Welcome to Norrath

[Synthania]

Welcome to Norrath!

There is a place where fantasy becomes reality. People from around the world log onto their computers and sit in front of the screen for several hours a day. Many people have been doing this consistently for years. I am talking about the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) known as Everquest.

Why is this compilation of computer graphics so incredibly addicting, you ask? What is so special about this game that has kept it so popular for all of the years it has been on the market? The answer to both of these questions is: This game has something for everyone.

When someone logs on, they can choose to do any of the hundreds of different things this game has to offer. He or she could choose to chat with friends, go and hunt for experience to improve the character’s level, or even go fishing. If none of this sounds good, you could choose to work on trade-skills such as baking, blacksmithing, jewelling, and a number of others. This does not even put a dent in the list of things that can be done in Everquest.

Perhaps the most addicting feature of the game is the social aspect. Every person I talked to while gathering information mentioned, in some form or another, that they love meeting new people, talking about their latest raid encounter, forming a hunting group with other members of their guild, or even talking to people who live overseas. Most of what makes Everquest fun is interaction with other adventurers like oneself. Anyone who enjoys talking to the neighbors or getting together with friends could potentially have a very good experience in the land of Norrath (the world in which Everquest takes place).

Another thing that adds to the fun of social interaction in the game is finding the right guild. A guild is a large number of people who are associated with each other and are grouped together by a tag under their characters’ names, which tells everyone to which guild they belong. Guilds have a private chat-room for the members to talk to each other. There are a huge amount of guilds, each containing members that feel they have something in common with each other. It may sometimes be difficult to find a guild you can relate to. But 9 times out of 10, when you do find one, you will have a much better time during playing time than if you try and relate to people you know nothing about at all.

There are some guilds devoted to role-playing, which is acting out your characters race and class personality. For instance, if your character happens to be a troll, then to role-play, you would have to misspell all of your words, and act mean to characters of more friendly races, such as halflings. Role-playing is more common on some servers than others, but it is a crucial part of the fun for many people.

Now and then, you may hear the argument that Everquest is a sign of the devil, because of all the hate that people act out with their characters toward races with opposing beliefs. First of all, let me point out that Sony, the company that created Everquest, is strongly opposed to any in-game references to the devil, or anything else that is offensive to other people that may be playing. Many things have been done by Sony to help prevent such matters from taking place. For instance, people are not allowed to name characters things like Devil, or Satan, or anything that is inappropriate.

There are also people called Game Masters (GMs), who constantly on duty on every server and have the power to punish misconduct in any way they feel appropriate. All someone needs to do is contact a GM to have a person dealt with. GMs have been known to give warnings, suspend, and even ban people from playing the game ever again if the situation becomes serious enough.

People acting out a characters hate toward others is part of the game for some people. It is, for the most part, not meant to be offensive. People like to pretend that they are the character, not the person sitting at the computer. For this reason, everyone who plays Everquest understands that role-playing is nothing more than harmless fun. It may even help add to someone’s experience, encountering a particularly rude ogre.

Everquest also gives people the unique opportunity to re-invent themselves. They can select a character with characteristics that they wish they had. An enormous man could choose to be a raging barbarian, or a cute little gnome. Nobody online will know the difference.

People might say that “re-inventing” yourself is encouraging people to be someone they are not. Is that what this game is trying to promote? People should face reality and accept who they are.

I completely disagree with this. Seeing what it is like to live the life of a hero is a huge part of fantasy games. If you take that away from the game, what is the point in playing it? It would be no different than a chat-room or real-life interaction. It is all part of the fun of the game. This is not encouraging people to develop false images of them self; it allows them a chance to live out a fantasy.

Some worried friends or family members of a person who is hooked on Everquest may argue that the game is too addicting. Maybe they will point out that the game is too involved, or that there are too many options to keep people from getting bored. Of course there are plenty of options available! That is the focus of this essay.

However, I might point out how much worse T.V. is than Everquest could ever be. In the average home, one T.V. is on more than 7 hours a day. By the age of 6, the average child has watched more than 5,000 hours of T.V. The average 18 year old has watched 19,000 hours of T.V. Think about those statistics before you point fingers at Sony.

I will admit that I am hooked on Everquest. I play the game an average of 4 hours or more, daily. I even had to be logged on the entire time I wrote his essay, just to see if anyone had anything they wanted to say to me. And like most other players, I love the variety of options available to me. In fact, my main character, a level 56 druid named Fazio, has recently become engaged to a level 52 paladin named Maolini, belonging to a very sweet girl that I adore. We would never have become friends if we had not become hooked on Everquest.

For years people have been addicted to Everquest. This happens for a number of reasons. It is great entertainment that you can experience with your friends and people you meet during your expeditions. There are so many enjoyable things to do; it is no wonder that people don’t get bored of the game, even after years of playing. Try it out for yourself. You might just find a new hobby. Let me be the first to say “Welcome to Norrath!”

This was posted by Synthania but all credit goes to Fazio

[Fazio]

Thanks for posting it Synth! If anyone reads this and feels like commenting or questioning or whatever, I would love to hear what you have to say. However, please don't mention that I have ended a few sentences in a preposition. I know I did, but keep in mind this was only meant to be my rough draft.

