WoWarcraft; is the game a game or a job?

Regular readers of my blog (all 2 of you – including myself) will know that I am quite keen on MMORPGs. There is something about virtual worlds that I find incredibly fascinating. I’m not an console fan, owning neither an xbox360 or a Playstation3, and I don’t play any other games that aren’t MMO based. The real high for me that I’m hooked on is the world – the reality – created around you that actually is given life by every gamer that logs in and shares the world with you. You don’t just play an MMORPG, you _experience_ an MMORPG.

Okay enough with the dramatic lead in. You get it. And if you don’t, you never will, but that’s okay; different horses for different courses, as the old saying goes.

Everyone has heard of World of Warcraft, and anyone that calls themselves a gamer will not just have heard of it, but will know a little bit about it as well. Enough to hold their own in a conversation. To the non gamer though, it’s just a computer game… and that’s about it. Well let me tell you, if that were true, then you could describe the American political system by calling it, a couple of guys trying to work out who will run the country; there is an infinitude of complexity that runs deep behind the facade.

And that, is actually the problem I have right now! (Plus the point of this post, because I have to rant somewhere). To the casual player it is enough to play a basic game and be able to complete the basic quests that continue your progress. Which is what the whole point of these games are, and why people play them. Play the game –> to get experience –> to get higher levels –> get better gear –> to play the game. It’s a nice comfy feedback loop, that works – in principle – in just the same way as training for the Olympics. This week I joined a guild, a group of players in a club so to speak, to run some of the higher end content that the casual player couldnt reach on their own. And it was like country Bob coming to the big city for the first time and being totally overwhelmed. These guys still call it a game, but they play seriously. They want the big gear, the big numbers on their damage scores, and take down the big bosses that require highly refined tactics and knowledge of play style. It’s no more a game at this level than any other high level competition sporting event is a ‘game’. That’s part of the appeal to be sure, learning how to be a higher end player, doing things other players can’t do. Seeing parts of the game that other players won’t see. But there is a commitment there as well. You don’t just walk into any sporting club and challenge the top player, you have to put the work in first and prove that your worth being taken seriously, otherwise you’ll be ridiculed and laughed out the front door, or hammered into the ground and then ridiculed and laughed out the front door.

Which is where my delimma comes in. I’m at the top of the casual game now, and there is nowhere else for me to go except to the next level. But if I do, then it’s going to require me to put more time in, and take it more seriously. Maximising your DPS (damage-per-second) for a Hunter class is no less complex than working out the equations for rocket propulsion. Aquiring the equipment necessary to achieve the numbers capable of making those equations is no less trivial than collecting parts for a mint condition original 1970 vintage muscle car. Which means that the game is going to be less a game, and more a second job that is like the job you always wanted to have (in a fun way… I guess).

It does beg the question how real is the virtual reality is that I’m constructing for myself here? But that is entirely another discussion to rant about.

I do wonder that if the game becomes more serious and becomes less a game, will it remain something I do to relax, or will it become work, and bring with it work related stress?

Maybe I should take up cigarettes?

Andy.

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History repeating people

Last night I went to a birthday party of a good friend of mine. She decided to do something different from the usual drinks in a bar type bash that is soooo typical of the Amsterdam socialite crowd by booking a couple of lanes at a big bowling center in the south west of the city. Me being me of course, I turned up so late I missed the bowling completely and was only there in time for the last round of drinks. To be fair, I was at a poker game organised on the same day and I had forgotten about the birthday party until I made a phone call to find out about another birthday party that I thought was on that night, but had actually been on the night before, to which I was informed I had totally missed. So all things considered being two hours late on the day wasn’t that bad (and I’m a liability on a bowling lane at the best of times).

I did however meet someone that took me back in time about 10 years to my first month when I arrived in Amsterdam. One of the couples there was an English woman who had sitting next to her a guy I would have picked from some part of latin America but was to later find out he was from Mexico. I got talking to him and found out he’d just recently arrived in The Netherlands to make a serious go of the relationship with the English woman which started when the two of them met while she was on holidays in his country.

