Playing World of Warcraft
Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you’ve probably at one time or another, heard of online games usually referred to as Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO), with the majority being Role Play (RP; together MMORPG), and a few newer MMO games leaning towards the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre. I have friends who ask me why I play World of Warcraft (WoW), and why I would pay a monthly fee to play a game.
World of Warcraft Map
In my case, there are a number of reasons, begining with the fact that I’ve been fascinated with video and computer games, and the industry that creates and licenses them. I’ve had the good fortune to work in a specific slice of that MMO pie, that being Casino games. Roulette, poker, blackjack, craps, keno, bingo, progressive slots, you name it, we did it. Usually, if it wasn’t getting done, or wasn’t working, or wasn’t ready, I was the General Manager of Professional Services for IQ-Ludorum, which provided sportsbook wagering and online casino software, to both the regulated jurisdictions, as well as to the questionable operations.
I am not exaggerating when I say that if anything, The Sopranos was an understatement of the personalities involved in organized crime. It’s hard to understand unless you’ve actually been there, and some people choose to believe those of us who had been there, writing us off at best as fibbers, at worst as outright liers. But I digress.
The first reason is purely financial. Everyone needs some leisure time and activities. However, as an example, the last time we all went to a movie, it was almost $100 for tickets and snacks. Dinner at a reasonable price ranges from $30 to $50 depening on where we’re eating. Instead of spending ludicrous amounts of money on temporary entertainment, we instead have two main sources of entertainment - 1, the internet and MMOs, and 2, DVD Movies. For the same cost as taking the family to one movie a month, we all have access to play WoW, either on our own, or together if we choose, or with any of thousands of other players.
Secondly, is the game content. Since the game is supported by monthly subscriptions, it’s in the best interest of the company providing the MMO - Blizzard Entertainment, in this case - to give players something new and different to do, see, or experience, from simple new quests, all the way to the Raid Bosses, some of which require 25 or 40 people to have a reasonable chance at beating. New content in the form of new spells, items, armor and weapons, new battlegrounds, entire new “zones” (like a province or state), seasonal events such as the Darkmoon Faire, Lunar Festival, and so on, all add value to that $15/month subscription fee.
Social setting is the third reason. Although we see the representations of the characters in the game, there are real people behind them. Having someone to help you (or for you to help, if that’s your bent), work on skills with, bounce ideas off of, or just to shoot the shit with, makes the game a lot more fun to play. Real friendships can result, and although the news stories sound very tabloidish, I do know of several couples who “met” ingame, and then met in real life, hit it off, and are now married.
The fourth is the pure size and scope of the game. There’s always something new to do, somewhere new to explore, new people to meet, or on pvp servers, people to beat! Playing the profession game can result in a Donald Trump empire, where you can corner the market of certain items, and then make twice as much in profit as you sell it off during the most demand. Collectors of special in-game items can opt to collect many different things - bottles of alcohol, flowers, jewelery, or my personal favorite, small pets that you can have following you around - cats, snakes, dragonings, mana wyrmlings, floating skulls, and so on.
There are so many more reasons, I could easily run into several pages just on those. The last I will mention, however, is more closely related to me, and my situation the last few years. When I was told I couldn’t work, I went into a deep dark depression, even thinking about suicide at times. It’s been very important that I have some tethers to the world out there, so I don’t feel so isolated and alone. Even though Susan and the kids are here every day, I still have the need to feel as if I were a part of a larger community of human beings.
I started playing games like World of Warcraft, back in 1998, in Ultima Online. I’d formed a Guild (or player’s team, clan, club, etc) called Clan Red Hand…which is alive and well on 3 World of Warcraft servers. Running the guild was good experience for when I worked my way up to junior executive level at IQ-L; if you can motivate people that have absolutely no reason to be helping you, and have them work together so that everyone succeeds, it’s a lot easier In Real Life (IRL) to motivate people who report to you. It’s also a handy skillset for Project Managers, Process Managers, and various other positions where you have no direct influence.
My main character from that time, up until June of last year, was named Legin. He’s been a variety of types of explorer over the years, and has had his share of scraps and scars. He was always a tall man or humanoid, with white hair and a knowing scowl on his face. He served me well, and I had a lot of fun playing him through all of those challenges in all of the different games we’d played in.
Gillych and Auriane
My new character, however, I went for opposites wherever I could. So, Voila, let me introduce to you:
Gillych
No, your eyes aren’t decieving you — that’s pink hair. The well-dressed female warlock wants to shine like a star wherever she is. So, that’s me; the bone juggler next to me is Susan’s Death Knight character. I’m still working out her background, story, and all the fun little details you can work out to give your character a life of his or her own. Warlocks are essentially glass cannons, spreading pestilence, fear and terror wherever they go, laughing maniacally, feeding off of the stink and decay, stripping your flesh from your bones in one breath, stealing your soul for their own dark purposes.
Summoning and controlling Demons is one such use. It takes an iron will and the discipine to keep a constant control over the Demon while ordering it to do your bidding. Over time, a bond may form, and eventually a Soul Link may form, bonding Demon and Master forever after.
Aezola, Gillych's Demon Companion
And yes, there probably are a number of teenage boys that took the Warlock class just so they could control this “pet”. ;) However, you can see the details the graphic artists put into the succubus model. It’s that kind of attention to craftsmanship and poilsh that Blizzard brings to all their game, and made them a powerhouse in not only the video game industry, but the entertainment - motion picture, music, attraction, and so on - industry as well. With more than 11.5 million subscribers, many of them celebrities.
You can visit the World of Warcraft website for a free trial - come see me (Gillych) on the Drak’Thanor server!
Kevin Shubert is married with 2 children, enjoyed an IT Management Career spanning over 3 decades, lived in Costa Rica for almost 3 years, and is an Ankylosing Spondylitis "Survivor". For more about Kevin, his family, and his philosophy, visit the About This Site section.
