Everquest
- Thread starter Spiderman
- Start date
G
Gerode
Guest
I'm afraid to play EQ or Asheron's Call. They'll suck away all of my life, and I will spend all of my time just playing those games, supporting my measely existence off eBay auctions.
C
Chaos Turtle
Guest
I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'd be interesting in hearing about it.
Since you asked...
I don't have the magazine in front of me to refer to, but basically there was a girl named "X" (can't remember the exact names here) and she was doing pretty good, "going though 5 guilds with ease", "claimed to have won 500,000 pp in some Guildmaster challenge that no one else could find", "some guild members of her guild were claiming to be missing some items". X claims it was her sister "Y" who was doing all the bad stuff on her account. X is also promoted to some type of Everquest GM. Meanwhile, she's telling two good friends, "A" and
"B" about her personal life like her sexual escapades, skipping school and having sex while her mom's out looking for her, etc. Later, X tells them that she's thinking of committing suicide because she can't decide between her boyfriend and and ex (or something like that). She signs off saying she does it. A and B go looking for her through ISP and phone numbers, eventually tracking down some guy "M", who turns out to have made up all the stuff about X and Y. M blames his ex-girlfriend "N" for all this nonsense. A and B feel like fools for having been taken in by this hoaxster.
If you want more specific details, I can get the magazine or the CGW website; they might have the story online.
I don't have the magazine in front of me to refer to, but basically there was a girl named "X" (can't remember the exact names here) and she was doing pretty good, "going though 5 guilds with ease", "claimed to have won 500,000 pp in some Guildmaster challenge that no one else could find", "some guild members of her guild were claiming to be missing some items". X claims it was her sister "Y" who was doing all the bad stuff on her account. X is also promoted to some type of Everquest GM. Meanwhile, she's telling two good friends, "A" and
"B" about her personal life like her sexual escapades, skipping school and having sex while her mom's out looking for her, etc. Later, X tells them that she's thinking of committing suicide because she can't decide between her boyfriend and and ex (or something like that). She signs off saying she does it. A and B go looking for her through ISP and phone numbers, eventually tracking down some guy "M", who turns out to have made up all the stuff about X and Y. M blames his ex-girlfriend "N" for all this nonsense. A and B feel like fools for having been taken in by this hoaxster.
If you want more specific details, I can get the magazine or the CGW website; they might have the story online.
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ErinPuff
Guest
Playing with Death
On Sunday, Novermber 12th, the EVERQUEST (an online RPG) community was devastated by the news of 19-year-old Sheyla Morrison's suicide. She was judged pretty by the photo posted on her websirte and considered to be a wonderful artist who did character portraits for EQ friends. "She was a blast to play with," a friends, Kinudin, said. "Really nice, sweet."
Not everyone agreed. Sheyla tore through five guilds like wildfire. She claimed to have won 500,000 platinum pieces in a GM event no one could find a record of, while Companions of Light guild members found expensive items missing. She insulted members of the Afterlife Guild as they died while storming a dragon. Confronted on the guild message boards by angry players, Sheyla blamed her sister, who playeed on Tolena on the same account.
Then came a wrenching tale of a tumor found three inches beneath her skin, close to the aorta. Six hours after surgery, she said, she was online playing EVERQUEST from the intensive care unit. "She totally suckered me into caring about her," a former guildmate said.
Despite the sketchy rep, Sheyla earned a guide account as Leza The Forest Wind on the EQ server Quellious in September.
To Luxian and Kinudin, who had talked online with Sheyla for almost a year, she was a young girl haunted by tragedy. She spun stories of a life filled with sex and violence, including a miscarriage when she was 16 after her father stabbed her in the stomach. Her mother died whilke driving around looking for her when Sheyla skipped school to have sex with her boyfriend. "She was involved in several incidents that, to say the least, questioned her integrity. She was known for having an attitude and a short tempoer," Luxian said. "Regardless, I cared about her very much.."
On November 3rd, she sent Kinudin a message: "Got a gun from a friend, I'm holding it to my head rigth now." They talked for hours about the way she felt torn between her boyfriend and a secret lover. Finally she said she felt better. Kinudin said, "I felt great for saving somone's life."
So when news of Sheyla's suicide struck a week later, people grieved, but started digging for proof. A long trail of IP addresses, disconnected phone numbers, unanswered emails, and abandoned houses finally led to a real-life voice.
A man's voice.
Sheyla Morrison did not exist. The man, James Arnold, owned an EQ account that he shared with his ex-girlfriend; she played as Tolena, he played as Sheyla and Leza. They broke up in August. When Verant busted the guide account on November 10th over concerns about the players judgement, he staged Sheyla's suicide. He even posed online the next day as a grieving spouse, then a begging stepmother, begging for information about Sheyla.
