In this issue of The Escapist, "Against the Gods," we take a look at the stories of a few, brave souls in the game industry who, for better or worse, decided that they were destined to make their dreams a reality. Some actually succeeded, while others crashed and burned.

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

"Romero. Perhaps it's something about the name itself that brings to mind great things. Some combination of etymological triggers, perhaps; a heady mental mixture that's part romance, part Camaro - sex in a Z28." Russ Pitts speaks with legendary game designer John Romero.

"Unlike some high-profile thinkers, Raph Koster actually ships product. 'I do all this writing to clarify things for myself,' he says." Allen Varney interviews Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies designer, Raph Koster.

"How hard could game development be?" Bruce Nielsen shares his first-hand experience at doomed game company Erudite Software in Cold Equations: The Death of a Game Company.

"The Sims Online should have been a sure thing. The premise reads like a gaming executive's dream sheet. A popular, long-lived franchise loved by casual and hardcore gamers alike; a game that sells at Wal-Mart as well as it does at EB Games ... The 'sure thing' is now an 'also-ran.'" Shannon Drake examines the morality tale of The Sims Online in 20 Million Dollar Failure.

"In retrospect, the idea was painfully naïve. Although Infocom's founders vaguely knew they wanted to create business software, they had no model, no business plan, not even a product." Lara Crigger examines The Short, Happy Life of Infocom