You can find very similar communities on Discord today. You may argue that Discord is a totally different vibe, full of kids, spam, memes, and rude people. And

You can find very similar communities on Discord today. You may argue that Discord is a totally different vibe, full of kids, spam, memes, and rude people. And you would right, but that's pretty much what most IRC channels, especially those related to gaming, were in the early days as well. You have to go around and look hard to find channels that are different, but they exist. So, maybe the reason that you don't feel it's the same vibe is not only because technology has changed, but also because you have changed. I also have fond memories of my IRC time in the 90s, but I believe I'm looking at them with rose-colored glasses and not everything was as amazing as I remember it to be.