GIA celebrates first birthday

[11.22.99] » New staff, minor reorganization in store.

   A year ago today, a group of six determined individuals decided to create the biggest and best RPG, strategy, and puzzle game site on the Internet. Well, technically they decided to create it a few weeks before they actually launched; even more technically, the Double Agent letters column launched a few days before the rest of the site. But the GIA staff has unanimously chosen November 22nd as the day we "launched," so today is our birthday! Hooray!

   Our readers have already given us more than we can say--like sleepless nights, empty pocketbooks, and overflowing e-mail in-boxes -- but you've also given us great feedback, superb inspiration, and most importantly, your trust and loyalty. Thanks for everything, readers! Since you've already given us so much to us, it's only fair that on our birthday, we give something back to you.

   The first birthday surprise is the formal announcement of two new staff members. The first, Arpad Korossy, has been helping us with upcoming coverage and maintaining our prodigious archives. You may recognize him from his recent Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions review. The second, J.T. Kauffman, has been keeping us abreast of the latest Japanese happenings. Welcome them aboard! Also, Nich Maragos has left Parallel Universes in the capable hands of Tamzen Marie Baker to assist with upcoming news.

   The second surprise is a minor change in the page's layout and the formal dissolution of the Community page. "Games" and "Vaults" have been combined into a single "Games" section, letting you find all of our in-depth coverage in one location. "Fan Fiction" and "Saved Games" have both left the defunct Community page to join "Sketch Artist" in the newly formed "Interact" section. "Interact" combines all sections that depend on reader contributions, input, and feedback. Finally, the message boards have been upgraded to a more prominent position on the masthead. The "Editorials" section and "Multi-author" fan fiction sections of the Community page are, for now, defunct.

   It's been a long, crazy year, and it's been a lot of fun for all of us at the GIA. We're still figuring out what we're all about, and how to do things even better than we already do. Thanks for sticking with us through all our growing pains. We promise that this next year will be our best yet!

   Stay tuned later today for a Very Special GIA Birthday Feature...