In mid-1999, I began playing an MMORPG called Everquest. It was my first MMO. A co-worker introduced me to it. I became hooked. For the next several years, I went through periods of playing the game quite a bit and then I’d get burned out and quit for awhile.
After Everquest, or EQ for short, I began playing the highly anticipated and very disappointing Star Wars Galaxies. That lasted all of four months and I have never felt an urge to play that one again. I also played the highly successful World of Warcraft, getting a character all the way to level 60. Since then, I have played Lord of the Rings Online during beta and most recently, 2 Moons (open beta) which is really lacking in content but is free to play, unlike all the others which require a monthly subscription.
Through all the years, I still look back on the times I had in EQ in the old days with a certain fondness. I had many online friends from those games. I helped start a GLBT guild, I was in an online, virtual relationship that had true emotional depth. I became very familiar with the lands of the original EQ and the first expansion, Ruins of Kunark. Even though the graphics were primitive by today’s standards (see EQ circa 1999 below) the world was rendered well enough to give my brain the sense that I was in a real place.
Image from Wikipedia
I remember fishing from the docks of Freeport. Going to the secret necromancer guild under Freeport. Running from the druid ring in West Commons to the gates of Freeport. I remember numerous hunting grounds where I spent many levels grinding experience points. I remember some wild times with groups in various dungeons such as Karnors Castle. I also miss the music of this world. The music is an integral part of the virtual reality that the designers created. Just hearing an MP3 of the music makes we feel all nostalgic.
Every once in awhile, I get homesick for this virtual world. I think at some level, my brain perceives Norrath (the fictional world of EQ) as a real place.
Recently, I decided to go back and visit this old world. I saw an offer from Sony that allows people to download and play a version of EQ called Escape to Norrath. It is free, but is capped at level 10. I have gotten the game downloaded and the patching process ran late into the night. I’ll write another entry on my experiences as I go back to the world of Norrath.
