Yeah, I feel old for real this time.

[[G]aian]

I joined originally joined in 2005 when I was 12. The site has changed in many ways. There are way more items, and I feel as if I higher percentage of them cost actual money.
I have many friends on this site, and I still continue to talk to those people on other websites.
In the last few years, my interest in gaia has started to disappear. This is partially because I have discovered other websites such as Reddit and Tumblr.
Rarely do I log in anymore. The guild I have been a member of for the last 6 years is almost completely dissolved, and being at college I rarely have time to log on.

[VKiera]

I joined back in 08 when I was 19 and in my freshman year of collage. I'll be 24 in just a few months and I've finished school.

I'm middle aged, in Gaia years that is XD

I really don't feel like it's been that long, I mean that so much has changed, I missed out on some of the older stuff, but I was here during the awesome years for a lot of the older EIs.

5 years eh? Just doesn't feel that long! Many more to come hopefully right?

[Knight of Britannia]

I think I joined back in 2007-- my junior year of college. That seems like ages ago.. and then I took a long break on a different gaming website, so it's been at least 5 years since I've been here. A lot is pretty familiar though, and there are some things I miss. It's kind of neat to see how much it has grown.

[IndiHannahJones]

I joined when I was about 12, I'll be turning 17 in January. Still a youngin' I know, I hope gaia stays with me though heart sweatdrop

[Forgotina]

Wow I joined in 2004 and I believe I was 14/15? D: so almost 10 years wow!!! I just came back too and it looks really different and i have no clue whats going on or what all the hip new items are but whatevs. Good ole GCD still managed to hang in there even when the battle system no one even thought would come came.

[meonji]

I was 12 (TURNED 13 THREE MONTHS LATER SO.. SHH) when I started. I think the thing that changed the most from when I started was the cash shop, evolving items.. and hmm. zOMG!. before that it was all just posting in forums to get gold and hard work for items. o:
well, except for the mc's which stays the same.

[o h l o o k i t s y u k i]

Keaton

Im older! blaugh

ninja

[Myhrie]

Well I've stayed with gaia since I joined for the most part so the changes aren't as blindingly apparent to me since I changed along with it. I've been on gaia since '05 when I was 14 and I fit in pretty well with the community at that time. And now that I'm 21 I fit in with communities like the GCD with an older average age and I utilize the mind-boggling amount of item options for avatars as a creative outlet. I'm not as active in the community anymore but I still love it here. Plus I've built up so much on this account that it's sorta valuable to me ya know? haha Eight years of progress.

The change that's most apparent to me is people's relationship to items. There used to be so much focus on status items like angelic or demonic avatars, fairy wings, etc. Now status items aren't as important and there's more of a tendency to create an identity through your avatar. At least in places like the GCD. And I prefer that change honestly.

[Das Portemonnaie]

Adnama Lavode

I was 19 when I joined and I'm 27 now. I feel so old. gonk

You ARE old. o:<

I remember you from the earliest days of my Gaia existence.
Mostly through your sig art.


I joined in 2005 at the age of 12 and felt rly rly mature for my age.
Now I'm 20 and ignoring the responsibilities of college. - w-

[Fhar]

I joined in 05 when I was 15...Back then when you started you got your choice of shades of starter rags and then had to work for gold until you could buy something that wasn't rags.

It feels like there are so many more choices for cheap clothes as well as different things to do now. The biggest thing I am happy for is that the clothes are now wearable by both genders of avatar. I know they've been that way for quite a while, but it sucked when you were stuck with what the creators decided was appropriate clothing for the gender of avatar you chose.

I don't know if it's just because I was inactive for so long or what, but I feel like there are a LOT more members now than there were when I first started. There's so much to do now that I feel a bit like a newb again. I'm not terribly involved in the community because all of the friends I had or guilds I was involved in are inactive and it's intimidating to try and get re-integrated.

[l 9 9 l]

I joined in 2006, and I'm 21 now, so I was 15 ish. My friend dragged me to Gaia and I never left it haha.

It's an awesome society.

What change pains me the most is that some people nowadays on Gaia thinks rich Gaians are rich because they joined early, or for this and that reason. While back in the old times, people actually respected (to a certain degree) merchants who make themselves millions of gold.

I don't know but the Gaia society just seem to have so much hate and jealousy mixed in it now.

[Exrael]

I was 11 when I joined on an old account, and now I'm 21! When I look at my responses back then, I was sooo stiff and weird-sounding~ sweatdrop I remembering questing so long for the Witch Cape... xp I've been named "Exrael" in online games/communities for about 6-7 years now that I look back - it was first a random name I made up for a MMO text MUD. :'3

I suppose the thing that has changed the most since then, for myself, is just my overall... self. oxo I would never have predicted I'd become like this in the future! I always wore black clothes and drew quietly in the back of class, and now I'm getting ready to go into medical school, shadowing doctors, volunteering, grabbing bubble tea and hottubbing with friends... I turned into someone I would never have imagined back then! @@;

But baaack on topic, the aspect of Gaia that has changed a lot is just the sheer amount of activities to do! Even though I commonly just browse forums, make avatars, and... spend money... I've also been a zOMG addict (back before they made it easier hehe), active Clan officer, minishop addict, art contest contestant, and so much more! :'> I feel that I've been scooching back from being too involved in Gaia, although it's still a nice place to de-stress/fall asleep making avatars. x'D

[Lawrence Oleander]

i joined in '07 when i was about 16. I'm 22 now and i just came back from a really long hiatus about a month or two ago.
When I left, Gaia's front page was a giant red button, and everyone was all up in arms over staff removing the Cig and other tobacco items from the shops.

[ERYN2067]

Skarlis

lilwashu2002

I joined back in '04, and I remember when the big thing to have were the deluxe cat ears and the fox ears and tail. Plus the Nitemare and Angelic Headbands were the 'it' thing to have, xD

Omg yes scream And sealed letters cost about 2k, which was seemingly impossible to get at the time because of the gold cap. No games, just posting and polling. eek

I am an 06.... January of 06 and I was 18 so excited because my brother got me on Gaia and have been addicted since, even when my account was muled to his for a time! at that time Fishing and slots at Gold mountain ! but I am not good with cards .. it was there but I no play and yes I remember the items ..peasant clothes to start with wow now MOST of the NEW GAIAns come in make an account play in towns or the flashes like virtual Hollywood or Rally and they even do not know about the THEATER we had up to 09..... they have no clue about trading passes..or how important they were back then wow They do not even post in ANY thread .... or forum and eah i can remember that was fastest way to make gold ... now just play a game and you get gold like crazy I miss the older days I am now 25 and have seen many changes in Gaia ...like the current event.. makes me wonder how far off the beaten track the admins are now.

[Aeirus]

I joined in '04. I was 13 then. Now I'm 21.

I, too, remember the cat ears/fox tail revolution. There was also the trend of buck teeth and green grass skirts. Fairy and butterfly wings were all the rage, and 10k was a BIG deal. rofl Oh, to be young again!~