I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or give a phone number to him of someone who could help him with legal advice when the shit hit the fan. This guy was telling me the exact same story that I had heard from my Venezuelan soul brother, Balduino nearly 10 years ago to the weekend, on the day that we first met in a small cafe close to where I now live. Mexico man told me of the troubles he was having meeting people, and how left out he felt being here. He also said that he really appreciated that I took the time to talk to him and include him in the conversation because most people were treating him like he didn’t exist. The poor bloke! I felt like telling him he has a hard road ahead of him; that more than likely he’s going to get fucked by the bureaucratic red tape attempting to get a visa to stay here; and that his girlfriend is more than likely going to turn into a flesh eating psychopathic killer before the end of the year. I’d gone through all of this with Balduino, and seen the hardship and triumphs in his own struggle to make a place for himself in clog-land. I didn’t though, but instead told him that he would take some time to adjust and to give it time with finding his feet.

We talked and all too soon it was time to go. Mexico man asked me if I would like to get together again for a drink somewhere as I had been the first person who taken the time to talk and get to know him. I said yes, knowing that really he’s just reaching out and trying to find that one friend that will help make him feel like he has something here, besides his girlfriend (who said fuck all to me for most of our conversation anyway). I figured it was the least I could do, but couldn’t help but wonder if at some point in the short term future there would be a nasty breakup and him landing on my doorstep asking if he can come in because the ex is trying to kill him.

Life it seems, really does have a sense of irony.

Andy.

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When I was in early teens I got my first flat top haircut. Razor sharp on the sides, with rounded edges and a bit of a fringe. Back when I was surfing a lot it was a fully functional hairstyle, no care necessary. It was all the rage back in the day. But then when I got to my late 20’s life changed and I grew my hair out, first in a shortish same length neckline cut, then shoulder length cut, finally to a long mane that came a quarter way down my back. My 30’s was the time of long hair, sometimes messy, sometimes neat, but always flowing never pulled back in a ponytail at all, because I found that too restrictive. I found that my hair was a statement of my nonconformity, it showed externally my internal nature that – I always thought – was slightly wild and not to be tamed. Hair it seems can come full circle just like life. Over my last two hair cuts I’ve returned to short hair, tight on the sides with a bit of a fringe. It’s not the old flat top of a bygone surfing age, but instead a modern messy-neat cut being sported by all the hippest trendsetters in the young European celebrity circles.

To look at me you would think me like any mainstream society person, whose life is lived in happy conformity. Once that would have worried me, back in my early 30’s, but now it’s not so important. It seems to me returning to short hair is an external sign of a life come full circle and a change of attitude to the way I live and think about the world around me. 

It does make me think that maybe radicalism is a young mans game.

Andy.

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So I had sat down to my morning coffee at work, and was just perusing the headlines of my personal email before rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in for the day, when one particular message from a mate grabbed my eye - ”Australian Government Declares it’s truly a Nanny State”.

What the fuck have they done now? Was the first thought through my head. What new act of stupidity had they performed that deserved an email from this friend of mine. Believing it was something more to do with the mandatory filtering of the internet proposal, I was totally gobsmacked to read what I did next.

[extract]

Australia, February 3, 2009 - In a shocking move this morning, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Australian retailers will no longer be allowed to sell any online game that has not been classified by the Australian Classification Board. 

This move directly affects games such as World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, Age of Conan and Pirates of the Burning Seas – titles that don’t contain a single-player experience, and therefore did not apply for classification. The previous understanding was that online games, by their nature, fell outside of traditional national classifications – a loophole that the Classifications Board want stitched up. 

[/extract]

Words failed me! So after 4 years of having WoW around, and nobody in the government seemingly giving a shit, all of a sudden they’ve come out and effectively banned the thing by making it illegal… overnight! Holy camels humping your grandmother, where the hell did this come from? Did anybody see this coming? Err… NO! Especially not Blizzard, or Goa, or Turbine Studios, who are the companies who make and distribute WoW, Warhammer Online, and Age of Conan. And it’s not like they didn’t want to, or couldn’t afford it; Blizzard has more money than most African countries do, and could easily afford the legal process to get WoW legitimised with a certification. However it wasn’t required the day before yesterday! Now however, WoW is an illegal game, and those caught selling it can be prosecuted in court. Which actually would be every major retailer in the country.

