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I tried to resist; I really did. My addictive personality really didn't need this. But it happened. I saw too many ads for the "free 10 days of access" to World of Warcraft (WoW), a massive multiplayer online game, and I gave in. And, true to form, after day one of immersion into this superb online game, I was hooked. I upgraded my account, and now I'm in this fix but good.
OK, why is it that online gamers have to be so much like society in general? And don't give me this crap about how the online experience is just a little microcosm of our society IRL. I know that already. But somehow I saw this scenario developing: In WoW, I can be a fantasy character. I can use magic, I can perform great feats of strength. I can 'belong' to a bigger online group, a sense of online family, even. Everyone is free to have fun, and engage in online community-building.
So why are there so many jerks online?
I think that all that teen male testosterone has to go somewhere. And so hey, when you're young (real young) and hip, and know a bit about gaming, then you have to have a presence online, right? No matter what, you're going to have your opinion heard, and be just as rude and obnoxious online as you probably are to people offline. Yes, the internet has always provided the anonymity to be someone you're not, but sheesh...do the rude idiots have to be everywhere?
I choose to portray a female character online. Why? No, I'm not out looking to score with the babes. I find that there are already enough male characters online, and females are a challenge to play, and play well. Also, the few other female characters I've come across have been genuinely interested in the game and the role-playing (and yes, I'm aware that there are other males playing females online; as long as they're good at the role-playing, who am I to judge? The more, the merrier).
I started looking around to see if there were any all-female guilds. The only one I've seen with promise is based out of Australia, so they wouldn't necessarily be around at the times I would be online.
My best friends have always been female, my entire life. I get along with them well, I find them to be more entertaining and challenging to my own point of view, and quite frankly, I have male friends too, but I know how guys are. We get tiring after a while. I aspire for more quality in my friendships.
So...:sigh:...any female WoW players out there who want to team up and help a female level 7 mage move up the ranks a bit? If so, email me, and we'll talk.
If not, it's gonna be a long winter.
