Kung Foo! Is a new free to play MMO that tries to break boundaries, making fun of other MMOs. That’s enough to grab our interest, but there’s more: famed comic book writer, Devin Grayson, is on board as special guest writer. FreeMMOGamer asked her a few questions about Kung Foo! and more!

FreeMMOGamer: Hi Devin! Can you give us a small introduction of yourself and your career?

I can try!

I’m a freelance writer, which means I take all kinds of crazy writing assignments and also occasionally work in a variety of industries that need assistance creating written material or communication practices.

The lion share of my fictional work has been in comic books, where I’ve been fortunate enough to work on amazing mainstream superhero characters like Batman and the X-Men. I’ve also written a few original projects, and a few licensed publication novels.

I’m an avid fan of RPG, from old school char sheet and dice games (which I still play weekly) to the latest MMORPGS. And I’m an insulin-dependent diabetic with a very sweet service dog, Cody, who alerts me when my blood sugar is dropping and has been working with me in the Perfect World offices for the duration of this project.

 You’re a fan of MMORPGs? What are your favorite games (and are you currently playing any)?

I just switched over from Champions to Fallen Earth, which I’m really enjoying. EQ and EQ2 will always hold a special place in my heart, because they are where I put in my newb hours and spent the most time with my guild and RL buddies. As I writer I adore KoL. And AO and SWG before the NGE were tons of fun. Really anything you invest in and get your friends into becomes addictive. I love exploring new characters and new worlds.

FreeMMOGamer: Have you played any comic hero games (such as Batman: Arkham Asylum)? What are your thoughts on them?

Of course! Batman: Arkham Asylum is genius at really letting you inhabit Batman. Many games do okay on the combat moves, but B:AA also embraces the detective aspects of Batman, as well as the ninja-like qualities of his approach. Can Batman hit hard? Of course. But that’s not all he does, and B:AA really gets that (plus how creepy are those Scarecrow interludes? Do you know ANYONE who could resist opening those body bags? ::laughs::).

Over all, though, writing superheroes is the best way to play them.

FreeMMOGamer: Nowadays do you prefer pen and paper role playing games or computer RPGs?

Pen and paper!? What kind of character sheets do you have!? You need a pencil, baby! Or, you know, a GM with template computer print outs. ;-)

I will always love the human element of playing RPG in person, and I can make it longer without playing computer games than I can without live RPing, but there’s something very compelling about being in a computer game environment where you are your avatar. I explored that a little bit in USER—the heady power of being able to present, for example, as male and not have anyone know any differently.

As a writer, I’m also very fond of the middle ground—text-based online RPGing. That’s what USER was about, and I’ve had some amazing experiences doing that—like playing in a Batman RPG run by Greg Rucka over ICQ. That was incredible.

: How and when did you become involved with Kung Foo!?

I jumped in as we moved into what I call mega-localization to help create a more Western tone and story. The Chinese version of the game is based on a popular television show that isn’t available here, so there was no reason not to just tell a completely different story.

FreeMMOGamer: What is exactly your contribution to the game? Writing the story, dialogue…?

I’m writing the majority of the hero’s quest and dialog and directing the overall story concept and zone flavors. Fortunately, the Perfect World QA team is filled with comedians and writers, so it’s been a very collaborative effort and I’m receiving tons of support.

FreeMMOGamer: Is Kung Foo! a spoof of other games? Will it make fun of World of Warcraft and the like, or is it more general (making fun of cliches and settings, like fantasy, science-fiction, comics…)?

Yes to all of the above! Basically we’re having fun with all of our fringe cultural passions; gaming, martial arts films, comics, romance novels…even localization itself.

FreeMMOGamer: How is your collaboration with Perfect World Entertainment? Do you often get to see the game in development and how your ideas are implemented?

I update and play the game every day, and even have GM weapons (can you tell I’m psyched about that? ::laughs::). We are able to implement changes quite quickly and enjoy watching the game transform.

FreeMMOGamer: Is writing for a video game much different from writing for comic books?

In some ways yes, in some ways no. What’s the same are the deadlines, the space constraints, and the group effort. What’s different is that instead of having a main character that is incredibly well defined (like Batman, who has been in continuous publication for over seventy years), the protagonist of an MMORPG is the player, who at the time of scripting is an essentially unknown quantity.

What do you think of this medium? How do you feel when video games are bashed by politics and people who know nothing about it?

I love MMORPGS. I even like casual games, for that matter. I think play is a very important part of our cultural and personal identity.

As for politicians citing video games as a cause of violence… when I hear someone say something like that, I look up their voting record on war resolutions. I could be naive on this matter, but I’m pretty sure that actual violence is far more socially destructive than virtual violence.