Continuing with my attempt to prove game developers are not gods, but rather people like you and me with really cool (albeit stressful) jobs, today we're talking with Jason Hall of Monolith Productions. Monolith was founded in 1995 and is based in Kirkland, Washington. Monolith currently has three game teams working on a variety of products that are for the PC and console platforms. Jason Hall has been at Monolith since the very beginning, and is one of the founders of the company.

SharkyExtreme: Is being the CEO of a company as cool as people might think it is?

Jason Hall: No. You have to realize that the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down! As CEO, I am always in front, and most of the time, it is not enjoyable at all. There is a lot of stress, anger and frustration that I deal with on a daily basis, and no one wants to hear my complaints about it. It is all about performance.

There are investors to deal with, employees to satisfy, etc., etc. To top it all off, everybody in the universe has my e-mail address and feels that they personally know me! The result is me receiving a magnitude of e-mail - the likes of which I never thought possible - and I am not the type of person who can leave e-mails unanswered very easily.

So, believe me, the CEO title doesn't mean "cool" by any stretch of the imagination. To me, it means a never-ending barrage of issues that need to be dealt with in a positive manner that results in prosperity for the company and its employees.

I haven't actually had a vacation in over 5 years...