What's your /played?

Without a doubt, MMORPGs have the potential to be intensely addictive. I've experienced this addiction first hand, and it can cause considerable issues in the life of the person that can't balance their hobby with the rest of their life. Is an addiction inherently wrong though? I mean, we attach so many negative connotations to the word that it seems impossible to have a safe addiction. I'm not going to answer the question in this post, however I feel it could use some thought. There are so many terrible things to become addicted to that can ruin your life far more effectively than a video game. Yet opponents of the MMO paradigm will link and reference case studies and interviews emphasizing the destructive effect an addiction to an online world can have on your life.

Let's be clear - these instances of wrecked lives, ruined relationships, and lost jobs are few and far between. We hear about them all the time because they're shocking. Why? Not simply because someone lost their job, or girlfriend, or gained 70 pounds from pizza binges - We hear about these cases because it's shocking to see these hardships we would normally attribute to something like alcoholism stemming from a video game. It's new, it's shocking, and the media is getting their money's worth out of it.

I personally have experienced the farthest depths of MMO addiction. Playing my part in a end-tier raiding guild in World of Warcraft, I needed to be online at 8 o'clock 5 nights a week for a 4 hour raid. That's 20 hours a week in just raiding. Then I gave a good 10-20 matches a week to each of my 3 arena teams (2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 brackets) - collecting another 20 hours likely. Then you can include all the time spent farming reputation for various factions, grinding out honor when not doing arena or raiding, leveling alts, or playing the auction house. Even if I wasn't doing these things, I'd probably find something to do with my guildmates or other friends. Collectively, this was probably another 40 hours. I would cancel plans with my friends in order to make certain raids where I knew items I wanted would be dropping, or if I knew that we'd be vying for a server first on a given boss.

So I was playing WoW 70-80 hours a week, more than a full time job. My main character alone has 220 days of accumulated logged-in time, mostly from raiding for over 2 years. I have over a year of played time logged on my account. So yes - WoW took up a lot of my time. Did it ever ruin my life though? Not really. I passed my classes, I hung out with my friends, I even started going out with a girl. Eventually I ended up leaving my hardcore lifestyle to more be more active in my relationship, and get a job. It wasn't impossible to leave WoW. I just stopped playing one day, started doing other things. MMOs are fun, they're wonderful escapes from the daily grind of reality, but when it comes down to it, they're still only one distraction in a world of billions. No matter how awesome something is, how multifaceted it is, it is still limited to stimulating you in only so many ways. MMOs are alluring, no doubt. They offer not only an escape from reality - they offer you an alternate reality. A fully persistent world with a many of the necessary elements of a real social life. You can set and strive for goals. You can fight monsters or players on varying levels to vent aggression. They offer much in the way of what we as human beings require from society.

But saying that you shouldn't play MMOs because they're addictive is the same thing as saying that you shouldn't drink, or watch family guy, or eat cheesecake - all very alluring and wonderful things that can potentially become addictive. I guess my point here, assuming there even is one, is that MMOs are not to blame. People are. All things in moderation, right? You can become addicted to anything you derive enjoyment from really, and if you don't want to become addicted to an MMO, don't allow it to become more than just a game.

The Internet Breeds Assholes

Video games are an outlet. An outlet from stress, an outlet from emotions, an outlet from boredom - an outlet from reality. This is no less true in online gaming. In fact, it is more true. Human beings are inherently social. We need interaction with others in one form or another. In the online environment, when we interact with others, it is frequently done utilizing a persona similar to our own - even if that persona doesn't correspond to the persona of our virtual avatar (i.e. an evil character helping someone out or being generally courteous - in a universe which makes distinctions between bad eggs and good eggs).

Not always is this the case, however, as you can very well roleplay the virtual persona in an effort to be something you're not in real life (an asthmatic, super-shy mathlete playing a war-mongering 7 foot 4 barbarian named Bloodfeast). I won't go into the psychology of repressed anger and such topics which invariably arise - this article isn't meant to handle the scope of internal thoughts and reasoning behind why people embrace a certain method of virtual projection.

The danger in the virtual persona and your outlet into the virtual playground is the comforting embrace of anonymity that reassures you that no matter who you insult or how much trash you talk - you're far removed from the repercussions your hostility would otherwise grant you in life. You know that you can always change your name, or change your server if the backlash hits too hard. Hell, even a ban is just a temporary deterrent - as no game can truly ban you permanently. There's always a payment under a different name, a new IP address, a new account.

