It's easy to be consumed by just about anything. The human brain is always in search of patterns and once it has the scent of a specific pattern puzzle, it wants to follow the trail through to the prize at the end. Unfortunately, there often is no prize. Very few things in life end. We may envision an end or a final outcome, but we rarely, if ever, get there and if or when we do, it's almost always not the end, but simply seemed like the end from far away. Life is a succession of events and the conclusion of one is also the beginning of another.
The gaming industry is often accused of designing games to get people hooked in order to make money. I doubt that there is a mastermind behind each game sitting at a big oak desk in a large corner office of an imposing building with steepled fingers and a maniacal laugh revelling in all the gamers that's keeping him rich. In a capitalist driven culture, money is of importance to everybody. Money makes the world go round, without it, companies go out of business and no more game. The more money made, the larger the safety buffer between the company and bankruptcy and the safer everyone feels. I'm sure drowning in money is fun too, but I don't think greed is the driving force behind capitalism. If there has to be a driving force, it's more likely to be ambition and money is simply the symbol of success at the end. Invariably, money is only crucially important to those who do not have plenty of it. I do think gaming is an easy addiction, but it's not designed that way because of anybody wishing to make money. It's designed that way because that's how the human brain works. Everything is an easy addiction. A quick glance at all the .... anonymous groups should make that clear.
I find that the more I play, the more I want to play and the less I play, the less important the game seems. It's always about just obtaining that next goal, just like it's always about just obtaining that next promotion at work, just obtaining that next mile on the treadmill, just obtaining that one more zero on a bank account and just obtaining that next house that's slightly larger than the last. It's always about finishing what we started which becomes deathly problematic when nothing actually finishes.
I don't eat all the food on my plate. When I'm full, I stop. I don't run when walking will do and I rarely chase the high of the next success. Chronic illness will do that to your outlook. It's the life lesson that hits back hard when you struggle against it. I spend a couple of hours playing on Saturday night to reach level 60 and get my first epic mount with a different faction than my own and I spent Sunday and probably the best part of today, recuperating. It seemed like a good idea at the time and a very bad one in retrospect as I partially dislocated multiple joints on Sunday as payment for my indulgence.
It's easy to be consumed by anything. The whole world is just a vast pattern and the trend setters are those who spot the relevant threads first. Success is standing on the edge of a precipice and obsession is taking one step forwards and toppling over. It's difficult to stop when everything seem to be within grasp, but alas, tomorrow is another day. I could have waited until Sunday to get my mount. It would not have been any less exciting. Or truthfully, it may have been a little less exciting but it also would have been a lot less painful. Life is a balancing act. Every act requires a certain regularity for it to be successful. Life is about slowly chipping away at multiple points. It's not about tunnelling through one spot. Or maybe it is. Maybe success does require a certain single mindedness, but I can't see what level of achievement would be worth the price of spending everyday hammering away at the same problem.
For me, life is about variety and balance. Working a little, relaxing a little, having a hobby, spending time with loved ones and having time to do things in a timely manner, without haste. It's also about the occasional moment of obsession, but I am still not convinced that giving in to those are a good idea. I think I would have been better off if the big events were a little smaller, but that begs the question - wouldn't life become extremely tedious?
If there is no giving it your all for the final stretch of the race, then there is no sense of achievement as you cross the finish line, no much deserved rest afterwards and no fun in the preparation for preparing the next. Should we always hold back? I am not for pushing ahead 24/7, but isn't the parts of life that's worthwhile the parts immediately after the achievement of a goal?
I think different temperaments require different strategies and I, I'm the less temperamental type. My life has plenty of unexpected upturns and downturns for me to want to add any more. The game, is just a game. I'd like to keep it that way.
Showing posts with label The Gaming Experience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Gaming Experience. Show all posts
Monday, 19 May 2008
Thursday, 15 May 2008
A little like Alice in Wonderland
I'm a virgin gamer. I have dabbled on occasion with the usual suspects: Simcity, The Sims, Civilization II and III, The Sims II and that's about it. I grew up on boardgames and Barbie dolls. I rock at Monopoly. Although there were plenty of times to get into gaming, I never saw the appeal. It seemed like such a large investment of time and effort into something fantastical. What would be the point? Also, gaming made me throw up. I have motion sickness that is as easily induced on-screen as in a moving vehicle and I could never stomach all the in-game action. Hence my choice of games without movement as mentioned above. Unfortunately, I found those less than compelling. After an initial exploration, I always returned to my other hobbies - music, writing, reading.
Warcraft is my first dab at on-line gaming and it's the first game I have played for more than a few days or weeks. It's also the first game that I have played on both a mental and emotional level. I never cared much for my civilizations, sims or their cities. I do care about my Warcraft characters. They seem more real, definitely three dimensional. I think of my warcraft characters in the same way I think of my favourite fictional characters - Anita Blake, Ender, Elaine Risley, Pug. I almost think of the bad guys in the game they way I do of my favourite bad guys - the Posleen, the Fithp, but not quite. They're not quite as real, at least not yet.
I still prefer reading over gaming, but it was a magnificent find to discover a game that's almost as good as a book. Only this time, I am co-author as well as reader. I help shape the destiny of my characters. I decide where they go in the world and to some extent, what they do. As gaming options go, I am struck by the size of the Warcraft universe everyday. I am on the verge of leaving Azeroth for Outland and I realise that there are still whole regions I haven't explored. I have only seen snatches of The Badlands, Azshara, the Burning Steppes and Winterspring and nothing at all of Silithus. I have rarely visited any of the Horde dominated areas and that's at least 30% of the world left unexplored. I also have not done many instance and that's almost a world on its own. There is still so much to do and then there is still all of Outland. It seems neverendingly large.
I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland and I wonder: How deep does this rabbit hole go?
Warcraft is my first dab at on-line gaming and it's the first game I have played for more than a few days or weeks. It's also the first game that I have played on both a mental and emotional level. I never cared much for my civilizations, sims or their cities. I do care about my Warcraft characters. They seem more real, definitely three dimensional. I think of my warcraft characters in the same way I think of my favourite fictional characters - Anita Blake, Ender, Elaine Risley, Pug. I almost think of the bad guys in the game they way I do of my favourite bad guys - the Posleen, the Fithp, but not quite. They're not quite as real, at least not yet.
