My name is Benedikt Aron Þórólfsson, the son of Þórolfur Beck Kristjónsson, the co-founder of CCP Games and eve online, AMA

How are those names even pronounced?

Roughly translated:

• 'Benedict Aaron Thorolf-son'
• 'Thorolf Beck Christian-son'

Thats about as good as it can get

Ah! So you took your father's name as your "last name", so to speak, rather than a family name?

Thats how all names are given in Iceland. The country uses patronymic last names meaning your last name is always your fathers first name plus "son" or "dóttir" (if you are a girl).

So will your son's last name be Benedictson?

Yes, but with a "k" though. There is no "c" in the Icelandic alphabet

this is some truly interesting stuff man. i appreciate you sharing that. why is it that some have patronymic names (or matronymic names) and some dont follow it? is it just a custom?

In Iceland pretty much everyone has a patronymic last name. It's like that on every citizens birth certificate by default

The Icelandic Yellow Pages must be a nightmare.

We actually have a solution for that. Next to someone s name we write their career (lik teacher or plumber) and that narrows it down

I've been playing Eve since 2005, and have made friends across the country and across the globe that I still keep in touch with today. Thank your father for that.

As for a question:

If I were to go to Iceland, what food must I try, and what food should I avoid like it was a fetid fedo?

Iceland isn't really known for its cuisine but you should definitely try the cod or any other fish. I recommend avoiding shark, while it is popular in Iceland, its quite an acquired taste.

icelandic food is scary man, I ate KFC/Subway/Pizza the whole time

Very American of you

Do you enjoy the games that your father makes, and does he occasionally have you test games out?

well I can tell you that I have not really gotten into EVE online myself, that game is insanely complicated and requires allot of dedication. My father often discusses game concepts with me and asks for my opinions but I'm not much of a play-tester.

His company actually developed a board game before video games. My father still loves board games and creates them all the time, he frequently tests them on his family members.

Is it true that your real father is The Mittani?

No comment

Benedikt Aron Pórólfsson, would you accept my invitation to have fajitas with me and my family, sometime in 2016?

My mom told me not to accept invitations from strange people on the internet

Ok, please answer this honestly: How do you pronounce your name?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/56013984/BATh.wav

Are there any females on the CCP tram whom you have a crush on?

Failing that, do you want to work in game development, or carve your own mark on this world?

Are you going to grow a beard like your father's?

If your asking if I've had a crush on a CCP employee then no. Since I have been in game studios I can tell you that they are unfortunately mostly occupied by 20-30 year old male programmers.

I dont really think I will work in game development but I do want to peruse a business career like my father. I think everyone wants to make a "mark in this world"

Currently at 18, I can only grow a pedo stash, so I will have to make that decision when I have more to work with.

Do you at least have a man crush on CCP Guard?

CCP is headquartered in what its statistically the safest country in the world, do you think they have security?

CCP Guard

Oh, I see...

Do you yourself actually enjoy EVE? Do players recognize you when you play?

The game really interests me but its not quite my cup of tea. Its just too difficult to get into. I also don't want to get potentially sucked in and loose out on my eduction.

However if I did play regularly, I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them who I was.

Iceland is a crazy country. Everyone speaks such insanely good English and I routinely heard locals' conversations wandering in and out of English as they talked. Very weird to me.

How do you/Icelanders feel about English in general?

I kind of felt Iceland teaches its kids English so well they might be at risk of losing their own language!

I always felt Germans spoke great English, but nobody (except maybe the Dutch) speak English as well as Icelanders.

English is generally spoken in Iceland but most can't write it very well. It's mostly because all of our movies and TV shows are in English and not dubbed

What would it take to get you, a more casual gamer, into Eve Online?

It would probably be a less steep learning curve and a community that easier to get into. The EVE community is like a Linux forum, if your new you have no idea what is going on but it seems interesting.

will you be following your fathers footstep?

I don't think I could stand the pressure of being a game developer myself. I am applying to study business administration in university though.

How has your father's job impacted your life?

What is your favorite video game (if you like them)

What's your favorite color?

Who is your greatest influence?

Well it was certainly awesome to be able to play any 18+ video game I wanted as a child. Also my father has always been a child at heart so that was quite fun.

