World of Warcraft-Not Just For Nerds

Since the beginning of my writing career, I have found myself in some odd places. Comic Con, on a bus with a James Bond expert and in a motion capture suit being turned into the Hulk to name a few. This, however, takes the cake. I often write for a website devoted to gamers and I'm an avid player myself. A bit unusual for a woman, but I got in early with Pac-Man. I play most of my games on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, so I've never entered the world of the MMORPG. For you non-gamers, that is a "massively multiplayer online role-playing game". So today I found myself at Blizzcon, the convention for Blizzard games, and I've entered the realm of World of Warcraft.

If you haven't heard of WoW, you must be someone who actually leaves your house. Here's how it works: You create a character who either belongs to the Alliance (the good guys) or the Horde (the bad guys) and off you go to a land full of quests and characters. You meet up with friends or are recruited by strangers to go off and complete tasks. You can communicate, quest and fight in real time. And you'd better grab some caffeine before you start because I'm told it only takes one session to get hooked. (The person who told me this was dressed as a large beast with a 4 foot staff and a light-up hat.)

For a noobie like me, this was quite an experience. I was asked to take pictures of people in costume, so I walked around the convention floor, passing people dressed as Blood Elves, and Dwarves. I stopped to ask them if they would pose for me and almost everyone was happy to let me do so. They're an unbelievably friendly bunch, though I was snarled at by a group of what can only be described as pig-men with axes. (Inflatable axes, of course...no weapons allowed on the con floor) Unlike Comic Con in San Diego, there is little to buy here. And the one store had a line that wrapped around several times and continued out the door. Incidentally, the only other line that long was for the alcohol and the Dippin' Dots.

My initial preconception about these MMO fanatics was someone who cannot interact in social situations. A rather large person who sits in front of the computer all day, drinking Mountain Dew through a straw and when venturing out of the house, wears elf ears and a cape. I should explain that as a nerd myself, I'm judging those only slightly nerdier than myself. What I discovered on the con floor is that, while there certainly are those who fit the stereotypical bill, most are anything but. I met doctors, lawyers, teachers and actors (yes, most of those were in costume) who are devout players. One woman told me she started playing to keep in touch with her son who lives across the country. I can only imagine the campaigns...Mom's a Blood Elf, son is a Troll. They enter caves full of dragons and slay them together...all the while gossiping about the neighbors and what Aunt Bea is up to. I met a couple who got married in costume this morning and were coming to the con to celebrate. She was dressed as a golden owl, or at least that's what I thought she was. I even met a woman who nervously told me that she was waiting to meet her online partner. They'd been playing for 2 years and this was the first meeting for them. She'd recently lost 80 lbs in anticipation of this day.

And then, when I couldn't avoid it anymore, I walked over to the computer to give it a shot. I suppose I shouldn't have avoided it so long. It's not like I'm a stranger to planting myself in front of a screen. I mean, I very recently completed a 12 hour session of Rock Band. The demo had me playing as a very high level character and though I had no idea what I was doing, I jumped in by mashing buttons and frantically clicking my mouse. I'm not quite sure how, but I killed some sort of ice beast and climbed onto an indescribable riding creature. Off I went, following my companions down a snow-covered mountain, reading a steady stream of their comments and watching their escapades.

Fine. I admit it. It was a blast. I'm not resigning from my job and devoting my life to WoW costume making or anything. I like sunshine and social interaction. And I'm not saying I'm buying a brand new gaming engine for my computer or anything. But I did stand in line to buy a stuffed Murloc. And a straw for my Mountain Dew.

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Comments

[Wesley123]

bwahahah..check out this hilarious video i found of the election duel being fought in the world
of warcraft.. is obama realy an elf??..by far the funniest clip ive seen in weeks..a must watch
for any true warcraft fan!!
http://effinfunny.com/sketch-n-funny/election-duel!