I still prefer reading over gaming, but it was a magnificent find to discover a game that's almost as good as a book. Only this time, I am co-author as well as reader. I help shape the destiny of my characters. I decide where they go in the world and to some extent, what they do. As gaming options go, I am struck by the size of the Warcraft universe everyday. I am on the verge of leaving Azeroth for Outland and I realise that there are still whole regions I haven't explored. I have only seen snatches of The Badlands, Azshara, the Burning Steppes and Winterspring and nothing at all of Silithus. I have rarely visited any of the Horde dominated areas and that's at least 30% of the world left unexplored. I also have not done many instance and that's almost a world on its own. There is still so much to do and then there is still all of Outland. It seems neverendingly large.
I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland and I wonder: How deep does this rabbit hole go?
Monday, 28 April 2008
Nothing is free
I hear time and time again in the general, guild and trade channel the advice "don't pay good money in the auction house, go and farm it, it's free". But it's not free and I am not talking about the flight costs and battle expenses such as potions, food and drinks, although those should not be discounted. Just because you didn't pay for something, does not make it free. Every item you use is an item that has a market value and could have been sold for real virtual gold in your pocket, I mean bag.
Nothing is free. You may not pay for it in a way that is easy to understand, but you pay for it by not making money from it. In effect, that's very similar than paying for since it's potential earnings out of your pocket. You make not have any less money right now, but tomorrow you will have less money than you could have had if you sold the item instead. Nothing is free.
That brings me to the second point. Time is money. If you are going to farm, then farm for the most expensive thing you can at your level. Don't spend hours chasing birds for a hundred or more feathers that could have been bought for a few gold, if not silver. Farm where the money is, sell your farmed goods and then buy the feathers on the AH if you must.
Whether you farm, craft or work the AH, don't forget the hidden costs: auction deposits lost, the auctioneer cut, postage (30 bronze a pop do add up), the cost of levelling up professions, the cost of recipes and mats, travelling costs etc. I am far from a penny pincher, my postage tallies up to gold very quickly, but I do watch for small savings when I can. I hand things over to someone I play with, log out, log in the alt and then ask the person to hand the stuff to the alt - postage saved. I quest and build up good rep so that my flights and goods are discounted wherever I go. I try to stock up my regular supply where I have the highest rep and the largest discounts. I loot for health and mana potions as well as food and drink - or ask my very local mage to supply me free of charge. I buy recipes from vendors and trainers and plan my route before I set out to minimize travelling costs. Small things that accumulate to save me money.
I don't play the game to stockpile gold, I accumulate gold to play the game as it should be played - with good gear, full supplies and life's luxuries (potions and enchants for me) for pure indulgence sake. I spend my solo time making money so that when I play for fun with C, we can not worry about the money. Now that's how the game should be played.
Nothing is free. You may not pay for it in a way that is easy to understand, but you pay for it by not making money from it. In effect, that's very similar than paying for since it's potential earnings out of your pocket. You make not have any less money right now, but tomorrow you will have less money than you could have had if you sold the item instead. Nothing is free.
That brings me to the second point. Time is money. If you are going to farm, then farm for the most expensive thing you can at your level. Don't spend hours chasing birds for a hundred or more feathers that could have been bought for a few gold, if not silver. Farm where the money is, sell your farmed goods and then buy the feathers on the AH if you must.
Whether you farm, craft or work the AH, don't forget the hidden costs: auction deposits lost, the auctioneer cut, postage (30 bronze a pop do add up), the cost of levelling up professions, the cost of recipes and mats, travelling costs etc. I am far from a penny pincher, my postage tallies up to gold very quickly, but I do watch for small savings when I can. I hand things over to someone I play with, log out, log in the alt and then ask the person to hand the stuff to the alt - postage saved. I quest and build up good rep so that my flights and goods are discounted wherever I go. I try to stock up my regular supply where I have the highest rep and the largest discounts. I loot for health and mana potions as well as food and drink - or ask my very local mage to supply me free of charge. I buy recipes from vendors and trainers and plan my route before I set out to minimize travelling costs. Small things that accumulate to save me money.
I don't play the game to stockpile gold, I accumulate gold to play the game as it should be played - with good gear, full supplies and life's luxuries (potions and enchants for me) for pure indulgence sake. I spend my solo time making money so that when I play for fun with C, we can not worry about the money. Now that's how the game should be played.
Friday, 25 April 2008
Consumerism
I came across a blog entry in my daily perusing of internet blogs that stuck with me. Unfortunately, the name of the blog or the author did not stick, but the post was a few paragraphs on the uselessness of playing WoW. Something in the vein of 'you acquire stuff which you sell to acquire gold in order to acquire more stuff'. The 'stuff' was viewed as items with no real value that fulfil no real need and I now recall the word consumerism being used once or twice.
A simple definition of consumerism would be individuals "consuming materials in excess of their basic needs". Having more than you need is generally viewed as a bad thing. Leaving economic theory in the real world for a different blogger, I can't help but wonder why consumerism is necessarily a bad thing in a virtual world. After all, there is no limited resources, no social obligations and nobody is starving whilst the rich get richer and the poor poorer. In fact, it's the lavish allowances that contribute to the fun of the game.
I understand that goal oriented play is not fun for everybody. I also get that for some relaxation has to be some steps removed from reality in order to make it fun. For me however, it's the similarities with reality that makes me want to play more. I can achieve goals in warcraft easily that I would find difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in real life. As a character, I can travel as much as I desire. I can be as rich as it pleases me to be. I can make things, break things and sell things. I can buy something simply because I want to. In fact, I can even indulge in a little bit of impulse shopping and splurging on luxury items I don't actually need. And that's just the self-indulgent individualistic things I am able to do.
I enjoy the goal oriented play. I enjoy the sense of achievement it provides. I enjoy learning more about economics and a closed market; about achieving an end-result as an individual and a team player and I think that for me, I relax best when my mind is stretch, when what I do teaches me new skills and new ways of thinking and broadens my horizons.
As for the continuous upgrade in 'stuff', well, the better equipped your character, the better your character survives. In gaming terms, how is survival not fulfilling a basic need?
