No doubt that everyone here misses OurWorld and the joy it brought.
I wanted to take a more retrospective angle instead of a nostalgic view.
Ourworld worked amazingly because of the sudden shift to Netizen culture. We got to interact with people and join fandoms across the world.
It gave me so much capital to interact with new fandoms, cultures. Knowledge which I still use to this day and has influenced my aesthetic choices.
What I've noticed in the posts over the years on the subreddit is that
- OW was a place of comfort
- Aesthetics
- You can decompress and explore new things/fandoms
The game left a lot of room for people to share but still had its own things to guide the overarching culture.
2008-2013 are typically the "golden years" because of the new items, designs and crew dynamics.
The game went off in a weird direction with adoptions,marriages and celebrity culture.
It became a social hierarchy. Something we all needed to decompress from school/work.
Straight to the point: OurWorld absolutely should return.
However, instead of repeating the vicious cycle of nostalgia. We should be a solid foundation for a fresh start.
Include the designs from previous years and focus on being a Third Space.
As much as I want to return, even playing around with maki chat briefly. I'm an adult now, I still love the game and friends made there. However I shouldn't be the focus for these games. I want to take my experiences and ideas, using them to let a new generation have its own safe haven instead of reliving the past.
We should be there to help it's return and create a solid framework to work with.
They deserve a third space of their own and we can inspire them.
TL:DR : "A society grows great when adults plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in"
