One Door Closes....

I had an epiphany today.

I got all upset yesterday trying to PvP for the School of Hard Knocks achievement for Children's Week.
The horde were thwarting people's efforts to get their achievements done in the battlegrounds. Well they were actually playing the game, whereas the members of the Alliance were just too focused on themselves.
Everyone grouping up in the middle on EoTS trying to run the flag doesn't work so well when the Horde have taken all the towers, for example. And EoTS is supposed to be the easy one.

The thought comes to me as it has many times, "why am I doing this if I hate it?" So I gave up on PvP and just decided I wasn't going to get the Long, Strange Trip achievement after all.

As I'm thinking about how it sucks that I'm not going to be getting a Violet Proto-Drake, it dawns on me, "does it really matter?"

Am I going to look back on my achievements in WoW 10 years from now and think about how gratifying it was when I got that proto-drake? Am I going to put my gaming history on my resume one day? Will I be remembering this when I'm lying on my death bed? Will I be telling stories about WoW to my grandchildren, about how cool my gear was and how I led the healing charts?

The answer of course is no. No!

So why in the world does it all seem so important sometimes? Why does it dominate most of my thought processes throughout the day?

The WoW commercial with the guy from the Sopranos really is so poignant. "Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in."
Blizzard is banking on the fact that we are going to be addicted to this game. That us consumers are going to get consumed by wanting every little shiny thing and title they can throw at us.

And we justify it everyday in our minds with excuses like:
We're having fun playing it.
We have nothing else to do with our spare time.
It's better than watching TV.
It's cheaper than other forms of entertainment.
We do it because we like hanging out with our online friends. And so on.

I'm not here to bash all MMO's or make some blanket statement that they are evil. I am making a point about when a video game becomes more than just a pastime.

Since 2003 when my husband introduced me to Everquest, I've been playing an MMORPG in some form or another. During the time I was playing EQ I was also living in Manhattan. I didn't spend my weekends going to cool restaurants or museums and exploring the city, I spent them cooped up in a small apartment playing a game. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret doing and seeing more while I lived there.

I don't need Blizzard to tell me I've been on a Long, Strange Trip. I already have accomplished that - it is called Life - and that trip isn't over until forces outside of my control say it is. It is up to me to best use every moment I'm given.

Maybe I'm just finally coming to the realization that so many other gamers have, we don't need this anymore.

To the readers I have, I thank you for stopping by and reading my thoughts.
To the bloggers out there, I thank you for continuing to post and making this community colorful.

What am I going to do next? I have no idea. But for one, I can't wait to start getting some more sleep.