I've made a couple of topics like these before, but I was talking to Lalam on Facebook the other night about old Blockland memories and it refueled my powerful nostalgia for the old days.
From toddler to teenager I was homeschooled, K-8th grade. I lived really far back off the road on a big plot of land and my extended family lived hours away. My sisters- the youngest of which I am 10 years and two weeks younger than- were already out of the house by the time I was 8. That's not to say that we ever played together, because we didn't. My dad was a magician by hobby and I was his assistant, which provided me with little peeks into the outside world, to see what it was like to be a kid living on the outside who went to school and had friends. I envied these kids so much but the only times I was allowed to be social were at church, and I hated church. So, I spent probably 99% of my time playing by myself, discovering the internet and playing games. I made a friend here and there via my dad who rented land to people, but they quickly grew away from me or began to dislike me.
After I turned 11, my mom and dad were fighting more than ever, he was drinking more than ever, and I was more disconnected from my parents than ever. I spent days at a time completely alone playing by myself, sometimes not eating, just sort of withering away. I was using AIM a lot but never really felt like I was connecting with anyone. I tried joining a few other communities and never really grooving, but I discovered Blockland in 2005 and clicked immediately. Something about the game and the people playing, it just felt like I was home somewhere, finally. I had friends I talked to and played with every day. I finally felt like I was part of something. When my dad died later that year, Blockland became the only thing of any value in my life. Wake up, play Blockland for 12-24 hours, browse the forums, go to sleep, that was my entire routine for months. My friends on Blockland were the only things keeping me sane, which was the case for years afterward, talking me out of various suicidal thoughts and keeping me company.
My mom remarried soon after our business went under and we lost all of our assets so we wouldn't be homeless. He was an abusive alcoholic. I decided to try out public high school but I was so completely socially handicapped that I had no idea what to do. I turned to threatening people and keeping people far away, relying on Blocklanders to keep me company instead. Every day after school I would hole up in my room playing Blockland and TF2 until bedtime, trying to stay away from my stepdad. It wasn't until my mom and I finally moved out of that hellhole and got a place of our own that my Blockland friends started pushing me to reform myself at my next high school. So I tried, and I made a couple friends, most of whom I don't really talk to anymore.
The rest is fairly uneventful and uninteresting (well, the whole thing is uninteresting, but whatever) so I will spare those details and fast forward to current day.
I still don't really have any real life friends, and I don't know most of the people here anymore, but Blockland was responsible for literally every single one of my most cherished memories as a kid and I'll never forget that. I am pushing myself every day to put myself out there and make something of myself and find happiness, and I don't think I'd be here to do that right now if it wasn't for Blockland. I guess I could say I literally owe my life to this place, which is probably pretty lame but who cares.
I'll shut up now, I doubt most will read this or care, but I felt like I needed to say it again how deeply grateful I am for this game and community. It's the only community I've ever felt really a part of and I don't see myself severing ties with you all any time soon. I definitely won't say I had a bad childhood- I always had a roof over my head, food, and clean water readily available to me, for which I am all extremely thankful- but all of that only go so far without meaningful social interaction, which I got here.
tl;dr: Blockland is responsible for the best memories I have of my childhood and provided the only meaningful social interaction I ever had for years and years and I'm a huge friend hahaahsdhasdhghffhsah.
