Lexa [1556957] —
Original article
Is it just a game, or is it something more? A forum, a social network, a community?
Torn has played a huge part in many people's lives over the past fourteen years, and for those who remain here, it continues to do so today. Clearly, Torn is more than a game for most, and this can be seen in the way its players have come together as a community, through the good times and bad.
In this crazy world of fruitcakes and firearms, friendships have been formed; relationships, marriages, and even children have been created through the real-life joining of couples who met through Torn. On the other end of the scale, friends and faction-mates have disappeared into the night; some leaving without notice, others being fedded, and a tragic few having fallen in real life to be forever remembered by those who knew them.
Behind all the code, the warring, the factions, and the playstyles Torn is a game of people. And it is the continued support of the citizens and the members of staff throughout the years that have made it what it is today, a family. What I want to do with this article is attempt to explore this human side of Torn, while also provoking a few shared memories in what I hope will be the first of many such pieces dedicated to the real-life stories hidden behind our profiles.
I will begin by telling my story about how I first came across Torn and how I have been privileged to have met some amazing people along my journey - many of whom you may know yourself. It was over a decade ago when I was first introduced to Torn City, arriving as I did at the wee age of 14. Thanks to Google I can tell you the exact day that I signed up: Friday the 25th May 2007.
I remember it was during lunchtime at school when a friend told me he was playing a game called Torn City and asked if I could sign up using his referral code. I didn't think much to it at the time and had never played a role-playing game before, let alone a text-based one. Over the next few months, I became drawn into Torn City, as did he, and since we were starting out, we would often share game tips with each other.
I remained a noob for many years not knowing the full extent of the game (I still don't to this day), but I nevertheless enjoyed the chance to get to know my fellow citizens. After a year or so I joined IRC and started talking to BambinaDuckie and her husband who introduced me to their wonderful daughter Kathie and many of their friends who also played Torn. It was from that point onwards where I started to play Torn more seriously. I had friends here now. It felt more important.
IRC was the place to be during Torn's early years. You could tune in to Torn's finest Radio DJs and participate in giveaways through well-known channels like #Duckpond. Duckpond was created by Duckie, where to this day she has given away billions of her own money to the citizens of Torn. These days, you can find Duckie in her Duckpond Server on Discord where she continues her generosity with the help of her brilliant team of staff.
Pictured: Duckie and her staff during a meeting discussing future giveaways.
Torn Radio was supported by Torn and consisted of just a single radio station. I often knew when the regular DJ's were on that I enjoyed listening too so I made a point of being online and tuning in when it was their slot. There were many great DJs back in the day: BambinaDuckie, sharky, Dani, Dunkin
and the late Jewelz to name but a few. I had a very particular taste in music and was unsure whether or not I would like the Radio Station. To my surprise, I grew to love many different genres thanks to the variety of music played during the various shows on offer.
Another fond memory I have of Torn was when I competed in the Big Brother House created by Body. I made a few friends from being a contestant in there just by completing tasks and working with or against strangers. What made it brilliant was that peasants like myself always had a chance of winning. There was a good group of staff on the team and it really made it one of the best things (in my view) that happened to Torn during those days. It would be nice to see Big Brother House come back, although I very much doubt it would. Body really was a fantastic and clever lady.
I was first drawn to the Radio when Body started doing her weekly dollar sales and competitions were held on IRC - including the famous Hamster giveaways. Some competitions required you to be tuned in to specific shows to be in with the chance of winning. During one of Body's giveaways, I even managed to bag myself a rare Dollar Bill collectable. This item would've claimed its very own spot in my Display Cabinet - my pride and joy - if I hadn't have given it away when I decided to leave this city for good.
After playing Torn for a few years I decided to quit Torn due to the actions of a few particular people who tried to make my life miserable. I had my original account Lexa placed in federal jail and continued on with my life - if I remember correctly, this "continued on with my life" part lasted only a few months. I soon suffered withdrawal symptoms and realised what a terrible mistake I had made. After a failed attempt at trying to recover my account, I created a new one, which is yet to spend a single day in federal jail. Their beds are not very comfortable at all.
Pictured: One of Torn's Famous Federal Jail beds, home to many greats.
Years have passed by since I restarted, throughout which I have not paid much attention to my development and progress as a citizen. It has only been during the past year that I have started playing Torn properly and taken my progress seriously. This period coincides with an important time in my life. I was taken ill over a year ago and hospitalised with mental health issues that I had kept secret for over a decade. Today, this is something that I openly talk about.
