2.02.2006

do i dare?

last week i picked up a copy of world of warcraft, as i have a hard time resisting anything on sale (only $30 at target!). however, i have serious reservations about actually installing it onto my computer, as i have a tendency to get majorly addicted to games.

i've always loved rpgs (role playing games). the early days consisted of the full-text zorks, followed by interplay's dragon wars (the sequel of bard's tale iii), and the classic d&d trilogy of pool of radiance, curse of the azure bonds and secret of the silver blades. then came a period of time where all i played was koei's bandit kings of ancient china and civilization i.

in high school i stopped playing computer games, but picked up an even costlier addiction - magic the gathering. known as "cardboard crack," i was an undercover magic junkie for years, secretly squeezing in a game during lunch in the physics classroom or attending tournaments on weekends at the local game store. by the time senior year rolled around however, i had kicked the habit in favor of playing ball, working out and actually socializing with others.

i was finally off games fo the first time in years, and things were good. college was a blast, i was staying fit, hanging out, and doing what normal college students do (except not studying enough, or is that normal too?). then came the granddaddy of all rpg time-killers - final fantasy tactics. i loved that game to the effect of at least 20 hours a week for a few months.

next was starcraft. i quit that cold turkey right before finals after wasting many hours playing all the random online group variations (my favorite was starship troopers). then came the first mmorpg, ultima online. unfortunate (but probably fortunately) my account got hacked and i logged in to find my character naked but for a pair of tighty whiteys and in a city i had never been to. i literally ran around in my underwear (the game character, not me, although i could've been in just a pair of underwear as i often locked my self up in my room and would play until 4 or 5 am) until some nice online player gave me clothes to wear and told me where i was.

that experience tempered my gaming urge until i discovered magic online. all the fun of playing magic, without having to sit in a stuffy, smelly gaming room, playing with weird, unsanitary 30-year-old virgins and 12-year-olds lost in their trenchcoats! i was hooked. i went through hundreds of dollars and months and months, until i finally met devy and put away the gaming for good.

but now i'm single again, and economically, playing wow could actually save me money if i end up sequestering myself in my bedroom every weekend. do i create my warrior character and risk letting it eradicate my social life in nyc along with the assorted goblins and kobolds? or do i just let the game sit on my shelf, waiting for a rainy weekend to unwrap it?

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