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Braving Britannia: Tales of Life, Love, and Adventure in Ultima Online
Welcome to a digital world where anything is possible. Over the past two decades, millions of players have inhabited the virtual world of Britannia inside the Massively Multiplayer Online fantasy PC game, Ultima Online. Released in 1997 by developer Origin Systems and publisher Electronic Arts, Ultima Online is known as the grandfather of MMOs. Braving Tales of Life, Love, and Adventure in Ultima Online collects interviews with 35 of the game’s players, volunteers, and developers, revealing what they did, where they adventured, and how their lives were shaped, changed, and altered through experiences in Ultima Online’s shared virtual world. In a fantasy world of limitless potential, the only thing players seem to enjoy more than playing the game is talking about it, and yet, the true stories behind the avatars have largely gone unpublished for the past twenty years. Until now.
- GenresNonfictionVideo Games
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2018
35 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Wes Locher
54 books54 followersWes Locher has written video games for developers such as FableLabs (Serious Weirdness, 2018), Based on the Play (Re*Sequenced, 2018), Nanobit Software (Lost in Fame, 2017), Pulsetense Games (Post-War Dreams, 2017), and Pocket Gems Games (Future: Uncertain, 2015). His comic books have been published in the USA, UK, and Canada by Alterna Comics (Unit 44, 2017), Titan Comics (Adrift, 2015), Markosia Enterprises (The Undoubtables, 2014), Arcana Studios (Chambers, 2013), and many others. He's the author of the nonfiction book Braving Britannia: Tales of the Life, Love, and Adventure in Ultima Online , and a collection of humorous essays called Musings on Minutiae, published in 2010.
Wes’s father was a journalist. His mother was an English teacher. Wes is genetically doomed to write for all eternity.
Visit him online at www.weslocher.com.
Wes’s father was a journalist. His mother was an English teacher. Wes is genetically doomed to write for all eternity.
Visit him online at www.weslocher.com.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 27, 2019
Adored this book. Made me laugh out loud throughout. Brought back loads of warm, fuzzy memories from when I was a young one with unlimited time on my hands.
November 7, 2020
Imagine being a kid and going to the same small town each year for summer vacation. A wonderful magical place where you meet new friends and you stay outside all day playing from the early morning to the dead of night.
Then one day you becomes a teenager, you get other interests, wanting to go other places that has other teenagers and a mall... the wardrobe becomes just a wardrobe.
Fast forward 30 years and you find a diary written by other kids that used to go to the same small town as you did all those years ago. That is what this book is for me and what ultima used to be for me, a trip down memory lane.
This is nostalgia for good and bad. It’s like picking up those old photos that makes you glad and in the same way sad because you know you can go back but it just ain’t the same.
The only reason I can’t give this book full score is because I can’t recommend it to people who wasn’t there.
I want to thank the writer of this book for bringing back a small piece of Memory .. like an abusing ex that destroyed every other relationship you had in the future. FU Richard Garriot
Then one day you becomes a teenager, you get other interests, wanting to go other places that has other teenagers and a mall... the wardrobe becomes just a wardrobe.
Fast forward 30 years and you find a diary written by other kids that used to go to the same small town as you did all those years ago. That is what this book is for me and what ultima used to be for me, a trip down memory lane.
This is nostalgia for good and bad. It’s like picking up those old photos that makes you glad and in the same way sad because you know you can go back but it just ain’t the same.
The only reason I can’t give this book full score is because I can’t recommend it to people who wasn’t there.
I want to thank the writer of this book for bringing back a small piece of Memory .. like an abusing ex that destroyed every other relationship you had in the future. FU Richard Garriot
July 7, 2020
Braving Britannia is roasting marshmallows.
September 18, 2021
Ultima Online is the video game I've thought the most about over the years. Ever since logging in sometime around 2001, this game captured my imagination and stole an incredible number of hours out of my life. I'm one of those people who kept chasing the high, playing on player-run servers in college and a bit beyond, but nothing ever compared to those early days. Whether it was RPing a pirate, an orc, or just wandering around trying to be a self-sustainable archer/bowyer/tailor, UO was exceptionally unique.
This book does a wonderful job capturing what was so great about UO, and even hits on many of the things that were not so great. It certainly shies away from casting too much blame, and even though this book is clearly a love letter to UO, I wish there had been a bit more discussion on just why MMOs are not the "it" thing in gaming anymore. I found that every "replacement" MMO that's mentioned in these pages has been terribly reviewed.
