Memorable Gaming Moment 2000: EverQuest

EverQuest may not have been released in 2000, but it was the first time I had a computer that was able to run it. I had heard a lot about this MMO, and having played Ultima Online, I wanted to give this 3D MMO a shot. Sarah, who I was married to at the time, had bought me the game and a graphics card capable of running the game. It took a little bit to get used to how this type of MMO worked. My first character was a Dwarven Cleric. I thought he was a powerhouse as he tore through the evil rat hoard outside his hometown. Sarah started watching me play and she became very interested as well.

We soon decided that our one computer household was going to need a second computer. In those days, broadband internet was non-existent and the dial-up companies eagerly wanted your money. MSN offered a $400 credit at Circuit City if you signed up for three years of service. A little more cash and we had another computer with the ability to run EverQuest, including the ever important internet. For six months, we played nothing but EverQuest. When we came home from work; we ventured online. On the weekends, if we were not sleeping or doing “other things”, we were playing EverQuest.

We eventually started our own guild, “The Legion of Truth”, and it even had a website. We met tons of great people during our time in EverQuest. On the morning of December 16^th, 2000, I got up early while my wife was asleep. I logged onto EverQuest, ate a bowl of cereal and started to play a little. There was a huge banging on my door. I figured it must have been someone at the wrong apartment. The knocking continued so I eventually checked to see who was at the door. I was shocked to see my best friend outside.

“You need to come with me. Something is wrong at your parent's house.” He yelled at me; I almost left without shoes on. I yelled at my wife to get up and told her we had to go. Ben drove us and did not tell me what was going on. He only said my mom was upset and she could not get a hold of me because the phone was busy. When I got to the house, I found out my dad had passed away in his sleep during the middle of the night. How long would it have taken me to find out if Ben had not come to get me? We had no voicemail and my mom did not have the second number, nor did she drive.

It was the first time I sat down since I started EverQuest and realized that I was letting a game have too much control over me. Soon, I came to the conclusion that EverQuest was not worth it. I was upset with myself for not being there when my mom needed me and my heart was no longer in Norrath. There were a lot of things I will remember about EverQuest. Crossing the continent by myself for the first time; staying up all night to wait for a spawn to drop its special loot; printing out a binder of every map in the game world so we would have it handy; and spending a lot of time with someone I loved. But in the end, I think I will always think of my dad and how he died; and the fact that I was not there because of EverQuest.