User:Griff
Virtual Paradise History
I became a member of VP on September 29, 2012, under the name Allanon. In May 2020, my username was changed to Griff.
Active Worlds History
In the summer of 1998 (at the age of 10), while visiting my father in Northern California and attending his final computer course at Yreka Community College, we were introduced to Active Worlds by another adult student named Ed Borg. He showed us a tower he had built, along with some of his neighbors builds. From that moment, I was obsessed. However, I did not have a computer at home. The next summer, I convinced my dad to let me download AW on his computer, and explored as much as I could during that visit.
In late 1999, we acquired a Gateway computer, and I was able to join Active Worlds full time. In December, I became citizen 310922. Unfortunately, someone else took the name "Griffin" while the $20 check was in the mail. As it had recently been announced that there was a film version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the works, I decided to take on the name Legolas. Not long after, while looking for someone at Alphaworld GZ to start a twin city project with, I met Legion, and together we embarked on a project that would culminate in his city of Peaceville, along Median Way. The failure of my own half of the town was the first of many - for the next several years, I roamed Alphaworld, starting towns and other projects, just to delete them days later.
A few projects that survived my purges include Alphaton, Las Vegas, and Scholzberg.
Real Life
- Currently a full-time student working towards a Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
- Works for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility as an Electronics Technician.
- Earned a Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity Technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2023.
- Earned a Certificate in Computer Information Systems at the California Institute of Arts & Technology in 2022.
- Earned an Associate's Degree in History at Grossmont College in 2019.
- Prior Fire Controlman First Class (E-6) in the United States Navy (2012-2018).
- Originally from the eastern Mojave Desert (Needles, CA); has lived in Arizona, California, Illinois, Nevada, Virginia, and Washington.
- Has visited American Samoa, Australia, Austria, Brunei, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Tonga, Saipan, Singapore, and Scotland.