Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games

MMORPG

I remember when I was younger, when there was no internet, at least not extensively for Singapore, I was serving my NS and was stationed in Bukit Timah area between 1992-1993. There was a shopping centre nearby my camp called "Beauty World" (yeah also the name of THAT musical). They had this brand new game called Virtua Fighter 4.0. Man, this game had everything, stunning graphics (for a early 90s arcade, it was damn good), hidden moves which after a blurring twirl of the control stick and a few slams to the button console produced a unique move that will incapcitate your opponent. Awesome! I used to have a good friend back then called Jason and he would always be comparing those virtual moves to real life applications.. We would spend a lot of money playing those console games (No place else to spend money ma...that time also no girlfriend). Anyway, I couldn't keep up with the new characters and moves.. but got stuck to my old favourite Akira and made him my online persona.

Guess that was how it was back then, an online persona for my virtual games, altered-ego. Over time, there was quite a few alter-egos of mine that made it into the virtual online world. The internet being such a wonderful place..

(Have I ever mentioned, I never met my wife in real person, but only knew her through the [now defunct] Teleview?) After almost a year of chatting on the ultra,-super-slow, super-duper-retarded Teleview, we went on our first blind date.. and the rest.. was history)

Back to my games... Over the years, Dark Ages of Camelot (DAOC), Ultima Online (UO), Cabal Online, Secondlife (SL), Evony, and Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO).

Of all these mmorpgs, I love DDO the most. Most people of my generation, should remember D&D. I mean, it was so much fun back in the 80s when that was the closest to fantasy we all can have. Wizards, fighters, swords and sorcery, that nasty rogue and the beautiful princess and who can resist all that gold!!! :P Best of all, we are all lords of our world, conqueror of our enemies, best of all, we do it day after day, everyday! A few of my friends (Albert, Shawn and myself) used to gather in the foyer of the old SJI and have hours of D&D sessions... they are perhaps the best time I have in secondary school as enjoyment besides reading all the Choose your own adventure books I can find in the library. Problem was looking for like minded players, timings to get together for even an hour's game became harder and harder to find as we got busy with our real lives.. and to be honest, some of us live in our virtual world much more then others *wink.

Well, DDO has its place in my heart for many reasons, some may like it, some might scoff at it. To each their own I say... *bleah

Anyway.. if you are ever in DDO and in the server of Sarlona, post me a comment here.. It would be nice to say hi!

CJ