Eleanor

Hello! I’m Eleanor, also known as El, and I’m the Marketing Producer at Fuse. I joined the games industry nearly 4 years ago after working at the BBC but also as a journalist/ writer. I still write on a freelance basis and have covered music, culture and video games for NME, Vice and Billboard. If I’m not starting (another) playthrough of Baldur’s Gate III, I’m either reading a book, writing short stories or exploring a castle!

_favourite Game

Dragon Age: Origins

_favourite BOOK

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

_Currently learning

I’m currently learning French and Mandarin, which I think I always will be at this point but I’ve also been planning on picking up violin or piano again

Questions & Answers

Earliest gaming memory?

Answer

My earliest gaming memory is playing Star Wars Battlefront on PS2 with my brother and our family friends, I can still hear that loading screen.

What was the game that triggered you looking at games as a career?

Answer

Tell Tale’s The Walking Dead. That game stayed with me for a long time after playing it because of how compelling the story was and how the story was embedded into the gameplay, the way that the game mechanics worked meant that you felt the tension.

What did you study at School or Uni that you feel was valuable for a career in games?

Answer

I did a History degree at Uni. Which taught me important analytical skills that I have used in my time as a Producer, namely being able to consider other opinions and viewpoints in a debate or discussion which has added to my ability to problem solve.

Game that has inspired you the most?

Answer

Dragon Age Origins, I loved the story, it’s characters, the narrative choices, even the combat (once I got the hang of it) and I love anything medieval, high-fantasy, horror. On top of that it’s a game that is incredibly rich in detail, particularly in its world-building. In order to create Thedas, different languages, accents, clothing and history were incorporated to create set identities and lore, the player knew when a character was from Nevarra because they had a German accent and spoke German or who was from Tevinter because of the clothes they wore which were heavily inspired by the clothes worn in the Byzantine Empire.

What was the first game you worked on?

Answer

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Games you’re the proudest to have worked on?

Answer

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Halo Infinite and Sea of Thieves.

If you weren't making games...

Answer

I’m believe in pursuing a career in what you love. So if I wasn’t making Games I think I would have ventured into Radio or Podcasts. I always have a number of podcasts on the go, from true crime, to history and also science and I do put Radio 4 on in a morning.

Top 3 games of all time?

Answer

#1 - Dragon Age: Origins #2 - Tomb Raider: Legend #3 - Mass Effect 2

Hardest game boss?

Answer

It was in Final Fantasy 13, I loved that game so much but there was the Barthandelus boss fight that I just couldn’t get around and I spent days trying. I ended up needing to take a break and I still haven’t returned to it!