A simple definition of consumerism would be individuals "consuming materials in excess of their basic needs". Having more than you need is generally viewed as a bad thing. Leaving economic theory in the real world for a different blogger, I can't help but wonder why consumerism is necessarily a bad thing in a virtual world. After all, there is no limited resources, no social obligations and nobody is starving whilst the rich get richer and the poor poorer. In fact, it's the lavish allowances that contribute to the fun of the game.
I understand that goal oriented play is not fun for everybody. I also get that for some relaxation has to be some steps removed from reality in order to make it fun. For me however, it's the similarities with reality that makes me want to play more. I can achieve goals in warcraft easily that I would find difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in real life. As a character, I can travel as much as I desire. I can be as rich as it pleases me to be. I can make things, break things and sell things. I can buy something simply because I want to. In fact, I can even indulge in a little bit of impulse shopping and splurging on luxury items I don't actually need. And that's just the self-indulgent individualistic things I am able to do.
I enjoy the goal oriented play. I enjoy the sense of achievement it provides. I enjoy learning more about economics and a closed market; about achieving an end-result as an individual and a team player and I think that for me, I relax best when my mind is stretch, when what I do teaches me new skills and new ways of thinking and broadens my horizons.
As for the continuous upgrade in 'stuff', well, the better equipped your character, the better your character survives. In gaming terms, how is survival not fulfilling a basic need?
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
A day of firsts
Today, I looted my very first purple item, I trained my first level 50 as a master and I accidentally plummeted to my death despite feline grace off a cliff in Feralas, also for the first time. Some firsts are better than others...
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
I like cats
My immediate personal favourite character is a Night Elf Druid. She can turn into a cat to fight:
Turn into a cheetah to run:
Has a nightsaber cat as a mount:
A Siamese cat as a non-combat pet:
And an Orange tabby as a non-combat running companion:
I guess I would be a cat-lady if I could be, but I can't. It's on to the next best thing - a collection of virtual kitties.
Turn into a cheetah to run:
Has a nightsaber cat as a mount:
A Siamese cat as a non-combat pet:
And an Orange tabby as a non-combat running companion:
I guess I would be a cat-lady if I could be, but I can't. It's on to the next best thing - a collection of virtual kitties.
Curiosity killed the cat?
Ever wonder what happens if you fall off the bridge between the bank and AH in Ironforge? Quench your curiosity now; you land here:
Visual Mental Image
I was watching a television program some time ago on the topic of how children, particularly those living in an urban setting, are ignorant of where food comes from and what it originally looked like. Ask them where carrots come from and they answer, 'the supermarket'. This sparked off a campaign for education on the origin of farming produce. At the time I didn't quite get the vehemence with which the program was made. Does it really matter in day to day life whether I know how the carrots I buy off the shelf came to be on that shelf? Does knowing make me a better person? Improve my life quality or that of someone else's? I am all for education on our global economy - something I personally know little about - as well as education on the potential impact our decisions may have on the quality of life of others, but will visiting a carrot farm really help? In the great scheme of things, it seems like an awful small thing to get so very upset about.
I use the Auction House to buy and sell items on a near daily basis. I realized again today the difference the origin of a visual mental image can make. I both buy, sell and farm herbs. The herbs I require for alchemy at the moment grows in regions too high up the food chain for me to farm, so I buy what I need when it's affordable. My visual mental image of blindweed was formed when I first saw the blindweed icon in the auction house. It did not have any emotional connotation for me, it was just a picture of something called blindweed with a monetary value attached to it. The only emotional connotation to it was slight resentment for shelling out money when I had to buy it and a soothing sense of accomplishment when I resold cheaply bought stacks at market price.
However, having levelled up high enough to enter the swamp of sorrows recently, my image of blindweed drastically changed. To see it standing where it grows, to harvest it for free whilst under attack of little green flying dragons was an emotional experience. My mental image changed from the auction house icon to that of an image of the swamp of sorrows, with a pretty little plant growing near the water. It made me realize that I prefer knowing where things come from. I prefer knowing that monetary value is not an inherent attachment to anything. It's an add-on that occurs later in the process. At the start, there is only potential. No guarantees.
I always thought economics dull. I did well in accounting up until I was 16 and then chose the science route instead. Science has a certain nobility to it. I drifted away from physics and math first toward the biological sciences, but had to settle for the soft sciences. Now, no longer attached to any of these fields at all, I am again struck by the usefulness of information. Informed decisions are generally the better decisions. It's impossible to make an informed decision if you don't know the basics of most things and often specialize in at least one or two areas. Knowing where blindweed comes from, makes me a better buyer and seller of blindweed.
I use the Auction House to buy and sell items on a near daily basis. I realized again today the difference the origin of a visual mental image can make. I both buy, sell and farm herbs. The herbs I require for alchemy at the moment grows in regions too high up the food chain for me to farm, so I buy what I need when it's affordable. My visual mental image of blindweed was formed when I first saw the blindweed icon in the auction house. It did not have any emotional connotation for me, it was just a picture of something called blindweed with a monetary value attached to it. The only emotional connotation to it was slight resentment for shelling out money when I had to buy it and a soothing sense of accomplishment when I resold cheaply bought stacks at market price.
However, having levelled up high enough to enter the swamp of sorrows recently, my image of blindweed drastically changed. To see it standing where it grows, to harvest it for free whilst under attack of little green flying dragons was an emotional experience. My mental image changed from the auction house icon to that of an image of the swamp of sorrows, with a pretty little plant growing near the water. It made me realize that I prefer knowing where things come from. I prefer knowing that monetary value is not an inherent attachment to anything. It's an add-on that occurs later in the process. At the start, there is only potential. No guarantees.
I always thought economics dull. I did well in accounting up until I was 16 and then chose the science route instead. Science has a certain nobility to it. I drifted away from physics and math first toward the biological sciences, but had to settle for the soft sciences. Now, no longer attached to any of these fields at all, I am again struck by the usefulness of information. Informed decisions are generally the better decisions. It's impossible to make an informed decision if you don't know the basics of most things and often specialize in at least one or two areas. Knowing where blindweed comes from, makes me a better buyer and seller of blindweed.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Friday, 18 April 2008
The options seem almost endless
I started playing with a strong resistance against playing with other players. I am naturally sceptical of teamwork since collective thought so rarely leads to a good working relationship and working with others tend to require a slower pace. I dislike going slow. For each additional member remove 5% haste. Nearing level 50, I am starting to reconcider.
