Dark Age of Camelot is the online role-playing game that really introduced me to MMORPGs. Sure, I had played EverQuest, but only for a couple of hours on a friend’s computer. I subsequently borrowed it and played the offline tutorial a couple of times—I believe I was addicted to the online crack even then, I just wasn’t aware of it—but at the time I figured I never pursued it. However, in late 2001, my local cable provider was generous enough to provide cable internet service in my neck of the woods—bless them!—and I figured it was time to try out this online RPG craze that was just beginning to pick up.

I read a few reviews for the circa-2001 MMORPGs, checked out scores of screenshots, and in November decided that Dark Age of Camelot was for me. I snagged a friend, insisted that he buy a copy of his own, and it was all downhill from there. I played for endless hours, like any good addict, learning the online lingo, words like “ding” and “mobs” and “agg.” It was a tough learning curve, to be sure, but surmounting the initial confusion and learning the game and the interface made Dark Age of Camelot that much more…mine…if that makes any sense. There was a sense of belonging to the community, to the game, that I had never really gotten from any other game. I was addicted for over two years straight, enjoying the new content offered by Shrouded Isles when it landed, and really looking forward to the new features promised in the second expansion, Trials of Atlantis.