When the trail led to his door, the man pointed a finger at his ex-girlfriend, saying, "That b*tch. I'll find he and murder her myself." The ex insists that Sheyla and Leza were his characters. The evidence is on her side, but he still plans to drag the story into court to gain custody of their baby girl, hoping that the judge will believe him and find the mother unstable.
Community sympathy turned bitter, as the EQ community was forced to face the fragility of online intimacy, where you can be anything to anyone, and no one knows your name. Luxian and Kinudin are relieved that no one died, but embarrassed at falling for Sheyla's lies. "I would have felt better if a real girl had been behind it," Kunudin said.
At Lum the Mad, a popular EQ rant site, players reminded each other of life outside the game. Some, like Chris Skinnmer, took the lesson to heart. He has founded Beyond EQ, an online support group for EQ addicts and their families. "Those who are chaught up in the daily lives of servers and characters are subject to depression and loneliness," the former addict said. "I wish to provide a forum to help those who are struggling, because, let's face it, we are a community."
Some gamers could use the help.
By Sandy Brundage, Gamers.com
On Sunday, Novermber 12th, the EVERQUEST (an online RPG) community was devastated by the news of 19-year-old Sheyla Morrison's suicide. She was judged pretty by the photo posted on her websirte and considered to be a wonderful artist who did character portraits for EQ friends. "She was a blast to play with," a friends, Kinudin, said. "Really nice, sweet."
Not everyone agreed. Sheyla tore through five guilds like wildfire. She claimed to have won 500,000 platinum pieces in a GM event no one could find a record of, while Companions of Light guild members found expensive items missing. She insulted members of the Afterlife Guild as they died while storming a dragon. Confronted on the guild message boards by angry players, Sheyla blamed her sister, who playeed on Tolena on the same account.
Then came a wrenching tale of a tumor found three inches beneath her skin, close to the aorta. Six hours after surgery, she said, she was online playing EVERQUEST from the intensive care unit. "She totally suckered me into caring about her," a former guildmate said.
Despite the sketchy rep, Sheyla earned a guide account as Leza The Forest Wind on the EQ server Quellious in September.
To Luxian and Kinudin, who had talked online with Sheyla for almost a year, she was a young girl haunted by tragedy. She spun stories of a life filled with sex and violence, including a miscarriage when she was 16 after her father stabbed her in the stomach. Her mother died whilke driving around looking for her when Sheyla skipped school to have sex with her boyfriend. "She was involved in several incidents that, to say the least, questioned her integrity. She was known for having an attitude and a short tempoer," Luxian said. "Regardless, I cared about her very much.."
On November 3rd, she sent Kinudin a message: "Got a gun from a friend, I'm holding it to my head rigth now." They talked for hours about the way she felt torn between her boyfriend and a secret lover. Finally she said she felt better. Kinudin said, "I felt great for saving somone's life."
So when news of Sheyla's suicide struck a week later, people grieved, but started digging for proof. A long trail of IP addresses, disconnected phone numbers, unanswered emails, and abandoned houses finally led to a real-life voice.
A man's voice.
Sheyla Morrison did not exist. The man, James Arnold, owned an EQ account that he shared with his ex-girlfriend; she played as Tolena, he played as Sheyla and Leza. They broke up in August. When Verant busted the guide account on November 10th over concerns about the players judgement, he staged Sheyla's suicide. He even posed online the next day as a grieving spouse, then a begging stepmother, begging for information about Sheyla.
When the trail led to his door, the man pointed a finger at his ex-girlfriend, saying, "That b*tch. I'll find he and murder her myself." The ex insists that Sheyla and Leza were his characters. The evidence is on her side, but he still plans to drag the story into court to gain custody of their baby girl, hoping that the judge will believe him and find the mother unstable.
Community sympathy turned bitter, as the EQ community was forced to face the fragility of online intimacy, where you can be anything to anyone, and no one knows your name. Luxian and Kinudin are relieved that no one died, but embarrassed at falling for Sheyla's lies. "I would have felt better if a real girl had been behind it," Kunudin said.
At Lum the Mad, a popular EQ rant site, players reminded each other of life outside the game. Some, like Chris Skinnmer, took the lesson to heart. He has founded Beyond EQ, an online support group for EQ addicts and their families. "Those who are chaught up in the daily lives of servers and characters are subject to depression and loneliness," the former addict said. "I wish to provide a forum to help those who are struggling, because, let's face it, we are a community."
Some gamers could use the help.
By Sandy Brundage, Gamers.com
W
WeeGee
Guest
I was the one to post that on Nightly! LoL
Actually, I play Asheron's Call, and it's fun as hell. It doesn't suck away at my life, I mean, all I do is skip school and church to go on quests. I mean, no biggie, right?
Actually, I play Asheron's Call, and it's fun as hell. It doesn't suck away at my life, I mean, all I do is skip school and church to go on quests. I mean, no biggie, right?
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ErinPuff
Guest
You skip school too? I knew about skipping church all the time, but.. gee..