What happens when an MMO goes offline? How does it affect players? This article looks at the end of Asheron's Call 2, which occurred at the end of December. Let's hope the same does not occur to WoW for a VERY long time.

Vicki Hail's world came to an end on Dec. 30, and like anyone caught up in such an all-consuming disaster, all Hail could do was say her good-byes and wait. No amount of effort or skill could save the day. It was the end.

On Dec. 30, the engineers at Turbine Inc. of Westwood entered their final, fatal commands. ''There was actually a global message that said, 'The world will shut down in two minutes. Please log off,' " Hail said.

You can read the whole story at Boston.com here.