Nothing that would stand out these days, but back in '97 the web felt a lot more individualistic/solitary and this game had the social aspect at the forefront.

Nothing that would stand out these days, but back in '97 the web felt a lot more individualistic/solitary and this game had the social aspect at the forefront. There were obviously other chat apps (IRC/ICQ), but this one did a good job of collecting like-minded people from across the world in one place in large enough numbers to keep us engaged. Right place at the right time, I suppose. We came for the money prizes, but stayed for the people.