I make a thing which then makes things, some of which surprise me! I love it when my generators give me results that I wouldn't have come up with on my own.
This interview is with Hannah Lipsky of Chaotic Shiny, home to many random generators
Generators Q&A with Hannah Lipsky of Chaotic Shiny
How did you get into creating random generators?
I started way back in high school by copy-pasting the "random quote of the day" javascript and replacing the quotes with elements for generators. I think the first random generator I made was a random roleplaying forum name generator, making fun of some of the repetitive names that came up for AvidGamers forums.
What generators are you most proud of creating and why?
My D&D 4e generator is the most technically complicated of the online generators, so I'm proud of that. But I think the Pantheon generator is my favorite. I came back from an entire summer with no internet access and wrote it in one sitting.
What is the most fun thing about creating generators?
I make a thing which then makes things, some of which surprise me! I love it when my generators give me results that I wouldn't have come up with on my own.
What are the most painful lessons you've learnt from creating generators?
I can't say any part of the process has been painful.
How do you use random generators yourself?
I mostly use the name generators, since I suck at names. But just the other day I was using my futuristic spare part generator to create parts for a sci-fi LARP I'm writing.
What are your next big projects (generators or otherwise) that you can talk about?
Well now I feel like a slacker! No big generator projects; the closest is probably the LARPs I write. But on a totally unrelated note, I wrote a parody pagan children's book and the illustrations for that are almost done, so I'm excited about that.
Where can people find you on social media?
I am cranky and old-fashioned and only use social media to talk to people I know in real life. Email is the best way to get ahold of me, although lately I tend to get behind on it more than I'd like.
