Greetings, traveler, my name is Sukmeais and I am nineteen years old. Once I reach age twenty, I will choose a last name. The world in which I live is called Norrath, and I am from the area known as Neriak. I pray to the god, Innoruuk, and as a follower of Innoruuk, I believe in spreading hate, having no loyalties among other followers, and that all that is good is weak. I am from the Dark Elf race and practice the art of necromancy. By being in the class of necromancers I am able to animate the dead and have skeletons do my bidding. I am also able to leach life from enemies, which greatly helps me during battle. Being a Dark Elf can be hard at times, considering that very few other races get along with my kind. We are constantly fighting Barbarians, Erudites, Half Elves, High Elves, Humans, Iksars (lizardmen), and Wood Elves. Occasionally we will be aided by a Troll or Ogre, but only in the toughest of times or if a donation is given. I am currently bound in the land of The Overthere, which is on the continent of Kunark. I am quite content with the prey here, which are mainly Sabertooth Tigers and Kunark Rhinos...

This may seem very strange to someone who has never played EverQuest, but it is rather normal to those who have grown accustomed to this game. Many people in the game even speak about EverQuest as being a way of life. EverQuest contains its own norms, values, beliefs, customs, language, and other aspects which make it as much as a subculture as the Amish or the mafia. Once in the game, the player is immersed in a totally different culture and must pay close attention to the other players to understand what is accepted and what is frowned upon. I remember it being very difficult initially getting started in the game, but I got hooked as soon as I had learned the basic game play and purpose. EverQuest really has become its own subculture, therefore making it into a way of life.

There are many important norms to keep in mind when playing EverQuest. Some of the most argued over norms deal with a player's corpse. When a player is killed, their corpse remains at that spot, and they start over again at the place where they are bound. The player must then make his or her way back to his or her corpse in order to loot it, meaning get all of their equipment and money off the corpse. This place could be up to thirty minutes (real time) away and is a real hassle at times. Some terms that apply to this case are "corpse camping" and "looting and scooting". It is "illegal" to corpse camp, which means that if another player was the one who had done the killing, they cannot wait at the other player's corpse for them to return. It is not fair to finally return to a corpse and be instantly killed again. This also allows the other player to loot and scoot, which means that they loot their corpse and leave that area for an hour. If someone is caught corpse camping, they will be reported to the GM's (the real people who monitor the game to make sure everything is running smoothly) and their name will be broadcast to all the players, letting them know what a scumbag they are.

Another norm is to always help out your own race. If a player sees another player (of their own race) who needs help, it is common courtesy to lend a hand, whether it is in battle or a money issue. However, it is always polite to ask if the other player needs help before just jumping in and fighting. When a player kills a NPC (Non Player Character - meaning not a real person is playing that character) they gain experience points, which help them get to the next level. If someone keeps jumping in and stealing their kills, then they do not get this precious experience and some people get very angry.

It is also always frowned upon to kill another player while they are A.F.K. (Away From Keyboard). If a player has to go to the bathroom or has to leave the computer for any reason at all, they have the option of making their character A.F.K., which lets all other players know that character is not really there. Occasionally someone will find a character in A.F.K. mode and will attack the defenseless being. Most of the arguments in the game deal with this "cheap kill". It is also considered cheap when another player kills someone after he or she has been fighting something else and his or her HP (Health Points) and Mana (Magic) is very low. Some players go around especially looking for these moments and attack this already weakened player. There is no pride in such a thing, but some still do it. The odd thing is that when a real person kills another real person, they get no experience, so really the only reason is just to inconvenience the other player or to take over their territory.

Each race also has its own belief system that has to do with which god created which race. At the beginning of the game, one can choose from eighteen different gods to follow according to one's race and class, each with their own beliefs. There is a long, drawn out history of what gods made what race, but I will just focus on my race - Dark Elves. The god who created Dark Elves is known as Innoruuk, The Prince of Hate. He was angry because he was not included in a pact made between four other gods. From this anger he took the first Elven King and Queen and slowly tore them apart, physically and mentally, over the course of three hundred years. After this brutal torture, he rebuilt them in his own sadistic image and they were knows as Dark Elves. Dark Elves are generally hated by all other races, except for a few, and are thought to only bring destruction - which, if everything goes right, they normally do. There are a lot of historical aspects in EverQuest, whether it is the origin of the animosities between races (begun by the gods which created them) or the ruins of ancient buildings and statues scattered throughout the world.

