1. What MMORPG(s) do you play?
I've played Everquest, City of Heroes, EverquestII, and Vanguard, but haven't played any for hmm - a year and a half or so. I also played a text mud extensively in the 90's. The only ones I stuck with for any length of time were the original Everquest and the text mud.
2. How long have you been playing?
Text-muds in the 90's, Everquest and others from 1999 up through about a year and a half ago, but with several year+ long stretches when I didn't play at all.
3. Roughly how many hours do you play each week?
I played quite a bit. Usually 4-5 hours 3-4 nights a week after work, and most days on weekends. Say 30 hours a week?
4. What was your reason for starting?
Mostly whim and novelty. When I first started, I'd just graduated from college, and was staying in my small college town with nothing else to do in the evenings. The internet was new (this was pre-web browser, I'm old
), and the option was pretty much TV, which, yuck.
5. What is your reason for continuing to play?
I don't now, but for the majority of the time I played, it was a social-contact sort of thing, with some sense of accomplishment (imaginary, but something). I definitely still miss the social aspect (note - I think that the social aspect for newer games is NOTHING like it was in the older ones).
6. Do you feel that you are 'addicted' to the game? Could you quit today and not go back? Explain.
Well, I did, so yes. I'm a bit wary of using the term "addicted" for a game, but I was obsessed about it at times. I can honestly say that I never chose to play when I had other options or responsibilities, be it work, sports, or doing things with friends... but the game filled the *rest* of my free time pretty effectively... and disincentivized me to find new or other things to pursue. I have quit, and don't particularly have any desire to start a new game. When I did quit, it was sort of a gradual thing - I just lost interest, and although I stuck around LONG after I'd lost interest as a way to keep in touch with friends and maintain some daily "social contact" (which I still pretty much lack outside of work), once I left I didn't really have desire to go back until I forgot the rat-race aspect of it and just remembered the fun and friendship.
7. Have you ever been a GM? (Guild master)
I was the coadministrator of a text mud back in the day, which was the closest thing comparable to a modern guild master at the time, but no. The whole "guild master as management executive" role didn't really come into play until I was an old hand at the genre and had no interest in that aspect of things. However, I'll add... some people do an excellent management job as GM's - enough so that I'm confident that their skills have rolled over into "real life". Weird how those things happen.
8. What is the best part of online gaming?
I'd say the friendship, bonds, and memories you make along the way. In the old world, games really did establish a culture and community that did take on aspects of reality. I don't think that's the case so much these days. Some of those old EQ screenshot slideshow-set-to-music flash movies get a surprisingly powerful reaction out of me - probably always will.
9. How different from your real-life self is your online personality?
Pretty much the same.
10. What is your MBTI type?
INtP
Oh, and Nighthawk and Jennifer - thanks for the link
