The Escapist: "The Conquest of Origin"
There's an excellent, in-depth article about the rise and fall of Origin in the latest issue of The Escapist.I actually walked through Origin once--a long, long time ago. The husband of a friend worked there, and he offered to show me around. This was back in Origin's heyday, around 1991, if I remember correctly, just after Wing Commander had become a huge hit.
What I remember most about walking through the offices is a memo he showed me that said "All employees must wear shoes." That and how many people were sleeping on couches. It looked like a hopelessly draining and wildly fun place to work.
The Escapist article focuses on what happened after Origin was bought by EA, and it's excellent reading. One warning: demonstrating an inexplicable lack of good sense, the author quotes something I wrote about EA's lack of original games. I both thank him and weep for his future.
Here's the link: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/14/4.
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