Video games news, releases, esports and culture — all the biggest gaming stories in one place.
My first MMO character #5: Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown recalls Zarwulf, an Orc Hunter he created in World of Warcraft in 2004, as his first clearly remembered MMO character. The account is part of PC Gamer’s nostalgic series about staff members’ earliest online characters, highlighting how formative early MMO experiences could be despite hazy memories and sometimes short-lived progress.
Brown says Zarwulf was not technically his first MMO character, as he had previously played Ultima Online in 1998, but he remembers little of that experience. During university, he spent much of his time playing World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies and Guild Wars, but recalls losing all his possessions after accidentally entering either a high-level area or a player-versus-player zone.
In short
- Fraser Brown’s earliest remembered MMO character was Zarwulf, an Orc Hunter.
- He created Zarwulf in World of Warcraft in 2004.
- A disastrous venture into danger resulted in losing everything.
Explained simply
Massively multiplayer online games, or MMOs, let large numbers of people play together in persistent online worlds. World of Warcraft, released in 2004, is a fantasy MMO in which players create characters, explore, complete tasks and encounter other players.
Fraser Brown’s remembered character, Zarwulf, was an Orc Hunter in World of Warcraft. Brown had played Ultima Online earlier, but recalls little of it; he also spent time with Star Wars Galaxies and Guild Wars while at university. His account is part of a series about early MMO characters and the memories players attach to them.