During my long stay in hospital, I began to fall in love with Torn once more. I found the game to be an escape from day to day life. It took some time to get back into the swing of things as Torn had changed massively over the years. I was saddened to hear that Torn's only Radio Station had been shut down and that its content had changed completely. My favourite DJs were no longer around, and sadly, neither were many of the citizens I used to enjoy speaking to.
I imagine many returning players encounter this feeling, but this shouldn't discourage them from persevering. Since my return, I have reconnected with some old friends and made a few new ones too. Even though I was disappointed when I could not recover my old account, over time I realised it was a blessing. Had I not restarted, chances are I would not have met many of the new friends that I have today since I would probably have been a level 100 by now with an ego the size of Mars.
One of the regrets I have during my inactivity is not keeping in touch with some of the amazing people I crossed paths with. I was fortunate enough to catch up with a few when I returned, however, these encounters were not without sadness. I found out from a close friend that a very kind lady and fantastic DJ, Jewelz, had passed away while I was gone.
I was overcome with not only sorrow but anger too; I was angry that I never got a chance to say goodbye or thank her for the positive imprint she had left in my life. Jewelz was known for her love of country music and her kind, warm heart. And she wasn't the only old friend that had been taken from us too soon. Another wonderful lady I knew for a short time was KatyCCRN. I remember our funny conversations on IRC and her telling me about her life and how passionate she was as a nurse. It was only recently I learnt of Katy's passing from the Fallen Players page.
Sadly, I don't remember the last time that I spoke to either of these ladies, and I hope that we parted on good terms. If this article leaves you with just one message I hope it will be this: Be sure to make time to reach out to those whom you have lost touch with, for life is too short. You never realise until it is too late. Many of the people I have met during my time on Torn have impacted my life in one form or another. I would like to take this time to express my gratitude to them; you have been here for me, during my good times and bad, and even if we no longer speak I wish you all the best in life.
As with anything in life, Torn has given me its fair share of good times and bad. You are always going to come across folk from all walks of life, some of whom you may well want to d**k punch. This is and always will be a game, but we must try to remember that there is someone behind that profile on the other side of your computer screen. 99.9% of the time this person has feelings and is human - unless Artificial Intelligence has developed somewhat more than I have realised - and you never know what that person is going through.
I would like to end this article with a relevant and meaningful quote:
In this crazy world of fruitcakes and firearms, friendships have been formed; relationships, marriages, and even children have been created through the real-life joining of couples who met through Torn. On the other end of the scale, friends and faction-mates have disappeared into the night; some leaving without notice, others being fedded, and a tragic few having fallen in real life to be forever remembered by those who knew them.
Behind all the code, the warring, the factions, and the playstyles Torn is a game of people. And it is the continued support of the citizens and the members of staff throughout the years that have made it what it is today, a family. What I want to do with this article is attempt to explore this human side of Torn, while also provoking a few shared memories in what I hope will be the first of many such pieces dedicated to the real-life stories hidden behind our profiles.
I will begin by telling my story about how I first came across Torn and how I have been privileged to have met some amazing people along my journey - many of whom you may know yourself. It was over a decade ago when I was first introduced to Torn City, arriving as I did at the wee age of 14. Thanks to Google I can tell you the exact day that I signed up: Friday the 25th May 2007.
I remember it was during lunchtime at school when a friend told me he was playing a game called Torn City and asked if I could sign up using his referral code. I didn't think much to it at the time and had never played a role-playing game before, let alone a text-based one. Over the next few months, I became drawn into Torn City, as did he, and since we were starting out, we would often share game tips with each other.
I remained a noob for many years not knowing the full extent of the game (I still don't to this day), but I nevertheless enjoyed the chance to get to know my fellow citizens. After a year or so I joined IRC and started talking to BambinaDuckie and her husband who introduced me to their wonderful daughter Kathie and many of their friends who also played Torn. It was from that point onwards where I started to play Torn more seriously. I had friends here now. It felt more important.
IRC was the place to be during Torn's early years. You could tune in to Torn's finest Radio DJs and participate in giveaways through well-known channels like #Duckpond. Duckpond was created by Duckie, where to this day she has given away billions of her own money to the citizens of Torn. These days, you can find Duckie in her Duckpond Server on Discord where she continues her generosity with the help of her brilliant team of staff.
Pictured: Duckie and her staff during a meeting discussing future giveaways.
