Almost 10 years for me. Not quite as long as others, but a long time nonetheless! I too have made many awesome friends over my years in the RO world, some of which I still talk/play with to this very day. I've played many other MMOs during the last several years, but I always end up coming back to RO in the end. It just has something special that no other MMO has.
While the RO community may not be as large and thriving as it once was, it is still by far my favourite MMO community. No other MMO has produced as many amazing memories & good times as Ragnarok Online has for me. I'm sure there's others out there who feel the same. No other MMO community can compare to the sheer awesomeness that is the RO community, and I for one am thankful to be a part of it.
Merry Christmas RMS!
-X.