EQ Guild Turns 8 Years Old

The Syndicate has reached its 8 year anniversary. Being very active in MMORPGs both with members who are developers, to a very large beta testing effort that seeks to make the next generation of games even better, to a large player presence in a number of games, this is a significant milestone for us. It is noteworthy for the gaming community as a whole since literally 99.999% of all guilds will never reach the 8 year mark. So for groups to reach that point, it is significant and does indicate they staying power of the industry as a whole.

Has it really been 8 years already? It doesnt seem that long ago when The Syndicate officially formed as an online gaming guild. Back then, there were no modern day MMORPGs at all. Meridian 59 was in beta testing and UO hadnt even entered its Alpha test yet. Muds were the entertainment for the online gamers of the day and for the really adventurous, the precursor to MMORPGs existed on AOL called Neverwinter Nights.

We began our foray into the MMORPG with a few members playing M59 and as the first guild to declare itself for Ultima Online and we charged into the Alpha test to see this new concept of a game. The Ultima series is a part of gaming history for many online gamers going back to the Commodore 64 days. Soon after our focus on UO, guilds of all shapes and sizes began popping up. Since large scale guilds were fairly new (there did exist guilds before then but often they were small and with limited involvement outsidethe game) and with internet use growing by leaps and bounds, there soon existed tons of forums to discuss the game. Guilds would posture and feint at each other with threats to destroy each other in game and how much one would own the other. But even then it was clear that guilds, for the most part, were not lasting institutions. They rose and fell all the time.

Since that time, gaming has come a long ways. Many new games have come out. The internet has grown and matured as a technology (there was no internet explorer back then. Windows 3.1 was the operating system if you were lucky enough to have it. personal domains rarely existed) and guilds come in all shapes and sizes. Over the past years, over 600,000 guilds have risen and fallen which is both a measurement of success for surviving 8 years but also an indication of how vibrant the gaming community really is. There are many more interesting facts that have cropped up over those years.

Being a very large guild (525+) members, and so successful, The Syndicate is often the target of rumors or kiddie comments. Some of our favorite ones are:
* They let anyone in. Actually, about 80% of the guild has been with us for 1 to 8 years. We have a very high retention and very low turnover and our size remains relatively static. Thus we dont let anyone in. We let only a few people in. And only those we know very well.
* Buncha Newbies. We love that one. All of the guild are veteran gamers. All have years of experience. And all are mature, professional, team focused players. We wont accept anyone who isnt.

Rumors are fun to hear and any guild that has been around as long as us will have their share. Afterall, rumors are alot more fun than admitting the facts sometimes.

As 2004 Rolls on, The Syndicate is looking forward to many more years of leading the way in the MMORPG community. Just recently we became the first MMORPG guild to have a corporate sponsor and we continue to have a large presence beta testing the new games in development. We like to give back to the gaming community both outside the games and inside them. Whether its helping people get flagged in EQ or running huge player events in UO and other games, The Syndicate works hard to make the gaming community better for all players.

We would like to say Thank You to all the developers who have made the last 8 years alot of fun. Thank You to the many friends and allies we have across the gaming world. And Thank You to the news and fan sites for keeping us all informed and for providing a valuable service to the gaming community. Best of luck to all guilds and players. We look forward to gaming with you in the future. Long Live The Syndicate.

The Syndicate Online Gaming's First Corporate Sponsored Guild.
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