I hope you all like it

[Altarial]

Sounds great Reminds me of the paper I wrote about EQ for my sociology class. I've never posted this essay before, but you've inspired me. I wrote this from the perspective of a lvl 19 Necro on a PVP server, so some of it may be different to those who have never been on a PVP server. I hope you enjoy it!

EverQuest: Be The Game

Greetings, traveler, my name is Sukmeais and I am nineteen years old. Once I reach age twenty, I will choose a last name. The world in which I live is called Norrath, and I am from the area known as Neriak. I pray to the god, Innoruuk, and as a follower of Innoruuk, I believe in spreading hate, having no loyalties among other followers, and that all that is good is weak. I am from the Dark Elf race and practice the art of necromancy. By being in the class of necromancers I am able to animate the dead and have skeletons do my bidding. I am also able to leach life from enemies, which greatly helps me during battle. Being a Dark Elf can be hard at times, considering that very few other races get along with my kind. We are constantly fighting Barbarians, Erudites, Half Elves, High Elves, Humans, Iksars (lizardmen), and Wood Elves. Occasionally we will be aided by a Troll or Ogre, but only in the toughest of times or if a donation is given. I am currently bound in the land of The Overthere, which is on the continent of Kunark. I am quite content with the prey here, which are mainly Sabertooth Tigers and Kunark Rhinos...

This may seem very strange to someone who has never played EverQuest, but it is rather normal to those who have grown accustomed to this game. Many people in the game even speak about EverQuest as being a way of life. EverQuest contains its own norms, values, beliefs, customs, language, and other aspects which make it as much as a subculture as the Amish or the mafia. Once in the game, the player is immersed in a totally different culture and must pay close attention to the other players to understand what is accepted and what is frowned upon. I remember it being very difficult initially getting started in the game, but I got hooked as soon as I had learned the basic game play and purpose. EverQuest really has become its own subculture, therefore making it into a way of life.

There are many important norms to keep in mind when playing EverQuest. Some of the most argued over norms deal with a player's corpse. When a player is killed, their corpse remains at that spot, and they start over again at the place where they are bound. The player must then make his or her way back to his or her corpse in order to loot it, meaning get all of their equipment and money off the corpse. This place could be up to thirty minutes (real time) away and is a real hassle at times. Some terms that apply to this case are "corpse camping" and "looting and scooting". It is "illegal" to corpse camp, which means that if another player was the one who had done the killing, they cannot wait at the other player's corpse for them to return. It is not fair to finally return to a corpse and be instantly killed again. This also allows the other player to loot and scoot, which means that they loot their corpse and leave that area for an hour. If someone is caught corpse camping, they will be reported to the GM's (the real people who monitor the game to make sure everything is running smoothly) and their name will be broadcast to all the players, letting them know what a scumbag they are.

Another norm is to always help out your own race. If a player sees another player (of their own race) who needs help, it is common courtesy to lend a hand, whether it is in battle or a money issue. However, it is always polite to ask if the other player needs help before just jumping in and fighting. When a player kills a NPC (Non Player Character - meaning not a real person is playing that character) they gain experience points, which help them get to the next level. If someone keeps jumping in and stealing their kills, then they do not get this precious experience and some people get very angry.

It is also always frowned upon to kill another player while they are A.F.K. (Away From Keyboard). If a player has to go to the bathroom or has to leave the computer for any reason at all, they have the option of making their character A.F.K., which lets all other players know that character is not really there. Occasionally someone will find a character in A.F.K. mode and will attack the defenseless being. Most of the arguments in the game deal with this "cheap kill". It is also considered cheap when another player kills someone after he or she has been fighting something else and his or her HP (Health Points) and Mana (Magic) is very low. Some players go around especially looking for these moments and attack this already weakened player. There is no pride in such a thing, but some still do it. The odd thing is that when a real person kills another real person, they get no experience, so really the only reason is just to inconvenience the other player or to take over their territory.

Each race also has its own belief system that has to do with which god created which race. At the beginning of the game, one can choose from eighteen different gods to follow according to one's race and class, each with their own beliefs. There is a long, drawn out history of what gods made what race, but I will just focus on my race - Dark Elves. The god who created Dark Elves is known as Innoruuk, The Prince of Hate. He was angry because he was not included in a pact made between four other gods. From this anger he took the first Elven King and Queen and slowly tore them apart, physically and mentally, over the course of three hundred years. After this brutal torture, he rebuilt them in his own sadistic image and they were knows as Dark Elves. Dark Elves are generally hated by all other races, except for a few, and are thought to only bring destruction - which, if everything goes right, they normally do. There are a lot of historical aspects in EverQuest, whether it is the origin of the animosities between races (begun by the gods which created them) or the ruins of ancient buildings and statues scattered throughout the world.

There are some common values in EverQuest as well. For instance, one is considered to be a very generous person if he or she gives Newbies (new players) or other needy characters money or items. Because of this bond these characters now share, they will most likely become friends and help each other out from time to time. Getting to a high enough level to be able to fight all alone gives a player a sense of pride and accomplishment. It may take days to just gain a single level, so patience is also valued. Not all players contain these same values and this is what leads to many of the arguments and animosities in the game.

