What has it cost you? The Pixel fixation.

[fastboy21]

EQ is a dark master with the power to ruin lives quite easily.

I know I've watched back around 2001 several real life friends lose jobs, fail out of school, lose friends...all so that they could order their lives in a way that allowed them to play EQ every day. I don't think it is all that rare.

EQ personally caused a great deal of stress in my personal relationships.

It is a hobby that few people outside of the gaming world understand, and they subsequently have little patience for those caught up in it. There were times when I felt (in hindsight, I certainly don't envy anyone with real chemical addiction) that it would have been easier to explain to folks that I was an alcoholic or drug addict then to explain that my work performance was suffering from late nights spent raiding in a video game.

[Dac321]

Interesting experiences.

Seems like a lot of people used the game as a crutch, but on the same token used it as an excuse.

I get anxious if I don't play. I've been on an on and off relationship with P99 for the last 2 years, and I can't seem to part ways. I will always be around some form of EQ.

I am addicted to EverQuest's nostalgia, not just because it's a good game, but also because life seemed to be much simpler for me. Life didn't seem to be moving 150MPH in 2000.

[Taeoz]

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).

[webrunner5]

Something else to add to you younger guys and not so young. I am 68 years old and have been playing this game non stop since early 2000.

I now have Corporal Tunnel Syndrome in each of my hands. And I can almost guarantee most of it has come from playing EQ through the years, Bards and all. I have switched over to both a ergonomic keyboard and mouse. Seems to be helping some.

I would suggest you guys do also before it is too late. I am sure it does help in the long run to have them. The pain in my hands, numbness in my fingers, pain in my bones in my arms at night is a bitch I can tell you. Do your self a favor and save yourself from having what I got, and others have, from playing this game hours on end. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Dillian]

your name david by chance webrunner?

[Oooruk]

I think it has benefited me way more than it cost me.

I started playing EQ at 11, then moved to DAoC at 12 and WoW at 15. When I played, everyone I played with and was friends with was college age or older so I had to act a lot more mature than I was at the time. I remember being terrified of people finding out how young I was.

The benefits (for me at least) include:

-Typing speed and ability - so glad I learned this at a young age

-Learning how to use computers. Again, so glad I learned how to do this at a young age. My friend and I tried to program a D2 MF bot at 14, it never ended up working but was a great experience.

-Leadership and conflict resolution skills. This might sound funny but for DAoC and WoW I was part of a core group that dominated each server. This meant running raids, running PvP groups, working on strats, sifting through data to min/max etc. As well as dealing with all the bullshit that comes up between people in these enivornments.

-The value of hardwork. IE if you want to be the best, be prepared to dedicate 60+ hours a week. This came in handy during university and work.

I mean, I basically did no school work from the ages of 11 to 17 but school is easy enough for me that all I had to do was show up and I could pass. My hockey performance dropped dramatically, but I would never have made it pro anyway, so no big loss.

Fast forwarded to the last 3 years... I graduate uni in 2012 at 22 with honors near the top of my class, got a job working on the other side of the world (moved from Canada to Australia) and am making almost 6 figures a year. Basically i have the world at my finger tips and play this when i have the time. Life is good.

Oooruk - 51 shaman, blue
Aten - 43 enchanter, red

[Dillian]

nvm i think he's older then 68.

[blondeattk]

I spent 5 years on benefits, supporting my EQ habit.

THen on good friday 2005, my 16 year old dog, finally died of a heart attack, and I was free to go travelling in eastern europe on a debt fuelled search for Mrs X.

It was a fun ride, but now all i have are my memories, penelope(a large white teddy bear) p99, and my career in the gov artistry dept.....between me and the void of insanity. [and curvature of the spine]

Eq is a double edged swrd, both a curse and a blessing.

[curtischoy]

I don't think that it has hindered me personally at all, but it did serious damage to one of my RL friends that I used to play live with. (You can blame this on EQ or maybe it would have just happened anyways, who knows)

He started taking pills to keep you awake (i don't think Aderol was a drug yet) so that he could camp stuff late at night and this lead to coke which then lead to meth. He became heavily addicted and got a "girl friend", some chick that he was able to fuck because he could support her meth addiction. She convinced him to move to Florida and about 6 months after that he ran out of money and she didnt need him anymore. So she had some of her friends beat him and rob him of everything except his phone and his car. He sold his phone quickly for meth money and was living in his car. He then sold his car for meth money and was living on the streets. 2 months of living on the streets and he called his brother to wire him money so that he could take a bus home. Not surprisingly, he spent it on meth. He called his brother again for more money to take the bus and his bro told him that if he didn't use the money to come home that he would never speak to him again. Amazingly he took the bus home and went to rehab and was clean for two years. Then he got back into it and I haven't spoken to him since. That was 10 years ago.

[Sixpence]

There are some real gems coming through on this, it's reassuring to see that positives' also happened from our Pixel fix.