Locher does a good job of compiling all kinds of different stories, ranging from simple stories where some people had a lot of unique fun to people getting married thanks to this game, or launching a career, or using it to stay in touch with friends as they all grew up and had kids of their own.
It's hard to talk about a game of this age without sounding like an old guy, and in many cases the stories in this book are in fact told by old guys looking back on their youth. UO is one of the first online games that has been around long enough for its players to be "old" (at one point Locher points out that UO is old enough to drink), and digital aging is a fascinating concept that I feel hasn't been explored very much. In one story told in this book, an 80 year-old woman celebrated her birthday in-game, surrounded by all of her family, also in-game, who listened as she told stories of PKing noobs back in the day.
There were multiple times, while reading this, that I thought about playing UO again. Locher says it well at a few points throughout, talking about how you can't go back to those times. Even if the game still (miraculously) exists, the playerbase is completely different, and - more importantly - you have changed. All we can do is look back and celebrate what made this game unique, and be happy that we were there to experience it while it was great.
This book does a wonderful job capturing what was so great about UO, and even hits on many of the things that were not so great. It certainly shies away from casting too much blame, and even though this book is clearly a love letter to UO, I wish there had been a bit more discussion on just why MMOs are not the "it" thing in gaming anymore. I found that every "replacement" MMO that's mentioned in these pages has been terribly reviewed.
Locher does a good job of compiling all kinds of different stories, ranging from simple stories where some people had a lot of unique fun to people getting married thanks to this game, or launching a career, or using it to stay in touch with friends as they all grew up and had kids of their own.
It's hard to talk about a game of this age without sounding like an old guy, and in many cases the stories in this book are in fact told by old guys looking back on their youth. UO is one of the first online games that has been around long enough for its players to be "old" (at one point Locher points out that UO is old enough to drink), and digital aging is a fascinating concept that I feel hasn't been explored very much. In one story told in this book, an 80 year-old woman celebrated her birthday in-game, surrounded by all of her family, also in-game, who listened as she told stories of PKing noobs back in the day.
There were multiple times, while reading this, that I thought about playing UO again. Locher says it well at a few points throughout, talking about how you can't go back to those times. Even if the game still (miraculously) exists, the playerbase is completely different, and - more importantly - you have changed. All we can do is look back and celebrate what made this game unique, and be happy that we were there to experience it while it was great.
December 25, 2021
Never played the game, but love the stories!
Is it strange to be kind of into a game even if you've never played it or seen it being played. Ultima Online is by now, a two decades old MMORPG and one of the most extensive, dynamic and enthralling games of its kind. With a player driven economy and thousands of dedicated players UO is more of a lived in world than one could ever expect.
This book is a collection of a small portion of the many, many stories from the people who made Britannia their home, from those who made the game and from those who added to it from their own imagination. The effort people put into their persona's their in-game homes and businesses remarkable and their stories enthralling.
Though I never knew of the before, I loved hearing their stories. The special place this game held for them shines though to it all.
For any interested in Game History and the stories of the people behind and inside their game-worlds.
Is it strange to be kind of into a game even if you've never played it or seen it being played. Ultima Online is by now, a two decades old MMORPG and one of the most extensive, dynamic and enthralling games of its kind. With a player driven economy and thousands of dedicated players UO is more of a lived in world than one could ever expect.
This book is a collection of a small portion of the many, many stories from the people who made Britannia their home, from those who made the game and from those who added to it from their own imagination. The effort people put into their persona's their in-game homes and businesses remarkable and their stories enthralling.
Though I never knew of the before, I loved hearing their stories. The special place this game held for them shines though to it all.
For any interested in Game History and the stories of the people behind and inside their game-worlds.
January 7, 2021
Braving Britannia summarizes the unique experience of the early years of Ultima Online, by and through the words of the developers and players who were there. Many of these stories have already been told - and I enjoyed seeing names of people that I have corresponded with! But the real value of this book is in seeing all these stories gathered together and combined into cohesive narratives. Highly recommended to those interested in early MMOs.
January 15, 2020
I do like this book. I played Ultima Online from 1998 to currently (with a few years breaks a few times between)
If you did not play UO this book is definitely not for you. It is nostalgic and reminds people of simpler times... before the majority of toxic internet culture - truly before most people even used the internet.
