My school performance did suffer a bit, but in the long run the effect has been negligible. EQ really helped me form my current personality though - I've always been an introvert and I still am, but back then I really hated going outside and socializing with people. Back in '99 I was still in middle school, but I felt more mature than my age - so I ended up with a guild that had people mostly in their late 20s and upwards. Tons of couples. So to fit in, I had to act like I was their peer - and since I had free reign to re-imagine myself, I came up with a more outgoing and fun personality.
Once I was done with EQ and had to venture outside to the real world, I realized that the "fake" personality I had created had spilled over. I found I was more confident in social situations, hell, I even surprised myself by flirting with a co-worker and had fun doing it. That really was the moment that caused me to look back and wonder what had changed and recognizing that my interactions in EQ during '99-'05 really changed the way I behaved and felt when dealing with other people.
The benefits to my English vocabulary and spelling were also tremendous, since I was using it constantly to converse with other people (English is my second language).
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