Lately I have been asked by a few people if I would do some things for The Elder Scrolls, and I seriously thought about it, but that would mean a venture into Maya or 3D Studio Max, neither of which do I have, nor can I afford. So I had to decline the privilege of being notorious in yet another gaming community. Although as a previous blog entry stated, fame comes with a cost. I suppose anyone who is determined can achieve wonders in a 3D meshing programme. I have to look no further than the pages of TSR to see the sort of industrious application of that sort of determination. We all have out individual skills, and I suppose we never see the true merit of our own work. I equally suppose, it takes someone asking us to do something in another game to open our eyes a little. I generally think fame = big head, and it is refreshing to see so many pleasantly natured creators at TSR. Lord knows I have stood on the receiving end of some warm fuzziness here, I wish I could say as much for all sites related to The Sims & The Sims 2. Competition is good, they say. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Competition doesn't lead to collaboration, and that is truly what The Sims 2 needs, more collaboration. I saw a lot of that in the good old days of The Sims (original), I'd like to see that sort of group effort in the community that has developed for The Sims 2. Yeah, sure, we had some stinkers and flies in the ointment back in the day, but we were more enthusiastic about discovering and making. I remember something one of university professors said once about Internet societies, they always devolve into an anarchy of emotional over-abundance driven by that most base of human appetites: to be superior to one's fellows in some manner. Sort of bleak, but the fact TSR endures is a testament to good management that keeps the drama beat down and keeps the focus on the game. TSR engenders a spirit of collaboration, many of the artists are amazingly friendly, and there is a deep desire to make things that others want but can't make themselves. It is a sort of a break from the antagonisms and competitions of the salon-society mind-set. It makes TSR a most welcome and happy place away from the drama.