WoW

So ummm ehm I started playing World of Warcraft. I honestly don’t know what I’m doing half the time, but I like it. And my character looks cool. And my friend plays too so we can skype and run around playing the game together.

The thing is, for some reason (and people have warned me about this), it’s very addicting. I don’t know if you’ve seen the Youtube video of the boy whose mother cancels his WoW account, but he literally goes ballistic. It’s one of the best things I’ve seen.

I don’t know what it is that I find so addicting really. You have to complete quests which causes you to level up. I’m only level 9, but that’s after 2 days of playing. Collecting items and completing quests is what really hooked me in. If I look back into my childhood, every interest that I had, had to do with collecting something. Whether it be Beanie Babies, collecting stars on Super Mario 64, or catching all of the Pokemon (I mean, their tagline was “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” Genius!) Kids and apparently 24 year olds like trying to complete missions by getting everything they need. Maybe it gives us a sense of purpose. Hey, I don’t pay the bills, but maybe I can become a level 15 Draenei and everything will be okay.

That’s another thing. Draenei. I love saying all of the names in the game because they make me sound so nerdy and weird. Like most games, it’s a battle of good against evil. I’m on the good side obviously.

So much likeness.

I can see why people play so much. It’s probably like a Catfish thing where they get to be someone else…like an elf or a dwarf. My friend knows someone who’s girlfriend dumped them for someone she met on World of Warcraft. No joke! What would happen when they went to meet each other? Immediate disappointment because neither of them looked like mythical creatures?

Just a quick little poll (but I’m not gonna make an actual poll–just tell me) : Which do you think is nerdier, World of Warcraft or Magic: The Gathering?

Gaming

This. Is. Everything.

I don’t know if you guys know this, but I’m a gamer. Well, not a gamer in the sense that I play Halo, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft or anything like that. Games have been a big part of my life though. I love video games, computer games, stupid iPad apps, etc. I get addicted to finding every coin, getting the best score, completing missions–everything!

Nowadays games are so high tech. I mean, they seem cool, but they just go way over my head. I have this game on my iPad called Temple Run (it’s so addictive) and the objective is to run as far away from these monkeys that chase you through the jungle. The graphics are better than anything that’s on my N64. It really amazes me.

Computer games really started me off early as a gamer. And I know these games are totally lame, but I still pop them in every once and a while for a walk down memory lane. They all had cheesy names like Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, Feddie Fish, and Putt-Putt. My brother and I still make references to these games. I remember kicking each other off of the computer because we each had our own game going. Perhaps one of the biggest shocks of our lives was when we found out that Freddie Fish was a girl. WHAT?! Still doesn’t make sense.

I was probably around 9 or 10 when Rollercoaster Tycoon came out. I would literally sit for hours playing that game. During 6th grade in Tech Lab, there were different areas where you could, I don’t know, do tech-y stuff. In one of the sections they had a computer set up with Rollercoaster Tycoon. I guess building virtual Rollercoasters is considered lab work. I stayed at that computer for the entire class. The next morning, someone went on my saved game and ruined the park that I had built so carefully. They were clearly jealous of my amazing skills.

Once Nintendo 64 rolled around, there was no turning back. I had no time for Rollecoaster Coaster Tycoon. Super Mario 64 was a family affair in my house. My parents played it just as much as we did. Such good memories.

After that, gaming systems were being launched every other year–Sega Dreamcast, Playstation, GameCube, X-Box, X-Box 360, etc. They all offered some great games. Crazy Taxi was one of my absolute favorites.

Last night on the Daily Show, they compared the Florida Debates to Mortal Kombat and called it “Floridal Kombat”. They depicted Mitt Romney K.O.ing Newt Gingrich. It was pretty funny. Paul leaned over and said, “Do you even know what Mortal Kombat is?” I looked at him, narrowed my eyes, and said “Do you even know who I am?”