Here it is:
I have been playing World of Warcraft for one year and I love it.
I guess I have been closeted about it for fear of mockery and rejection by the "cool" of the real world. But I don't care anymore. As I talk to peers, I find that many of them have also secretly been playing this game and are not so secret of their love for it behind closed doors.
Turns out there are 9 million subscribers. That number reaches beyond sheer nerdery. While most players are probably between the age of 14-25 and have countless hours to spend skipping school and playing this game, some aren't high school or college kids and/or gaming fanatics. Many are casual players, like me, who spend an hour a day or a few hours on the weekend by logging on and taking a break from the stresses that real life can bring. People like me are doing this because, as one website puts it, it's become the "new" golf. Men get together, albeit virtually, and hang out with their family, friends or coworkers. They chat, make fun of each other, complain about rough clients and taxes ... but instead of hitting a little white ball with a nine iron, you are hitting ogres with a two-handed sword endowed with +11 agility and +13 stamina, oh, and a chance to poison them for another 623 damage over time.
Most of these "older" players I run into online hold down jobs, have a wife and kids and only play recreationally. And why not? Golfing would require me to leave the house to hang out with my buddies. In WoW, I never have to leave my kitchen table and can take out the trash at a moment's notice.
But the reason I started playing in the first place wasn't to fill any void in my life or to battle the forces of good (or evil, depending on which faction you choose). It was because my brother moved away to Houston and I wanted to spend time with him. Because getting together to watch a movie is out of the question and since he is terrible at returning calls and sending email, I decided to join him in the virtual world. It's been a lot of fun. We get to hang out a few times a week together and in between breaks of killing demons we talk about what music we've found, how work is going and about what frustrates or elates us in life. And that has made being a closeted WoW player worthwhile.
What is your gaming secret? Addicted to Mah Jong? I want to know.
