A parallel life in packets and pixels

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Till Death do we PWN
A parallel life in packets and pixels

• CK Tower. WRA 415. 09/2006

"Building worlds means just that, creating real
spaces for people to live in with their own
unique history and culture and believability The
reason no one has to explain what an orc is
every time it appears in a computer RPG is
because it's entered the cultural
zeitgeist. -Richard Garriott, Lord British, the
immortal ruler of the fantasy world of Britannia,
Ultima Online
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Before we knew what it meant to PWN Gaming in
the 70s and 80s
And the earth was without the World Wide Web, and
void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And Atari Inc. said, Let there be games and
there were games. We saw the games, that they
were good and thus began the rise of a video
game empire.
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First contact BBS, LAN and battle.net
The 90s were some of the best gaming days Ive
ever had. In 1991, one of the most successful
game development studios was born. Originally,
Silicon Synapse, Blizzard Entertainment brought
us the classic game franchises of, Warcraft,
Starcraft, and Diablo. More recently, Blizzard
has dominated the MMORGP market with the release
of, World of Warcraft, where you can meet,
adventure and trade with thousands of other
real-life (rl) players.
My friend and I once played Starcraft on a LAN
for fourteen hours straight. We played the same
map over and over, until we could take out four
enemies at onceit was a blast! Ill never forget
it.
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MMO-what?
MMORPG A Massively-Multiplayer Online
Role-Playing Game is an online computer
role-playing game (RPG) in which a large number
of players interact with one another in a virtual
world. As in all RPGs, players assume the role of
a fictional character (traditionally in a fantasy
setting) and take control over most of that
character's actions. MMORPGs are distinguished
from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by
the game's persistent world, usually hosted by
the game's publisher, which continues to exist
and evolve while the player is away from the game.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
Released September 30, 1997 Developers Origin
Systems, Electronic Arts Genre MMORPG Setting
Fantasy
Ultima Online is a third-person/isometric fantasy
role-playing game set in the Ultima universe. It
is online-only and played by thousands of
simultaneous users (who pay a monthly fee) on
various game servers, also known as shards. It is
also known for its extensive timing-based player
versus player combat system. Over a million paid
accounts have been created in the game.
UO is still running and holds 1.1 of the MMORPG
market.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
Ultima Onlinewas the first MMORPG to reach the
100,000 subscriber base, far exceeding that of
any game that went before it. Since then, it has
added seven expansion packs and dozens of free
content updates, making it one of the deepest,
largest MMORPGs ever created. -Electronic Arts
press release, Aug. 24, 2006
My original UO CD (above). Artwork from the
back of the CD case. (left).
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
My first memory of UO, is watching a rl friend
playing it. She was running around chopping
wood, then selling it to other players who use it
for crafting. I remember thinking, that looks
boring as hell. Why would you want to spend all
day doing that? LOL! And then all of those hours
I mined pixel after pixel of ore, chopped pretend
trees, and gathered tiny plants and herbs. As it
turned out, I loved it.
A GM is a character who has reached Grandmaster
level (100 skill points) in a skill area. A
character can only have seven skills at a time.
More on UO skills My crafter, Morgan, did
become a 7x GM tailoring, alchemy
glassblowing, blacksmithing, lumberjacking,
carpentry masonry, tinkering, mining.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
Guilds Friends Generally, I spent the bulk of
my time playing solo (still do). However, there
are times when having a regular group of people
to play with, is advantageous. Certain tasks or
quests can be difficult or even impossible to
solo. Sometimes its just more fun to play in a
group. Although I was introduced to UO by a
friend, we didnt play together too much because
of conflicting schedules. Eventually, I met a few
nice and very helpful people in UO. I joined
their small guild and they helped me advance my
character and learn the ins and outs of the game.
They also assisted me with resources, like armor,
weapons and gold. It was especially nice to be
able to get together a group of guildies to go
gank someone who had messed with you before.
Sometimes rival gangs would plan times to meet.
Other times it was just like the old West. Some
fortunate survivor of a PVP attack would rush
into town calling for backup and a bunch of us
would ride out and hand out some justice and
sometimes get it handed back to us. It was
hectic, chaotic and a hell of a lot of fun. It
was just as real as any real game I have every
played, maybe more. Its also nice to have a
group of people you can just chat with. People
who are as crazy, obsessed with gaming as you
arepeople who just understand, without
explanation.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
Player vs. Player (PVP) When I started UO, it
was PVP everywhere, except within most city
limits. There were certain hotspots for getting
pked, or killed by another player. Regular spots
just outside of popular cities or certain
locations inside dungeons were likely places to
