The only game I have the time to play is Everquest. I played it quite a bit when it was just coming out back in 1999, but I stopped playing it in 2005 and took up Eve... Then had a kid and some free time went away.. Had another and even more went away.. Had one more and now I can't even get through a 30 minute TV program without multiple interruptions.
A little video gaming history... My dad used to bring home an Emerson suitcase computer from work on the weekends and when he was not using it, he allowed me to play some Space Invaders-esque game. So at age 11 I got myself a paper route and within a year I had saved enough money to buy a Commodore 64..1982 ish. Some of my favorites on that system were Jumpman Junior, MULE, Buck Rogers, Roadwar 2000, Zork, Questron, Pirates...
And then with the advent of the personal computer I bought a 100 mhz machine with a 14.4k modem, and I remember upgrading the computer to a 133 mhz processor and thinking "OMG this is so fast!" Back in those days I spent time playing Leisure Suit Larry, Diablo, Elder Scrolls, Mech Warrior, Sim City and Transport Tycoon..
But the game I sunk the most time into was Command & Conquer.. So much so that I was ranked in the Top 50 players worldwide on Case's Ladder. Around that time I started freelance writing, getting published on Gamestats and a few other early gaming websites. Not too long after that, MMORPGs started to come out and I was instantly hooked on Ultima Online. I got into the beta program for the game in 1994 and played non-stop until the Everquest beta in 1999. I'd gotten some more articles published , writing about the craziness that takes place in online games that span timezones and language barriers.
In the mid-2000s I got a little gig writing articles for Vault Network which allowed me to play just about every MMORPG before they were commercially available. Asheron's Call, Auto Assault, Shadowbane, Matrix Online, Eve Online, Earth & Beyond, City of Heroes... There were so many. Around 2005 I got a bit burned out on fantasy MMOs and took up space MMOs instead.. Eve was the game of choice. I played it with my eldest son on my lap.. Eve was cool in that you did not need your hands on a mouse all the time.. Many tasks were automated and it was not a death sentence to leave the PC for a bit. I could leave and come back to my ship just floating in space, right where I left it.
And then marriage happened.. And two more sons... And the free time completely evaporated. I'm not complaining, the priorities just shifted.
Nowadays the gaming is had by the two older sons.. The five year old plays a World War 2 fighter pilot game called War Thunder and the oldest son plays Call of Duty on the Playsation, Minecraft or War Thunder with his little brother. I'd heard that Everquest was still churning out expansions, and upon checking I found that the game was free to play now. By current standards the graphics are dated and the playerbase has matured so nearly everyone is at the end-game with very few slowly rising up through the levels.. But once or twice a week I get an hour hear or there to log in and relive the glory days.