This generates the "internet asshole" and the "internet troll" and frequently the "elitist scum" that we all know and love. Not all of these gamers are necessarily timid little creatures sitting behind their computer screen - some are likely true assholes (especially in bro-centric gaming like Halo 3 and Counterstrike). However, many people unleash their pent up frustrations at the virtual community because they see it as a risk-free outlet. This is why you see so many assholes on the internet - because it's so easy to be one.

It wasn't that good!

Allow me to begin by stating my opinion. This is my blog after all, and I feel a certain entitlement to inserting my thoughts in this space I've cleared for myself.

Killzone 2 is an excessively hyped disappointment. It's a game made for fans, loved by fans, and pushed by fans. What is Killzone 2? It's pretty, and in more than one way. The graphics are nice, the effects are nice, the atmosphere is nice. Even the way certain mechanics work, like cover and reloading and blowing up enemy turret emplacements - is all designed to be pretty, inciting those ooohs and ahhhs from the fanbase.

But as far as I could tell in my experience playing it, that's all the game was. The controls - established to be "more realistic" achieved little of this supposed verisimilitude, instead making the player feel clumsy and numb, like you feel when you go back and play Goldeneye for the N64 after all these years.

So where are these reviews coming from? They're riding a wave stemming from the original Killzone (A game I've never played, but heard decent things about). I'm not saying Killzone 2 is bad, but they make it out to be glorious and groundbreaking. It IS NOT. You want to see games that made FPS players across the globe to weep in wonder? Halo is one, Gears of War is another (although not technically a First Person title, it fits my purposes here), and Call of Duty 4 yet another. Gears of War and Halo in all their incarnations have been Xbox exclusive, so they're easily in the same boat as Killzone 2 in the regard of audience.

These games and others have had enormous impacts on the gaming scene - whether is is recreational or professional. MLG, the largest professional gaming league in history, is so big today directly due to Halo's popularity. How many people do you know that own a 360 but don't own a copy of Halo 2 or 3? It's almost a staple product for the box, whether you're a hardcore FPS fan or not. To focus on Halo 3, it has a far more compelling story, and comparable graphics. The game has an outstanding score, and introduces two amazing features that set it apart from every game of it's generation - Forge, the built in stage editor - and Theatre, which records an entire match from an omniscient perspective.

Killzone 2, in comparison, isn't terribly unique. It's just another FPS. It's pretty, and it's set in an interesting world, but that's it. I think all the hype is directly tied to people who have too much trouble keeping it in the pants when they see the long-awaited sequel to a game they loved. I'm not condemning them entirely. I know when Diablo 3 is finally slotted for release, I'll verbally abuse anyone who utters a single negative syllable about it. That doesn't instantly make Diablo 3 the best game ever though (Although Blizzard's sterling reputation for never turning out a bad game says a great deal).

We're all a fan about something. It's important to us, sure, but it doesn't make us right.

Personal Gaming History

I've been a gamer (nearly) for as long as I can remember. I've always reveled in interesting new games - whether they were something new and exciting, or a continuation of a beloved series. Indeed, I play all styles of games, be it an RTS, RPG, Action/Adventure, Fighting, or FPS. And while every genre has had an impact in the scope of my gaming "career" so to speak, the most prominent and influential among these, even beyond the world of entertainment, was the RPG. I remember my first RPG experience like I played it yesterday (which, incidentally, I did). I was young - 7 or thereabouts. My brother, for whom I hold the greatest admiration due to the crucial part he played in my gaming cultivation, had come to acquire a certain notorious game for the Super Nintendo. Continuing on in the wake of the successful NES Final Fantasy title, Squaresoft decided to release the fourth title in the US as Final Fantasy II.

Final Fantasy 4: A classic example of the turn-based RPG

For me, FF4 was more than just an entertaining title full of what you'd expect out of a Final Fantasy title: Upsettingly powerful villain bent on world domination, arbitrarily placed items of mythical power, and an exhaustive list of spectacular magic. No, for me, the importance of FF4 was that it required lots of reading. Most RPGS, especially older ones that came around before the age of audio dialogue, relate the story of the game - otherwise limited by graphical shortcomings - through text boxes. At the age when children are going through the process of learning to read, I was going out of my way to read lengthy passages with words I doubt I would have found in 2nd grade reading pamphlets. This early exposure, through FF4 and many other titles, sparked a thirst in me for literature which has cheerfully remained until present day.

