Some might say that The Syndicate has always been one for the history books: they have long boasted of being one of the largest and longest running gaming organizations of any kind, and of course are also well-known in the MMO community for being the first guild to trademark its name, which was a rather controversial move.

Well, now they also are the first to have a whole book. I just got an advance copy today and have barely skimmed the first few pages, but basically it’s both a history of the guild and also of MMO gaming in general as seen through their eyes. Alas, no index.

In which I talk about prototyping processes and stuff.

And telling it like it is.

I’ve seen a few posts here and there about user-created content and how it can’t be great. I won’t bother pointing fingers, nor will I drag out the hoary old examples of Counterstrike et al (oops, guess I just did).

Instead, I will merely point out that any distinction between “users” and “creators” is artificial. Creators were all users first. In this business, a professional is just someone lucky enough to get paid for their hobby. Good creators (in any field) are often simply those who have more practice — and you can get practice as an amateur.

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East.

West.

Discuss.