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Emotional UO - Did UO ever help you get through rough times?

Phantasmagorian

Seasoned Veteran
I was pretty depressed at 14-15 when I first played it in 1997. I have since reached back for it in hard times, I noticed. It brings me peace. I also fear it's partly misguided nostalgia. Reaching back to a past that cannot be reached. A time that cannot be replicated. Having said those rather heavy words, I enjoy being back. Has UO gotten you through times? What was going on? How did it help? Does it still?
 

Captn Norrington

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Yes, it did.

Without trying to go into too much detail about it... I started playing UO at the very beginning as a teenager, and did not have the greatest of childhoods. I essentially was not allowed to have friends and any I did manage to find were quickly scared away by my mother on purpose. No one wants to be friends with the kid who has an insane parent, so I just gave up looking for friends at some point and spent most of my time after school by myself.

UO gave me a way to socialize with people whenever I wanted to, and build friendships in the game. It was very nice to have friends that could not be scared away as previous ones had been, and UO was my entire social life for a few years before I left home and went to college.

I think that is the main reason I never left honestly, I knew my UO friends better than my real life friends even as an adult.

To me, these days playing UO and by extension using Stratics is like visiting childhood friends, plus new friends, whenever I want to. Being able to talk about real world concerns or problems with trusted friends is still helpful as well.
 

Marquis de Sade 209

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I started playing at 22 years old and right after I got married in June of 1998. I remember playing on dialup with 1 phone line and my wife's friend Misha always calling and disconnecting me when I was in a dungeon. She still has very bad timing :p Luckily we paid $10 a month to the phone company for a second line shortly thereafter. My wife used to call UO my mistress our first few years of marriage lol. We are still married so she must not have been too pissed off.Over the years UO has been a great stress reliever and has been a nice escape from the real world. Even with all of it's faults it is still and will always be my favorite MMO.
 

Marquis de Sade 209

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Yes, it did.

Without trying to go into too much detail about it... I started playing UO at the very beginning as a teenager, and did not have the greatest of childhoods. I essentially was not allowed to have friends and any I did manage to find were quickly scared away by my mother on purpose. No one wants to be friends with the kid who has an insane parent, so I just gave up looking for friends at some point and spent most of my time after school by myself.

UO gave me a way to socialize with people whenever I wanted to, and build friendships in the game. It was very nice to have friends that could not be scared away as previous ones had been, and UO was my entire social life for a few years before I left home and went to college.

I think that is the main reason I never left honestly, I knew my UO friends better than my real life friends even as an adult.

To me, these days playing UO and by extension using Stratics is like visiting childhood friends, plus new friends, whenever I want to. Being able to talk about real world concerns or problems with trusted friends is still helpful as well.
I understand having an insane parent as my mother was a narcissist.
 

MalagAste

Belaern d'Zhaunil
Alumni
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I started UO in 1999 I think it was... anyway Single parent trying to raise 2 kids alone it was my "contact" with other adults most the time...

Helped me through losing both of my parents... and many other trials and tribulations...
 

Slayvite

Crazed Zealot
Supporter
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Stratics Legend
No, but it sure as hell caused some. :D
Back when it was fresh and new, it cost me 2 separate jobs, a few gf's and then the best was 1 fiancee :D
i had a problem back then.......
Now i'm single again (nothing to do with UO) but i love it now. All the money i can handle, my own place with sooo many gadgets and can do what i want, when i want. ;)
Marriage is vastly over-rated. lol
 

MalagAste

Belaern d'Zhaunil
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No, but it sure as hell caused some. :D
Back when it was fresh and new, it cost me 2 separate jobs, a few gf's and then the best was 1 fiancee :D
i had a problem back then.......
Now i'm single again (nothing to do with UO) but i love it now. All the money i can handle, my own place with sooo many gadgets and can do what i want, when i want. ;)
Marriage is vastly over-rated. lol
I totally agree... I had one friend in UO who quit playing because his wife was rather jealous of UO... he came back for one of the trials awhile back and said something to the effect of "Oh crap I gotta go and delete this off my PC before the wife gets home if she saw UO on here my marriage would be finished."
 

Fridgster

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
No, but it sure as hell caused some. :D
Back when it was fresh and new, it cost me 2 separate jobs, a few gf's and then the best was 1 fiancee :D
i had a problem back then.......
Now i'm single again (nothing to do with UO) but i love it now. All the money i can handle, my own place with sooo many gadgets and can do what i want, when i want. ;)
Marriage is vastly over-rated. lol
Yeap pretty much the same here :)
And if you like gadgets you should try the wish app.
 

ShriNayne

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My husband was in the Air Force for years and moving around all the time it was often hard to make friends and even harder to keep them. Having two children at home meant not getting out much either! Many times the only people I spoke to from one day's end to the next were in UO or on ICQ if we weren't actually playing. I've met some really lovely people and of course some totally barking mad ones... :eyes:
 

Marquis de Sade 209

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Got you beat! Dad narcissist, mom Schizofrenic.

*hugs Marquis de Sade*

I don't play UO as an escape though, since I have a great life now and a wonderful girl and job. UO is just better than the real world. It's a quality decision. :)
Oh i have a good life at home with my wife and kids i meant from the stresses of my job mostly. It's nice to have a virtual world to play in but I still exercise and do other things as well. lol My wife and kids all play WOW though
 

Blind Otto

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Around 2003, I ended up almost house-bound due to terrible health issues. UO was one of the things that almost kept me sane. Almost.
My biggest regret now that my health is improved is that now I'm so busy that I don't have nearly enough time for UO!
The sanity's still a problem, though.
 

Morgana Grim

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Keeps me saneish during the winter when it's too nasty to be outside. If I've taken my summer break from UO, when weather starts to head to autumn my boyfriend will remind me "might be time to start that game back up". Back in my pvping days if I got cranky around the house he would say "isn't there someone you can go kill in that game?". Now it's "maybe you should go remodel and decorate your virtual house or go find a new horse or one of those other bright colored animals!".
 

Kirthag

Former Stratics Publisher
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
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Campaign Benefactor
I just got divorced in 1997. My head was not in a good place. My sis introduced me to UO. I made friends. I survived.
Yes.... UO got me through some kaka. It is still the one place where Kirthag "lives"...
 
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