Also, this first title, and accompanying ones such as Final Fantasy 6 (released FF3 for the SNES), Secret of Mana, Earthbound, and Chrono Trigger (there are many more I played, but I don't wish to be too exhaustive here) allowed me to appreciate the common theme of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey". Frequently one of the primary themes of fantasy titles, be they game, book, or movie, I fell in love with joining the main character in his arduous voyage. And what hero do gaming fans love more than any other? The correct answer is probably Mario, but frankly I think Mario is a bit boring. The answer I'm thinking of is Link - The archetypal silent and infinitely altruistic badass best known for his peculiar choice in hats and the ability to somehow effectively utilize a boomerang as a weapon.

Ocarina of Time (Zelda 64) is widely considered one of the greatest video game titles of all time. (http://top100.ign.com/2005/001-010.html)

RPGs are wonderful, but the dynamic world of the Action-Adventure genre is evinced with especial clarity in the Zelda franchise. In Ocarina of Time for example, Link has an entire world at his disposal, filled with puzzles and secrets. The storyline is always linear, but there is a lot of slack in the rope. There are tons of side quests, and the options available to our hero aren't always limited to the very next dungeon. Oh, did I mention the puzzles? Zelda games are stuffed with them - enough to make the Myst developers blush. If I had a lesson to take away from the Zelda games, it was the lesson of patience. Although, it was never a lesson easily learned - a truth apparent in several broken controllers and dented tables.

Zelda and Final Fantasy were the staples of my young gaming diet, although I maintained a steady, well-rounded diet consisting of side scrolling platformers (Mega Man, Sonic, Mario), fighting games (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and later Super Smash Bros), and first person shooters (Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Unreal Tournament as an early foray into PC titles).

While my love for these games, and consoles in general never disappeared, it certainly waned after I discovered my love of PC gaming. One of the major bits of pride for PC game enthusiasts is the strong presence of FPS titles on the PC. If you name it, I've probably played it, and I will always keep a place near to my heart for Counter Strike and Battlefield. However, my true fascination with PC gaming came with my introduction to MMORPGs (again I have to blame my brother, for it is on his Everquest account that I initially drew my fascination).

Of the long list of MMOs I have played, the first one that really drew me in was Dark Age of Camelot. A game borrowing many of the successful elements that made Everquest great, DAoC was an MMO set in a world balanced between Arthurian Legend, Norse Myth, and Celtic Lore. The attention to detail with the music, settings, and atmosphere made the game a true gem. In all accounts, it was a well-rounded MMO. The big thing that stuck with me, though was the introduction of epic-scale player vs. player scenarios. Where Everquest hadn't even facilitated PvP, DAoC took it to the next level. 50 people could ride out into the frontier regions with siege equipment in tow to engage in large scale Keep warfare against equally large opposing forces.

Dark Age of Camelot's Realm vs Realm combat system in action

I played DAoC for roughly 4 years before I took a break to play another MMO, Anarchy Online (an impressive title in its own right.) Soon after, however, a new MMO was released, and my brother (yet again) convinced me to give it a shot. This new MMO was none other than World of Warcraft. WoW for me, initially, was just something to pass the time. I remember intending to go back to DAoC at some point. I didn't think much of WoW right in the beginning, and missed the competitive atmosphere of DAoC. Well, from time to time we all eat our words, and this sentiment of mine didn't last long. Even in its humble beginnings, WoW was an addictive game. The quests were immersive, the social atmosphere inviting, and I soon made friends. In fact, I made a very close group of friends that I one day learned lived as near to me as Lansing. We took it upon ourselves to meet, and they have been very close friends ever since, even though most of us no longer play WoW (I recently attended the wedding of one of these WoW-pals).

Besides the social aspect, I soon enough found my calling to be what I have termed in my blog as the "hardcore" gamer. I applied for a spot in one of the most competitive guilds on my server, because they needed a healer (which somehow I've managed to play in nearly every MMO). This marked the beginning of a 3+ year relationship where I got to spend lots of quality time in front of my monitor. When I was initially accepted into the guild, it was very much like being accepted into a competitive internship. I was incredibly nervous about my performance. After all, I was the quintessential "noob" right down to my shoddy gear and exhaustive lack of experience. It was kind of a struggle to find my place in a group of 50 some guild members who fit neatly into that notorious "elitist asshole" category each game has. I persevered and eventually found that I was damn good at what I did, eventually becoming an officer and healer leader for the entire guild (my nightly job being the not-so-simple task of organizing and directing 8 or more healers for vastly differing encounters).

This is what my screen looked like on a raid night. A lot to keep track of, but it was rewarding.

