I absolutely love world of warcraft. Over the last five years there has been no game that I have spent more time with. I look forward to it when I am not playing it and when I have free time at work I will read as much info about the game as I can. I am an avid gamer and I also love playing my xbox and other games. I had quit raiding back in April because it was getting dull. There were so many other games I wanted to get my hands on. Also having a girlfriend means that my playtime was cut considerably.
So what has Bladez been doing over the last few months you ask? The game that I looked forward to the most was another Blizzard product. Starcraft 2 came out July 27Th but I had gotten into the beta 2 months before it had come out. I had liked RTS games in the past and used to play the age of empire series, company of heroes, warcraft 3, rise of nations, warhammer, and a few others. I was not really all that good at it but I had fun playing the single player mode. The starcraft 2 beta was only online multi player so I was forced into rated competition. Unlike WoW, RTS games have a steep learning curve. Having a basic understanding of mechanics isn't good enough. Each unit was different. They behaved differently, have different counters, and come in different parts of the game. I got my ass handed to me in the beginning. I built a few buildings and a few units and threw them at the enemy and sometimes it works and sometimes it didn't.
So I did what any good gamer did, go online and figure it out. I tried to find different sites that had tips and beginner guides. I had found a few commentary websites that offered a lot of insight into the mechanics of the world. I slowly started getting better and understanding all the units and the timing of when to produce different things. I started winning more and my losses taught me what to change for next time. It had been my new obsession. I could see the amazing polish blizzard had put in the game and it was hella fun. Once the beta had finished and the game came out I gobbled up the campaign and did every mission. Jumped online and found a new love for the protoss race. I had learned to play all 3 races but something about the protess had me shift toward them.
Starcraft wasn't the only game I was playing. I picked up a whole bunch of console games that I didn't have time to play when I was raiding. I had gotten Splinter Cell Conviction, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, Prince of Persia, Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, Braid, and a few others. I also had time to watch some great TV series. I had brushed up on all the fall classics and watched the entire series of Dextar and Spartacus. I had more time for my family, friends and seeing my girlfriend 4-5 times a week.
Life was good but I know myself. I am going to go back to Warcraft by the time that cataclysm comes out. I also know that I have an addictive personality. I still look at MMO-champion every day, and now I look at all the Starcraft sites as well. My iPhone is filled with podcasts about warcraft, gaming, and starcraft that I listen to whenever I get a chance. If I move away from one obsession I will move onto the next. Back when I was obsessed with raiding I did stuff that most people would call counter productive. The guild I had joined raided between 10 pm and 1 am. After that they would do 10 man raiding until 3 am. That was extremely late for me considering most days I would have work at 8 am. When I raided I would wake up, go to work, come home and go to sleep so I could wake up at 9:30 pm to be able to raid.
Because of my obsession I had little time for anything else. Doesn't work to well when other parts of your life call on you. I loved raiding but I had to quit. This was not a good way to live my life. I was tired during work, I cut my hangout sessions with my girlfriends to be on time to raid. I knew I had to stop so I did. It was such a liberating experience to. After 6 months of raiding the same place over and over again it was nice not to be in there anymore. It wasn't the game that called my name as much as it was the social experience. The guild knew my name and relied on me and it was a good feeling. But its only a game. I came and replaced somebody who left and somebody came and replaced me when I was gone. While it is said not to be there anymore I know its for the better. I have my freedom again to do what I want when I want. Hang out when I want and play the games on my own schedule. Warcraft will always call my name but I am going to try my hardest to not get back to the place where I was pulled in so far it took over my life.
So what has Bladez been doing over the last few months you ask? The game that I looked forward to the most was another Blizzard product. Starcraft 2 came out July 27Th but I had gotten into the beta 2 months before it had come out. I had liked RTS games in the past and used to play the age of empire series, company of heroes, warcraft 3, rise of nations, warhammer, and a few others. I was not really all that good at it but I had fun playing the single player mode. The starcraft 2 beta was only online multi player so I was forced into rated competition. Unlike WoW, RTS games have a steep learning curve. Having a basic understanding of mechanics isn't good enough. Each unit was different. They behaved differently, have different counters, and come in different parts of the game. I got my ass handed to me in the beginning. I built a few buildings and a few units and threw them at the enemy and sometimes it works and sometimes it didn't.
So I did what any good gamer did, go online and figure it out. I tried to find different sites that had tips and beginner guides. I had found a few commentary websites that offered a lot of insight into the mechanics of the world. I slowly started getting better and understanding all the units and the timing of when to produce different things. I started winning more and my losses taught me what to change for next time. It had been my new obsession. I could see the amazing polish blizzard had put in the game and it was hella fun. Once the beta had finished and the game came out I gobbled up the campaign and did every mission. Jumped online and found a new love for the protoss race. I had learned to play all 3 races but something about the protess had me shift toward them.
Starcraft wasn't the only game I was playing. I picked up a whole bunch of console games that I didn't have time to play when I was raiding. I had gotten Splinter Cell Conviction, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, Prince of Persia, Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake, Braid, and a few others. I also had time to watch some great TV series. I had brushed up on all the fall classics and watched the entire series of Dextar and Spartacus. I had more time for my family, friends and seeing my girlfriend 4-5 times a week.
Life was good but I know myself. I am going to go back to Warcraft by the time that cataclysm comes out. I also know that I have an addictive personality. I still look at MMO-champion every day, and now I look at all the Starcraft sites as well. My iPhone is filled with podcasts about warcraft, gaming, and starcraft that I listen to whenever I get a chance. If I move away from one obsession I will move onto the next. Back when I was obsessed with raiding I did stuff that most people would call counter productive. The guild I had joined raided between 10 pm and 1 am. After that they would do 10 man raiding until 3 am. That was extremely late for me considering most days I would have work at 8 am. When I raided I would wake up, go to work, come home and go to sleep so I could wake up at 9:30 pm to be able to raid.
Because of my obsession I had little time for anything else. Doesn't work to well when other parts of your life call on you. I loved raiding but I had to quit. This was not a good way to live my life. I was tired during work, I cut my hangout sessions with my girlfriends to be on time to raid. I knew I had to stop so I did. It was such a liberating experience to. After 6 months of raiding the same place over and over again it was nice not to be in there anymore. It wasn't the game that called my name as much as it was the social experience. The guild knew my name and relied on me and it was a good feeling. But its only a game. I came and replaced somebody who left and somebody came and replaced me when I was gone. While it is said not to be there anymore I know its for the better. I have my freedom again to do what I want when I want. Hang out when I want and play the games on my own schedule. Warcraft will always call my name but I am going to try my hardest to not get back to the place where I was pulled in so far it took over my life.
