Community Spotlight: GeorgePatton

If you frequent the forums, you will know GeorgePatton from his awesome screenshot collection, and his Air Combat School tactical guide. He's been a true star in our skies and he's a rather accomplished piano player! We wanted to get to know him a bit better, so we asked him a few questions.

Wargaming: Tell us about yourself!

GeorgePatton: Hello, I'm Glenn King, AKA GeorgePatton. I've been interested in aviation all my life. Starting when I was a little kid and my Mom bought me a sweater with a plane on it. Ever since, I wanted to be a pilot. Several years ago, I began my flight training and have since acquired about 36 hours of flight time and have also soloed. Due to my interest in aviation, especially the military and high-performance aspects, I have been studying aerial combat tactics and maneuvers for about 12 years.

In 2010, I began my career as a tester for Wargaming.net when their highly successful title 'World of Tanks' went into Closed Beta Testing. Since that time, I've been working with Wargaming.net to create the awesome games we all enjoy, most recently, the award winning title 'World of Warplanes' in which I have been able to make a positive impact on our awesome community!

WG: How long have you been a gamer?

GeorgePatton: I've been playing video games for about six years. I actually began in 2002 with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002; however, I did not begin to seriously play video games until about six years ago. When I say "seriously" I mean competitively where I keep track of my stats, etc.

WG: What are some of your hobbies?

GeorgePatton: I enjoy photography, digital art, flying planes, playing ice hockey, piano performance, and playing musical instruments. I am interested in so many things it is sometimes hard to find the time to pursue them all.

WG: Where are you from?

GeorgePatton: I grew up travelling all over the eastern half of the United States; however, I've been living in a small town in North Carolina for about eight years now, so I'd consider myself "from North Carolina." Not to mention NC is a really awesome state.

WG: How long have you been playing WoWP?

GeorgePatton: I was one of the first testers accepted to the World of Warplanes alpha testing back in 2011. I've been testing World of Warplanes ever since.

WG: What are some recent accomplishments in World of Warplanes?

GeorgePatton: This is an interesting question! I would probably define "accomplishments" differently than most people. For me, video games have always been about having fun, so I would probably rate helping others to have fun among my greatest accomplishments in-game. I recently created a topic on the World of Warplanes North American forums and have been answering people's questions about tactics and techniques whenever possible. For me, helping others is really satisfying which is why I've gotten so involved in this awesome community!

WG: What are your favorite planes?

GeorgePatton: This is a difficult question! I think I like the P-51D most. It's a very beautiful aircraft with a very rich history.

WG: What are your favorite aspects of the game?

GeorgePatton: Well, obviously, we are flying so that has a lot to do with why I enjoy the game. On a serious note though, I like being able to put the skills I've developed by studying aerial combat tactics to use.

WG: What about WoWP appeals to you?

GeorgePatton: Again, obviously the aviation factor appeals to me, but I think more importantly, World of Warplanes captures the spirit of the Golden Era of aviation and brings us all the glamour of the time while making it easily accessible to the average gamer.

WG: Do you have any advice for new players?

GeorgePatton: Probably the most solid advice I can give new players is to keep experimenting with different ideas they develop as far as tactics/maneuvers go. Nine times out of ten, a new maneuver will get you shot down, but when you experiment you will develop a good sense of what will work when. Also, I would suggest watching the more skilled pilots in a battle once you are shot down. See what they do, and try to figure out why. You may also ask questions in my 'Air Combat School' thread on the World of Warplanes forum and I will be happy to do my best to answer!

WG: What’s your favorite map and why?

GeorgePatton: My favorite map would probably be Pacific. The terrain on Pacific is the most 'usable' due to the steep slopes on the mountains and also the long ridge on the 'crescent island'. I do enjoy the canyon featured in 'Arctic Region' though, so it is very difficult for me to decide which map is my favorite. I think the developers are doing a very good job making the maps diverse.

Thanks again GeorgePatton for all you have done. We think you are awesome!

See you in the skies!