Browsing through a gear and weapons group play seems to be the only way to get the really good stuff. At lower levels, crafting was a truly viable options and drops seemed better. It was also possible to purchase items from the AH without shelling out a small fortune. Post-forty and the going gets tougher and tougher. Soloing is still the best way to level up, but it requires a reasonable set of gear. Acquiring a reaonsable set of gear seems to be next to impossible if soloing.
The end result being that it might be time to either look towards instances and possible raids or Arena and possible Battlegrounds. The choice really is between PvE or PvP groups. To respec entirely at level 50 from PvE to PvP seems like a tremendous amount of work for trying my hand at something new. Time to go guild shopping, me thinks.
Browsing through a gear and weapons group play seems to be the only way to get the really good stuff. At lower levels, crafting was a truly viable options and drops seemed better. It was also possible to purchase items from the AH without shelling out a small fortune. Post-forty and the going gets tougher and tougher. Soloing is still the best way to level up, but it requires a reasonable set of gear. Acquiring a reaonsable set of gear seems to be next to impossible if soloing.
The end result being that it might be time to either look towards instances and possible raids or Arena and possible Battlegrounds. The choice really is between PvE or PvP groups. To respec entirely at level 50 from PvE to PvP seems like a tremendous amount of work for trying my hand at something new. Time to go guild shopping, me thinks.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
Sunbathing
Despite the fact that I am allergic to the sun, I miss sunbathing just a little bit. Not so much the lying in the sand or the breaking out in hives, but the idea of sunbathing. I miss the feeling of relaxation and peace that comes with lying on a beach somewhere far away from home. I miss the opportunity to forget about daily chores and housework and work and bills and life, just for a couple of weeks. I miss spending the day lying around in the sun or with a book in the shade and not wearing a watch.There's a dozen reasons why I haven't been on a beach holiday for quite some time and a dozen more why I probably will not be going on a beach holiday some time soon. Sort of lying on a beach in Tanaris is the next best thing. I don't get the actual lying on the beach sensation, but there is at least a moment's pause to think about and imagine it. Without the hives or the pesky sand that seeps into everything.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
April Fool's Day
It's the morning after April Fool's Day that's usually interesting. This is the time when it comes to light which hoaxes were pulled off well and which of us are the most gullible. It's also the day of reflection on the best jokes of the past and a few good ones are recounted at Wikipedia.
Blizzard had it's own fun as well with The Bard Hero Class and the Molten Core console. I would say that the Bard is a hoax, but the Console more of a joke. I can see some people accepting the bard story as truth, but the molten core story is so obviously not even meant to reflect truth in any way. Similar to the 'Penguins can fly' BBC footage, it's the end that completely give it away. For the Penguins, it's the migration to the rain forrest for the winter that's the nail in the coffin and for the console it's, and I quote: "Blizzard's World of Warcraft: The Molten Core Collector's Edition, also announced today, will include tinted cellophane TV overlays, further increasing the array of colors available to players."
From the land of the grazing kodo, the green field's of Mulgore, comes the joke of the day: The Tauren Marine for Starcraft II. Google it, and you'll discover just how far and quick this idea spread.
Blizzard had it's own fun as well with The Bard Hero Class and the Molten Core console. I would say that the Bard is a hoax, but the Console more of a joke. I can see some people accepting the bard story as truth, but the molten core story is so obviously not even meant to reflect truth in any way. Similar to the 'Penguins can fly' BBC footage, it's the end that completely give it away. For the Penguins, it's the migration to the rain forrest for the winter that's the nail in the coffin and for the console it's, and I quote: "Blizzard's World of Warcraft: The Molten Core Collector's Edition, also announced today, will include tinted cellophane TV overlays, further increasing the array of colors available to players."
From the land of the grazing kodo, the green field's of Mulgore, comes the joke of the day: The Tauren Marine for Starcraft II. Google it, and you'll discover just how far and quick this idea spread.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Nobody plays at 6 a.m.
At six in the morning I still feel pretty much the way I did at four and then at five. Annoyed. Tired. Frustrated. I am not a morning person and neither is the person I share my bed with who had to get up between four and five to go to work. The only difference at six a.m. is that now I have the added emotion of guilt. I am here, waking up gradually whilst scanning the auction house for bargains. It's most definitely not the worst way to wake up. The worst way to wake up would be commuting to work right about now. I remember leaving for work at 6 a.m. in the morning a while back and it's the fabric of nightmares.
In all fairness, it's not the early morning that gets you but the late night, the interrupted sleep and the disturbed sleep pattern. I could manage early mornings if they were all early, I suppose. I still wouldn't like them, but it'd possible feel a little less of a torture. I suppose. The earliest I ever had to get up on a regular basis was at 6:00 for school years and years ago. But six then became 6:15, then 6:30, then 6:45 to be out the door at seven a.m. I guess I am just not a morning person.
Logging in at 6 a.m. this morning I did learn something. Less people are morning people than you would think. Also, quite a few must be getting ready, going to or at work already. It's 6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and the Auction House is empty and Ironforge a ghost town of NPC's.
In all fairness, it's not the early morning that gets you but the late night, the interrupted sleep and the disturbed sleep pattern. I could manage early mornings if they were all early, I suppose. I still wouldn't like them, but it'd possible feel a little less of a torture. I suppose. The earliest I ever had to get up on a regular basis was at 6:00 for school years and years ago. But six then became 6:15, then 6:30, then 6:45 to be out the door at seven a.m. I guess I am just not a morning person.
Logging in at 6 a.m. this morning I did learn something. Less people are morning people than you would think. Also, quite a few must be getting ready, going to or at work already. It's 6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning and the Auction House is empty and Ironforge a ghost town of NPC's.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Spend money to make money
I couldn't have imagined a month ago that I would feel poor with 200 gold in the bank, but alas, I do. Chris and I have a joint 'bank' account with his auction toon and that's the balance: 200 gold and a few silver coins. His playing a level 43 mage and I have dwindled down to one main and two alts, level 43, 38 and 32 respectively. 200 gold between four characters just doesn't seem like enough money to play comfortably.
I know that Chris' enchanting and tailoring is currently a huge money pit, but that's okay. I have done the math and both tailoring and enchanting will be making us money in the future. The near future, I daresay optimistically.
