Ordinary

Almost nine months into the game and the shiny bits are starting to rubb off a little. Starting my very first MMORPG was most definitely exciting. Reaching the 'firsts' were at times even more exciting. I still recall with great nostalgia getting my first 14-slot bag from the Darkmoon Faire, powerleveling from 37 - 40 non-stop to buy my dinky mechanostrider (and how fast that slow mount seemed!), hitting exalted with darnassus with my gnome and purchasing a super fast nightsaber and then making my first round of flight expenses to purchase my green griffon. I remember getting my first purple item and surprisingly, my first blue item on each of my characters. I guess I could keep writing as there are just so many firsts to had. However, it's not just the milestones that I recall fondly. It's also the fun in general. I have favourite farming spots for all the gathering professions, favourite grinding spots for each class at different levels, favourite travelling routes to pick up flight paths and favourite vendors - how daft is that?

It took a while to realize that it's not for the objectives that I play. I don't play for the uber rare raid loot or the elitish titles. I don't play to be exceptional or sport a rare item. I don't park my characters at the bank and I'm not a guildie. I simply enjoy the mundane. I enjoy running my auction toon from the auction house straight to the bank. I enjoy spending ten minutes here and thirty minutes there gathering a few mats to craft a leg enchant or blue gem. I enjoy playing the battlegrounds for no other reward than that I enjoy playing in the battlegrounds.

As soon as I take my eyes off the moment and begin to search for the big prize at the end, I no longer feel an inclination to play. It's just not fun anymore. The idea of rep grinding for weeks horrify me. So does the idea of battleground farming. Trying to string along bg after bg so I can wrack up hundreds of thousands of honor points to buy a set of gear which will be old and tattered in comparison by the time I finish is disheartening. It isn't fun. I'm just not an achiever. Not much of an explorer either it seems as I've never tried to find the airport in the mountains outside of Ironforge. Maybe my characters are just a little ordinary. The bread and butter type. Maybe.