In my head, this sounds a lot like a strangled justification for excessive gaming, but I am being completely honest when I say that raiding with my guild taught me several skills that I have been able to carry over into many areas of my life, most importantly, the workplace. In my guild, I had to be on time every night, or I was penalized. I had to learn the internal politics of the guild in order to function when a debate or dispute arose. I had several different jobs and obligations, which demanded from me a certain level of performance. Upon my promotion to officer, I had to manage schedules and rotating shifts (because we inevitably had more healers than we needed any given night) as well as oversee the performance of several players.

In a lot of ways, you could say raiding in WoW, done on the scale I did it, was very much like a job. I never saw it as one, however, and to this day it is one of the more entertaining and fulfilling things I've done. I still play WoW casually, and many other games besides. MMOs are a passion of mine though, and I think I'll always be playing one or another, until I grow old and senile. Which, in my opinion, is the perfect time to stop playing video games.

Are you hardcore?

I can't tell you how often I hear the term "hardcore" used in gaming circles. As founding member and tournament coordinator at the UM-Flint Video Gamers' Club, I am frequently involved in the competitive gaming scene, and the definition of a "hardcore" gamer changes depending on who you ask. Some people will tell you that being hardcore is all about having 1337 skills. While others will tell you being hardcore is a status attained by those who spend more of their waking hours gaming than doing anything else. Others will argue that neither of these two elements alone create the hardcore persona, but rather it is a combination of the two. 

I think that it's a combination of the two. If you are "hardcore" you are pushing extremes. I could play Wii sports all day long, mixing it up with a bit of Tetris on my retro brick Gameboy - for a grand total of 10 hours a day - but a lack of focus or attitude fails to create the extreme you see in your stereotypical "hardcore" gamer. Simply put, time wasted isn't enough. You need that competitive edge. If you are truly so hardcore, you show it. You get online, or come to a local event, and you test your mettle against others. You complete, compete, and accomplish. You push things to their limits. 

For a while, I gamed hardcore. In World of Warcraft, there are epic-scale achievements to be had through the device of raiding. You need, however, organization on a huge scale, combined with skill and an enormous quantity of spare time. In my guild, we intended fully to be the best. Therefore, our schedule for raiding was 5 nights a week, 4 hours a night, in addition to overtime, and individual preparation. Not only did we have to be good, and communicate well, but I would put in ~40-60 hours a week to maintain that all-too-important edge. Then, there's the meta-game, or what you do beyond the immediate scope of the game. We would chart diagrams and graphs of encounter statistics and positioning. We would sit for hours in groups of 10 or more discussing strategy and tactics, or grind for accessories/recipes.

I wanted to be the best, and I feel that is the sentiment most essential to the hardcore persona. If you are willing to put in the time, and hone your skills, combining both those with a thirst to compete and on some scale make a name for yourself, then you are "hardcore".  Don that MLG shirt with pride.

Video Games

Is the term still kosher? I don't really care. To me the only significance in the term is to put a name to something. I really don't see a huge issue arising when someone says "video game" about an online game. Does it come across via a video feed (i.e. monitor)? Then the term isn't completely wrong. Yet, personally, I don't see the need for the attachment "video" to the term "game". Saying "game" is perfectly adequate, unless you need to further specify what exactly you're doing:

"Ed and I picked up this sweet new game last night."

"Oh yeah? What game?"

"Blazblue, it's for 360 and PS3. Pretty intense."

Here, I've clarified what I'm talking about in without any real confusion, and I didn't need to say "Videogame" or "Video Game". Take the same discussion but not about anything involving video at all.

"Ed and I picked up this sweet new game last night."

"Oh yeah? What game?"

"Space Hulk. It's a board game based on Warhammer 40k (a miniature-based tabletop game)."

Both are games, and the term "game" can be used in most all occasions until further clarification becomes necessary - much in the way a waitress will ask you what kind of soda you would like, where you can respond with "coke", "pepsi", "the dew" etc.

Well it's certainly a waste of time...

Gaming! I sincerely doubt anyone games and would argue the point that gaming is productive (unless they're doing one of those brain teaser DS puzzle games, or they're some MLG-fanatic, and phat monies are on the line) or that time spent gaming couldn't be better filled by doing other things (itching scratches, reading on the toilet, or driving to McDonald's and ordering a McDouble - but adding shredded lettuce and MacSauce to essentially make it into a 1$ Big Mac sans middle bun.) The point of gaming, in my humble opinion, has never been to attain productivity. I know I'm likely preaching to the choir here, but gaming, frankly, is an exercise in doing nothing particularly worthwhile because you enjoy the shit out of it. When I get home today, I should probably do my laundry and pay my bills before work, but I'll most likely end up returning to my beloved Link to The Past - a game in dire need of being beaten for the hundredth time. I expect many of you will undergo a similar experience, and it warms my innards.