I do doubt whether my crafting professions are making any money. On weekend when five or six blue items sell for around 100 gold, I feel optimistic. On weekday mornings when I spend gold coin after coin to pick up cheap materials I can feel the money seeping away with a deathly finality. I fear I may never get it all back.
It's a game afterall and I am surprised to find myself hoping that more children will choose to play this particular game. It simulates world economy and personal finances pretty well from where I stand. There's room for a variety of different entrepreneurial pursuits and it's a difficult decision to choose any particular route. When I have a few additional bits and pieces left from gathering professions, I sell them on the auction house and feel as if they do not make enough money for the effort I put in. Conversely, when I buy these off the auction house it feels like day light robbery.
As for crafting professions, making 1 gold off an item seems small and insignificant, but when purchasing item after item, 1 gold per item soon becomes 10 gold. It somehow never sink in that selling 10 items will also add up to 10 gold. Not that 10 gold is a significant amount of money, of course.
I am learning quick. Making money is all about specializing and multi-tasking. Buy what you need only at bargain prices. Farm what you can farm quickly and efficiently. When crafting, first craft for yourself, then for skill-up and lastly for profit. "If you can keep your head when all about you are loosing theirs..." I wouldn't want to think of either this universe or the Warcraft universe as such a hostile world where Kipling's staunch self-reliant individualism is required.
Soloing as much as I do does make it feel at times as if I'm pulling myself up by the bootstraps when playing. But I don't mind. I'd rather be lost in my own imagination - that is after all my main goal for playing - than continuously reminded by other players that I am not a very good team player.
And so I spend my gaming days trawling the auction house for cheap items, selling any excess I have at market value and crafting and then selling rarer items in the hopes that one day, in the World of Warcraft, I'll be rich and able to buy the best gear to facilitate the best gaming experience. In the meantime, I plan to not dwell too much on any possible future and just enjoy playing, both the actual playing and the axiliary components of play.
I know that Chris' enchanting and tailoring is currently a huge money pit, but that's okay. I have done the math and both tailoring and enchanting will be making us money in the future. The near future, I daresay optimistically.
I do doubt whether my crafting professions are making any money. On weekend when five or six blue items sell for around 100 gold, I feel optimistic. On weekday mornings when I spend gold coin after coin to pick up cheap materials I can feel the money seeping away with a deathly finality. I fear I may never get it all back.
It's a game afterall and I am surprised to find myself hoping that more children will choose to play this particular game. It simulates world economy and personal finances pretty well from where I stand. There's room for a variety of different entrepreneurial pursuits and it's a difficult decision to choose any particular route. When I have a few additional bits and pieces left from gathering professions, I sell them on the auction house and feel as if they do not make enough money for the effort I put in. Conversely, when I buy these off the auction house it feels like day light robbery.
As for crafting professions, making 1 gold off an item seems small and insignificant, but when purchasing item after item, 1 gold per item soon becomes 10 gold. It somehow never sink in that selling 10 items will also add up to 10 gold. Not that 10 gold is a significant amount of money, of course.
I am learning quick. Making money is all about specializing and multi-tasking. Buy what you need only at bargain prices. Farm what you can farm quickly and efficiently. When crafting, first craft for yourself, then for skill-up and lastly for profit. "If you can keep your head when all about you are loosing theirs..." I wouldn't want to think of either this universe or the Warcraft universe as such a hostile world where Kipling's staunch self-reliant individualism is required.
Soloing as much as I do does make it feel at times as if I'm pulling myself up by the bootstraps when playing. But I don't mind. I'd rather be lost in my own imagination - that is after all my main goal for playing - than continuously reminded by other players that I am not a very good team player.
And so I spend my gaming days trawling the auction house for cheap items, selling any excess I have at market value and crafting and then selling rarer items in the hopes that one day, in the World of Warcraft, I'll be rich and able to buy the best gear to facilitate the best gaming experience. In the meantime, I plan to not dwell too much on any possible future and just enjoy playing, both the actual playing and the axiliary components of play.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Terminology
Each subject generally has it's own terminology and the better versed you are in any subject, the larger your subject specific vocabulary. As a newcomer to all of this, my Wow relevant vocabulary have expanded exponentially over the last few weeks. I would thoroughly recommend having a good look at the Glossary provided in the World Of Warcraft manual, it provides a good overview of all frequently used terms. Talking about the game and in game, there is definitely a Top 5 list of terms for me:
- PvE / PvP (Player versus Environment, Player versus Player)
- NPC / PC (Non Player Character, Player Character)
- Noob (It's always good to know when you're being insulted and what the meaning of the insult is, i.e. a noob is an insult used when something makes an amateur mistake that gets them or their group into trouble)
- GM (Game Master)
- AFK (Away from keybord)
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Staying in or going out
Familiarity is comfortable. An old pair of shoes. A favourite outfit. A long-term partner. A usual restaurant and order. A favourite bookshop and beverage. The things we do over and over creates a little cocoon around us. There's no need to stretch your mind, or legs for that matter, when all your needs are fulfilled by doing the usual things and frequenting the usual places. The pop psychology term 'comfort zone' immediately springs to mind.
The lyrics of a Fiona Apple song also springs to mind: "I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes... I still only travel by foot and by foot, it's a slow climb, But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time." Change can be good. Without change, there is no progress, no room for improvement, no opportunity to make something better of yourself. If you stay exactly the same life may be comfortable, but growing as a person is not something to miss out on.
I find that the need for security, predictability and familiarity rival a thirst for knowledge,and the spirit of discovery. I am reminded of Sam's response in The West Wing to the question - why should we go to Mars: " 'Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave and we looked over the hill and we saw fire. And we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the West and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next."
It seems a little ridiculous to talk philosophy on a seemingly trivial subject, but I don't think metaphysics only apply to life and death situations. I find it comforting to stay within familiar zones in warcraft as well. I find myself returning to the Hillsbrad Foothills and Arathi Highlands with character after character. I find myself reluctant to enter new and unfamiliar territories where the unknown awaits dangerously.
But when I do, I find that the sense of discovery is more pleasurable than the tedious repetition of the known. Discovering new things, new places, even in a virtual reality, simply inspires new thoughts and new ways of being. It's more fun to be challenged, even when you come up short and trust me, at some point or another, you will loose when taking a gamble on something unfamiliar. It's just more fun to expand the horizon. Ironically, it also makes the home coming to familiar territory even more pleasant. It's so much easier to look at familiar things with rose-coloured spectacles when you have had the opportunity to miss it.
