yeah, that's right, this is a post regarding the online sensation, and instant geek insignia that is wow. that's what we call it, cause that's what it is, wow. previous to my purchase of the basic game (no expansions... yet) i had succumbed a year earlier, to what i believe was a two week trial that i played maybe five or six evening sessions. i don't think i even leveled my character to double digits. if you don't understand, don't worry, you will. unless of course you wish to move on, in which case fuck... i mean, thank you for stopping by and have a lovely day. now, for the rest of you thinking, "hey, what the hell is this all about? i don't want to read a stupid post on internet dwelling, social rejects", yet when i say, "but maybe you do!" you suddenly feel a strong sense of curiosity, compelling you to know just what transpires when millions of geeks co-exist in a virtual world of complete fantasy. truth is i can't really tell you, from a social perspective. i don't understand three-quarters of what i read in the chat window, and even now that i have finally joined a guild (player created team), there isn't really much going on most of the time. perhaps now is a good time to explain...
in the world of warcraft you adopt a character, or an avatar (not that avatar) who exists in a certain "realm" of the ever evolving lands and dimensions, known as azeroth. your realm is relative to your location, so you're playing with others who are in a general radius of you, albeit a large one. now, like any good fantasy, there are two main waring factions: the horde v. the alliance. each faction consists of several races that have bonded through (almost too obviously) their set of spiritual and social beliefs. the alliance members include (not limited to) dwarfs, gnomes, night elves and humans, while the horde has orcs, tauren, trolls and the undead. each race has unique abilities and starting cities, which are designed to help your character level (or evolve) early on, based on both race exclusive storylines, and your chosen class within that race. your class is essentially your battle designation, and there are several to choose from, though not every class is available to each race. basically it breaks down to varying forms of damage dealing soldiers and magic using healers, and those somewhere in between. as an example i'll describe my own character, zisou, who is a night elf hunter that just reached level sixty. as a hunter, zisou's specialty is long-ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows or guns, while his close combat attack is a two-handed axe. in wow, all skills are learned and there is little limit as to how many skills you can know. for instance, zisou is capable of equipping other weaponry like swords, or maces, or throwing axes/daggers, etc. but once you "learn" most skills, no matter what level you may be, you start with zero experience in said skill, and have to fight/practice your way to an equalization between level and skill. so, if i decided to equip a sword let's say, at level sixty, i would have to travel backward to an area designed for players leveled roughly thirty, or less, and fight enemies of about the same. it's a fickle bitch (i think i've typed that somewhere else...).
at any rate, the complexities are cannily real(ish), and this is heightened even more by blizzard's unwavering updates, patches, information, support and most of all, patience. all that i mentioned in the previous paragraph is only the base game, there are two expansions (the burning crusade, and wrath of the lich king) that have been available for some time, and a third (cataclysm) due for release relatively soon. with these, players can access more races and classes, new lands/dimensions along with new quests, and new items/weapons from new enemies. needless to say, this game (like any good online game) takes a lot of work to keep it running relatively smoothly, and also safely. while gamers may care about their characters and don't wish to lose their efforts to a virus, or other means, what is really at stake is the "real" money and personal information that flows into the company (let's not forget, they've also got starcraft and, to a lesser extent, diablo). but these folks are the best in the business at nearly everything they do, from what i've seen, and they've generally got your back with security. most times someone has a problem, i assume, is because they're naive enough to link to the spam messages that rarely pop up in the chat window, promising you free upgrades or warning you of bogus issues. gullibility too, is a fickle bitch.
but regardless of any of this, the thought that draws me to this game is it's environment; it's world. to put it quite simply, the lands of wow are everything i ever wanted real life to be, from the ages of about five to thirteen (damn you alcohol, you shattered my dreams). seriously though, including all the amazing characters already listed, there are also various giant beasts, including but not limited to: felines, canines, gorillas, insects, aliens, dragons, dinosaurs, hydras, centaurs, spirits, ghouls, goblins, elementals (wood, stone, fire or water creatures), pirates, machines, sasquatches (sort of), not to mention kings, queens, sorcerers, knights, demons and so many more. and again, i only have the base game! i have little idea of what waits beyond the limits of azeroth, but i imagine it's going to be epic the whole way up. i reckon i might just find that imaginative kid i loved to be, before puberty, the education system, and social retardation took full effect. maybe we should all be playing wow, or better yet, use it's core idea/format as an application to design scenarios for our own world, before just rushing into our next disaster. we may never design a "perfect" world, yet better alternatives to ours are not just reasonable, but necessary and achievable. make life, not warcraft.
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