Torn Radio was supported by Torn and consisted of just a single radio station. I often knew when the regular DJ's were on that I enjoyed listening too so I made a point of being online and tuning in when it was their slot. There were many great DJs back in the day: BambinaDuckie, sharky, Dani, Dunkin
and the late Jewelz to name but a few. I had a very particular taste in music and was unsure whether or not I would like the Radio Station. To my surprise, I grew to love many different genres thanks to the variety of music played during the various shows on offer.
Another fond memory I have of Torn was when I competed in the Big Brother House created by Body. I made a few friends from being a contestant in there just by completing tasks and working with or against strangers. What made it brilliant was that peasants like myself always had a chance of winning. There was a good group of staff on the team and it really made it one of the best things (in my view) that happened to Torn during those days. It would be nice to see Big Brother House come back, although I very much doubt it would. Body really was a fantastic and clever lady.
I was first drawn to the Radio when Body started doing her weekly dollar sales and competitions were held on IRC - including the famous Hamster giveaways. Some competitions required you to be tuned in to specific shows to be in with the chance of winning. During one of Body's giveaways, I even managed to bag myself a rare Dollar Bill collectable. This item would've claimed its very own spot in my Display Cabinet - my pride and joy - if I hadn't have given it away when I decided to leave this city for good.
After playing Torn for a few years I decided to quit Torn due to the actions of a few particular people who tried to make my life miserable. I had my original account Lexa placed in federal jail and continued on with my life - if I remember correctly, this "continued on with my life" part lasted only a few months. I soon suffered withdrawal symptoms and realised what a terrible mistake I had made. After a failed attempt at trying to recover my account, I created a new one, which is yet to spend a single day in federal jail. Their beds are not very comfortable at all.
Pictured: One of Torn's Famous Federal Jail beds, home to many greats.
Years have passed by since I restarted, throughout which I have not paid much attention to my development and progress as a citizen. It has only been during the past year that I have started playing Torn properly and taken my progress seriously. This period coincides with an important time in my life. I was taken ill over a year ago and hospitalised with mental health issues that I had kept secret for over a decade. Today, this is something that I openly talk about.
During my long stay in hospital, I began to fall in love with Torn once more. I found the game to be an escape from day to day life. It took some time to get back into the swing of things as Torn had changed massively over the years. I was saddened to hear that Torn's only Radio Station had been shut down and that its content had changed completely. My favourite DJs were no longer around, and sadly, neither were many of the citizens I used to enjoy speaking to.
I imagine many returning players encounter this feeling, but this shouldn't discourage them from persevering. Since my return, I have reconnected with some old friends and made a few new ones too. Even though I was disappointed when I could not recover my old account, over time I realised it was a blessing. Had I not restarted, chances are I would not have met many of the new friends that I have today since I would probably have been a level 100 by now with an ego the size of Mars.
One of the regrets I have during my inactivity is not keeping in touch with some of the amazing people I crossed paths with. I was fortunate enough to catch up with a few when I returned, however, these encounters were not without sadness. I found out from a close friend that a very kind lady and fantastic DJ, Jewelz, had passed away while I was gone.
I was overcome with not only sorrow but anger too; I was angry that I never got a chance to say goodbye or thank her for the positive imprint she had left in my life. Jewelz was known for her love of country music and her kind, warm heart. And she wasn't the only old friend that had been taken from us too soon. Another wonderful lady I knew for a short time was KatyCCRN. I remember our funny conversations on IRC and her telling me about her life and how passionate she was as a nurse. It was only recently I learnt of Katy's passing from the Fallen Players page.
Sadly, I don't remember the last time that I spoke to either of these ladies, and I hope that we parted on good terms. If this article leaves you with just one message I hope it will be this: Be sure to make time to reach out to those whom you have lost touch with, for life is too short. You never realise until it is too late. Many of the people I have met during my time on Torn have impacted my life in one form or another. I would like to take this time to express my gratitude to them; you have been here for me, during my good times and bad, and even if we no longer speak I wish you all the best in life.
As with anything in life, Torn has given me its fair share of good times and bad. You are always going to come across folk from all walks of life, some of whom you may well want to d**k punch. This is and always will be a game, but we must try to remember that there is someone behind that profile on the other side of your computer screen. 99.9% of the time this person has feelings and is human - unless Artificial Intelligence has developed somewhat more than I have realised - and you never know what that person is going through.
I would like to end this article with a relevant and meaningful quote:
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