Richard Garriott, shown above brushing his teeth in zero gravity, helped birth the world-conquering MMO genre. The success of his early Ultima games make him enough money to essentially rent a rocket to go into outer space. But, smart and rich as he is, the man known as Lord British can still get oodles of cash swindled from him. And, between 2009 and 2011, that appears to be exactly what happened to Garriott, to the tune of $US561,927.
What does one do after inventing one of the first virtual worlds ever to exist online? If you’re Richard Garriott, you try to leave Earth behind altogether, for a little while anyway. Lots of gamers know about Garriott’s quest to escape the bounds of Earth’s gravity via private space travel. What some may not know is the reason the man known as Lord British wants to do it so badly.
Richard Garriott, space tourist, rat tail enthusiast and creator of Ultima and Tabula Rasa (RIP), may also be the first private citizen to have a legitimate claim to ownership of a good portion of the moon.