Juan-Luis is a visual effects artist in England. He’s also something of an Ultima fan, and wrote a post in the wake of Shroud of the Avatar’s announcement reflecting on the series.

20-something years ago I obsessively played the “Ultima” Role Playing games on my Commodore-64. It was but one expression of my nerdy interests in fantasy, gaming, video-games, stories, other worlds. This experience was not unique, although very few people around me shared these interests, so I generally kept them to myself.

My chosen fields of study and work attracted others like me, so I’ve found myself as an adult surrounded by like-minded people, something that has been very gratifying.

What I could not have predicted is that these ideas about gaming and story have managed to permeate the culture; from zombie-chase running apps, to city-wide treasure hunts, to immersive free-roaming location specific theatre.

I found “Ultima IV” available free on gog.com the other day. I fired it up, suited up my character, and went off exploring.

Feel free to share you own Ultima memories here!