Gaming…Yeah I Went There

I originally planned to post this yesterday and in a way I’m glad I waited. I’m glad I waited because as I was laying in bed trying to go back to sleep I wrote this in my head and it turned out far better than it would have yesterday.

As you read this I’m more than likely playing World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. Shocked? Some might be shocked to know that not only am I a gamer, I would be classified as a hardcore gamer. But what does that mean?

Beware: This video has graphic language and some stupidity.

Does that video cover all WoW players? No. Does it cover all gamers? No.

What are WoW gamers really like in game? Let me tell you. Travis and I have been playing WoW for several years. In that time we have met people who we dislike and people who we really like (OMG like in real life). We have a group of friends that have playing together since we all met in that first ill-fated guild; Nalaforever, Dunamays, Anatori, Kraylo, Silver, and Honadar. We have a few more that we’ve met and added along the way; Faladia, Akeero, Tsuko, and Irisviel. To top it off we’ve just joined a guild where we’ve met a whole new group of awesomesauce people.

What are non-WoW gamers like in game? Let me introduce you to a person whose real name will be with held, but we’ll call him “MC.” We met MC at a game trading website that Travis is a member of, MC and a small group of people started playing a game called “Counter-Strike Source” and we joined them. Of course interests changed  and we played other games with him and the others, he even stooped to playing “Call of Duty: Hide and Seek” when I got bored of regular “Call of Duty.”

Sure when you play “Halo” or any other game you’re liable to get that group of 11 year-olds that will tell you about how they screwed your mother the previous night and will graphically describe the rather unbelievable and undoable positions in which they did so. But you’ll also meet people like the group above.

I’ve told you brief basics about them in game because to me that’s not what’s important. I could care less how good of a hunter Anatori is in WoW and I could care even less whether or not MC even plays it or not (future reference he HATES WoW). What I do care about is the relationship that I have with each and everyone of those people outside of game. I should preface this next part with the fact that out of everyone mentioned we’ve only met MC in person, and then it was only one time.

For the group of WoW players we have seen relationships end and start. We have seen graduates of high school and new ones starting high school. We’ve seen marriages and we’ve seen kiddo’s birthdays. Not only have we been there for these people…but they’ve been there for each other. These are friendships that were created by an MMO but will continue on long after that MMO has ended. Want proof? Out of those people mentioned above we currently actively play with very few of them. One has completely stopped playing WoW and another we haven’t played with in about a year. Yet we are still close friends with both and shockingly not all of our conversations center around games.

Now for MC. What can I say about MC outside of gaming? I can sum it up in a short sentence, he restores my faith in humanity. From the small things of buying things on his employee discount and shipping them to us when asked and going to a 7-11 to purchase special Slurpee cups because he knew there wasn’t one near us. To the big things…wow the big things. When Travis’s dad was diagnosed with cancer and he wanted to design t-shirts for his cancer support group, the local t-shirt shop scammed us, MC was there with a solution. When he thought the solution wasn’t completed the way it was supposed to be? He was angry in our honor, without knowing that just the act of offering the shirts gave a sick man such joy. And when that man lost his hard fought battle with cancer? MC sent flowers and his sympathy. But most importantly when things progressed in a way that Travis was unable to attend his fathers funeral, MC was up at the butt-crack of dawn and in a move that still brings tears to my eyes was trying to find a way for Travis to get back down to South Carolina for the funeral. When that didn’t work he didn’t offer any criticism, only support. As much as we have ups and downs with this person, he will forever be one of the best friends we have.

If I remember correctly this was the front of the shirt. Seriously GO GET CHECKED.

These people are why I game!

Am I nerd? Probably.

Am I obsessed with gaming? Probably, but if being obsessed means I can be friends with all of these great people. I’ll take the stigma and wear it with pride.

Would I trade this group of people for anything in the world? No on your life.

So at 2:00 am est I will be connecting to Ventrilo (a voice over computer program) and WoW to join with a group of people for the newest expansion. A group of new friends and old, and group of people that I know if I needed them for anything would be there.

Some people have fashion, some people have music, some people have exercise. I game. What’s your poison?