The lyrics of a Fiona Apple song also springs to mind: "I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes... I still only travel by foot and by foot, it's a slow climb, But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time." Change can be good. Without change, there is no progress, no room for improvement, no opportunity to make something better of yourself. If you stay exactly the same life may be comfortable, but growing as a person is not something to miss out on.
I find that the need for security, predictability and familiarity rival a thirst for knowledge,and the spirit of discovery. I am reminded of Sam's response in The West Wing to the question - why should we go to Mars: " 'Cause it's next. 'Cause we came out of the cave and we looked over the hill and we saw fire. And we crossed the ocean and we pioneered the West and we took to the sky. The history of man is hung on a timeline of exploration and this is what's next."
It seems a little ridiculous to talk philosophy on a seemingly trivial subject, but I don't think metaphysics only apply to life and death situations. I find it comforting to stay within familiar zones in warcraft as well. I find myself returning to the Hillsbrad Foothills and Arathi Highlands with character after character. I find myself reluctant to enter new and unfamiliar territories where the unknown awaits dangerously.
But when I do, I find that the sense of discovery is more pleasurable than the tedious repetition of the known. Discovering new things, new places, even in a virtual reality, simply inspires new thoughts and new ways of being. It's more fun to be challenged, even when you come up short and trust me, at some point or another, you will loose when taking a gamble on something unfamiliar. It's just more fun to expand the horizon. Ironically, it also makes the home coming to familiar territory even more pleasant. It's so much easier to look at familiar things with rose-coloured spectacles when you have had the opportunity to miss it.
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
Time and Place
It's the diversity and complexity of the Warcraft design that never seizes to amaze me. I begrudgingly run characters since all are still picking up new flight paths every week and whilst running I am reminded of a quote or possible misquote I came across whilst reading about the new expansion pack. It was something along the lines of not allowing Outland flying mounts on Northend so that players go slow and appreciate all the hard work that has gone into the design. I try to remember that when I am forced to run, such I did again from Menethil Harbour to Southshore today. The arathi highlands are one of my all time favourite areas, so I did not mind the time for contemplation and reflection whilst jogging across it.
It's eerily similar to real life in game. I can never get passed the similarities I cannot help but notice. I remember a regular 8-hour round trip home whilst at uni, a 45 minute one way commute to work for a few months and many hours spent driving from venue to venue as a course instructor. I disliked it as much as I dislike running a character. It's tedious, relentless, tiring and a perfect example of lost time. There's nothing to be done whilst driving. You drive. Listen to the radio. Think happy thought. Ponder improbabilities. Take stock of life. As much as I would like to view myself as a contemplative person, I find contemplation rather predictable. Certain things are fixed in life, others are changeable. We change what we can, accept what we can't and try to play the best game with the hand we were dealt. Life is as simple as that. And at the end, we die. And if death is the most serious outcome, as well as the only guaranteed outcome, how serious can we possibly take life? If there is no real end result, but simply the journey, why worry so much about the getting there?
I ran my paladin from menethil harbour to southshore, detouring to mine iron deposits. I mined more iron in that trip than I usually mine in a whole day. That is the most enjoyable part of Warcraft. There is always the opportunity to juggling quite a few balls simultaneously. And there is always the opportunity to take a road less traveled. Something for everybody, comes to mind. There always seem to be time and a place to engage in whichever activity strikes your fancy.
There's may various on the same theme. There's PvE, PvP, battlegrounds, dungeons, instance and arenas. There's a good selection of professions, classes, races, armor, weapons, trinkets, mounts and pets. There's leveling up, there's fishing, there's farming, grinding and questing. And then there's factions and reputation and discounts to be had. I love the complexity of it. And I don't mind running when it's through the Arathi highlands and I am reminded about how many people work so very hard to bring to life this alternate universe.
I am mellowing as time goes by. Familiarity has made the roads shorter and metal ores more abundant. What a difference a day makes.
It's eerily similar to real life in game. I can never get passed the similarities I cannot help but notice. I remember a regular 8-hour round trip home whilst at uni, a 45 minute one way commute to work for a few months and many hours spent driving from venue to venue as a course instructor. I disliked it as much as I dislike running a character. It's tedious, relentless, tiring and a perfect example of lost time. There's nothing to be done whilst driving. You drive. Listen to the radio. Think happy thought. Ponder improbabilities. Take stock of life. As much as I would like to view myself as a contemplative person, I find contemplation rather predictable. Certain things are fixed in life, others are changeable. We change what we can, accept what we can't and try to play the best game with the hand we were dealt. Life is as simple as that. And at the end, we die. And if death is the most serious outcome, as well as the only guaranteed outcome, how serious can we possibly take life? If there is no real end result, but simply the journey, why worry so much about the getting there?
I ran my paladin from menethil harbour to southshore, detouring to mine iron deposits. I mined more iron in that trip than I usually mine in a whole day. That is the most enjoyable part of Warcraft. There is always the opportunity to juggling quite a few balls simultaneously. And there is always the opportunity to take a road less traveled. Something for everybody, comes to mind. There always seem to be time and a place to engage in whichever activity strikes your fancy.
There's may various on the same theme. There's PvE, PvP, battlegrounds, dungeons, instance and arenas. There's a good selection of professions, classes, races, armor, weapons, trinkets, mounts and pets. There's leveling up, there's fishing, there's farming, grinding and questing. And then there's factions and reputation and discounts to be had. I love the complexity of it. And I don't mind running when it's through the Arathi highlands and I am reminded about how many people work so very hard to bring to life this alternate universe.
I am mellowing as time goes by. Familiarity has made the roads shorter and metal ores more abundant. What a difference a day makes.
Monday, 17 March 2008
It's all about access
Due to internet connection issues, I have been off-line for the best part of 96 hours pre-empted by a dodgy connection for the last 7 - 10 days. Unreliable internet access is frustrating, the fact that reacquisition of net access requires you to have net access is infuriating and no net access inspires madness.
