NationStates News

by Max Barry
Mon, 12 Nov 2012

We just turned ten. Seriously. In Internet Time, that's like a hundred years old.

Visit our 10-Year Anniversary Page! Chat! Mini-game! Memories!

I remember coding this game up and hoping one day it might get 1,000 players. That, I figured, was the number that would make all the time I was spending learning programming worth it. I remember weeks of freaking out about ballooning player numbers, which hit my long-term target on day 13 and kept doubling every day from there. I remember being kicked out by my web host for overloading their service. I remember mass downtime and lag and Jen being pissed at me because she hadn't seen me all day and I was heading back to my study because every time player numbers doubled, the site went down.

Against all odds, this site turned into something awesome. And that happened because people like you showed up and breathed life into it. You created nations and regions and communities. And that's the reason why we're still here ten years later, while plenty of other online games have disappeared.

I've tried to do my part to keep us running, but it's the ongoing contributions of so many different people—admins, moderators, and players—who have made it all possible. I'm deeply grateful to all of you. Thank you.