Gamers Alliance REPORT
Summer 2005 Vol. 2 No. 15
EDITORIAL
We Are NOT Alone
In the vast reaches of the universe, we humans have always wondered if we are the only form of life in the cosmos. Outside of books and films and our imaginations, do aliens exist? Is there intelligent life out there? The definitive answer to that question has yet to be found. But when it comes to gaming, the answer has been confirmed. We are NOT alone!
I've always been pretty fortunate in being able to find gaming partners and, with the Gamers Alliance playtesting group, gaming has become a regular part of my life. But sometimes you can't help feeling isolated as if you (and your immediate circle) are the only ones in the universe who share this passion for games. Fortunately, we're not.
Through a serendipitous turn of events, not the least of which is managing to get an invitation, I managed to attend an event I've always wanted to attend but never was able to: The Gathering of Friends.
Although it sounds suspiciously like a Quaker convention, The Gathering of Friends (in this case, the 16th annual edition) is actually an invitation-only annual event hosted by Alan Moon, one of the leading contemporary game designers and developers. Its purpose is to meet and mingle with game-oriented people from around the globe and play games. The event is one of the few that actually lives up to its reputation.
Unless I was eating or sleeping, I was playing games - some new, some old, some prototypes. Some good, some bad, some somewhere in between. It was a sensory explosion. But the highlights included more than just the games; the highlights centered on the people! Here I was, a New Yorker now in midland America (Columbus, Ohio, to be exact) but I was struck by the international flavor of the proceedings.
One day, for example, I shared a breakfast table with Mik Svellov from Denmark (whose Brett and Board web site is one of the great gaming sites), Martin Leathwood from England (who writes for Counter magazine) and Ray Mulford from Oregon (one of the people behind Funagain Games). The four of us travelled a combined several thousand miles to meet at this gaming nexus. I taught Alan Moon's Ticket to Ride Europe to Stefan Bruek, the well respected game developer from Alea in Germany. (That was one of the games I won!) And I played and conversed with people from all across Europe and the United States, all of whom shared a love and passion for games, as art, as design, as fun. We truly are not alone.
In this issue of GA REPORT, we range over the country/continent of Australia, build great wonders, fight a monster menace and go a little nutty! Greg Schloesser explores the Amazon jungle and is spellbound, Larry Levy exerts some influence and lets the worm turn and Frank Branham is be-knighted! And, of course, much more. Until next time, Good Gaming!
Herb Levy, President