Afternoon, Popwatchers! First, a disclaimer: I am not a gamer. (I do read Penny Arcade, though. That’s got to count for something in gamer circles.) So my limited experience with World of Warcraft comes from a friend who plays it — and an episode of South Park.
Lately, though, those World of Warcraft commercials have been getting to me…in a good way. You know, the ones with Ozzy and Mr. T and Mini-Me talking about what characters they are? My latest sighting inspired a friend and I to discuss A) Ozzy Osbourne’s sudden appearance in every commercial ever, and B) the fact that developer Blizzard Entertainment is somehow making WoW look kind of cool. This one is my favorite:
As with any stereotype, there are people who fit it perfectly, and people who blow it out of the water. You wouldn’t know to look at me that I play WoW – you probably also wouldn’t know that I work a very technical IT job, either, though. If you read PA, you may be familiar with this: http:// http://www.penny-arcade .com/comic /2004 /03 /19 (Sorry for the spaces.) You’ll find fanatics in any subgroup, be it videogame-related or otherwise – gamers just seem to be one of the more visible right now.
I’ve been playing World of Warcraft for about 3 years. I’m a college grad, have a great job in finance, and a busy bee life. You wouldn’t be able to tell I play either…until I made some whacked reference to something found in-game. The same goes for all of my gamer friends: Mac tech, stay-at-home mom, sales rep, the list goes on. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. Gamers come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds. You never know where one of us might turn up.
Oriana, I see you read Penny Arcade. If you’re into web comics, can I suggest mine? It’s called Theater Hopper and it’s about movies. You might enjoy it! http://www.theaterhopper.com
You can devote as much or as little time to it as you’d like. Think of it like this – these days, $15 is less than the cost of two movies ticket, and you can play as little or as much as you’d like. It’s something to do besides sit around and watch TV, and it involves some level of thought and strategy, and includes a social factor that TV lacks. It’s somewhat addicting – there’s always always always something else to be done. “Oh, I just need to train this. While I’m here, I should turn this in. Only a short flight over there to turn that in… Wait, how is it 12:30 already?” I’ve been playing for almost four years, as both a “casual” player and a “hard core” player. I’m on the casual spectrum now.
I run my own successful business from home, and while I don’t play WoW, I met my husband playing the City of Heroes MMORPG. Now, we both play LOTRO — which, if you love the movies, you should totally try. Talk about full immersion in a world — while keeping real lives elsewhere.
I think you are right, it is definitely becoming more socially acceptable to admit you play WoW … hence the reason why you have celebrities like Mila Kunis and Brandy talking about playing WoW in interviews. WoW is a very social game, and most of the people who play are very social people. There are a few basement dwellers, but they tend to be exceptions to the rule. You can’t really do end-game content without some social skills … well you CAN, but usually not for long.
You missed the point of the South Park episode. The South Park crew actually worked with WoW to do the animation for the episode, and the show isn’t trashing the game but people being overly addicted to such games. So go play, just don’t play all the time.
I had to stop playing WoW after a year. It wasn’t good for my marriage, I’d play for hours, or until my back ached from sitting in my chair for too long. The only thing I can that sucks about WoW is the time commitment and the shrewdly crafted end-game missions. I couldn’t find a guild to join that would tackle the big raids at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. This game is like crack.
So I’ve played for 4 years. I’ve watched it destroy the lives of my friends. They either pull straight Ds or Cs now in college. Pretty much its a great game but way too addicting.
Why should you care if you failed your Chemistry course when you’ve got the 4 set bonus for T7. This game can create a false sense of achievement (only made worse by the achievement system just put in place) and really hurt your real life.
If you know how to walk away from a game to handle rl issues go play. If you play games for hours on end stay away. Seriously.
some stereotypes hold water, some don’t, as Sara stated. I don’t know much about Wow, but here’s what I do know: my friend’s family all have laptops and desktops. When she goes home, she finds her mother, her brother, and her two sisters all sitting around the house/room playing Wow together. The room will be silent and all of sudden they will all laugh at a shared online joke. Social or anti-social? I’m not entirely sure, but it feels super weird to me.
i’ve played wow since its come out. i have left it many times when i have got bored from it and wanted a break. I generally leave it for anywhere between 4-6 months before returning. i dont return out of addictiveness. I play because sometimes life gets boring. i get stuck in my studies. Wow is a nice escape (when controlled). I still socialise whenever i get the chance, which is very often.
