Prologue: Why, Who, How, What, Etc.

Sometimes things just fall into place.

I've been interested in writing a blog since I first heard about them, but unlike everyone else in the world (or so it seems) I never got round to actually doing it. But last week my boss says, 'Look, I want you to completely reassess the editorial direction of our website - I'm thinking, more bloggy'.

Then, just a few days later, I get an email from the online game I play, Istaria (previously called Horizons), saying they're looking at rewarding players who spread the word about the game through various mediums, one of which was the blog. So, I get to research the future of my job by writing about the game I play when I get home. And maybe get a reward. Peachy.

As you may have gathered, I'm lucky enough to be able to write for a living. It's not glamorous, and I'm not well paid, but I realise the fact I like what I do puts me in a privileged position so I'm not going to cheapen my situation: in the grand scheme of things, I'm pretty lucky.

Outside of work, gaming and music are my two big loves. I've been playing online games - specifically MMORPGS (massively multiplayer online role playing games) since The Realm back in about '97. I've played most of them to some extent, from Ever Quest and Anarchy Online through to Eve and World of Warcraft, but the world I've returned to most is Istaria.

I also have no idea who, if anyone, will read this, so I'll start with a few descriptions over the next few days - I don't want to exclude anyone by being presumptuous. Maybe you don't know anything about MMORPGs, or specifically Istaria, and almost definitely not my alter ego in Istaria, Algenon.

After this, I'm thinking the blog will be a pretty big mixture, from review to rant to fiction to storytelling. If you have any bright ideas about what I should write, just let me know. I intend to update it at least twice per week, hopefully more, but I lead a pretty busy life so I won't promise anything. Hopefully someone will like it :)

If you're interested in looking into the game Istaria, visit the official website at www.istaria.com