kill or be killed. If you want to see how intense
a game can be for a person, watch them when they
are involved in PVP. I used to get so mad and
frustrated when someone tried to kill me. I would
be out minding my own business, playing my game,
doing my thing and some jerk would spring out of
nowhere, freeze me, then nuke me to death (hit me
with a magic spell over and over). When I first
started playing UO, being killed by another
player was much harsher than it is now and also
compared to later MMORPGs. Whatever you were
carrying, on your person and in you bags was up
for the taking by the person who killed you.
After I had played the game for sometime and my
character was more advanced and had more powerful
skills, I would sometimes try to fight back when
I was attacked by a PK. My mouse hand would
shake, my heart was pounding out of my chest. If
I won, it was joyous. If I lost, it sucked.
Theres something funny (ha-ha) about linking to
a FAQ on dying. I dont know if other rl
organizations put out guides on what to expect
when you die. What I do know, is that playing in
a world with harsh consequences for death, can
inspire strong emotions. Its not just a game (I
hear ya, Kass). I sustain this parallel world
with my time, my , my energy, my emotion
more, its an integral part of my life and
identity.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
The Glorious Lady, Rhonin I began playing UO in
1998. Of all the many characters Ive created and
played, in any game, there is none other I have
enjoyed as much as, Rhonin. I came up with the
name, Rhonin, after watching the action crime
thriller, Ronin, with Robert De Niro. I added an
h to give the name a more feminine feel. This
part is la petite complicated Rhonin is my
second self. I say is because her affect on me
has transcended a pixilated extension of myself
in an online game. My experiences playing her
online, have co-mingled with other digital
experiences and still other, more corporeal
experiences. I created Rhonin. Rhonin lives in
me. The act of living portions of my life through
her, has enabled me to acquire and incorporate
characteristics, not born to me, into a
collective identity that is part flesh and blood
and part bits and pixels. I dont know exactly
how this all happened, but I understand in my gut
that it is true.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
This is NOT, 10 Steps to Love in Cyberspace I
cant explain, much less convince anyone, how
relationships formed during online gaming, can be
as meaningful as those sans-digital, without
mentioning the CAM-AM Alliance (CS). I dont
remember which of us came up with, CAN-AM (CS),
but I do remember the first time I met, Lord
Impaler. My rl friend, who had introduced me to
UO, was also a friend of Impaler. My friend was
leading an in-game event, where a bunch of
players met and were paired up for a treasure
hunt. Each team was given a list of things to
find throughout the game world. I was teamed up
with Lord Impalerfirst impression OMG! How
arrogant! Despite how infuriating and stubborn
Impaler seemed at first, we had a really good
time on the treasure hunt. From then on, we
started hanging out more and more in-game. He
had played since the game was in beta, a year or
so longer than me. So there was a lot for him to
teach me about the gameIm a terrible student,
with an awful stubborn streak, who cant be told,
anything. But he hasnt given up yet. Our best
adventures are still ahead of us.
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The First, the Ultimate Ultima Online (UO)
This is, my best friend in every medium So we
talked and talked and talked some more. I dont
understand exactly how your heart can fill up as
if its going to burst, just from hacking and
slashing monsters or merely standing around and
talking for hours, amidst the 10101101001s. One
thing I will say, it wasnt about superficial
cybering. There was none of that mess. Both of
us think its stupid, meaningless and not us.
What it may have been, was two people who
happened to find a deep connection in the safety
and anonymity of a digital space Connections
that were more elusive in traditional
situations. At some point, time and space was
more than digital and we had to readjust our
relationship to accommodate physical
considerations. We still have to do that today. I
think this is normal for all couples who come to
share rl space, regardless of where you first
meet. November 2006, Lord Impaler and Lady
Rhonin, my rl husband, Steve, and I, of the
CAN-AM Allianece (CS), will celebrate our 5th
wedding anniversary.
Till death do we PWN!
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Life After UO On the Rebound with some RvR WOW!
I dont believe, all good things must come to an
end, but for Steve and I and Ultima Online, it
was a regretful truth. As I sort through these
memories of our past game-life together, I find
words like digital and real, are wholly
inadequate. I lapse nostalgic when I remember
us in UO. In my head, I understand the time and
spaces we created within the constructs of that
game, cant be recreated. In my heart, though, I
still want to return. The fact that our
connection was forged in the digital, makes it no
less tangible than any other couple in love, who
reminisce over their meeting and falling in love.
Later, we both played and very much enjoyed,
Dark Age of Camelot. We played it for a couple of
years or so. Then there was a huge transformation
in MMORPGs, when World of Warcraft catapulted
onto the scene, in 2003 a truly breathtaking
construct. Weve both played WOW since beta and
it has been a phenomenal gaming experience, but
it doesnt even touch what we had in UO a
synergy of packets and pixels and boy meets girl.