Dreamarena

One of the cool things about the Dreamcast was it was one of the first consoles to go online, opening the way for plenty of fantastic multiplayer battles with games like Phantasy Star Online and Quake III. But not only this but gamers were able to access the internet in general and was many peoples first dip of their toes into super highway waters.

The Dreamarena Hub

I remember being very impressed at seeing the Sky News logo appear on my television screen thanks to Sega's little wonder. Ah the joys of experiencing things for the first time! No matter how small it looks today it was always HUGE back then.
My screen name on Dreamarena was Frann but you could create other usernames which led to what was probably the first wave of 'Cyber Transvestites'. You know, those strange types who seem to get a kick out of being the opposite sex on places like Playstation Home. Well Dreamarena had its share of those.
What was cool about it was the different 'lounges' you could join to chat in. And by and large it was a friendly community where people discussed new titles and films, like internet forums we have now. But there was more too with Sega (and other games developers/publishers) hosting competions and give-aways of rare collectables, not to mention up-to-the-minute news regarding anything Sega.
It really was a cool place to hang out and its where I learned internet speak and the first time I had ever heard of LOL (Laughs Out Loud.) There were some good people on it. I wonder if they still go gaga over the Dreamcast?