online worlds of the internet

Back in the earlier days of the internet, I got into an interactive chat application called “The Palace” which let you put on an avatar of whatever image or gif you wanted, and communication was done via text bubbles.

The server worlds were user created, with their own music, backgrounds, rules, etc. Servers were user created so they could be wider chat hubs, or personal works of art, or passion projects. I want to say it was built on Java, so you could build basic code to affect your avatars or the room in different ways... so people would code games in these servers which were surprisingly elaborate.

My favorite server was called “Balamb Garden” and it was a tribute world to Final Fantasy games. It had a PvP turn-based RPG fighting game where people could fight against each other. I would spend hours on this game and it’s the only reason I understand Final Fantasy references. I have never actually beaten a Final Fantasy game, but I have a basic idea of whay they are all about thanks to this small online world.

The closest similar experience I have to that nowadays is VRChat. The whole idea behind VRChat relies on user-created worlds and avatars. People can create elaborate games and applications in these worlds. Every world is unique and they are used as a method of self-expression and creativity. Spending the pandemic in VRChat brought me back to those days when I was a kid exploring different online worlds, but in a new way.


I get nostalgic for some of the world in VRChat. On weekends during the pandemic, I would log on to worlds that simulate a virtual bar, and just drink with strangers who were also stuck in their homes during the lockdown. Just get high and log on to VRChat. For a whole year.

I am grateful for the experiences I have had thanks to VRChat. I took sign language lessons in a world that belongs to a community of ASL users who communicate via hand gestures in VR. There is a world related to discussions about mystical and occult topics. I learned how to meditate thanks to those guys. It’s just an awesome feeling when you find a world that clicks with you.

What online world did you visit as a kid? Which ones do you frequent right now? It can be anything from Habbo Hotel to Minecraft. Let me know in the comments :)