Oh boy, is he gonna be getting some hate mail.

There's a great interview up with Richard Bartle which discusses (what else?) the current state of online games and his opinions on the industry. Check it out if you have even a passing interest in the design behind MMOs.

If you could take over control of one major MMORPG - which would you choose and what would you do with it?
I'd take over World of Warcraft and I'd close it. I just want better virtual worlds. Sacrificing one of the best so its players have to seek out alternatives would be a sure-fire way to ensure that unknown gems got the chance they deserved, and that new games were developed to push back the boundaries.

Read more at The Guardian.