We’re hoping to have the Second Edition of the book completed by the end of 2011. As we write, we’ll be posting some of the original chapters on Scribd, where you are welcome to enjoy them.

Prologue: The Beginnings

In the prologue, we return to the genesis of online communities and culture where you will meet Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, the two men who created “Dungeons & Dragons,” the paper role-playing game that reached thirty years into the future.

Chapter 1: Together

In the first chapter we meet Richard Garriott in his youth, long before he becomes the man who created the virtual game environment. We see him as the forces around him — science, technology, and games — converge upon him, helping shape the way he viewed what computer culture might look like.

Epilogue: Beginning Again

Richard Garriott, fresh off the acquisition of his company by NCSoft, struggles to find a way to develop a new, player-centric virtual space while still maintaining some sense of storytelling control.