Yeah EQ had it nailed. If people were dicks, you knew they were a dick - it wasn't like they could easily just hop on a level 50 alt back in the early years if you were a dedicated player because it took so long to level and advance. If you were in a group, you were in that group for hours on end and it really was a social media chat experience getting to know folks. If you were a fuck up, word got out fast within specific level dungeon ranges. IE: Lower Guk, Seb, etc. Or even a guild tag would scream out sometimes, "This guy is a raging fucking retard if he or she is in that guild".
That is really the part, and timing of EQ, that will never be able to be replicated ever again. It was a game with clear addictive goals, but also a social media platform with specific people and their avatars and character names and reputation followed along with it.
I still to this day remember people on the Mith Marr server that I liked playing with and were super cool. I even became RL friends with one that I still play games with 26 years later.
Oh god, I remember the Chinese guild on my server, Dragons of Asia. I KS You hahaha laaa~~~~
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