Entries titled “Entertaining the Cyborg” are where I’ll put different thoughts, opinions, and things that I think might be cool about different games, books, computers and computer items, and possibly a movie review or 2.
This one is about the MMORPG, World of Warcraft. I have been a WoW subscriber from 2004-2010 and from late 2013 to today (a heart surgery and a move put WoW on the shelf for a while). Over those periods of time, I’ve noticed stigmas – sometimes lingering in the background, sometimes blatantly out in the open – that Warcraft players get, and I don’t understand the reasons behind them. If you mention that you play, you can sometimes hear the sneer or condescension forming in a person’s head:
“Oh, you must play 12-16 hours a day”
“Oh, you must stay in your room constantly”
“Oh, you must not have a job to play time to play Warcraft” (I actually heard that one told to a friend once. She definitely has a job, and a pretty solid one at that.)
I’ve seen shows poke fun at it and its players and have seen and heard other people do the same. My questions are these: what makes hours of playing WoW much different from hours of playing “Call Of Duty”, any of the “Halo” games, or any of the other hot games with online multiplayer capabilities? Is it the subscription aspect of WoW – does paying $14.99 a month frighten some that much? Is the fact that you are fighting Orcs and Night Elves in fantasy settings so much different than sniping someone from 200 yards away in a modern urban environment, in terms of gaming? I don’t know – color me confused. I don’t see the need for World of Warcraft players to get stigmas that players of “Halo” or “Call Of Duty” don’t get. All of us are doing something that we enjoy: playing video games. And probably staying out of trouble.
The Nexus 
Go! Fight! WIN!
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I agree Splurt, I get crap from people at work, my older daughter even, the younger one has learned to deal with it, the boys tell their friends and think it’s cool though. What difference to people if I sit here at night and play WoW and watch TV or if I sit and watch TV while letting everyone on Facebook know what I had for supper, my cat just farted, that it’s raining out, etc etc etc. Or just sit here and stare at the TV? How many of those people giving WoW players crap spend as much or more time checking out porn? They are way more cooler than we are I’m sure. I play WoW for the people as much as the game itself. Over the past 6+ years I have made friends with some awesome people, including my friend Splurt here. We all have our fantasies, leave ours to us and go about finding your own.
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