I do like video games if that wasn't clear. My favourite game overall is probably Hitman contracts. I also really like fallout 3 and StarCraft 2

Favourite colour is green

I guess my biggest influence academically is Noam Chomsky.

I'm on the same boat as you: love the concept and originality of EVE, but don't have the time/patience to get into it. That being said, what games have you hooked recently?

Been playing a lot of fallout 4

Are you a fan of Iceland's native daughter bjork, and if so, what are done of your favorite tracks?

Not gonna lie, I think her music is terrible.

Fair enough. I was wondering if there was a patriotic connection that necessitated at least tenuous verbal support. As a yank, I have no such obligation and agree, her music is terrible.

You are probably right about the patriotism thing though. I guess I'm just not really the number one Icelander as I have lived abroad for so long.

I loved EVE when I played from 2005 to 2009. Today I am considering returning but two things are holding my back:

1. Player count dropping quarter after quarter. I don't want to invest in a game whose community is leaving in record numbers.

2. Skill training. My capsuleers had about 60Msp a piece and I dread having to rebuild what I once attained.

Are there any mitigating circumstances to these issues that could persuade me to return?

I feel there nothing more I can contribute to this discussion

What is your opinion on the band, Permaband?

A classic

Did your dad ever talk about or share stories about what was going on in the game? Was he ever excited about what he created? I'm kind of curious if he's ever shared what he's known about that world with you and your family. Many EVE stories have obviously made headlines outside of the game, so it'd be interesting to hear what his reaction to those events were or if they seemed like just another office day to him and he never discussed it.

Well my dad isn't really involved with CCP anymore so I dont really have much CCP gossip. All I really know is some Easter eggs for example the race "Minimatar" is named after the Icelandic phrase "minni máttar" which means to be weaker. My dad focuses on other projects these days

What's your favourite cereal?

Corn flakes

Do you watch the o7 Show ? And do you track the dev updates regarding EvE Online?

Cant say I do. I will cationally tune in to eve related news when something big is going on like the Incarna protest

Do you ever have trouble pronouncing your own last name?

Do you?

What's Iceland doing for the next Eurovision? You guys have a small group to pull from.

I'm not sure I need to pay more attention. Iceland actually takes Eurovision very seriously

Thanks, as an American I always find Iceland's entries to be unique, because unlike the others, you don't have 20+ million people nor is there an endless supply of musicians on the island.

Wait, Americans watch Eurovision?

What are you currently studying in school?

Just finishing the IB diploma programme and applying to business uni

I've visited Iceland twice now, and it's one of the most beautiful countries I've seen. I was wondering how you see the long term future of your country? There was a fair bit of fear when I went the first time. This past year I didn't seem to notice that as much.

Also... have you been to that noodle shop by the big famous church? I thought it was amazing when I went there this year. Really good broth :)

You mean noodle station. I used to be neighbours with the owner. It's OK

I don't necessarily think there is a problem with fear in Iceland. Our current parliament has a very low approval rating and they are gonna be replaced in 2017

I've never played eve. Is it worth playing?

It's not for everyone but I'd say anyone should give it a try, its the most unique mmo experience out there.

A friend of mine in the Netherlands had a barbecue the other day, in the middle of winter!! What is your favorite activity you've found to do in the NL thay you can't do anywhere else?

Well you can legally smoke weed everyday and hire hookers, although I don't indulge in that myself.

My favourite activity is defiantly sailing in the canals of Amsterdam.

Being that your father invented this company that has created so many board games and arguably one of the best MMOs of all time, what is the likelihood of introducing me to the people in charge of voice-actors?

For a long time people have told me that I have a great radio voice and I've wanted to try voice-acting, but I have no clue about how to get started. I'm sure you probably have the same kind of knowledge as me, but I figure it's worth a shot!

Edit: Edited to make the question more obvious.

Edit: Anyone else who may be able to help me out feel free to jump in here too.

Don't really think I can help you out there, my father dosebt really communicate much with the people there anymore

a lot, allot (alot?) To be clear and avoid a perma ban, do you see the semantic argument I'm making? https://thoughtsstringsofthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/alot-of-gif.gif

Thank you grammar Nazi. It's fixed now.