Since beginning of the year, I’ve been meaning to post about my latest obsession. But whenever I get close to my brandnew shiny 24” iMac I rather dive into my obsession than write about it. So there is the main clue: you need a computer to do it. And it makes you obsessive. What could that be??? Yeah, right. Gaming.
In my line of profession gaming usually comes with the territory. I had a gaming phase back in my later childhood. Probably one of the reasons I ended up studying computer science, but that’s another story. Since I switched to macs I somehow concluded that gaming was history anyway. And it’s so common among computer people and … I must admit it … since I also tend to smile compassionate when a programmer tells me about his gaming successes.
But I could never deny that there was a certain curiousity why people can be so obsessed about a game. Tried Eve a couple of years back. An online sci-fi game where you’re the commander of a ship, you can build your fleet, conquest planets, start trading. After a month I was bored beyond measure.
So now I got introduced to one of the most popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (and as always there is also an abbreviation: MMORPG): World of Warcraft, which … surprise, surprise … runs without problems on an mac. Smartly enough you can download a 10 day trial, which is way enough time to get hooked.
As a complete newbie to fantasy role playing, I entered this world after having made quite critical decisions as to what race I am and what main profession I follow. And then you wander around somewhat disoriented. Without help I would have stopped playing within the first week. So the magic lies in playing together with others, which first of all increases your learning curve, quests are much easier, and finally it’s even a social event.
Now I’m almost three weeks into the game at a not always earned almost level 30 (thanks to much higher ranked characters who can drag you through dungeons giving you experience that you don’t really deserve) of a current maximum of 80. I’m still disoriented, and my fighting skill are miserable, but there’s some sort of progress.
Finally I have to admit that it raises my spirits to wander around in the sunny Thunder Bluff, to see a sunset from some sort of hill top, or to dive through a magical reef. Nothing compared to the same experience in real life, but during a depressive January a light in the dark tunnel.
Does my social life suffer? So far no, but probably my sport activities, but that’s always critical in January. And my sleep deprivation is gaining.