So this gets an automatic 4 stars from me. My criticisms are not with the author or even the style of writing. The reason 1 star is docked is the redundancy, and uninteresting nature of 1/4 to 1/3 of the stories. The author really did some research, and obviously put some wonderful effort into recording an oral history of UO - which strangely is a thing now (the history of the internet, and gaming etc)
But the best part about it is you can skip a story if it seems a bit bland - there is not a narrative in the book that flows from story to story - other than the deep love and community this early internet culture found themselves surrounded in that still affects them to this day.
The early stories are the most interesting... meaning the ones based on people who started between 1997-1999 during the true heyday of UO. It brings back a lot of memories of the wild west nature of online gaming at the time.
So if you are a UO player - former or current - I suggest you buy this and read it. You will definitely find stories you connect with and will make you laugh and long for the 90s when the internet was magical.
If you did not play UO this book is definitely not for you. It is nostalgic and reminds people of simpler times... before the majority of toxic internet culture - truly before most people even used the internet.
So this gets an automatic 4 stars from me. My criticisms are not with the author or even the style of writing. The reason 1 star is docked is the redundancy, and uninteresting nature of 1/4 to 1/3 of the stories. The author really did some research, and obviously put some wonderful effort into recording an oral history of UO - which strangely is a thing now (the history of the internet, and gaming etc)
But the best part about it is you can skip a story if it seems a bit bland - there is not a narrative in the book that flows from story to story - other than the deep love and community this early internet culture found themselves surrounded in that still affects them to this day.
The early stories are the most interesting... meaning the ones based on people who started between 1997-1999 during the true heyday of UO. It brings back a lot of memories of the wild west nature of online gaming at the time.
So if you are a UO player - former or current - I suggest you buy this and read it. You will definitely find stories you connect with and will make you laugh and long for the 90s when the internet was magical.
September 22, 2021
A nostalgic walk through the first ever MMORPG - Ultima Online. Some of the stories were eye-popping to read - others much less interesting. If you played UO back in the day, you'll doubtlessly enjoy this return and share others' tales of navigating all the PK's, struggling to acquire one's first house and then trying to find a place to place it, or dealing with all the scammers and griefers. The tales of what was going on behind the scenes with the game's developers were less interesting, but there were a few great anecdotes, such as the unplanned death of Lord British when he attempted to address the players in person as his avatar.
August 5, 2018
if you look back on the games you have experienced and find yourself remembering that Ultma Onlne was something special, then you will probably enjoy this.book. it is a delightful cross section of real stories from players, volunteers, and developers that capture why the game was so unique and ahead of its time.
April 21, 2023
I don't know why I read this book but I got weirdly completionist about it at some point. I dont really care about video games but I was hoping for something a bit more anthropological. I guess there were a few interesting tidbits but I often caught myself zoning out because it just has no connection to my life. But okay.
November 29, 2023
I played UO from spring 1998 up to 2005 therefore this book was written for me. If you experienced the thrill of the early days of Ultima Online than you will find many stories in this book that bing back happy memories.
UO is more than just a video game, it is a distant memory from a time long gone, that every now and then comes to my mind and makes me smile.
Kal Ort Por
UO is more than just a video game, it is a distant memory from a time long gone, that every now and then comes to my mind and makes me smile.
Kal Ort Por
September 21, 2019
MMO History Told Right
If you love in-game stories of ironic virtual worlds in the early days of online gaming then check out the stories of the game that did it before WoW and Evequest and how it affected their lives in the positive out of the game. Check out this book.
If you love in-game stories of ironic virtual worlds in the early days of online gaming then check out the stories of the game that did it before WoW and Evequest and how it affected their lives in the positive out of the game. Check out this book.
May 10, 2022
Entertaining stories but I can't stand glorying game development with it's horrible work ethic. It's written for fans and is wholly uncritical of everything, pure nostalgia trip.
August 11, 2022
Well written mixed bag of interviews, Ultima Online history and 90's- early 00's nerd/internet culture. Clearly written with sincer love for the game and the culture.
March 26, 2023
Oh, this book brought back many fond memeories of my first, and in some ways, the best MMORPG I’ve bet played. Easy to read and with many player stories.
September 8, 2025
It was really nice to go back and relive Ultima Online from this point of view.
February 23, 2020
Having never played UO, but being an obsessive consumer of the single-player Ultima series since the early days, this collection of anecdotes was a great entry point in terms of illustrating just what all the fuss was about. It’s also a fascinating exploration of the infancy of online gaming, so if you’re interested in MMOs, this book will give you a strong sense of how the genre was born, and why it is currently structured the way it is.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews