America’s Army
Carrie Kolb
Engl 459
I liked the games we played in class against each other because of the strategies required, but I lack the patience required for any staying power in this game. The controls are a little complicated and I died a couple of times in boot camp; the drill instructors were not amused. I went to a week of boot camp when I was in ROTC in high school and America’s Army boot camp brought back a lot of lovely memories: we went to Disney World when it was over. Since I do remember being yelled at a lot, I think the realism of the game is fairly accurate except the drill instructors are nicer (in the game). When I play a video game, I expect it to be surreal, so I didn’t anticipate the effect of my breathing when I aimed my firearm at first, or that my arm would be less steady after running. The game had an awful lag on my laptop, but the graphics are interesting enough, and it is definitely better than Second Life. That the army made this game free online shows their confidence in its realism, and I find that fascinating. Where the realism of Second Life was a real turn off, in America’s Army the realism is what interests me the most. I’m not even good at chess because it requires patience and planning but instead of trying to move little plastic pieces across a checker board, I’m moving real people across a real battlefield to take the other players out. I do like chess, for the first few minutes of a game, so once I realized how like chess America’s Army was, I thought it was fun. Then I got killed again; the gunshot sound made me jump every time I got killed (I should remember to turn the volume down). But after death, I can watch the battle unfold from my teammate’s camera. That’s not very real, but I’d generally prefer to watch anyway.
I noticed during the bridge game that the player who stayed out in the bushes lasted the longest while those of us who attempted to cross the bridge were picked off one by one. On that mission, I thought that patience was the most important thing. When we did the border map, the key was in sticking together more than patience. The different requirements of each simulation were interesting, so I asked a friend who was in the army for his input on the game and wound up discussing mission tactics.
For the border map, the assault team needed to stay together in order to clear each area before moving on to another area. We had a familiarity with the map so each player knew approximately where to go.
In a real situation, the assault team moves like a train: each man with a hand on the shoulder in front and each man assigned to look in a certain direction such as first in looks forward, second looks left, third looks behind the door, fourth looks right, etc. Each car on the train cannot move except as part of the whole: so, too, with soldiers or cops when they move in on their target. Train cars do not separate and then hook up later so no member of the team disconnects from the train to move alone. In the game, we couldn’t literally hold on to one another, but we could move in groups. In real situations, the assault team would also have a map of the house to clear so they could coordinate a cluster team at different entry points so the enemy has no time to escape: one team in the front door, one in the back, and both enter at the same time. During the in class simulations, when I was on the assault team, we didn’t move as one, and failed to capture our objective. The key would have been to stick together to succeed for the assault team. Teamwork and communication are the most important skills to master in the simulations provided by the game, as in the real world. If one team member does not follow orders, he jeopardizes the entire team.
Defense, however, is different. When my team defended the objective, we tended to hole up in the building where it was located. In the game, there is no real danger except that posed by the assault team, but in a real situation, the defense should not be in the same house because the enemy may decide that the information is less important than just killing everyone by dropping a bomb and hope to salvage something of value later. I hadn’t even considered that option, so that part of the game failed somewhat to appear realistic, but it would still behoove the defensive team to spread out somewhat and cover the entry points from another building as well as from inside the objective building. Communication is very important as I learned when I was covering an entry point from across the street and got killed by a teammate: gotta let your team know where you are at all times! Our defensive plans didn’t work as well as the other team’s because they frequently captured the objective, so holing up in the one building did not turn out to be the best approach, which is true to the real world situations, if for different reasons.
The bridge crossing, however, did not work well when the assault team stayed close. I noticed that the player who stayed in the woods lived the longest. We didn’t capture the objective (to cross the bridge) but he lived, which is more than the rest of us. I asked why sticking together didn’t work with the bridge and learned that in Vietnam, the plan was not for each man to move as part of one train but to spread out. The idea was that if one man was killed, the others were far enough apart to survive long enough to counter strike. The bridge crossing called for those tactics because a cluster of soldiers moving through a narrow space are easy to pick off in rapid succession: the close quarters do not require the enemy to shift much between targets. A spread out assault team gives each player the opportunity to cover his teammates and the opportunity to run when under fire.
I didn’t play defense on the bridge during any of the simulations but I understand that the defense should stay closer together, have more than one line of defense. Not as close together as the assault team in the border map, but spread out more than the border map defense: small clusters, so players can cover one another but also pick out targets without fear of injuring teammates.
Chess requires strategies by one player for all the men on the board. America’s Army requires strategies by one team leader for all players. Situations in the real army require strategies by one leader for all players and players who do not follow the plan die. In the game, it is the same. During one simulation, I was field promoted to the leader. I am not a strategist, so if that had happened during a real situation, a lot of people would have died. So I inquired about field promotions in the real army as well. A field promotion typically goes to the most experienced team member, the one who has been there the longest. One can assume that the soldier who has been in the battle for the longest time should know a lot about the situation, the terrain, and the other soldiers who will be under him. He should be the soldier with the most experience and the ability to delegate his soldiers to tasks appropriate to their particular skills. What happens, then, if the longest surviving member of the team is the medic? Or even the cook? Can they be promoted to field leader even though their combat experience doesn’t equal that of other team members? Well, the phrase “military intelligence” was not coined for nothing. It happens in the real army too, just as sure as the America’s Army player who typically got killed first (me) could be promoted to leader during some simulations.
The game was fun during the in-class simulation, and I understand a little of the planning process…just enough to believe that the simulations on America’s Army are fairly decent representations of real world situations. I prefer the assault teams when I played America’s Army because there was a little more action. The defense teams just had to sit around and wait for assault to make a move. There was no real fear of dying: if I got killed, I’d just watch. I think I’d prefer to be defense if it were real. I’m not sure I could keep it together while moving around if my life were in real danger; it’d be bad enough just sitting in one place, every sense on alert. During the game simulations, I didn’t enjoy defense at all because there was no action until something moved, and then it was over as soon as it began with one of us dead. (Rather anticlimactic for me since it was usually me dead.)
I attempted to play Halo, just to compare, but I died a lot there too so I just watched for a while. Halo wasn’t as realistic but I think if I had to choose, I’d choose Halo simply because it wasn’t real, although I suspect that Halo live requires just as much strategy.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Second Life--take two
I played Second Life, briefly, during the break to try and find out why people love it so much. I learned that you can have a real job in the game that earns real money, not just game money. And you can do anything, from just hanging out to traveling to combat and everywhere across the spectrum in SL. If you don’t like the way you look, you can look like anything or anyone you want to; if you’re stuck in a dead end job in RL (real life) and miserable, you can enjoy a better life from the comfort, security and anonymity of your own couch. I found a library system that is available on its own webpage just like Clemson library. And presidential campaign headquarters and stores and bars, just like things I see every day in RL, but with a computer generated slant. But the technical difficulties with my laptop graphics and dial-up at home, each sojourn into SL is an exercise in patience. But I am resourceful. I found alternative research methods when I got no response from the players I met on rare occasions who didn’t speak English: I used myspace to speak to people I couldn’t find in the game. I sent a four question survey about their reason for playing Second Life to several players and found that my experience seems to be a minority.
I wanted to know what draws people into the virtual world in the first place and what keeps them there once they get there, a job or just a hobby? And how long they have played SL. I was told that the day you are born into Second Life, the day you start playing, is called your rez day. Most of the people I spoke to are resident hobbyists who have some in game responsibilities but not real jobs. I wrote to an in game real estate agent because her blog said she loves the game so much and she’s so happy to make real money now selling virtual real estate (her responsibilities must take up a lot of time because I didn’t hear back from her). I cannot imagine working in a virtual world (I don’t like working in this world!), to have a literal job within a video game, that earns real money outside the game.
The people I spoke with, for the most part, are hobby players but they do own property, belong to groups or own groups and get paid for those services. They also write scripts to create things in the game, greet newcomers to SL, and volunteer in the game for various services.
The three responses I got for what draws people into SL were remarkably similar: they love the game for its social aspects, being able to meet and hang out with people they otherwise would never see, and being able to travel in the game. It is a tantalizing concept, to meet people in strange places, visit strange, distant lands, all from the comfort of your own home. Another draw is the ability to change your appearance, to look different from who you are in RL when you enter SL, and the ability and relative ease of creating things in game. Here in SL, your creativity knows no bounds: anything you can conceive of can be created in the virtual world, no matter how impractical it would be in RL.
And, to a man, each response to what keeps you playing SL, were the social aspects: the friends they’ve made along the way and the friends who brought them into the game in the first place. People gather in groups and make items, share items they’ve made in the game, travel, engage in combat, greet and instruct new players, and just hang out. In a diverse world, it can be easier to find people with common interests when searching is handled by your fingertips as you type. Growing up in a small town myself, it wasn’t always easy to find people with my interests, so I can understand the pull to find like-minded individuals by whatever means necessary. Everyone wants to find a place where they fit in. In SL, I can perform a search for something and transport instantly to the location of my interest. Or fly, I suppose, or walk, but why would I walk or even fly when I can teleport? And it certainly beats walking around the real world trying to find something locally that attracts certain groups of people. In SL, the weird kid at school or the office geek can have the best avatar and no one would ever be the wiser; likewise, if you just don’t like the way you look, you simply look different. I’ve certainly had days when I wished I were someone else. In SL, that wish comes true.
well in the game my name is rooster misfit and in real life i am adam handy... now that you know who i am... ask away.... (you can use my names in your paper too)
So what draws you into the virtual world?: welll im a big people peson i love meeting new people and hanging out. this gives me a whole new way to meet new people and its convinent cause i can do it from home. i also like the fact i can do anything i want from just hanging out to traveling to full combat. Why did you start playing SL?: a freind of mine that i havebeen talking to on myspace for years had been buggin me to play so i gave it a shot and i got hooked What keeps you there?: the freinds i have made on there and just the random projects we do and put together Do you have a virtual job or is it just a hobby?: no i dont have a job, but i do run a roup and i get paid when people join and i also build things. my group and i are planing on opening up a shop and selling basicly anything people make in our group. but mostly its just a hobby for now. i put in an application to be an inworld helper so hopefully i willget that and that is a paying job with real cash... nothing better than to get paid to play videogames
Zak:
What draws you into the virtual world? The main reason I come to Second Life is that it allows me to be someone else and to look different than I do in real life. I can also build and program things in the virtual world that are difficult or impossible to do in real life. What keeps you there? In addition to the above, I like meeting new people from around the world and mingling with people I otherwise wouldn't have a chance to see. I also like visiting their creations and learning what their interests are. When did you start playing SL? I started playing Second Life on August 3rd, 2003. It is called my Rez Day in Second Life. Do you have an in-game job or is this a hobby? Second Life is really just a hobby and an escape. I do make objects to sell in world, but I do not make the kind of money that you may have heard in the news that people make.
Cybin Monde:
What draws you into the virtual world? the limitless possibilities of creative and/or intellectual expression, as well as this being an early glimpse into what i believe our online future will more closely, and widely, resemble. What keeps you there? same thing that brought me there.. the ability to be part of creating a world. the excitement of building, creating and helping others. the community, friends and fun. i'm part of the world of SL.. regardless of the fact i'm not even in-world all that often. When did you start playing SL? January 27th, 2004.. and it's amazing how much it has changed and grown since then! Do you have an in-game job or is this a hobby? i don't have an in-game job, nor is it simply a hobby.. it's somewhere in-between. i don't have a business in SL, nor a job.. but i am in the SL Greeters program, SL Views, a ResMod (Resident Moderator) on the official forums and a volunteer for the SLCC (designer of name tags).
I wanted to know what draws people into the virtual world in the first place and what keeps them there once they get there, a job or just a hobby? And how long they have played SL. I was told that the day you are born into Second Life, the day you start playing, is called your rez day. Most of the people I spoke to are resident hobbyists who have some in game responsibilities but not real jobs. I wrote to an in game real estate agent because her blog said she loves the game so much and she’s so happy to make real money now selling virtual real estate (her responsibilities must take up a lot of time because I didn’t hear back from her). I cannot imagine working in a virtual world (I don’t like working in this world!), to have a literal job within a video game, that earns real money outside the game.
The people I spoke with, for the most part, are hobby players but they do own property, belong to groups or own groups and get paid for those services. They also write scripts to create things in the game, greet newcomers to SL, and volunteer in the game for various services.
The three responses I got for what draws people into SL were remarkably similar: they love the game for its social aspects, being able to meet and hang out with people they otherwise would never see, and being able to travel in the game. It is a tantalizing concept, to meet people in strange places, visit strange, distant lands, all from the comfort of your own home. Another draw is the ability to change your appearance, to look different from who you are in RL when you enter SL, and the ability and relative ease of creating things in game. Here in SL, your creativity knows no bounds: anything you can conceive of can be created in the virtual world, no matter how impractical it would be in RL.
And, to a man, each response to what keeps you playing SL, were the social aspects: the friends they’ve made along the way and the friends who brought them into the game in the first place. People gather in groups and make items, share items they’ve made in the game, travel, engage in combat, greet and instruct new players, and just hang out. In a diverse world, it can be easier to find people with common interests when searching is handled by your fingertips as you type. Growing up in a small town myself, it wasn’t always easy to find people with my interests, so I can understand the pull to find like-minded individuals by whatever means necessary. Everyone wants to find a place where they fit in. In SL, I can perform a search for something and transport instantly to the location of my interest. Or fly, I suppose, or walk, but why would I walk or even fly when I can teleport? And it certainly beats walking around the real world trying to find something locally that attracts certain groups of people. In SL, the weird kid at school or the office geek can have the best avatar and no one would ever be the wiser; likewise, if you just don’t like the way you look, you simply look different. I’ve certainly had days when I wished I were someone else. In SL, that wish comes true.
well in the game my name is rooster misfit and in real life i am adam handy... now that you know who i am... ask away.... (you can use my names in your paper too)
So what draws you into the virtual world?: welll im a big people peson i love meeting new people and hanging out. this gives me a whole new way to meet new people and its convinent cause i can do it from home. i also like the fact i can do anything i want from just hanging out to traveling to full combat. Why did you start playing SL?: a freind of mine that i havebeen talking to on myspace for years had been buggin me to play so i gave it a shot and i got hooked What keeps you there?: the freinds i have made on there and just the random projects we do and put together Do you have a virtual job or is it just a hobby?: no i dont have a job, but i do run a roup and i get paid when people join and i also build things. my group and i are planing on opening up a shop and selling basicly anything people make in our group. but mostly its just a hobby for now. i put in an application to be an inworld helper so hopefully i willget that and that is a paying job with real cash... nothing better than to get paid to play videogames
Zak:
What draws you into the virtual world? The main reason I come to Second Life is that it allows me to be someone else and to look different than I do in real life. I can also build and program things in the virtual world that are difficult or impossible to do in real life. What keeps you there? In addition to the above, I like meeting new people from around the world and mingling with people I otherwise wouldn't have a chance to see. I also like visiting their creations and learning what their interests are. When did you start playing SL? I started playing Second Life on August 3rd, 2003. It is called my Rez Day in Second Life. Do you have an in-game job or is this a hobby? Second Life is really just a hobby and an escape. I do make objects to sell in world, but I do not make the kind of money that you may have heard in the news that people make.
Cybin Monde:
What draws you into the virtual world? the limitless possibilities of creative and/or intellectual expression, as well as this being an early glimpse into what i believe our online future will more closely, and widely, resemble. What keeps you there? same thing that brought me there.. the ability to be part of creating a world. the excitement of building, creating and helping others. the community, friends and fun. i'm part of the world of SL.. regardless of the fact i'm not even in-world all that often. When did you start playing SL? January 27th, 2004.. and it's amazing how much it has changed and grown since then! Do you have an in-game job or is this a hobby? i don't have an in-game job, nor is it simply a hobby.. it's somewhere in-between. i don't have a business in SL, nor a job.. but i am in the SL Greeters program, SL Views, a ResMod (Resident Moderator) on the official forums and a volunteer for the SLCC (designer of name tags).
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Meet me in Darnassus, a poetry assignment
Meet me in Darnassus
Over a wireless connection
You at your ‘puter and I at mine, both of us on the same couch
We’ll walk out to the park
You’ll walk up to me and type /wave
I’ll reply /shy
You /flex
And I’ll /kiss
Then we’ll /dance
And we can set aside our computers.
I’ll call you Hippydude and you’ll call me Celticwitch
We’ll use glow-in-the-dark eye shadow so our eyes look like night elves
I’ll wear a long brown dress
You’ll wear a soft leather vest
You target me and send a buff
I’ll target you and send you one
And watch the sparkles glimmer
Shimmer
Between us.
/play
/make out
Can we do that here?
Passion twinkles brighter here
When I close my eyes
But the pseudo-sparkles we conjure
Ignite in my mind’s eye
Power play; passion play
Your sparkles renew my manna so I can resurrect you
And in bear form you can protect me
From the Webwood spiders and the people’s militia and the Furblong Shamans
Because together we are stronger
Sparkles flicker brighter
And when the glitterworks are done, and we’re out of manna, we’ll port back to an inn
Walk to the big bed
/sleep
and forget to log out
Over a wireless connection
You at your ‘puter and I at mine, both of us on the same couch
We’ll walk out to the park
You’ll walk up to me and type /wave
I’ll reply /shy
You /flex
And I’ll /kiss
Then we’ll /dance
And we can set aside our computers.
I’ll call you Hippydude and you’ll call me Celticwitch
We’ll use glow-in-the-dark eye shadow so our eyes look like night elves
I’ll wear a long brown dress
You’ll wear a soft leather vest
You target me and send a buff
I’ll target you and send you one
And watch the sparkles glimmer
Shimmer
Between us.
/play
/make out
Can we do that here?
Passion twinkles brighter here
When I close my eyes
But the pseudo-sparkles we conjure
Ignite in my mind’s eye
Power play; passion play
Your sparkles renew my manna so I can resurrect you
And in bear form you can protect me
From the Webwood spiders and the people’s militia and the Furblong Shamans
Because together we are stronger
Sparkles flicker brighter
And when the glitterworks are done, and we’re out of manna, we’ll port back to an inn
Walk to the big bed
/sleep
and forget to log out
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Socials on World of Warcraft
I have never been a gamer, not really into video games or board games or any games really but I find myself losing time when I play World of Warcraft: I meet people, walk around and quest with them, or (more likely) they help me quest since I’m not the best player in the world, and before I know it, it’s 2am! On the rare occasions I have picked up a video game to kill time, I’m bored fifteen minutes later. World of Warcraft, however, is different because I can talk to people in the game. When I am working with other players, I don’t notice the time go by. I enjoy questing with other players and the interactions with them. I am fascinated by the strategies required by this game. As the name warcraft implies, group interactions and instances demand a lot of diverse craft techniques to be successful. During the class group instance, each player had a specific task to fulfill during the fight in Dead Mines. I was amazed by the dexterity required by each player and the group as a whole to defeat VC. Not the usual rpg in which you are on your own unless you’ve got an extra controller and a friend with you! If I had to pick a category for myself before playing Warcraft, I would have said explorer, hands down, because I find it tedious that I have to level up, to go around killing things just to be able to kill bigger things. I like the quests and traveling around with a purpose. I never would have thought I'd enjoy it so much because I can talk to other people, making me a social gamer. I hated Second Life primarily because of the social requirements.
But I’ve come to enjoy World of Warcraft. I finally rolled a character for my son and showed him how to play the game. He’s been watching me play all week, observing and listening when I talk about it. He was as fascinated as I was by working with other characters, so he asked me when someone would come protect him while he quested. He killed all the nearby animals and leveled up to 3 rather quickly (while I was cooking dinner) when he asked me to read something: he’d been challenged to a duel by a level 21 character! I denied it, the guy re-issued it, so I wrote that this character was for my 6 year old son and I was just showing him how to quest. The guy wrote back “I’m 9. What quest? I’ll help.” So they traveled to get the webwood venom sacks. I told him Max wasn’t good with the computer controllers, so he walked everywhere instead of running. All the animals that would have taken several hits for Max to kill, our new friend slew with one hit! He completed the task rather easily and the boy said “Wanna join my guild? When will you be 7?” and sent an invitation. I was amazed, actually, by his skill and his manners, but the time had come that we had to leave the game world, so I asked when he’d be back. He said he lives in Stormwind but as a member of his guild we could tap him and he’d come help with quests. Max’s character is a night elf rogue named Scrunchie (all the names he chose were taken; that’s my pet name for him). Scrunchie is currently at level 4 and he’s only played twice, for about a half hour each time! I’m so proud!
In addition to my son’s character, I have two others. A level 11 night elf priestess named Celticwitch and a night elf hunter named Phedra. I started playing with Phedra. She’s a level 8, and I like her alright, but I didn’t know that I’d run out of arrows and would have to buy more so I ran into a lot of problems with that. I like Celticwitch better because I like the sparkles and rain of fire and the fact that she can heal herself in a pinch. Also, since I’m a ‘noob’ I’m not the best fighter. After class today I thought perhaps I should’ve been a tank since it’s an uncomplicated one or two buttons to push during a fight, but I like the idea of staying out of harms way and assisting my fellow questers. I just learned how to resurrect, too, so that should come in handy if I meet anyone my level or when I reach a more competitive level. Still, it’s also the fun of playing with friends I haven’t seen in years that really binds me to Celticwitch. I don’t really know anybody, that I’m aware of, in the other realms but I was instantly enamored of the idea of ‘hanging out’ with my old friends. When I found out my old roommates’ son played, I immediately rolled a character in his realm. I’m not very good with crowds and I don’t make new friends easily so the friends I do have are precious to me. I watched my roommate’s kids grow up; they spent weekends with all of us. I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting with them, and how much he’s grown up in the 8 year interim. It wouldn’t be the same, just emailing or even instant messaging: without leaving town, I can spend time with far away friends, hang out together and do fun stuff. The concept is still just amazing to me, too new.
My old friend in the real world is a level 70 gnome mage named Confibutated; he came to Teldrassil to bring me to Stormwind. He gave me gold, made a wand which I can’t use until I’m a level 13, gave me a tour of the city (during which I kept falling into the water and had quite a time trying to jump out) and surrounding areas. He also introduced me to the gryphon masters in surrounding cities so I wouldn’t have to walk there on my own when I quest later. His gnome character is very fast and he ran circles around me. He also has a mount, which is even faster still!
He explained that he applied to a particular guild and it’s like a job now that he’s in. He has requirements to fulfill, tasks to perform. My first encounter with the Horde was a dead orc at the gates of Stormwind. On Teldrassil, I never encountered any Horde members, so it's really great having a friend to take me around this new place and show me the ropes. This interaction is perhaps what I’ve been lacking in other video games to date. I get frustrated easily. On my own, I must admit, I wouldn’t have made it out of the water in the city. I had to try too many times. I would’ve turned the game off for good or found somebody else to get me past that part. He wasn’t close by in the physical realm, so he couldn’t do it for me, but he was showing me around and I couldn’t just not continue: it’d be ungrateful! Which motivated me to find a way out of that tough spot. And it felt good to accomplish something that was difficult.
I’ve even met other people in this realm who have been friendly and helpful. On the class realm, Nazjatar, I never made any friends or met anybody to quest with except once, and they dropped me from the group when I died in the Barrow Den. It wasn’t fun. Nazjatar is a ‘normal’ realm which emphasizes the game instead of player interactions. I think the difference may be the player vs. player emphasis on Malorne. On a player vs. player realm, everyone is subject to attacks from other players at any time which perhaps instills a sort of solidarity within the factions.
Also, I suppose, to see a night elf at such a low level so far from home might instill a bit of protectiveness from stronger characters. The dwarf I met helped me get out of Moonbrook. All the People’s Militia npcs were higher levels than I was and they could see me and kill me while in shadowmeld. I didn’t know they could do that! By the time I met the dwarf, my armor was all red and I’d lost the use of my weapon. Thank goodness I still had magic! But I died about 8 or 9 times so I suppose I should have thought to go repair. I thought I would have to go all the way back to Stormwind to repair since Moonbrook was inhospitable, but I’d forgotten about the little town where the gryphon master was. He took me back there, barely more than a glorified campsite, really. But I repaired all of my stuff and he checked my inventory and suggested I replace my wooden mallet with a mace that would do much more damage. Now I’m ready to go back to Moonbrook! But I think I’ll take my time and level up on the quests closer to Stormwind, easier for a lower level character to complete, until I can use my wand. So I can go play with my friends; it’s the least I can do since they’ve been so helpful so far.
My experience with World of Warcraft has been entirely different from any other game I’ve attempted to play because of the social aspect. I didn’t like Second Life; I didn’t meet people there that I could engage in conversation. In WoW, I’ve met so many wonderful, helpful people. Playing WoW has changed my view of video games in general, though I’m not currently tempted to find another game to play. I’m still having fun with this one; it’s different every time I log on, but not so different that it doesn’t get familiar. I think I know now why people keep playing this game: not just the prestige, but that other players could rely on me to perform certain tasks. Confibutated told me that there aren’t a lot of priest characters on Malorne, the realm I play, which means that if I do well, I could be in demand. Imagine that! Me, not picked last for the team. (I don’t really like sports, either; it’s not just video games.)
I like making new friends without having to leave my home and being able to do things, to travel and wander the world together, and have a secret second life (pun intended). And as a mother, I think it’s nice to play this one with my son. He’s a video game enthusiast so it’s fun for both of us. Unlike the other games he plays, when he tells me about an accomplishment, I know what he went through to achieve it! And, if finances permit in the future, it may be possible for us to quest together. That’s really what I think about, about family and interacting with other people. Learning a new skill that brings me closer to my son’s world, connects me to something I’ve never understood before, is the best part of this game. Since the experience is so unlike traditional games, I think all parents (of kids who play this game) should play World of Warcraft with their children and with an open mind. It’s an eye-opening experience when the shoe is on the other foot. Confibutated said he wished he could explain to his mother what he was doing in his guild but she “doesn’t like video games” and isn’t interested in learning. I’m glad I had the opportunity to step outside my safety zone and play World of Warcraft so I can play with my son instead of just watching and nodding vacantly whenever he tells me something that happens in his game.
But I’ve come to enjoy World of Warcraft. I finally rolled a character for my son and showed him how to play the game. He’s been watching me play all week, observing and listening when I talk about it. He was as fascinated as I was by working with other characters, so he asked me when someone would come protect him while he quested. He killed all the nearby animals and leveled up to 3 rather quickly (while I was cooking dinner) when he asked me to read something: he’d been challenged to a duel by a level 21 character! I denied it, the guy re-issued it, so I wrote that this character was for my 6 year old son and I was just showing him how to quest. The guy wrote back “I’m 9. What quest? I’ll help.” So they traveled to get the webwood venom sacks. I told him Max wasn’t good with the computer controllers, so he walked everywhere instead of running. All the animals that would have taken several hits for Max to kill, our new friend slew with one hit! He completed the task rather easily and the boy said “Wanna join my guild? When will you be 7?” and sent an invitation. I was amazed, actually, by his skill and his manners, but the time had come that we had to leave the game world, so I asked when he’d be back. He said he lives in Stormwind but as a member of his guild we could tap him and he’d come help with quests. Max’s character is a night elf rogue named Scrunchie (all the names he chose were taken; that’s my pet name for him). Scrunchie is currently at level 4 and he’s only played twice, for about a half hour each time! I’m so proud!
In addition to my son’s character, I have two others. A level 11 night elf priestess named Celticwitch and a night elf hunter named Phedra. I started playing with Phedra. She’s a level 8, and I like her alright, but I didn’t know that I’d run out of arrows and would have to buy more so I ran into a lot of problems with that. I like Celticwitch better because I like the sparkles and rain of fire and the fact that she can heal herself in a pinch. Also, since I’m a ‘noob’ I’m not the best fighter. After class today I thought perhaps I should’ve been a tank since it’s an uncomplicated one or two buttons to push during a fight, but I like the idea of staying out of harms way and assisting my fellow questers. I just learned how to resurrect, too, so that should come in handy if I meet anyone my level or when I reach a more competitive level. Still, it’s also the fun of playing with friends I haven’t seen in years that really binds me to Celticwitch. I don’t really know anybody, that I’m aware of, in the other realms but I was instantly enamored of the idea of ‘hanging out’ with my old friends. When I found out my old roommates’ son played, I immediately rolled a character in his realm. I’m not very good with crowds and I don’t make new friends easily so the friends I do have are precious to me. I watched my roommate’s kids grow up; they spent weekends with all of us. I’ve really enjoyed reconnecting with them, and how much he’s grown up in the 8 year interim. It wouldn’t be the same, just emailing or even instant messaging: without leaving town, I can spend time with far away friends, hang out together and do fun stuff. The concept is still just amazing to me, too new.
My old friend in the real world is a level 70 gnome mage named Confibutated; he came to Teldrassil to bring me to Stormwind. He gave me gold, made a wand which I can’t use until I’m a level 13, gave me a tour of the city (during which I kept falling into the water and had quite a time trying to jump out) and surrounding areas. He also introduced me to the gryphon masters in surrounding cities so I wouldn’t have to walk there on my own when I quest later. His gnome character is very fast and he ran circles around me. He also has a mount, which is even faster still!
He explained that he applied to a particular guild and it’s like a job now that he’s in. He has requirements to fulfill, tasks to perform. My first encounter with the Horde was a dead orc at the gates of Stormwind. On Teldrassil, I never encountered any Horde members, so it's really great having a friend to take me around this new place and show me the ropes. This interaction is perhaps what I’ve been lacking in other video games to date. I get frustrated easily. On my own, I must admit, I wouldn’t have made it out of the water in the city. I had to try too many times. I would’ve turned the game off for good or found somebody else to get me past that part. He wasn’t close by in the physical realm, so he couldn’t do it for me, but he was showing me around and I couldn’t just not continue: it’d be ungrateful! Which motivated me to find a way out of that tough spot. And it felt good to accomplish something that was difficult.
I’ve even met other people in this realm who have been friendly and helpful. On the class realm, Nazjatar, I never made any friends or met anybody to quest with except once, and they dropped me from the group when I died in the Barrow Den. It wasn’t fun. Nazjatar is a ‘normal’ realm which emphasizes the game instead of player interactions. I think the difference may be the player vs. player emphasis on Malorne. On a player vs. player realm, everyone is subject to attacks from other players at any time which perhaps instills a sort of solidarity within the factions.
Also, I suppose, to see a night elf at such a low level so far from home might instill a bit of protectiveness from stronger characters. The dwarf I met helped me get out of Moonbrook. All the People’s Militia npcs were higher levels than I was and they could see me and kill me while in shadowmeld. I didn’t know they could do that! By the time I met the dwarf, my armor was all red and I’d lost the use of my weapon. Thank goodness I still had magic! But I died about 8 or 9 times so I suppose I should have thought to go repair. I thought I would have to go all the way back to Stormwind to repair since Moonbrook was inhospitable, but I’d forgotten about the little town where the gryphon master was. He took me back there, barely more than a glorified campsite, really. But I repaired all of my stuff and he checked my inventory and suggested I replace my wooden mallet with a mace that would do much more damage. Now I’m ready to go back to Moonbrook! But I think I’ll take my time and level up on the quests closer to Stormwind, easier for a lower level character to complete, until I can use my wand. So I can go play with my friends; it’s the least I can do since they’ve been so helpful so far.
My experience with World of Warcraft has been entirely different from any other game I’ve attempted to play because of the social aspect. I didn’t like Second Life; I didn’t meet people there that I could engage in conversation. In WoW, I’ve met so many wonderful, helpful people. Playing WoW has changed my view of video games in general, though I’m not currently tempted to find another game to play. I’m still having fun with this one; it’s different every time I log on, but not so different that it doesn’t get familiar. I think I know now why people keep playing this game: not just the prestige, but that other players could rely on me to perform certain tasks. Confibutated told me that there aren’t a lot of priest characters on Malorne, the realm I play, which means that if I do well, I could be in demand. Imagine that! Me, not picked last for the team. (I don’t really like sports, either; it’s not just video games.)
I like making new friends without having to leave my home and being able to do things, to travel and wander the world together, and have a secret second life (pun intended). And as a mother, I think it’s nice to play this one with my son. He’s a video game enthusiast so it’s fun for both of us. Unlike the other games he plays, when he tells me about an accomplishment, I know what he went through to achieve it! And, if finances permit in the future, it may be possible for us to quest together. That’s really what I think about, about family and interacting with other people. Learning a new skill that brings me closer to my son’s world, connects me to something I’ve never understood before, is the best part of this game. Since the experience is so unlike traditional games, I think all parents (of kids who play this game) should play World of Warcraft with their children and with an open mind. It’s an eye-opening experience when the shoe is on the other foot. Confibutated said he wished he could explain to his mother what he was doing in his guild but she “doesn’t like video games” and isn’t interested in learning. I’m glad I had the opportunity to step outside my safety zone and play World of Warcraft so I can play with my son instead of just watching and nodding vacantly whenever he tells me something that happens in his game.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
This is fun
My trial subscription is over I think tomorrow. I'm at level 7 and I keep getting killed so I'm frustrated and done for the day. I went to Athens this weekend to visit some old friends and one of them plays WoW so I made a character on his server so I could meet him somewhere and I chose a priestess, still a night elf, and I like her better because she sparkles. I met a new friend almost immediately after there we completed a couple of quests and it was fun to work with someone but difficult to type and I'm not really quick with the shields and healing during combat so the group thing didn't last long, but it was really neat. I died a couple of times during combat, but I've figured out to follow the little box in the map to find my body quickly. I'm in Darnassus, but my body is in Ben'ethel Barrow Den somewhere. I don't get very far before dying again and my partner left me but at least I found that quest thing first so I think I'll still get credit for it. Oh, my priestess is level 8, almost 9. But all the monsters in there are 9 or 10 and there're a lot of them!
Oh, and it took me forever to figure out why I couldn't use my bow when I was playing with the hunter. The weapons and stuff go bad after a lot of use, and I ran out of arrows. I didn't know it required upkeep, but I guess it makes sense since this is a 'real' game.
It's also neat how the quests differ slightly with the character's specialties. Or, rather, how the stories for each quest are individualized. I think I've decided rather firmly that I prefer the quests for the sake of exploration and I find it tedius to have to fight with everything to level up. I'm definately not an achiever like that: I like to explore.
I don't really want to purchase a whole month but I've only gotten about 5 days out of my two week subscription and it's kinda getting fun (it's still a new toy and the shininess hasn't worn off yet) so I think I may break down and get one month worth.
I like the graphics, too. It looks like a movie, and there are different characters everytime, so it doesn't get boring as quickly. I played Halo the other day for a few minutes and it got boring very quickly. I like how I can go find my body whenever I die and I don't lose any progress. I do have to go back to the beginning, but not to start over. I see how it could be addictive; it's something to do when there's nothing on tv and I've seen every movie in my collection.
Oh, and it took me forever to figure out why I couldn't use my bow when I was playing with the hunter. The weapons and stuff go bad after a lot of use, and I ran out of arrows. I didn't know it required upkeep, but I guess it makes sense since this is a 'real' game.
It's also neat how the quests differ slightly with the character's specialties. Or, rather, how the stories for each quest are individualized. I think I've decided rather firmly that I prefer the quests for the sake of exploration and I find it tedius to have to fight with everything to level up. I'm definately not an achiever like that: I like to explore.
I don't really want to purchase a whole month but I've only gotten about 5 days out of my two week subscription and it's kinda getting fun (it's still a new toy and the shininess hasn't worn off yet) so I think I may break down and get one month worth.
I like the graphics, too. It looks like a movie, and there are different characters everytime, so it doesn't get boring as quickly. I played Halo the other day for a few minutes and it got boring very quickly. I like how I can go find my body whenever I die and I don't lose any progress. I do have to go back to the beginning, but not to start over. I see how it could be addictive; it's something to do when there's nothing on tv and I've seen every movie in my collection.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
I did it! I did it!
I made my character! A night elf named Phedra; she's a hunter. I chose hunter for a simple reason, not really a well-thought-out reason: I wanted to use a bow. She has hunter-green hair, too. I died and chose to search for my corpse and about ten minutes later I found it because of the green hair. Is it better to just wait by my corpse or free my spirit like I did? I got pretty lost. The world of the dead isn't as easy to traverse. A grell killed me.
Before that, though, I have about 5 quests open and two of them are completed but I get lost easily and haven't found my way back to the quest-givers to claim my rewards. I got to level two, I think and just about to level up again, when I lost my connection. I haven't been well this week, so I called it a day after all the downloading, installing, downloading patches, installing, downloading more patches, installing...it's been frustrating. I think I managed to complete one quest and get the reward for it.
I've been challenged to duels by almost everybody who was there today. I didn't know how to respond except to click accept/deny and I didn't know how to fight or which buttons to push so I clicked deny and the guy followed me around for a while issuing challenges. He was a level 5 when I was still level zero! Finally I figured out how to tell him it's not a fair fight since he's much more experienced than I am. I guess he got bored because he left after that.
Before that, though, I have about 5 quests open and two of them are completed but I get lost easily and haven't found my way back to the quest-givers to claim my rewards. I got to level two, I think and just about to level up again, when I lost my connection. I haven't been well this week, so I called it a day after all the downloading, installing, downloading patches, installing, downloading more patches, installing...it's been frustrating. I think I managed to complete one quest and get the reward for it.
I've been challenged to duels by almost everybody who was there today. I didn't know how to respond except to click accept/deny and I didn't know how to fight or which buttons to push so I clicked deny and the guy followed me around for a while issuing challenges. He was a level 5 when I was still level zero! Finally I figured out how to tell him it's not a fair fight since he's much more experienced than I am. I guess he got bored because he left after that.
almost there...
I've been under the weather this week, but it isn't pnemonia, thank goodness. Double earinfections. I left my laptop at a friend's to download the game on her dsl since I wasn't doing anything but sleeping until today. It still took two days, but I can play it now.
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