As with many other subcultures, EverQuest has acquired its own language of sorts. Many of the players use abbreviations, since this allows them to type faster and continue game play. It is not very fun to spend all the time typing and not playing. Some of the abbreviations that are not just used in EverQuest are: brb (be right back), afk (away from keyboard), and lol (laughing out loud). A few abbreviations used specifically in the game are: lfg (looking for group - in order to join with other players to kill higher level monsters), cr (corpse run - what a person does after they are killed and are on their way back to find their corpse and loot it), and inc (incoming - which a player will say to the other players in his or her group, so that they know a monster is coming). There are also some words that are used in EverQuest, which are unique only to this game. When someone is excited about something and wants to express their joy, they shout "woot," which just makes no sense at all. As soon as a player reaches a new level, they shout, "ding," which is instantly followed by "gratz" from other players, congratulating them on gaining a new level. Shouting, "ding" does make a little more sense, since when a player reaches a new level the computer makes a ding sort of noise. However, it is something, which still seems to be for only those who are so into the game that it has become their reality.

There are not a whole lot of customs in the game, since there are so many different races in the games and many of them conflict with each other. The only customs, which come to mind, are that one always goes to the bank to put his or her money away or to put burdensome items away for later use. It is also customary to only fight and visit certain areas, which welcome a player's certain race. Many races share the same view of the world, except for the Iksars, since they have no allies at all. Every player is wary of other races, and if it is known that a player of another race is nearby, most players will try to avoid him or her unless they want to fight. The world of Norrath is very chaotic and it is very important to know where one belongs.

An interesting part of EverQuest is the ability to make gestures. Gestures are an important part of any subculture in that they enable members to communicate without speaking. There are five main gestures available in EverQuest: to make a rude gesture (basically giving "the bird"), to wave (hello or goodbye to a friend), to hang one's head in sorrow (after a group member has been slain), to cheer (after a victory), and to tap one's foot impatiently (which a player will do if another group member is taking too long to get ready). These gestures are actually visible and many players use them all the time.

There are many symbols in EverQuest. For instance, statues signify the race of a particular area. Kunark, a place inhabited by the Iksars (lizardmen), has a giant statue of an Iksar in the middle of one of the areas. Also, certain metals symbolize different denominations of currency (1 Platinum = 10 Gold = 100 Silver = 1000 Copper). The kind of weapon a person uses symbolizes his or her level, status, and class. It is very important to learn about different types of weapons early on, just in case one needs to find a person of a certain class quickly (such as a Cleric for healing).

Status, in Everquest, is based on race, class, and level. Every race hates the Iksars and most hate the Dark Elves, so they have the lowest status no matter what. Being a Dark Elf Necromancer is even worse, since they are thought to be twice as evil. However, this can also be seen as a good thing, since most other races will stay away from them because they are so feared. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Depending on what one kills and what god one follows, his or her faction standing with a certain city, race, or NPC (Non Player Character) will go up or down. For example, even if a certain city welcomes Dark Elves, if a Dark Elf has been fighting mainly in an area that is an enemy to that city, the guards will attack them if they try to enter. Knowing the status of an enemy can be very important when considering if one should fight or not.

EverQuest is such an involved game and it would be impossible to explain every detail. Before I started playing EverQuest, my friends would get together and talk about it as if it was real. I used to think they were crazy, until I started playing. After reading over what I just wrote, I can easily see how this game has become so popular and has developed into a world of its own. There is a sense of unity in the game in that everyone has a common goal - to kill the opposition - and that if someone says "woot" or "ding" everyone knows what they mean. I think that the most important factor when considering a certain subculture is that everyone feels as if they belong. Since they are the minority of the larger culture anyway, they must learn to band together and create their own way of life. I believe that EverQuest, all though only a game, has accomplished this and has helped people learn to fit in with larger groups who do not necessarily all share the same points of view.

[Krislor]

Wow, very inspiring. Thank you for your time and thought you put into your essay's. Great Job.....

Krislor

[Rebma]

WoW...great job to both of you...I so enjoy reading non-complaints! Keep the fun stuff coming!

[Fazio]

Ohhhhhh.... Thank you for the replies . That is an excellent essay in the first person point of view of a character. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[Bitteliten]

Yea, GREAT essay!

Trying to explain what EQ are to a NPP (no playing person) really is quite hard.

[novawop]

God, It makes me want to buy everquest and make a character. Hey wait a second, I do play everquest. never mind.

Good info in both "essay" wish i could write like that. hell i wish i could spell or maybe read. LOL

[Balandar]

Shoot! Guess I will not be able to talk any of you into playing SWG on the side, eh?

http://www.thehonorempire.org/gallery/SWG

[Lolanya1]

Anyone have Cliff's notes on the above manifesto's?

[Fazio]

If you all want, I could probably write a follow up to this or something.

Or, if I get requests, I have plenty of other pretty good essays and stuff I could post. But, none of you would be interested in that would you?

I just made that Avatar. Took me a long time to figure out how to get an image I made to work though