[kathismom]

Woah, woah, woah. I'm 50 and play WOW and my son plays too. Usually he won't play with me because I'm not good enough and he complains about how I play my alt. I have a life = job, responsibilities, mortgage, dogs, cats, car payments etc. I don't consider myself a nerd but a girl geekette (or old lady geekette, take your pick).
There are all sorts of players - what 10 million I think was what I heard. There is no way to classify them. I have quit and restarted WOW at least 3 times and enjoy my break and really enjoy getting back into it.
It's fun and as long as you can manage the amount of time you play and not get your feelings hurt when someone kicks you from a pug (pick up group), you'll be fine. I really like my little pink haired gnome and her giggle...and being one of the only female dwarfs is also fun.
Just try it for a little bit, just a week or so... it's ok. It won't hurt you at all. LOL.

There is a reason it's called "WarCRACK".

[Jenna Busch - Huffpost Blogger]

Go girl geeks! I think the number of WoW players just passed 11 million. And I also find it difficult to play with really young gamers...they kick my butt on Xbox Live!

[TairyGreene]

most kids on XBL are really annoying though. they either sing on the headset through the match or use profanity and thinks it's cool. But I have fun on there sometimes. Especially with COD:WaW.

[Ken Volok]

Having lived with not one, not two, but three WoW addicts I will forever hate that game. Yes they did get fat, yes they did miss days of work either because they were up all night playing or because they had a"quest" to fulfill. They would spend hours farming and fishing for food that would feed no one; and mining for gold which wouldn't pay me the money owed on utilities. And all their WoW friends I met were just as bad. When I hear WoW I run.

[TairyGreene]

Have you heard of LARP'ers? Those guys are nerds. But too each their own.

[Jenna Busch - Huffpost Blogger]

I have. Did you see "Role Models"? It's a huge part of that film. Plus it's really funny.

[Daigoji Gai]

This was an awesome read to start the week, give us more Jenna B!

[Jenna Busch - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks! The game is sitting on my desk...calling...

[Progress08]

I never got. After about 2 hours I get bored senseless with it and pick up the crossword. Don't get me wrong I'm a total game-freak (Call of Duty and Team Fortress 2), but I never got the addiction level of WOW. My friends step-son almost failed school because he was lying about going to school while staying home to play.

[Blueline]

I can admit it. I'm a WOW nerd. I usually play a few hours a night. I started playing a few years ago. I take care of an aunt who has Altzeimers. WOW keeps me from going stir crazy while I spend my evenings with her. Sometimes those of us who "don't have a life" don't have a choice in the matter. She was an artist and sometimes she'll sit next to me and we'll talk about the graphics and she'll watch me quest. And when she's watching her movies, I can play WOW and keep myself entertained while still being in the room with her in case she needs anything. After 5 years as her caregiver, I'm lucky I have any sanity left at all. WOW has been a big help for me.

[Jenna Busch - Huffpost Blogger]

I wish I had spoken to you before I wrote this. I would have added you in. I heard so many stories like this and being a big console games I totally understand the distraction it provides. Good luck to you and your aunt.

[rjmiller]

My college roommates convinced me to start playing WoW. When I injured my leg and couldn't really walk for a summer I ended up getting totally addicted, playing through all of my free time for about 2 years. Fortunately, I finally quit this summer (sold my account for $700) and got a real life.

[TairyGreene]

You are admitting that you are a nerd, but the fact that you played it and enjoyed it makes it not nerdy? You think Shatner, Ozzy, and Mini-Me really play this game? Please. And that dude's mom that plays with him? Probably only because when she calls he doesn't answer because he can't rise out of the basement to answer her call. I also am a MMO player but I do get out and am not a nerd the way you envision other MMO players to be. Working in a PC gaming center I have seen players of other MMO games and WoW players are a different kind of gamer. They sell their characters for real money and are fanboys of anything that is not WoW. And if you don't know what a fanboy is then you are not the nerd you claim to be. It's not the game itself that is bad but the players who take it too far.