Today is another special date. On July 3rd, nine year ago, I made my first Runescape account, the legendary Yukino120.
I looked back at my old Xanga posts and I thought I would've written about how I started Runescape back in 2004 but I guess I didn't. I suppose it wasn't much of an event at the time, especially since I was kind of forced to join, thanks to my middle school friend, Priscilla. The only reason why I even gave in to joining was because she kept telling me, "But Johnny is playing Runescape too... *wink wink nudge nudge*". It was at the time I had the hugest crush on him, so of course I couldn't turn it down.
But Runescape was more of game to me. Yes, I know people never liked the game because of its horrible graphics and anti-climatic fighting styles, but I could really care less. And looking back at all of the MMORPGs I've played, even though all the others were perhaps more exciting, it was only Runescape that moved me on an emotional level.
I know, I know. I sound like a super nerd. But here's why:
I've always had the hardest time making friends, especially in middle school. I was perhaps a little socially awkward especially since I didn't interact with people much growing up. I practiced lots, read lots of books, and if I wanted to have fun, I would play around my neighborhood with my siblings. When I had started Runescape, it was the summer after 6th grade had ended. I only really had two close friends, Priscilla and well, of course, Johnny. It wasn't until the latter half of 7th grade where I started to gain a lot more friends.
I started out playing alongside with Priscilla and Johnny towards the beginning. But shortly after, I carved out my own path. Johnny was a much higher level, so he was busy doing his own thing in the game, and Priscilla lost interest early on. I begun to venture out and started to make my own online friends. With these friends, I began to shape my own little world inside the game.
I felt like I had two lives throughout middle school. As a student, I interacted with people when I needed to. I did my work, and practiced piano. But once I logged onto Runescape, it was as if I was entering a new side of me. There, I was able to interact with my online friends on a much deeper level than I ever got to with my real life friends. I was able to tell some of them my personal problems, and let them know how I was feeling emotionally, which rarely ever happened with my school friends. I also got to hear a lot of their personal stories too.
Heather was (at the time) a 21-year-old, from New York if I'm not mistaken. She was in the process of recovering from a bad accident as a firefighter. She took care of my sister a lot in game, and was like a mother to her.
Leo and Rex, from Indiana, were the Chinese twins that were so adorable. They were also energetic and positive and they supported me in whatever I did. They were a year younger than me.
Jaypee and Terence, the two cousins from Singapore. They were I believe two years younger than me, and they were like my little brothers. It was always cute when they tried their best to protect me in situations but I'd always have to care for them in the end.
Jenny was my best girl friend in game. She was two years younger than me and from Seattle. She was the brightest kid I've ever met. She was always one step ahead of me, and even when we competed, she'd always win. She's one of the only friends that I'm still friends with to this day (on Facebook). So it's no surprise to me that she got into MIT and just finished her first year of college. I hope one day I can meet her in person, and I know I will whenever I visit Boston again.
Lastly, Kyle. He was only 5 months older than me, but where he's from (North Carolina), he was a year ahead of me in school. He was definitely like that big older brother I wish I had. He was my best guy friend in game. And unlike Jenny, even though Kyle was always better than me, he used that advantage to guide me as a little sister trying to get better. He is the other friend that I'm friends with on Facebook to this day.
There are so many more friends that I would list but these people made the most impact in my Runescape life. And I would have to say that these friends meant more to me than the friends I made in 6th grade and part of 7th grade.
Runescape was like a storybook for me. Unlike other MMORPGs, where all you do is grind to level up, Runescape truly allowed me to create my own story. There were so many adventures I went on that I can recount even to this day. So many moments of frustration, but at the same time, so many periods of happiness. In Runescape, there is a major risk to dying (from another player, or from a monster). You lose everything in your inventory, even armor and weapon that you equip. So, going out to battles or on adventures were always serious and felt life-threatening, which made my gaming experience so much more realistic. I never really worried about dying in other games because there weren't any severe risks attached to it. That may be another reason why I thought all the other MMORPGs I've played felt just like another game to me.
There was a dark period where I got hacked and lost almost everything. It was a stupid mistake I made by giving a friend my password thinking that they could make me a member (which gets 10x more benefits in the Runescape world). It taught me a life lesson about the online world. Never ever tell people your password or any other important information. Sounds like a "duh" moment now, but as a 12 year old, maybe not so much.
Runescape did end up taking up a LOT of my time in middle school. On some weekends, I averaged 8-12 hours of Runescape. I remember days where I would stay up to 3 AM playing. Of course, I always kept one ear open to make sure my parents wouldn't catch me. Or days I would wake up at 5 AM to get in a few hours before school. I was crazy about this game, it's ridiculous. But another reason why I did that was for the friends I made around the world. With different time zones, it was always hard to meet up with them in my normal day time hours.
Man, I wish I can write down all those memories I had in-game, but it would take way too long to list. Oh, the carefree days....
And now that I think about it, it wasn't YouTube that started my love for online people. It was Runescape. Thanks to the game, I already knew how to interact with online people that I met through YouTube. And some of the greatest friends that I have to this day are people that I just met through the internet.
It's just an interesting concept that someone thousands and thousands of miles away from you actually cares about you on perhaps a much deeper level than they would to a friend at school or work. I've learned so much more about other people's cultures than I ever would in any given history class. And what I've figured out is that the distance at which you are to a friend does not equate to your level of closeness with them. Which means that someone from your own school can be just as much of a stranger to you as a person from Germany.
Sometimes I think back to how much time I spent gaming in middle school when I could've practiced harder and thrived as a growing, maturing pianist. Sometimes I shake my head in regret, knowing that I could be at a better place right now in my life. But at the same time, I don't think I would be the same person today without Runescape. It was that single game that shaped so much of who I am now, including my gamer girl side. Without my love for games, I wouldn't have been so interested in keeping up with a YouTube account. And without a YouTube account, I would've never discovered my love for video game music. And if I had never cared for that, I would have never gotten the chance to bond with my boyfriend now, who also has a passion for video game music. See how everything works out? I wouldn't have it any other way.
Cheers to July 3rd, 2004.
And I know exactly why I decided to go to Aspen instead of Banff... I needed a place where I was going to work hard for a long period of time to get ready for my grad school auditions this coming year. I can't afford to lose time this summer. I just miss everything about Banff.... it's just funny that I'm "homesick" for that and not for my actual home in Vegas or even Chicago. 
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