The End of an Era

In tandem with my guild members and a few close friends, I exited Naxxramas relatively unscathed. With 3 new epic pieces to adorn my character sheet, I was feeling relatively proud of myself. The Naxxramas run concluded an 8 hour stretch of stagnancy, sitting at my desk immobile and unaware of the world beyond my monitor. After congratulating everyone, repairing and sending some gold to my Alt character, I logged off. Heading straight to bed, I lay down on top of my covers. I began to think, as one often does during the restless throes which preclude sleep. I thought especially of the next day. My estimation was that I would wake up at about 4pm, and I imagined I would probably play WoW once I got up, my rationale being, "The day is already wasted, why not wait for the next one to be productive". My schedule seemed to promote that mentality, one which has been the norm for several weeks now. Most recently, I feel like I've been generally more apathetic towards things in life, in the face of in-game gear objectives, achievements and guild issues. Between farming for T7.5 equivalent gear and tank disciple within the guild, the intrigues of Political theory, my friends....and my own birthday (Jan. 20th) seemed to wane. It's a sad state, I'll admit.


I have been playing World of Warcraft - on and off - for about four years now. The game, its sub-culture and relationships which it has allowed me to develop represent a noticeable part of my adolescent life. I was always the dissenting voice when the topic of video game or online addiction came up, dismissing the idea as far-fetched, rare or unlikely. Only a few weeks ago, on this very site, I wrote an article about the fallacies and exaggerations concerning addiction to video games. But the issue isn't that simple. It's not simply a matter of addiction or self-control. Axiomatically, World of Warcraft evolved in my life's value system; first, a simple time-sink, and soon a mild diversion. Eventually the diversion became a past-time, a hobby, a passion and now....a driving force in my daily routine and colloquial life. I fear what the driving force might turn into. Luckily, I'm only 19 years old, and many responsibilities in life are not yet mine to carry. I don't yet have a wife to neglect, children to ignore or a job to get laid-off from.

5pm, 2am and 7am......hardly responsible...

I can't say for certainty that I was addicted. Looking back at my experiences with the game, I don't blame Blizzard, the structure of the game or the internet at large. I can only blame myself. I was able to convince myself on too many occasions, that what I was doing was only temporary, that it was normal, or that I could recover. However odd it may sound, I'll cherish the time I spent with World of Warcraft. It was a magnificent game, and at times, it could illicit emotions unimaginable in any other form of entertainment. The other day I found a Hakkar killshot from way back when, and it made my stomach turn. It felt like an eternity ago, but the screenshot couldn't have been taken more than 2 years from today.

I've played on 6 servers, I have had 4 characters reach their highest level, and I have participated in every end-game instance and raid. While somewhat destructive, World of Warcraft made me feel as though I was a part of something bigger than myself. Each time I read that WoW had reached a new population milestone, it became harder to leave. I was a part of a sub-culture, which recognized my talents and abilities in a context the outside world would never understand. But that period has ended now, and in some strange way, I suppose a part of my life is done and over with. But as time passes on, I have no doubt that I will be thankful that this part ends with a reflective blog post, as opposed to something much less ideal.

Giving my loot to low levelers in Thunder Bluff

I'll try and remember the good times, playing with friends who I met in-game, and playing with friends from real life. RPing in Eastern Plaguelands with Sneake, my own guild of acolytes: Silent Storm, Michael Bateman.....oh Mike, and ofcourse the Boulton Summer of Love. I'm done with World of Warcraft, but I'm certain I'll never be done with the world of video gaming, so to speak.

GUNS UP! LETS DO THIS.

The suicide jump from Thunder Bluff's Elder Rise.