World Of Warcraft Home
I give hearty snaps and props to World of
Warcraft veterans who have accumulated “mighty” powers, deadly skills, and
backpacks full of great stuff. I barely
have learned how to work the mouse and arrow keys simultaneously, and my
greatest, most satisfying rewards so far have consisted of a big drink of water
and a raggedy old boar’s pelt. Still, in
my first few hours as a warriorette and priest-in-training, I have wracked-up
some significant discoveries that won’t appear on my scoreboard…
- I
absolutely understand why World of
Warcraft commands fierce loyalty among 11.5 million (plus me) people
worldwide. The game instantly
seduced me: the graphics are spectacular, and my avatar moved easily over
the terrain despite my conspicuous lack of manual dexterity. Although the landscape seems dark and
dangerous—more or less the way I imagine most people imagine “the dark
ages”—it’s not so menacing that I wanted to flee in panic. Instead, just as a quest really should,
each new cavern and pathway lured me further along my path. As I moved from location to location, I
could examine each new landscape and its inhabitants from several
different points of view, and I always could chat with my fellow questors
if I chose. Although it took a
little while to learn all the codes for different modes of expression, I
loved having all those choices.
Yeah, some of the veterans were so intent on their missions and so
hell-bent on domination they had no time for me. But most of my fellow tourists were
really nice. By a leap of
imagination and faith, I could begin to fathom how the World of Warcraft
provides opportunities for social networking. Hey, if some nice guy saves an ingénue
like me from a gnarly old monster, how can I refuse his friendship, ya
know?
- I
begin to understand how my play in the game reveals a lot about me, my
personality, and my way of getting along in the world. This discovery follows pretty naturally
from my insight into the social networking phenomenon. In my ordinary life, I am cheerful with
and curious about everyone I meet.
I generally listen carefully and patiently to all people have to
tell me, and all of it prepares me for my next steps along my life’s
path. Same here in the world of
Warcraft. And, just like in my
ordinary life, some of the ugliest, most repulsive characters have the
most to disclose, the greatest lessons to teach and the finest gifts to
give. I walk briskly through this
virtual universe, but I pause to examine almost everything that beguiles
me. I can easily understand how, if
I traveled along the path with a constant companion, or if I joined a
guild, a natural partnership would develop, and my virtual companion would
learn all there is to know about the “real” me from the way the virtual me
behaves.
- I
gain an inchoate understanding of how, after a few thousand hours of play,
the grizzled teen-age veterans, like the Beach Boys, get tired of drivin’
up and down the same old strip and long for a new place where the kids are
hip. A warrior can roll-up his
ride-on warrior beast only so many times before he begins to wonder,
“where are the babes?” and “what else is on the menu?” Even distinguished with only a few boar
kills and a dance or two, I can see why the guys at Blizzard Entertainment
feel pressure to keep imagining and inventing: Their stuff must evolve
faster than its players, or their devotees will move-on other, more
enchanting-enthralling landscapes.
Latest in the series of WoW adventures, “Wrath of the Lich King” transports the allies,
warriors, and hordes to Azeroth, a fearsome arctic landscape as icily scary as
the original landscape feels kinda hot and humid. Dealing with the Lich King, his wrath, and
his political issues, the new game pits questors and warriors against Arthas,
his ”mighty” forces and his plague-producing powers. As we contend against the Lich King’s
wrath—and, trust me, this guy is in a very very bad mood—we struggle to end his
reign of terror.
Azeroth is the totally cool new place where the
kids are more than hip. And if you
thought the World of Warcraft was seductive, addictive, enchanting and
enthralling before, this new version takes all those charms to their third or
fourth exponents.
