They don't call it World of Warcrack for nothing
As you may or may not have noticed, my activity here has been greatly lessened in the last few months. The reason for this my addiction to WoW.
When I first started playing, I was enthusiastic about it and spent quite a lot of time online levelling up my character and getting to know the game, but I was still very casual about the whole thing. I had only myself to answer to, and I logged on and off whenever it suited me.
Then I joined a raiding guild with other Finns, and that meant being online at certain times and spending more time on preparing for the raids. When that guild disbanded, I was accepted into N and L2's much more hard core raiding guild. They raid almost every night and to be able to keep up, I need to spend a considerable amount on time playing.
The way the game makes you spend an ever-increasing amount of time playing it is truly ingenious. World of Warcraft is often humorously likened to drugs in the way it sucks you in and takes over your whole life but I'm starting to see that it's not all that funny.
Blizzard, the company that makes WoW, has really thought this thing through. If you want to take up raiding (and most do, since after reaching the level cap there isn't that much to do) and progress, the more time you need to spend playing.
Progressing means beating harder bosses, for which you need better gear. Several others compete with you for that gear and since most guilds use a point system to favour their most hardworking raiders, you need to raid at least four times a week if you don't want to be the last one to get every piece of gear. And you can't just lie back and wait for others to get the gear before you, because they'll soon out-gear you and who would take an under-geared player to a raid if they have others to choose from?
And when you get a new item, you need to enchant it. That requires either a lot of time doing something over and over again to gain reputation with a certain faction to get that enchant, or time spent killing things for money to buy materials for it. On top of that comes the time spent farming for consumables (mostly food) and money for repair bills and other running expenses. This translates to hours on the computer, every night.
Even when you are offline, you need to research your class and tactics for new bosses. The further you progress, the more time it takes to keep up with everyone else. So you let things slide. TV, housework, sleeping, eating, friends, school, work... Many people burn themselves out at some point and have to quit the game altogether.
Personally I don't feel like a lost cause yet but I am starting to realise the toll this game is taking on me. I have no idea how people whose SO's don't play the game can survive and keep their relationship intact.
By this point all my LJ activity happens in WoW communities, and I've completely dropped of the map when it comes to fandom. It makes me sad but I trust that the fandom will be there when I at some point get bored and quit. It's the people I miss.
When I first started playing, I was enthusiastic about it and spent quite a lot of time online levelling up my character and getting to know the game, but I was still very casual about the whole thing. I had only myself to answer to, and I logged on and off whenever it suited me.
Then I joined a raiding guild with other Finns, and that meant being online at certain times and spending more time on preparing for the raids. When that guild disbanded, I was accepted into N and L2's much more hard core raiding guild. They raid almost every night and to be able to keep up, I need to spend a considerable amount on time playing.
The way the game makes you spend an ever-increasing amount of time playing it is truly ingenious. World of Warcraft is often humorously likened to drugs in the way it sucks you in and takes over your whole life but I'm starting to see that it's not all that funny.
Blizzard, the company that makes WoW, has really thought this thing through. If you want to take up raiding (and most do, since after reaching the level cap there isn't that much to do) and progress, the more time you need to spend playing.
Progressing means beating harder bosses, for which you need better gear. Several others compete with you for that gear and since most guilds use a point system to favour their most hardworking raiders, you need to raid at least four times a week if you don't want to be the last one to get every piece of gear. And you can't just lie back and wait for others to get the gear before you, because they'll soon out-gear you and who would take an under-geared player to a raid if they have others to choose from?
And when you get a new item, you need to enchant it. That requires either a lot of time doing something over and over again to gain reputation with a certain faction to get that enchant, or time spent killing things for money to buy materials for it. On top of that comes the time spent farming for consumables (mostly food) and money for repair bills and other running expenses. This translates to hours on the computer, every night.
Even when you are offline, you need to research your class and tactics for new bosses. The further you progress, the more time it takes to keep up with everyone else. So you let things slide. TV, housework, sleeping, eating, friends, school, work... Many people burn themselves out at some point and have to quit the game altogether.
Personally I don't feel like a lost cause yet but I am starting to realise the toll this game is taking on me. I have no idea how people whose SO's don't play the game can survive and keep their relationship intact.
By this point all my LJ activity happens in WoW communities, and I've completely dropped of the map when it comes to fandom. It makes me sad but I trust that the fandom will be there when I at some point get bored and quit. It's the people I miss.