People are always saying " oh EQ is addictive" or " EQ is the thing that ruined our family". But While EQ did have some times in my life that it made stuff rough , it did help me with some things, so after i list mine, why not list the reasons EQ bettered your life to?
1.) It made me social.
I was born a rather antisocial type. School wasn't any better. From preschool til 9th grade, it was tough to understand , and process how to talk to people and not struggle with it! Being Autistic it was easy at age 9, to pick up Everquest at the store as my 10th birthday gift, and begin a new adventure, because in this world, i could start over with people. and Truly begin to learn and understand how the world really is. and Not some fantasy where its bubblegum and candy and people sugarcoat things, but people in Everquest, are real people, with their own lives, and they speak the truth!
Because of the 11 yrs i played, ive learned how to type better, speak better, and even become friends with people. Because i know how to interact. Everquest requires you, at some point in leveling , at least back in the day. To go get a group, and fight in zones for gear and levels. Obviously it would be boring if nobody spoke to anyone during the group. you learn alot during the hour-3 hours your in a group in a deep dark dungeon. its fun to learn new things, and its often how you make more friends, and even possibly Lifelong ones.
2.) It matured me as a person. I was often not one to accept responsibility, until Everquest came along. Everquest Guilds were like family to me. Having a small RL family, i could relate to those guild officers , or the Guild leader , who worked to much to better the guild, to support his/her family.
I was a Guild leader at some point growing up, its defiantly not easy. I was a officer for long time, and when your a Officer, you have to confront some who are not being good players, who are training zones, or just saying bad things to other guilds, putting them down.
EQ helped me to see that i had to step up, and be a mature person. so i could set them down and make them see, its not worth fighting over, we are in fact , enjoying a game right?
3.) Taught me grammar and typing. On the academic side of things, I did stink at grammar and typing for along time. One of those things you learn in EQ fast, you Cant take ten minutes to reply to somebody, specially when your in a raid or fighting a monster.
These skills improved in my 2-3 year of playing EQ, and i got high english scores in school for my typed reports, and speechs given. Most often about my Favorite Game, Everquest!I often wrote things about Everquest, and how although many of us struggle in our lives, we all find a common place, and its on this awesome game.
Where we can set our differences and issues aside, and become friends with somebody that might be on other side of the world, but when you sit down and log in, and your in this new world, it becomes like your second reality, and truly can benefit a lot of people.
Teachers knew, and actually found it interesting , of how strong my interest really was, and my grades soared from there.
Yes the downside to EQ, some of my Real social life, did spiral downwards, i lost some friends, made others. I didn't go to Prom, i dropped out of High school.
But i never stopped playing forever. Its like home, and it has saved me, from being told i wont make it in life. It gives me goals, and quests. And great rewards when you take the time to do them!
I truly wouldn't trade these years for anything in the world, How has Everquest benefited your life?
