12 Years of TORN: What a Browser MMO Taught Me About Systems
The Commitment
I’ve logged into TORN every single day for over 12 years. That’s over 4,380 consecutive days. No breaks, no vacations, no “I forgot.” It’s a text-based crime MMORPG that’s somehow become part of my daily routine like checking email or my morning coffee.
What Is TORN?
Imagine a browser-based game where you build a criminal empire, battle other players, join factions, and manage a complex economy. It’s basically spreadsheets with crime flavor. Combat is turn-based and calculated, not twitchy reflexes. Perfect for someone with an IT job.
Why It’s Still Interesting
Most games burn me out within months. TORN keeps me engaged because:
The meta never stops evolving. New features, balance changes, and player-driven economy shifts mean yesterday’s strategy might not work today. Sound familiar, IT folks?
Community matters. Joining a good faction is like finding a good team at work. You coordinate, strategize, and help each other out. Lone wolves don’t last long.
Automation is encouraged. The API lets you build tools, trackers, and scripts. It’s a sandbox for coding projects that actually matter to you.
Lessons That Transfer to IT
Consistency Beats Intensity
Logging in for 10 minutes daily beats grinding for 10 hours once a month. Same principle applies to system maintenance, security updates, and documentation. Small, consistent effort compounds.
Long-term Planning Is Critical
TORN punishes impulsive decisions. Spending your money on the wrong upgrade, attacking the wrong target, or joining the wrong faction can set you back months. Just like choosing the wrong vendor or implementing the wrong solution.
APIs Are Your Friend
I’ve built tools to track my stats, monitor the market, and alert me to opportunities. Same skillset I use for monitoring production systems. If there’s an API, there’s room for improvement.
Uptime Matters
Miss a day? You lose your streak, your chain resets, your faction suffers. In production, downtime has consequences. Understanding that viscerally in a game made me better at my job.
The Automation
I’ve built several TORN tools over the years:
- Price tracking for market arbitrage
- Battle stat calculators
- Faction attack coordinators
- Energy refill optimizers
None of this is groundbreaking code, but it scratches the automation itch without the pressure of production systems. It’s a safe playground for trying new approaches.
The Community
Some of my longest online friendships come from TORN. I’ve been in the same faction for years. We’ve coordinated attacks, shared resources, and helped each other through game challenges and real-life situations.
There’s something about persistent online communities that work. Whether it’s a game, a Slack workspace, or a forum, when people stick around and invest time, real connections form.
Why I Still Play
Routine without pressure. It’s predictable. I know what I need to do each day. There’s comfort in that.
Measurable progress. Numbers go up. Stats improve. Tangible results from consistent effort.
Mental break. 10 minutes of crime simulation is a nice context switch from dealing with tickets and compliance requirements.
The streak itself. At this point, the 12-year streak is its own motivation. Breaking it would feel wrong.
The Takeaway
Find something you can commit to long-term. Doesn’t have to be a game. Could be a side project, a hobby, a blog (hint hint). The consistency teaches you things that short-term intensity never will.
Plus, having a completely separate domain where you can experiment, fail, and learn without real-world consequences? That’s valuable.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go refill my energy and attack someone.