjoy most about wiki editing?
Learning new things and getting the feeling that you’re helping people.
What advice do you have for aspiring wiki editors?
Don’t stop learning new things, both about the wiki and in general. Don’t be afraid to ask more experienced users if you need assistance.
Do you know an editor who deserves recognition for their work? Nominate them for Editor of the Month!