I dug out an old copy of Catcher in the Rye on Sunday afternoon and made myself comfortable in the sun on the couch. Reading a book has always been a good way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. One would think that co-ownership of a 2000+ book library would always provide something to read. Unfortunately, the general problem is not that there isn't a book in the house I haven't read. The problem is first that there isn't a book in the house that I haven't read that I am in the mood to read on a sunny afternoon. I simply do not feel like applying myself when the theme is lazing on a sunny afternoon. The second problem is of course that I want to be on-line.
I need to be on-line. Not that I spend that much time on-line on a normal day, but I have things to do that require a net connection. I started to read Catcher in the Rye, but I have read it and after a few pages just didn't feel like reading it again right now. I picked up my copy of 1632, but to truly enjoy the book I need a working knowledge of the 100 year war. So I found myself in our library looking for a book on the 100 year war. We didn't have one. I then relented and thought a little modern poetry might be just the thing. I opened up my anthology, but reading poetry without a net connection is not fun at all. There is no easy referencing, no background information, no on-line discussion forums - I am on my own. That makes poetry not that much fun to read. I tuned by guitar, but then remembered that I haven't gotten around to downloading a few pieces of sheet music to play. I sat down at the piano and was reminded that I haven't gotten any additional sheet music for it either.
I discard my hobbies and turn to work again. I'm currently writing a chapter on common misdiagnosis and I simply do not know the diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis of half a dozen conditions off the top of my head. I usually write the first draft without any referencing. However, I usually spend an hour surfing the internet on whatever given topic I am about to cover to bring myself up to speed with what's already written on the topic. I would prefer not reinventing the wheel, I would also prefer to give credit where credit is due if someone else has already expressed my point of view. I also like to have a sense of what different sites have to say on the topic. It's impossible to do so without a net connection.
To say nothing about the fact that I have not been able to play Warcraft for what feels like an eternity. It made me realize just how much it spirits me away from the difficulties and dreariness of life outside the internet. I play less than 20 hours a week. That said, the fact that I have played that hour or two today allows me to concentrate and focus more efficiently on the other things that require doing. Somehow, it's as much about having access whenever I want to have access, as it is about having a sense of security. When life gets a little dreary and frustrating, I can go kill things, skin things, make a hat and feel that much better.
I dug out an old copy of Catcher in the Rye on Sunday afternoon and made myself comfortable in the sun on the couch. Reading a book has always been a good way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. One would think that co-ownership of a 2000+ book library would always provide something to read. Unfortunately, the general problem is not that there isn't a book in the house I haven't read. The problem is first that there isn't a book in the house that I haven't read that I am in the mood to read on a sunny afternoon. I simply do not feel like applying myself when the theme is lazing on a sunny afternoon. The second problem is of course that I want to be on-line.
I need to be on-line. Not that I spend that much time on-line on a normal day, but I have things to do that require a net connection. I started to read Catcher in the Rye, but I have read it and after a few pages just didn't feel like reading it again right now. I picked up my copy of 1632, but to truly enjoy the book I need a working knowledge of the 100 year war. So I found myself in our library looking for a book on the 100 year war. We didn't have one. I then relented and thought a little modern poetry might be just the thing. I opened up my anthology, but reading poetry without a net connection is not fun at all. There is no easy referencing, no background information, no on-line discussion forums - I am on my own. That makes poetry not that much fun to read. I tuned by guitar, but then remembered that I haven't gotten around to downloading a few pieces of sheet music to play. I sat down at the piano and was reminded that I haven't gotten any additional sheet music for it either.
I discard my hobbies and turn to work again. I'm currently writing a chapter on common misdiagnosis and I simply do not know the diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis of half a dozen conditions off the top of my head. I usually write the first draft without any referencing. However, I usually spend an hour surfing the internet on whatever given topic I am about to cover to bring myself up to speed with what's already written on the topic. I would prefer not reinventing the wheel, I would also prefer to give credit where credit is due if someone else has already expressed my point of view. I also like to have a sense of what different sites have to say on the topic. It's impossible to do so without a net connection.
To say nothing about the fact that I have not been able to play Warcraft for what feels like an eternity. It made me realize just how much it spirits me away from the difficulties and dreariness of life outside the internet. I play less than 20 hours a week. That said, the fact that I have played that hour or two today allows me to concentrate and focus more efficiently on the other things that require doing. Somehow, it's as much about having access whenever I want to have access, as it is about having a sense of security. When life gets a little dreary and frustrating, I can go kill things, skin things, make a hat and feel that much better.
Monday, 10 March 2008
All in moderation
I often wonder if I am spending too much time engaged in activities that entertain rather than deliver, hobbies that cost money rather than a job that provides it and devoting myself to time consuming goals that serve no purpose other than to be something to achieve. I do believe in balance. Working all the time is just as bad as playing all the time. As much as obsessives enjoy obsessions, it's not good practice to obsess. Most things succumb to the law of diminishing returns and both work or play can quickly become a waste of time.
Efficiency, Chris says. Plan meticulously, I say. I'd like to think that I manage my time well, particularly since such a large chunk of it is spent being unwell. I have been drawing up time tables since I was 9 and was always criticized for not sticking to them religiously. It didn't bother me - neither the criticism or gap between the planned schedule and the evolving schedule. Life is inherently unpredictable and sticking to a schedule simply because there is a schedule seems like a very silly reason for sticking to the schedule. Getting the most done whilst having fun doing it seems like a more alluring reason for having a schedule and deviating as required to try and achieve just that.
I relish in the dichotomy that Warcraft is both an excellent teacher of how to use time and how to waste it. Killing an ordinary monster takes seconds, not minutes. The series of steps taken within those few precious seconds determines the outcome. Any good player spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing statistics and planning to the smallest detail. Where you place your keys may be paramount. Having to click with the mouse button on a health potion rather than to be able to press a key may determine whether you success or fail, live or die. The details count and loom overhead when you are working with seconds, rather than minutes or hours.
The converse is also true. Players spend hours and hours playing. Most play almost every day, if not every day. People play at home and away from home, in coffee shops and airport lounges. Each hour spent playing warcraft is an hour of not doing something else, possibly something more productive.
