Be There or Be Square.

 

Recently, Reiju encountered an avie who had returned to there after an extended absence from the world. His reportorial instincts kicked into gear, and Reiju did an extended interview with dont_try_me, a thereian from the United Kingdom. It is great to see another thereian coming home! And check out that vehicle collection!

Blast from the Past: An Interview with a returning player on There.com.

By chance, I ran into an avie named dont_try_me while exploring There.com. When I learned she was a longtime legacy player returning to the world, I seized the opportunity to ask about her memories, rare treasures, and what brought her back. Here is our conversation.

Reiju:

Welcome, dont_try_me! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. You’ve been part of There.com since 2006, and now you’re back after some time away. I’d love to hear what brought you back, what you remember about the early days, and what keeps this world special for you

dont_try_me:

I never stopped loving the game and its community. I was hoping the population had grown since my last visit, and it has. I’ve only been online for a few hours, but I’ve already met many new people.

Reiju:

That’s awesome! You’ve been around since 2006. What’s one thing you remember about the old days of There.com that newer players might not have experienced?

dont_try_me:

Back in the day, the game was packed with people, and there was much more drama than there is now. These days, everyone seems nice, which is great to see. There aren’t any griefers around. I guess people have matured.

Reiju:

With fewer players, it might seem like there’s little point in creating drama—though unfortunately, some still happens.

dont_try_me:

Exactly. I think people have come together with one goal: to see the game thrive again and build a large, mature community.

Reiju:

My next question is about one of your treasures. You showed us some incredible rare items, including that SpongeBob buggy. What is its story, and how have you managed to keep it all these years? It’s considered an “illegal” item, isn’t it?

dont_try_me:

Maybe it’s because I’m a bit of a hoarder, rofl.

Reiju:

Understandable—it really is one of a kind.

dont_try_me:

Many people have offered me things for the SpongeBob, but it’s hard to let go of because of its rarity and, above all, its sentimental value. I knew many of the people who designed my items.

Reiju:

I wouldn’t give it away either!

dont_try_me:

I had a very close friend named Shadowdraven who passed away. I found out about six years ago, and it made me not want to play for a while. Still, this game holds many, many good memories for me.

Reiju:

I’m very sorry for your loss. I’m glad you agreed to this interview, and we’re happy to welcome you back. We hope to see you around again!

Reiju:

One last question: Now that you’re back and meeting new people, do you think you’ll stick around? And what would you most like to see return to There?

dont_try_me:

I do. I was really surprised to see so many people here. It’s much better than the last time I visited. I think this world is very special and unlike other games. What really makes it great is the interaction between people around the globe.

Reiju:

That’s great to hear! I feel the same way. I’m from Germany, by the way—where are you from?

dont_try_me:

The UK.

Reiju:

Nice—we’re in similar time zones, then. Thanks again for the interview!

dont_try_me:

That was great. Is it going on YouTube?

Reiju:

No. I recorded the screen in case I couldn’t keep up, but I’ve already written everything down in a text file.

dont_try_me:

Is it going on an official There page?

Reiju:

Yes. I’ll share the link with Matthew’s blog. I sometimes help him, and I thought this would be a nice opportunity.

dont_try_me:

I hope it helps bring people back to the game.

Reiju:

I’m not sure, haha—but it definitely helped me practice my English, so thank you. Maybe some people in There will read and enjoy the article. Who knows—perhaps someone you used to know will come across it!

dont_try_me:

Awesome! I’m looking forward to it.