There are some common values in EverQuest as well. For instance, one is considered to be a very generous person if he or she gives Newbies (new players) or other needy characters money or items. Because of this bond these characters now share, they will most likely become friends and help each other out from time to time. Getting to a high enough level to be able to fight all alone gives a player a sense of pride and accomplishment. It may take days to just gain a single level, so patience is also valued. Not all players contain these same values and this is what leads to many of the arguments and animosities in the game.

As with many other subcultures, EverQuest has acquired its own language of sorts. Many of the players use abbreviations, since this allows them to type faster and continue game play. It is not very fun to spend all the time typing and not playing. Some of the abbreviations that are not just used in EverQuest are: brb (be right back), afk (away from keyboard), and lol (laughing out loud). A few abbreviations used specifically in the game are: lfg (looking for group - in order to join with other players to kill higher level monsters), cr (corpse run - what a person does after they are killed and are on their way back to find their corpse and loot it), and inc (incoming - which a player will say to the other players in his or her group, so that they know a monster is coming). There are also some words that are used in EverQuest, which are unique only to this game. When someone is excited about something and wants to express their joy, they shout "woot," which just makes no sense at all. As soon as a player reaches a new level, they shout, "ding," which is instantly followed by "gratz" from other players, congratulating them on gaining a new level. Shouting, "ding" does make a little more sense, since when a player reaches a new level the computer makes a ding sort of noise. However, it is something, which still seems to be for only those who are so into the game that it has become their reality.

There are not a whole lot of customs in the game, since there are so many different races in the games and many of them conflict with each other. The only customs, which come to mind, are that one always goes to the bank to put his or her money away or to put burdensome items away for later use. It is also customary to only fight and visit certain areas, which welcome a player's certain race. Many races share the same view of the world, except for the Iksars, since they have no allies at all. Every player is wary of other races, and if it is known that a player of another race is nearby, most players will try to avoid him or her unless they want to fight. The world of Norrath is very chaotic and it is very important to know where one belongs.

An interesting part of EverQuest is the ability to make gestures. Gestures are an important part of any subculture in that they enable members to communicate without speaking. There are five main gestures available in EverQuest: to make a rude gesture (basically giving "the bird"), to wave (hello or goodbye to a friend), to hang one's head in sorrow (after a group member has been slain), to cheer (after a victory), and to tap one's foot impatiently (which a player will do if another group member is taking too long to get ready). These gestures are actually visible and many players use them all the time.

There are many symbols in EverQuest. For instance, statues signify the race of a particular area. Kunark, a place inhabited by the Iksars (lizardmen), has a giant statue of an Iksar in the middle of one of the areas. Also, certain metals symbolize different denominations of currency (1 Platinum = 10 Gold = 100 Silver = 1000 Copper). The kind of weapon a person uses symbolizes his or her level, status, and class. It is very important to learn about different types of weapons early on, just in case one needs to find a person of a certain class quickly (such as a Cleric for healing).

Status, in Everquest, is based on race, class, and level. Every race hates the Iksars and most hate the Dark Elves, so they have the lowest status no matter what. Being a Dark Elf Necromancer is even worse, since they are thought to be twice as evil. However, this can also be seen as a good thing, since most other races will stay away from them because they are so feared. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Depending on what one kills and what god one follows, his or her faction standing with a certain city, race, or NPC (Non Player Character) will go up or down. For example, even if a certain city welcomes Dark Elves, if a Dark Elf has been fighting mainly in an area that is an enemy to that city, the guards will attack them if they try to enter. Knowing the status of an enemy can be very important when considering if one should fight or not.

EverQuest is such an involved game and it would be impossible to explain every detail. Before I started playing EverQuest, my friends would get together and talk about it as if it was real. I used to think they were crazy, until I started playing. After reading over what I just wrote, I can easily see how this game has become so popular and has developed into a world of its own. There is a sense of unity in the game in that everyone has a common goal - to kill the opposition - and that if someone says "woot" or "ding" everyone knows what they mean. I think that the most important factor when considering a certain subculture is that everyone feels as if they belong. Since they are the minority of the larger culture anyway, they must learn to band together and create their own way of life. I believe that EverQuest, all though only a game, has accomplished this and has helped people learn to fit in with larger groups who do not necessarily all share the same points of view.