[Gamers] might seem alone, sitting at their computer desks or staring at the television screen. They may even seem so absorbed in what's happening in those places they appear in another world. Well, they kind of are: the world of group play.

Each week we publish letters sent to us regarding previous issues and highlight particularly interesting forum posts. If you'd like to comment on an article directly, send your letter to editor@escapistmag.com.

"I've worked on pitches that were literally make or break for landing IPs or funding, and all the while I was acutely aware that I wasn't the only one furiously figuring out a concept, a pitch and a prototype design. It's head to head, team vs. team, not unlike the massive guild-vs.-guild battles in MMOGs, and often there's millions of dollars at stake."

"Thrust into the strange new world of dormitory living, I sought refuge. Clustered around a small portable television, I found kindred spirits, drawn, like myself, to the noble art of GoldenEye. Spare controllers beckoned; I grabbed one and joined the fray with the comparative strangers. Would this work? Reassurance came immediately:

"'No Oddjobs, yeah?'"

"The line between feature and exploit increasingly blurs as videogames advance. To make a judgment one way or another on a potential loophole is to enter a losing proposition, and to waste an exorbitant amount of time. What's most intriguing is how the use of an exploit changes a game's atmosphere; sometimes predictably, sometimes not."

"In January 2005, after the first season of Battlestar Galactica ended, Napoleon Nicdao rallied fans of the show within the FreeSpace 2 modding community, Hard Light Productions, to create a "simple" mod, which over time evolved into the standalone Beyond the Red Line. A 3-D graphics model artist, Nicdao used his talents to recreate the spacecraft seen throughout the show for the fan game."

"Negreanu, a native of Toronto, began playing in the 1990s in casinos, ranking among the top professional players within a couple of years and making millions. Like most of the professional players, he has also branched out into the internet and attached his name to Full Contact Poker, where players can sit down at the online table and play with him. And, as Negreanu has noticed, the online play is a godsend for players who want to get involved in the tournament scene."