Tired of grinding warcraft gold but you’re desperate to level up your character and buy those expensive gears on AH? Here’s your chance to win 500,000 WoW Gold! Yes, it’s true! You can join this exciting contest here: wowgoldpig.blogspot.com
The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject - or we may delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk (*) indicates a required field.
As with any stereotype, there are people who fit it perfectly, and people who blow it out of the water. You wouldn’t know to look at me that I play WoW – you probably also wouldn’t know that I work a very technical IT job, either, though. If you read PA, you may be familiar with this: http:// http://www.penny-arcade .com/comic /2004 /03 /19 (Sorry for the spaces.) You’ll find fanatics in any subgroup, be it videogame-related or otherwise – gamers just seem to be one of the more visible right now.
I’ve been playing World of Warcraft for about 3 years. I’m a college grad, have a great job in finance, and a busy bee life. You wouldn’t be able to tell I play either…until I made some whacked reference to something found in-game. The same goes for all of my gamer friends: Mac tech, stay-at-home mom, sales rep, the list goes on. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. Gamers come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds. You never know where one of us might turn up.
Oriana, I see you read Penny Arcade. If you’re into web comics, can I suggest mine? It’s called Theater Hopper and it’s about movies. You might enjoy it! http://www.theaterhopper.com
You can devote as much or as little time to it as you’d like. Think of it like this – these days, $15 is less than the cost of two movies ticket, and you can play as little or as much as you’d like. It’s something to do besides sit around and watch TV, and it involves some level of thought and strategy, and includes a social factor that TV lacks. It’s somewhat addicting – there’s always always always something else to be done. “Oh, I just need to train this. While I’m here, I should turn this in. Only a short flight over there to turn that in… Wait, how is it 12:30 already?” I’ve been playing for almost four years, as both a “casual” player and a “hard core” player. I’m on the casual spectrum now.
I run my own successful business from home, and while I don’t play WoW, I met my husband playing the City of Heroes MMORPG. Now, we both play LOTRO — which, if you love the movies, you should totally try. Talk about full immersion in a world — while keeping real lives elsewhere.
I think you are right, it is definitely becoming more socially acceptable to admit you play WoW … hence the reason why you have celebrities like Mila Kunis and Brandy talking about playing WoW in interviews. WoW is a very social game, and most of the people who play are very social people. There are a few basement dwellers, but they tend to be exceptions to the rule. You can’t really do end-game content without some social skills … well you CAN, but usually not for long.
You missed the point of the South Park episode. The South Park crew actually worked with WoW to do the animation for the episode, and the show isn’t trashing the game but people being overly addicted to such games. So go play, just don’t play all the time.
I had to stop playing WoW after a year. It wasn’t good for my marriage, I’d play for hours, or until my back ached from sitting in my chair for too long. The only thing I can that sucks about WoW is the time commitment and the shrewdly crafted end-game missions. I couldn’t find a guild to join that would tackle the big raids at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. This game is like crack.
So I’ve played for 4 years. I’ve watched it destroy the lives of my friends. They either pull straight Ds or Cs now in college. Pretty much its a great game but way too addicting.
Why should you care if you failed your Chemistry course when you’ve got the 4 set bonus for T7. This game can create a false sense of achievement (only made worse by the achievement system just put in place) and really hurt your real life.
If you know how to walk away from a game to handle rl issues go play. If you play games for hours on end stay away. Seriously.
some stereotypes hold water, some don’t, as Sara stated. I don’t know much about Wow, but here’s what I do know: my friend’s family all have laptops and desktops. When she goes home, she finds her mother, her brother, and her two sisters all sitting around the house/room playing Wow together. The room will be silent and all of sudden they will all laugh at a shared online joke. Social or anti-social? I’m not entirely sure, but it feels super weird to me.
For me, getting addicted to World of Warcraft is really a personal choice. You can play with or without getting hooked, just like any other game or any other gambling.
http://www.wowblackbook.com/ultimate-wow-guide-review.php
i’ve played wow since its come out. i have left it many times when i have got bored from it and wanted a break. I generally leave it for anywhere between 4-6 months before returning. i dont return out of addictiveness. I play because sometimes life gets boring. i get stuck in my studies. Wow is a nice escape (when controlled). I still socialise whenever i get the chance, which is very often.
Tired of grinding warcraft gold but you’re desperate to level up your character and buy those expensive gears on AH? Here’s your chance to win 500,000 WoW Gold! Yes, it’s true! You can join this exciting contest here: wowgoldpig.blogspot.com
Am a fan of WoW and south park and personally found it very amusing.
http://www.thewowstrategyguide.com/best-wow-guides.php