Parviz Torabi-Marashi

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EverQuest Development

EverQuest(EQ) is one of the most popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) mainly due to its 3D offerings. It was developed as a concept by John Smedley in 1996. Although later in 1999 was developed by Sony's subsidiaries (989 Studios and Verant Intractive), but originally designed by Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. Like many other games that derived for text based games, EQ also is derived from Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) games. Players have 16 race options to choose their character from, like humans, elves, and trolls. Also they choose their character occupation known as "class" in the game, it could be wizard, ranger, or cleric. By using their character, players could explore Norrath, a fantasy world, and by fighting enemies, they can earn treasures and experience points.

Author's Main Argument

Author of Past-Time: Re-Encontering EverQuest has a very unique point of view. She has identified a common complaint among players about craving good-old-days in MMO games when the games where not giving you as many options as today. She also has brought up an example of Sony's initiative to give an option to players in order to be able to play in the past and old versions. But she argues that even though it suppose to be older version of EverQuest, its graphical updates and some of the features have been changed compared to the older versions, in other words, recreating past. But in her opinion, Sony fails to recreate the past because it is impossible.

In order to prove her claim, author brings two reasons. First, she argues that because we have played the game before, it would not be the same feelings, sense of wonder, or primary encounter anymore. Second, by playing and experiencing more up-to-date versions of variety of games, we have been evolving and our experience is different, so when we encounter with the game again, it is kind of new game because we are not the same person with the same level of experience as we were several years ago.

Social and Cultural Importance

Complaint about good-old-days is common in all aspects of life all the time. Always one can find some who would rather live in the past and do not deal with today's complicated world. As technology progress very fast, this gap becomes wider and wider, and some continue to complain more and more. This is part of the evolution and it is almost impossible to try to slow it down or reverse the process, one should adopt as much and as quick as possible in order to survive in this world. But one could ignore the change, because as so nicely Dr. Deming said "It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."

Although Sony with all its capabilities wanted to address this issue in the virtual world and in its game which it has been developing for last 12 years, based on the author's argument failed to succeed mainly due to the fact that we are evolving so fast and our expectations are changing rapidly and almost unconsciouly.

Comments

Post did not generate any debate but kind of sympathy and author's argument verification. The first commentor, Allison Hill, has found the post very interesting and author has opened a new door for her to look at this form different angel that she hadn't thought before. She verifies author's argument about new experience in an old game due to our change itself.

The other commentor, Briannem, found this an stereotype like when you re-read your favorite book from childhood and understand meanings that you wouldn't know otherwise have not read it again.

And the last commentor, Tom, a bit different than other two, argues that any change in the game, would make someone kind of dissapointed, like the elimination of the corpse run by Sony in the latest old version.

Controversies

There are some controversies around EQ. In-game objects have been trading for real money on websites such as ebay.This practice could go to the extreme by one exchanging his/her house for these kind of objects.

There are serious addiction problems that some people called the game "NeverRest" or "EverCrack".

Works Cited