Quote:
Originally Posted by Danth
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It's less about competition--I've never seen a losing side say they love competition--so much as it's about the feeling of "winning" something and having control over one's virtual life. I know many (hundreds, at this point) of the top-end players who've come and gone pretty well after going on 13 years here. The large majority are exactly what you'd expect--drug addicts, mentally ill, drunkards, forever-aloner's, divorcees, a few high-functioning mentally challenged, under- or unemployed, layoffs, the occasional retiree, a smattering of college students, and generally people who's real lives are trainwrecks or at least incomplete/missing something in some fashion. In many cases they desperately need EQ because it's a refuge and it's the only bright spot they have. So I'm okay with letting them have it, they need it more than I do. I won't name names since I do actually like quite a few of these people, and for a *lot* of them P99 was a transitory thing and they later pulled their lives together. I'm not going to kick a man for being down at some point because most of us go through hard times sooner or later.
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Well said!
I am also sympathetic to a lot of these issues. The last couple of years especially have been extremely difficult for a lot of people. It's understandable to want a bit of an escape. I'm never going to judge anyone for "no-lifing" EQ. If there is a safe space for obsessive EQ nerdery, these communities should be it IMO. But I do think that P99's community is really, really selling EQemu short. Not so much because the devs (seemingly) want to keep their database + code changes private and closed sourced. More so because there is almost a Stockholm Syndrome here where people are firmly fixed that this is the one, true way to (properly) play EQ. And the project's longevity and popularity has made it to where a lot of people are starting to associate that P99
is 'Classic EQ.'
So while I'm happy to let them "have" their server, I'm a little resentful of their broader claims to the franchise and/or community. My experience with EQ has ran from 2000-2001 & then 2020-now, so I have the nostalgic hook but there is a lot to EQ that I've never seen. I think a lot of people like me are drawn into P99 - Live is so overwhelming and intimidating - and although P99 can be fun, it doesn't have to be the end all be all. You can enjoy EverQuest without having to dedicate your life to it and you do not
have to play on an overcrowded server with a greedy culture and limited content. Even if you're chasing the classic EQ dragon
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