The Ultima community is a vibrant, motivated, and passionate group of gamers and game-lovers. Since 1981, the Ultima series has generated dozens of games and peripheral products. Now, Stephen Emond is working to document and describe every bit of the series - and he has already galvanized nearly 300% of his project goal. So I had to learn more.

Movies, TV, music, literature, art, etc all share one important defining characteristic, they are all passive forms of entertainment. Without question each medium has fantastic examples that succeed in reaching the hearts and minds of the audience. Even in those cases though the audience is just that, an audience. Video games on the other hand offer a truly interactive experience. You aren’t just being TOLD a story, you are actively participating in one. The choices you make will affect the outcome of these virtual worlds. I think that’s what really drew me to gaming in the first place, the nearly limitless possibility that I had an active role in.

The game industry topped $60 Billion in 2009, significantly ahead of both the movie & music industries. Yet despite this incredible growth and its considerable advances over the years, the industry still doesn’t receive the same recognition in society as its older and more widely accepted counterparts. Great efforts have been taken to preserve the legacy of other forms of entertainment, but not so with gaming.

I started collecting games when I was 10 years old, and currently have over 8,000 of them spread across just about every major gaming platform released. I decided to apply my passion for gaming by creating an exhaustively complete guide to Ultima, my all-time favorite series. Mind you when I first started I never realized exactly how extensive an undertaking that would become...

Your passion comes across very clearly in your project. What has your experience been as a crowdfunding pioneer in the world of game-related self-publishing in Calgary - how are you communicating with your supporters?

I have to say it’s been a fantastic experience so far. For starters it is extremely helpful getting that extra boost I needed to get my book off to a good start. Beyond that it has really given me the opportunity to connect with people who share the same passion and believe in the vision of the project. It also exposes the project to a diverse group of people who would have never known about it otherwise.

Often times when struggling with such a massive project it’s easy to get discouraged and wonder if all the effort will be worth it in the end. When you have people willing to back you up and put their faith in you though it really can make all the difference. Money is a necessity, but so is motivation - probably even more so.

On the flip side, most of the supporters I’ve talked to really enjoy the Reward concept (whether it be pre-ordering the book itself or one of the extra exclusive bonuses) with the important added benefit of ensuring the success of the project.

You crushed your goal in less than week. What's your advice for Creatives looking to crowdfund a similar project? 

A good start definitely lies in knowing your target audience, so get involved in various online communities that relate to your project. My book has benefitted greatly from the feedback I received from the Ultima developers, fan groups, and collector’s groups I’ve become involved with. Conversely your community gets to know more about you and your project as well. These are the core people that will likely provide the foundation for your project. If you earn their faith, chances are others will believe in your project as well.

In the end there really is no substitute for genuine passion. If you love and believe in your project, that will come across to your funders.

Thank you Stephen for your grassroots game and self-publishing success. Check out this project.

-Vlad