My first MMO character #5: Fraser Brown
PC Gamer is running a series profiling contributors’ first MMO experiences. In this installment featuring three gaming journalists, each shares memories of their inaugural massively multiplayer character.
Fraser Brown recalls Zarwulf, an Orc Hunter created in World of Warcraft in 2004, though he admits limited memories of earlier MMO experiences like Ultima Online. His character remains preserved as-is, with a spiritual successor existing in Guild Wars 2. Brown also played Star Wars Galaxies and the original Guild Wars during his university years.
Steve Haines created Ovidlords, a Night-elf Druid around 2006, after a friend gifted him a bundle including Diablo 2 and WoW. Drawn to the Druid’s shape-shifting abilities across both games, Haines served as tank for significant raid content in The Burning Crusade, notably main-tanking Gruul when others claimed it impossible. His guild achieved a server-first Ashes of Al’ar drop from Kael’thas, though the account has since been deleted.
Lincoln Carpenter’s first MMO venture preceded WoW, with accounts in RuneScape and a Trandoshan Force-sensitive in Star Wars Galaxies. His primary character, Maldirr, an Orc Warrior, was created around 2005 through a misclick—he’d intended to roll an Orc Hunter but didn’t notice the missing bow until gameplay began. Carpenter had extensively researched WoW through raid videos and databases like Thottbot before convincing his parents to fund the subscription.
The series highlights how MMO experiences shaped early gaming memories for industry figures, reflecting both the appeal of classic titles like WoW and the evolution of online gaming culture.