It’s not so much the fact that MMORPGs need to be classified that guiles me, it’s the fact this is just another example of the Australian government jumping on something else to do with the internet – something they clearly don’t understand – and applying absurd restrictive policies that baffle and upset consumers, which they say, is somehow meant to protect them.

I ask you mister government minister, how the hell is banning WoW going to make Australia a safer place? Do you even know what WoW is? My guess is your average 8 year old has a better grasp of the issues of internet gaming than your average politician. They would definitely show a damn sight more thoughtfulness in their opinions and are probably in possession of more maturity and longer attention spans too. Really, we should think about taking the minister responsible for this gem of a decision and replacing him with some kid from a primary school nearby Parliament house. So what if he might dribble on the Bills coming past his desk laiden with crayons, at least he knows the difference between a horses arse and Google.

After reading this, I had a quick skype chat with this mate of mine and we quickly agreed that we best stay put in Europe for the time being. I wouldn’t put it past our government to ban the internet altogether and make using webmail an offense punishable under the Patriot Act.

I truly wonder what new depths of stupidity the Australian government will acheive next? A prospect laughable and terrifying at the same time.

Andy.

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So Christmas and the New Years holiday was lovely, and thanks very much for asking. I had a wonderful time doing bugger all, staying up late until the wee hours of the morning playing WoW, watching Stargate Atlantis seasons 1 to 4, getting absolutely wasted on potent weed, and completely forgetting about work. Which is a good thing because working at a startup can be total stress and pressure, which isn’t healthy if you don’t get a release from it. Fortunately Gawd invented the bliss of Mary Jane to help take our cares away. (I would advise those with obsessive personalities to take this in moderation, and not mix with heavy machinery operation – consider that my warning to you young’uns reading). I didn’t go back to work until the beginning of the 3rd week of January and I found that in my new heavily relaxed state it took me 2 weeks to really get the work engine revved up into high gear. By which time the calendar flipped over a month and it’s now February!

February already!? But seriously, where the fuck did January go? I didn’t smoke that much Northern Lights and Jack Herrer. It was quite a modest amount, all in all, compared to the bud consumption of your average casual practicising Rastafarian, so that doesn’t explain how 31 days can by in a blur. No, I’m actually inclined to believe it’s just how January is; one big blur of cold weather (for those of us living in the northern hemisphere). My theory is we spend the last 3 months of year moving a such a high speed break neck pace, firstly preparing for Christmas and New Year, and then actually having/enjoying/tolerating Christmas and New Year, that come January 1, we’re like a Formula 1 car hitting the breaks at 300 kilometers per hour; you come to a hard stop, but only after a 500 meter uncontrolled skid. Or in this case, a 31 day uncontrolled skid.

I find I really enjoy that January downtime though. It’s pretty necessary to have a balancing month where you can move a lot slower and take your time to recharge your batteries. The modern world moves all too fast these days, and it’s speeding up – to the speed of light – thanks to all the new fangled technology we invent at a faster and faster pace. All with which to communicate and amuse ourselves in ways not possible even a few years before. [But what's it all for? I hear the more enlightened among you ask! That being another story entirely]. If we don’t take the time to slow down and move at a more leisurely pace, we risk losing the purpose within ourselves at moving as fast as we possibly can in the first place.

Deep, hey?! *grin*

So yes, I had a total blast during January, didn’t do a fucking thing, can’t remember half of it, and enjoyed every minute of it. And for it I feel such an abundant flow of enthusiasm for new projects, and creativity for new ideas, that I don’t possibly have time to keep up with them all.

Hence the cycle starts again!

Maybe I should really spend some time trying to work out that trick to staying more balanced all year round, this year.

Andy.

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