Veterans of TSO will remember Tigger as the Maxis rep on the Stratics Boards. As reported by Father Callahan in the Herald one year ago, she departed EA/Maxis for the greener pastures of SOE, where she was the community relations rep for SWG. But according to sources playing SWG, she has now been removed from her position. Note that we are not in a position to independently verify details of this report, but the following is a report from an historically reliable news source. We welcome corrections, clarifications, and updates:
“Recently Tiggs was fired from her position as leader of customer relations and communications. It is believed that this is due to her stance on the recently released NGE (New Game Enhancements) that changed Star Wars Galaxies into more of an over-the-shoulder style First Person Shooter. To cover their tracks, SWG devs deleted and locked most of Tiggs' threads - also deleting and locking ones saying goodbye to her and wishing her well after word was officially released of her 'leaving'."
That's what she looks like? Voice doesn't match the face at all lol I heard she was kinda ugly, but dayem! Anyway, it's never funny when someone gets fired, unless your Craig from the movie Friday. In this case though, I will make an exception and will chuckle ever so slightly at this.
She had absolutely NO customer service skills, was close minded, stubborn and was more in the interest of the game makers versus the players and she is the one that is supposed to bring the players views to the game makers. There was NOTHING community about her and her actions in The Sims Online or SWG. Frankly, she had to have known someone at EA Games to get the job and that gave her resume experience so Sony hired her. That's the only thing I can think of as to why either company hired her to begin with.
Also, for those Second Lifers who are not familiar with Tigger or The Sim Mafia story... She called me and my real life ex-wife one time and practically begged me to stop playing a Mafia character. This is what essentially, besides the Stratics interview, started all the press craze in regards to The Sim Mafia. She pleaded it was a family game oriented for teen girls and I had no right to role-play a Mafia character. She requested that I at least tone it down. I was on the phone with her 90 minutes while she was at home. Fughedaboudit!
*wink* Hi Tigger! I miss you pooky! hahahaha
Marsellus Wallace
aka JC Soprano
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 16, 2005 at 12:52 PM
Mars I think she was a very good rep, and you can't blame her for calling you and asking you to end with the mafia schtick. It sounds to me that in that instance she went above and beyond the call of duty.
I don't know if she is looking for work, but Linden Lab should hire her today if she is.
Posted by: Urizenus | November 16, 2005 at 01:19 PM
Uri,
I agree she went above the call of duty, but I beleive it was becuase she knew her job was on the line. She was extremely unprofessional. For example, she stated she is Italian, I am not therefore I have no right to role play Mafia. Does that sound professional to you? That's just 1 example. You did not speak to her in length on the phone like I have.
Marsellus Wallace
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 16, 2005 at 01:42 PM
Hire her at Linden Labs? The only thing Tigger is good for is crowd control and even that she sucked at. Notice she usually changes jobs when a big improvement/critical point in a game is released? Usually then the crowd revolts or cheers. What makes her so great? Because she was friendly and corteous in her posts? Fughedaboudit. How one person writes and how they are are two seperate things. You of all people should know that Uri. I have spoken to her first hand and at length.
You think she went out of her way becuase of how great she was? She went out of her way becuase EA Games was tired of me talking shit about their shitty service in the newspapers and she was crowd control. It was her job on the line if she couldnt control the crowd which is the only reason I can think of that she would have gotten so animated and disrespectful to me regardless if she was doing her job or not.
Who knows, maybe I caught her on a bad day, week, month, year or whatever.. But from my opinion (and I am a Customer Service Manager in rl among other things), she was unprofessional.
Marsellus Wallace
"... like I say, I know this life, and I know us, and I know love, ... but I also have common sense." - John Gotti
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 16, 2005 at 02:49 PM
SWG went down the shitter with the first CU, they attempted to fix it with the NGE, but only made it worse..not even worth playing anymore..I'm picking up WoW tomorrow to chill with friends there in Warsong Realm..
BTW- JC, you still play TSO..? ..and you still do the whole mafia thing?
I dropped that thing ages ago..woooww..
