“When Final Fantasy VII came out I went to the store and picked up a copy of the game. I asked the guy at the counter is the game any good?” Aron Gutierrez said.

“It will change your life,” he remarked to me and it did.

“Its fun, it’s like your favorite dream where you can go crazy and do whatever you want,” Aron says.

Gutierrez, is a former Cerritos College student that has made his dream a reality.

As a fan himself, it was one of his life’s goals to be involved with one of the Final Fantasy games. When it came down to getting the job all Aron wanted was the job.

When he went in to interview with Squaresoft, the head people were there.

“I wanted to do this now and oh by the way I speak Japanese and I was in,” Aron said.

Aron has been working with Squaresoft Electronic Arts, which produces the games Final Fantasy.

“I am an Editorial Analylist for Final Fantasy,” Aron says.

Aron can take all the credit for the slanfg in Final Fantasy.

He explains that when the crew members are given the game it has been roughly translated in English and it’s his job to go in and translate the language. In order to make it both understandable in English and Japanese. “When going into work, we recieve a copy of the game. You sit play through and translate then at the end of the day you give the copy back. After the project is complete it is sent to Japan and then back to us,” Aron said.

Each crewmember is given a character to write dialog for the character, get out any glitches, and debug. The character that Aron was given is Eiko Carol, who is the last of the “Summoners.”

When Final Fantasy first went into the making, it was designed as the company’s farewell game because they were headed for closure. The company wanted to make this game the biggest thing that hit the market. The company put everything into the video game that no one has ever done.

It was the first Role Playing Game other wise known as RPG to game fans. Along with that it was to be the first game ever to have a musical score made for it that wasn’t the normal repetitive music you would hear in other video games. Also the first to be computer generated.

Aron first got interested in Final Fantasy in the early 80’s when it hit the market and was on Nintendo.

“All of us kids just got together and played the game,” Aron says.

Then Super Nes got it, but what really made it big was when the game was made for Play Station. “Play Station made it a big hit.” Aron commented.

“I really didn’t have anything to do with the movie, all I was given was a “Special Thanks” in the credits for advice and being associated with the company,” Aron says.

He explained that there is definitely a hierarchy in the business like most companies. “I care about the fans, I am one myself,” Aron says as he explains about how the crew tries to work together with each other’s ideas.

Aron got credit inside the cover of Final Fantasy IX. When talking about life in the business Aron says, “That it’s kind of repetitive and people are always fighting for credit.” The game guides that many game users buy have people’s names in them just because they want the credit. The company is who gives the answers on how to beat a monster.

He explains that it goes through a chain and by the time it gets to the publishing office the last guy on the phone usually tells him they thought of the answers and steals the credit.

Final Fantasy XI will be online and that is the next project Aron will be working on.

“He was a guy that was interested in writing stories,” Jack Swanson said, Professor of English, who had Aron in his script writing class. “As a student Aron was independent, self-possessed and very talented,” Swanson said.

“I am extremely in debt to Mr. Swanson and he took a personal interest in me and helped me with anything I needed,” Aron said.

“I really had little to do with it if anything I created the conditions of his working environment here at Cerritos,” Swanson said.

Aron took Japanese at Cerritos College with Kako Hamilton. “It was very pain staking but I got through it.” Aron says.

During some time off he worked at a school. “Kids will figure you out and once that happens you become broadcasted over the school. You are now a role model and kids mimic what you saying which isn’t always a good thing,” Aron commented.

Aron is 24 years-old and is currently finishing his Degree in English at the University of California Laverne. “Now that I am a professional or taken seriously I have to look in different places for criticism,” says Aron. “People now care about what I say,” Aron says. Aron is currently on hiatus while he goesback too school, but he will be back working on Final Fantasy XI.

Words of Wisdom

“The Key to success in anything is to just never give up and badger anybody about the fact that you won’t give up,” Aron said.

His other goal is,”To be respected as a creator not just a writer,” says Aron. Aron has worked at Cerritos College for the disabled students as a Note taker and worked at Boeing typing up inspector reports.

New Things for Aron

Aron’s poems are being published with Watermark Press and will be out in stores this winter. It will also be on audioable. He is getting tons of offers now just have to sort through them and pick the best one for me.

In his spare time aron loves to play music on several different instruments such as the harp, piano, guitar, bass and drums and also in his spare time he does what he does best “Write, its what I do,” says Aron.

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