Set the way-back machine for May of 2003.

My college friends and I reconnected after a couple of months of not playing Neverwinter Nights together. Come to find out they have left the old stomping grounds and established an online server of their own. They invited me back into the old D&D fold and made me a DM, a head of one of the guilds, and a community manager over more than a thousand registered members of the site's forums. It was a great experience.

At the peak of our popularity we would have hundreds of people on at any given time, and the forums were full of exciting role-playing, discussions, and technical improvement suggestions. I think we even cracked the top-ten most popular Neverwinter servers.

Lately, we have been collaborating on a different project. Given the sheer brilliance of my friends, I am very excited to work side-by-side with them to make this one happen. We have been conducting regular development meetings, and I am finding a comfortable role as a project and creative manager for this endeavor.

The excitement over the project couldn't have been fueled any more, unless I had spent more time at GDC.

This collaborative opportunity has not only fueled my excitement over the project, but also deepened my respect for the talented friends I have. This is how work should be. It feels good to be making and contributing to something, rather than just playing someone else's game.

. . .Not that there is anything inherently wrong with Final Fantasy X-2.