Do you guys play EQ to escape?

[agentjayd007]

I'm not sure if I am making this post in the right forum. I was thinking maybe it belongs in the off topic section since it isn't about being in the game itself, but it still has to due with EQ.

My first memory of EQ wasn't actually being in the game itself. See, my mom worked with a guy who played EQ and during one of those "take your son/daughter to work for a day" things, he showed me everlore.com. I read up on all the classes and races, the cities, everything. I had to have EQ. A week later my dad and I went to the mall and we passed by FuncoLand, which eventually would become GameStop. Through one of the windows I saw EQ sitting on a shelf, it was the Kunark box art with Firiona Vie and that blue Iksar. I begged my dad to buy it and he did. Then we walked to the food court for dinner, I could hardly eat though because of how excited I was. I read that box up one side and down the other. Eventually, I got home, installed the game, and asked dad for his credit card cause it was $15 a month. He wasn't too thrilled about the game having a subscription, but he paid it anyway.

That was the first memory I made about EQ and I would make countless others as the years went by.

Things have been going pretty crappy for me for a little over a year now. It's really difficult to keep my head above water while I try and get to a better place mentally and emotionally. EQ is such a powerful thing, the immersion and the world itself is something I was amazed at when I first played at 12 years old right when Kunark came out. Here I am 20 years later and it still makes me feel that way. The sounds and the music and the look of the zones take me back. Honestly, the game has been therapeutic in a way because sometimes if I feel like just saying something out loud that I am too afraid to say in real life, I do so in game when I find a nice secluded spot to myself. Usually that place is the river in Toxxulia Forest, but if people are around, I'll find somewhere else. Like in the middle of the forest in Greater Faydark or something.

EverQuest reminds me that I can be happy. I remember how it made me feel when I was a kid. The memories help me cope with my alcoholism in a way by reminding me of life before alcohol and that self medicating with a toxic substance won't help anything. I relapsed recently and the guilt and shame I felt from it shook me to my core, but logging into EQ helps me deal with that, even when I am going through withdrawals and I can't sleep and have to force myself to eat something even though I have no appetite. I have been on the server since before P99 launched Kunark and have yet to hit max level on a character because honestly, I don't care about leveling. I made a druid to specifically be able to port around the world and go back to the same places I went to as a kid. It's an escape. I'm not sticking my head in the sand and forgetting about my problems and acting like they aren't there, I know they are. But sometimes it is just too difficult to handle at the moment, so I jump into EQ until I am ready to face the music.

This post ended up being way longer than I intended but I just wanted to say something.

[Rang]

must....resist.....urge..... to ..... post..... memes

[oqrelord]

It can be a good thing to come back here for nostalgia and comfort... it's why we're all here.

But don't use this as an escape, if it keeps you from getting past your problems.

the time you spend here should be a tiny fraction of your leisure time.

face your problems head on and focus on beneficial life activities.

Health
RL Community
Money

Get healthy, get fit, run a race, join a group
Make a lot of friends, get rejected, make other friends, have relationships
If you don't have a lot of disposable income, focus on making money.

Buying a nice car or a nice house is infinitely more satisfying then buying a fungi tunic.

Wish you all the best. Come back and say hi every now and then - then go back to grind it out in RL

[Optti]

if you want to escape reality and have fun there are much better places to do it on the internet than this dumpster fire of an everquest server... but to each their own I guess.

GL to ya

[Chortles Snort|eS]

on ALL leVeLS exCepT pHysiCal i am aN ELF

[casts Spirit of the Wolf]

[agentjayd007]

I regret posting this. How do I delete a thread I made?

[Chortles Snort|eS]

hey bud its ok

we all love everquest

hang in there

[Evia]

Nah man I relate to what you’re saying. Norrath has been there for me through a lot of shitty experiences IRL, and I’ve definitely used it to escape before.

[Whyt]

Don't regret posting this - it was obviously on your mind and you are reaching out for comfort. The hard times you are going through will pass, but, the only one that can make that happen is yourself. It's not going to be easy nor will it be fun. It's going to take lots of patience, perseverance, and self-awareness. I understand the immersion and the nostalgia of Everquest but have you ever thought that maybe you are ping-ponging between addictions?

I love this game, I really do... but ive found ive grown to love the nostalgia even more... and the funny thing about that is i'll never find those same feelings at 34 that my 14 year old self had when first playing EQ... ... these days I get myself excited to play and then I log on to project 1999 and find that its the same ole same ole, within 30 minutes.. I log off and go about my life as usual. I know too much about the game now.... the mystery just isn't there anymore. Everyone has everything figured out.

I believe you will get through whatever is troubling you - but I would also not hesitate to seek professional help - we only get one life my friend - don't waste it on regret - like our characters in EQ - its time to level YOURSELF up. Good luck to you agentjayd007!

[tranceminus]

I played P99 for a solid 8-9 months until earlier this year. I relate to a lot of what you said.

I originally played when I was 13, and the last few years of my life were extremely stressful as my business slowly slid downhill and eventually imploded. I was drinking heavily and playing EQ every day as a way to feel happiness and escape the stress, and logging in for me also does bring back all the positive feelings I had associated with EQ from when I was a child.

I quit a few months ago because EQ had turned into a legitimate addiction. I was logged in every spare minute I had in the day, and found myself neglecting my gf and other responsibilities to do so.

From getting to know people IG during that time, I’d say a large percentage of people on this server play for similar reasons.

I wish you the best with whatever you’re struggling with, nothing lasts forever, not even the shitty periods in life.