I see you are still as badass as ever. 3
-Tommy
Posted by: Sheol | November 16, 2005 at 03:34 PM
Btw, Tiggs was good at her job..she stepped it up from her TSO days..
She was one of the few that seemed concerned with the public; she actually talked to us and voiced our concerns with the DEVs..not like it got em moving anywhere fast.
It only got her moving out the door, apparantly.
Posted by: Sheol | November 16, 2005 at 03:35 PM
My problem wasn't with Tigger per se but the legion of fangirlz who sucked her tits. They were insufferable and smarmy, kinda like a warmup for the SL Five-Percent Forum FIC. I do think Tigger got herself into a jam toward the end, though. She'd sort of get caught in the middle between telling players that she would hand-walk some idea or priority of theirs into the game devs, and then spin the game devs' non-reaction back to players -- and the reality was she only got squeezed between irate fanz and indifferent game devs. I imagine this is a common situation for such community managers.
Posted by: Prokofy Neva | November 16, 2005 at 05:39 PM
Sheol:
I don't play TSO anymore. I sold the JC Soprano account on Ebay for a good chunk of change, but retained rights to The Sim Mafia (actually copyrighted lol) so I recently branched out and started TSM in SL. I been playing SL for awhile and messed with Mafias a bit, but TSM is where my gaming heart lies. =)
Marsellus Wallace
You Tommy from SSG?
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 16, 2005 at 07:41 PM
I'm amazed that she lasted as long as she did. I worked for Sony and know how big they are on customer service. Tigger's own posting history on the TSO boards should have kept her from ever being hired in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she was fired. When it came to dealing with customers the woman was completely unprofessional.
Posted by: TSOHoliday | November 16, 2005 at 08:45 PM
Can agree on at least the overall point that she was of minimal benefit to the "community" (mob is a better term) in T afk SO. And even that was better than what we got from EA as a whole. ie: nothing.
No opinion on SOE performance, was never on the msg boards. Too busy in game. See, in SWG you were actually playing the game and thus could easily be engrossed in your activities and therefore have no time for forums. Unlike TSO where a good 35% of the game WAS the message boards. lol. Nothing that required sustained brain power or attention, so people naturally hung out on stratics forum.
However in reference to the actual game of SWG, that is going down to toliet for good now. Thankyou Julio Torres and co. , you greedy uninspiring easily corrupted lot. Let's water down a very very UNIQUE and FUN and CHALLENGING game severly so it's like every other mmorpg out there. Might attract 50K more noobs, boost the bottom line. Pricks.
I joined Eve Online today. It's certainly different. Looks quite interesting. :)
- RB.
Posted by: RB | November 17, 2005 at 06:52 AM
RB - Eve is all I play now. I think it would be fair to say I'm a raging fanboi of the game. I won't bore everyone with why.
As for Tigger, I regarded her as responsive on routine matters and seemed to be sincerely concerned about both the players and TSO, but I found her posting style annoying as hell. She used to have quite a following of ass kissers waiting for her next useless fluffy/cutesy/cookie/pounce type post. Then she and the TSO version of the FIC would all take turns posting utterly useless crap back and forth on the boards to each other in a sort of sick mutual admiration manner. I can see where that kind of posting style would appeal to many of the brain dead morons that dominated the TSO boards, but I never liked it.
If you posted a straightforward question on a subject that they knew answering honestly would cause an uproar she'd just spin and throw cookies around without really answering the question. Custom content is just one example of their famous refusals to be upfront with people.
I never played SWG or read their boards, so I can't comment on her performance there.
Posted by: Kiss | November 17, 2005 at 03:03 PM
SWG really lacked content I think. I played it for a long time too. Was in the Jedi trials, had like over 100 badges a city and what not.. However, when I say it lacked content I mean really it was just about the grind. There was no user created plots besides the rare hostile take over of a city. Sure there were Mafias, SSG moved there, etc, but really for how the game was setup, it lacked the certain open aspects of games such as Second Life or TSO. You couldn't be nearly as creative in SWG and most of your time is consumed with building your character up (which isnt even unique, tons of people will have an account just like yours, except maybe look wise) that you don't even get to enjoy the game.
