[marvin]

Incidentally, The Massassi Temple and Jedi Knight level building/modding is what got me started with software engineering. COG programming both introduced me to programming and revealed my affinity for it :)

At the time, there were no peers in my life to challenge me intellectually, or even interested in many of the same things I was, so this community was a godsend that kept me sane through middle school. If I'd been born even five years earlier, that phase of my life would have been even more of a chore than it was in the first place.

No one at the time was discussing the Internet and computer games' role in socialization, friendship and becoming a well-rounded citizen!

[mercer]

Same here. While I've been programming since I was eight or so, working on a mod/total conversion for Thief and building levels for Jedi Knight was what got me properly on that track.

I don't miss the days of JED/JKEdit though. All those crashes and 'leaks' in the geometry... The Unreal Editor was a lot better, but even there these things would regularly happen.

[mrbuttons454]

Another fellow Massassi alum checking in. Not only did that get me started in programming, but it also piqued my interest in Linux. My time there was a huge positive influence on my life.