Yes. UO was created in 1997. There were other online games to play with other people. I played on the Sierra network for years, Just read it ended right after UO began.
Sierra Online I liked their games because they all had the choice of using a
Roland MT 32 for sound. Games have never sounded as awesome as in the 80s and 90s with that, an amp, and big speakers.
The magic for me was, I logged on and did whatever I felt like doing. In the early days I just ran around and did whatever. I left because of PKs and returned after Tram was developed. When I returned I noticed I had no GM skills after all that time. I was a mish mosh of everything. I just played one character and just ran around making up stuff to do. I did no encounters, there were plenty of players to meet and help bring down an ettin or if you found a larger group a Lich. Or spend an hour dragging a 300 stone statue you found in the woods back to a bank where you could keep it.
So, Yes I could find magic in a game if I have never played a game like it before and enjoy what you are doing. Having no end to a game helps you feel the magic.
No. People play games for different reasons.
1. If the magic of UO was not from the gameplay, then you will not feel the magic again. Whatever the magic was from is gone, since it has been 25 years, that magic may have literally died.
2. If the magic was from doing new things you never did before, then after a while you have done everything in UO.
I am older now and I do not need magic.
I play games for entertainment. Maybe you have noticed that I have a coarse personality. I like to talk to others here and in the game but if you talk to me long enough I will say or do things that anger you. But, I do like to talk to other people, I just do not need to talk to the same other people so I have no skill (or maybe desire) in keeping "friends". Can't count how many times I have angered
@Cyrah. Maybe they take the bad for that small amount of good that I may provide once in a while.
Besides chatting, I still like to run around and do things, but mostly things that have an end result. Like peerless and other Boss type Mobs.
I spend time decorating my houses. I spend time collecting deco. I spend time doing nothing specific still. I do not like crafting but I do it as needed. I do like building suits, so now instead of one toon, I have many built templates and suits. I love the new Dynamic things because they give two things that I like to get. An item to make a suit better, and Deco!
Basically UO has a lot of things to do.
Each person has their own thing about UO that was magic and may still be for them.
We will see if there is still magic in UO when NL is released.