A Special Online Gaming Milestone

It is pretty surreal to sit back sometimes and just look at how the computer gaming industry has evolved since I first played Pong so many moons ago (yep, I realized I just dated myself J).  Games have grown from text based interactions and rudimentary pixel images to full blown immersive, interactive worlds.  They have grown an industry from a relatively niche market to one larger than either the music or film industries.  For many people, games have also become an important part of life.  They are a way to interact with friends, compete against peers or relax with family.

It is to this last point that I would like to give a huge congratulation to The Syndicate (www.LLTS.org).  The Syndicate just celebrated their eighteenth birthday last week and is the Guinness Book of World Records record holder for the longest running online gaming guild.   It’s a pretty amazing feat if you think about how young the online gaming industry was 18 years ago.  It is even more amazing when you realize there have been an estimated 66,000,000 online gaming guilds that have come and gone over these last 18 years.

While guilds haven’t been a part of KingsIsle properties, we have had the chance to work with members of The Syndicate and I have gotten to know a number of their members personally.  It is an incredible group dedicated to the enjoyment of online games and in building friendships in a common passion.  They had many members help early in the play testing of both Wizard101 and Pirate101 and provided great feedback.  Perhaps most importantly, they have created a wonderful group that truly exemplifies their motto:  “In friendship we conquer”.

My most sincere congratulations go out to Sean (aka “Dragons”) and all of The Syndicate members for your dedication to friends, to online gaming and having built something that has withstood the test of time.

Fred Howard
Vice President of Marketing