It's fun at first, but after a year it grows tiresome with you. Same thing repeated everyday over and over. Just when you think you have your account how you want it, they make a drastic change and you basically have to start all over again. I haven't played Eve, but I have played MxO (Matrix Online) and it's the same as SWG, only difference is you can before you log in load programs you learn. So you can be all account types at any given time by logging out and back in and changing the programs that load. Other than that, its a grinding game.
Marsellus Wallace
Formerly Jerzi Yorkoohna of SWG, Long Live Lord Vadar! lol Ya I was an Imperial, go figure.
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 17, 2005 at 04:32 PM
What exactly do articles like this have to do with SL? I mean I am reading the Second Life Herald right?
Posted by: whatever | November 17, 2005 at 06:47 PM
Well, whatever, I'm sorry to hear that you were chained to chair , received ocular motor control override implants, and were forced to read the article. That can't be pleasant!
Posted by: Urizenus | November 17, 2005 at 06:53 PM
Allow me to give the answer Uri truly wanted to give. Before it was Second Life Herald it was Alphaville Herald for Sims Online. Tigger worked for EA Games while this site was the Alphaville Herald. It is very relavant (sp) and if you notice though, this site dabbles in a bit of everything.
Marsellus Wallace
Hey Uri, Still need a gangland editor? lol
P.S. That guy I told you I contacted about the interview contacted me today finally, I'll get back to you on it.
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 17, 2005 at 07:18 PM
the Herald covers stories relevant to the gaming community, not only Second Life. Im thankful for that. Also, i dont know what is Mar's malfunction but a grown man desperately clinging to some percieved past glory roleplaying mafia years after the fact, refusing to mature or move on long after his shtick lost its appeal . . well hes not in a position to throw stones at other gamers. Tigger was a nice lady when i spoke to her back in TSO days. I disagree she is ugly as well (not that its relevant ) Visit planet Earth, Mars.
Posted by: Stellsy ( Fallen Hasp ) | November 17, 2005 at 07:39 PM
Stellsy,
This is not something from past glory. I'm still doing it, still in news articles and have some big projects I am working on in real life as a result of this. This is not some past glory thing. Why move on when I am profitting in real life from this? It's a business to me, not a game. Sure it's fun and some aspects are a game, but I am in it for the fortune and the fame. It has far from lost it's appeal I assure you.
I am not throwing stones at other gamers either. I do not consider Tigger to be a gamer. Just becuase you work for an MMORPG does not make you a gamer. Also, as a professional gamer I think that does entitle me to throw the occasional stone at someone when they slip up, just as I would expect and have seen people do the same to me. ESPECIALLY, when they throw the first stone. I never started the Tigger fight, but I sures the hell finished it. Very publicly too.
She may have been nice to you, but as I have stated in the past she is far from nice. Do I need to recite more examples than I have already listed in previous posts dating all the way back to the TSO days to now? Obviously I am not the only one that thinks this as well from some other posters comments. Maybe it's time you came down to Earth. I'm already there and it's nice. =)
They say for every 1 customer service complaint 100 people will hear about it, for every 1 customer service kudo, 10 will hear about it. When the Tigger shit originally went down with me, i didn't see anyone stepping up in her defense. It's not like this was going on behind everyones backs. This was on the forums, I beleive on the Herald and all over the national press.
Now, if you don't have anything productive or relative to say about the article, move on becuase I haven't tangled on the boards in a bit and I am feeling fiesty. This article is about Tigger, not me.
Marsellus Wallace
Oh as for ugly, maybe that was a bit harsh and juvenile on my part. I can admit that and if you read this Tigger, I apologize.
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 17, 2005 at 08:14 PM
whatever at least you apologized for being a pig.
Posted by: Stellsy ( Fallen Hasp ) | November 18, 2005 at 02:24 AM
I've been called worse lol
Marsellus Wallace
Sticks and stones... Sticks and stones. =P
Posted by: Marsellus Wallace | November 18, 2005 at 01:32 PM