Making the Grade

I attend a public university in the southern United States. As schools of this type go, it's near the top in student population, ranked high as a research institution, and successful in every flavor of sport. I would say its got a good cross section of the nation's 18-25 year old's, as far as sample sizes.

This of course happens to coincide with the prime demographic of the MMO gamer population. Recently, I was in a rare case of being in a smaller sized class. It was a foreign language class - we had to talk to each other a lot, learning to speak the subject matter. It turned out, of the 30 people in the class - 7 of them played Warcraft, or at least - had played at one time, at varying different levels of involvement.

Their stories - "Oh, I had to stop playing, I failed everything last semester because of WoW.". Or - "I had to pick between the game and graduating." And - "I was put on academic probation and suspended for a semester, I was all right with it because I could play all the time, but now I guess I can't mess up again."

One of the guys still in the thick of it missed class at least twice a week. When he did show up he had the tell tale gaunt face, circles under the eye appearance, complete with monitor tan sheik. I am pretty sure he failed the class.

Now, what I'm not quite sure about is how my class ended up being a support group for college gaming addicts. But -I have to think this was not a chance encounter, and if you took any sample size of any given class - you'd get the same results.

My guild itself had a couple of key college age players disappear upon their parental units seeing semester marks.

This isn't a rant about the destructive powers of the Warcraft Vampire sinking its teeth into the nation's young while they at their peek formative stages. I'm not being critical of the game sucking the blood out of the minds when they are most malleable and should be preparing the mix to pave the roads for years of success, instead of striving to collect the most choice professor plum's and see the highest levels of content.

As I see it - it's simply a crash course in lessons of balance. What better way to learn time management then the juggling of a raiding guild, 15 hours of classes, friends, and potentially a part time job? Those are of course listed in appropriate order of priority! Sure, it's not a undertaking for the weak - but what in life is? Consider it an early test of the harsh choices to be faced in impending adulthood. If you can run the gauntlet of gaming and school, you've got real potential, I think.

I assure you, the above is not self justification and excuse making. Yes, please ignore the teeth marks on my neck. And yes, I actually only need 3 hours of sleep - and I promise, I'll finish my homework after the raid.

On another note, given my current level of the above busy I've become one of those people in my guild that I used to hate. Only able to raid once or twice a week, can never count on them, picks up loot by default cause I'm a rare spec/class combo kinda people. I feel terrible about it. I'm sorry, really I am.

Makes me feel bad for ever hating on the busy people before also. I once advocated only recruiting people who could keep 85% or better raid attendance and I'd sneer when people had to take time off for reality. Once, as an officer, I was instrumental in removing a probate (applicant) because his new job had him show up 25 minutes late to every other raidtime. Oddly enough this action also kick started a war between the I want to raid all the time-er's and the more casual side of my guild.

And by war, I mean strongly worded guild forums posts by people who were probably just bored at work. The kind where blocks of text meet other quoted blocks of text in an all out free for all, while the rest of us lurked on the sidelines, avidly refreshing.

Un-original Content

A GM exercises sympathy.

Also to offer, I have a link to this forum thread .

Dude provides signs of life from the realm Earthen Ring.

Glutton for Punishment

I logged in earlier and accepted an invite from a friend to a raid. I was then summoned, and found myself outside of the entrance to Molten Core. Since, apparently, we needed to go back....for Nostalgia reasons. I know I for one look back fondly on the time lost to this instance over the first.....year...and a half....(?) I played the game, almost weekly, post reaching 60.

I longed for wiping when people half assed it and AFKed, cuz afterall, it's MC and nobody wants to be there and it's "easy"! I wanted to relive the glory of one corehound getting left alive only to reignite the whole pack. I missed waiting on the one person who was knocked back by a lava surger to his death, only to have him run back to aggro the side imps.

I regret I left before the chance for lava packs on this run. It would have been nice to watch a healer be right next to a lava reaver and be cleaved to his death. I wanted to stand there again, while the warlock re-banished the one target we had left to kill.

Personally, I also wanted to get to the bridge on the way to Sulfuron that overlooks Golemagg, just so I could have moon fired him and pulled the entire bottom level upon my raid. Just, you know....for the memories.