I often wonder if there is something more productive that I can do. I do have other hobbies. I do have social activities, domestic errants and job responsibilities that could always do with a little more time. However, the route of always engaging in activities that require a certain level of seriousness is not one I would want to return to. I play the piano and guitar, but playing musical instruments are similar to working. It's fun playing, particularly when you learn how to play a particularly difficult piece flawlessly. However, most people do not know that 90% of playing a musical instrument is practicing small bits repetitively. I still recall the sage advise of all my music teachers over 15 years of being a student - you only play a piece of music as it is meant to be heard once at the end of a practice session. Oftentimes, practice sessions were hours rather than minutes - hours of playing a few bars or a few notes over and over again. It's not exactly the stuff of relaxation.
Currently work is writing and writing is hard work. Writing for money is not as much fun as writing for fun. It's less writing than you'd think. Again, 90% of the time is spent planning, organizing, editing and re-writing small bits of text. It all about finding the right word or the right phrase to make the right sentence and the right paragraph. It's checking word length, sentence length, paragraph length and making sure nothing is either too long or too short. Writing is work, not exactly the stuff of relaxation.
I know many people who find household chores relaxing. Women particularly are known for cleaning when they're stressed. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those women. Cleaning is one of the most difficult tasks there is. Very little about it is intellectual, it's 90% physical labour and physical labour is not exactly my strong suit. Thanks to my particular genetic make-up, I have poor proprioception (i.e. being very very clumsy). I'm prone to drop, knock, crack and break things. Apart from that, using my hands in the wrong ways hurt. My fingers joints are particularly affected and small tasks are difficult to carry out without injury or causing severe pain. Practically speaking, this limits the amount of time I can spend pottering about.
Life is a difficult struggle. Everything is difficult from rinsing a coffee mug to reading a book. Warcraft at times is difficult to - there is awful lot of buttons to press - but it is easier than life. I am finding more and more that having a hobby where I can run, travel, learn, explore, craft, shop and spend time with other like minded people is not a luxury or an indulge. It's an outlet and a good one at that. The hours spent in-game is not a waste of time. In fact, it's an excellent use of time - as long as I keep doing the little bit of other things that I can do outside of it as well.
Efficiency, Chris says. Plan meticulously, I say. I'd like to think that I manage my time well, particularly since such a large chunk of it is spent being unwell. I have been drawing up time tables since I was 9 and was always criticized for not sticking to them religiously. It didn't bother me - neither the criticism or gap between the planned schedule and the evolving schedule. Life is inherently unpredictable and sticking to a schedule simply because there is a schedule seems like a very silly reason for sticking to the schedule. Getting the most done whilst having fun doing it seems like a more alluring reason for having a schedule and deviating as required to try and achieve just that.
I relish in the dichotomy that Warcraft is both an excellent teacher of how to use time and how to waste it. Killing an ordinary monster takes seconds, not minutes. The series of steps taken within those few precious seconds determines the outcome. Any good player spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing statistics and planning to the smallest detail. Where you place your keys may be paramount. Having to click with the mouse button on a health potion rather than to be able to press a key may determine whether you success or fail, live or die. The details count and loom overhead when you are working with seconds, rather than minutes or hours.
The converse is also true. Players spend hours and hours playing. Most play almost every day, if not every day. People play at home and away from home, in coffee shops and airport lounges. Each hour spent playing warcraft is an hour of not doing something else, possibly something more productive.
I often wonder if there is something more productive that I can do. I do have other hobbies. I do have social activities, domestic errants and job responsibilities that could always do with a little more time. However, the route of always engaging in activities that require a certain level of seriousness is not one I would want to return to. I play the piano and guitar, but playing musical instruments are similar to working. It's fun playing, particularly when you learn how to play a particularly difficult piece flawlessly. However, most people do not know that 90% of playing a musical instrument is practicing small bits repetitively. I still recall the sage advise of all my music teachers over 15 years of being a student - you only play a piece of music as it is meant to be heard once at the end of a practice session. Oftentimes, practice sessions were hours rather than minutes - hours of playing a few bars or a few notes over and over again. It's not exactly the stuff of relaxation.
Currently work is writing and writing is hard work. Writing for money is not as much fun as writing for fun. It's less writing than you'd think. Again, 90% of the time is spent planning, organizing, editing and re-writing small bits of text. It all about finding the right word or the right phrase to make the right sentence and the right paragraph. It's checking word length, sentence length, paragraph length and making sure nothing is either too long or too short. Writing is work, not exactly the stuff of relaxation.
I know many people who find household chores relaxing. Women particularly are known for cleaning when they're stressed. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those women. Cleaning is one of the most difficult tasks there is. Very little about it is intellectual, it's 90% physical labour and physical labour is not exactly my strong suit. Thanks to my particular genetic make-up, I have poor proprioception (i.e. being very very clumsy). I'm prone to drop, knock, crack and break things. Apart from that, using my hands in the wrong ways hurt. My fingers joints are particularly affected and small tasks are difficult to carry out without injury or causing severe pain. Practically speaking, this limits the amount of time I can spend pottering about.
Life is a difficult struggle. Everything is difficult from rinsing a coffee mug to reading a book. Warcraft at times is difficult to - there is awful lot of buttons to press - but it is easier than life. I am finding more and more that having a hobby where I can run, travel, learn, explore, craft, shop and spend time with other like minded people is not a luxury or an indulge. It's an outlet and a good one at that. The hours spent in-game is not a waste of time. In fact, it's an excellent use of time - as long as I keep doing the little bit of other things that I can do outside of it as well.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Foresight is better than hindsight
It's easy to spot patterns, trends, mistakes made or good opportunities when looking back. Everything is so much clearer and less chaotic in the rear view mirror. The universe of the past has been solidified into a single series of chronological events - that which has come to pass. Looking forwards, no such single universe exists. There is a view of an infinite number of universes still to split off as every decision made. Certain decisions will take you to very similar looking places. I doubt the universe in which you chose to have cereal for breakfast will look a whole lot different from the one where you decide to have toast for breakfast. Unless there's a million dollar prize in the cereal box or the bread has been contaminated in a rare fluke and you die in agony whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. You never know, looking forward. The innocuous decisions may turn out to be important and the important decisions may well turn out to be not so crucial after all.
I like to think that I have no problem making decisions. I do not make decisions by taking fluke events into account. Decisions are calculated risks and having a keen interest in mathematics means that I generally tend to know the odds. I cannot foresee every possibility and I try my best not to get bogged down by improbabilities. I also try not to simply blunder through life. I think about the consequences of my actions before I take any action. I am aware of any risks I take before I commit to a specific course. I am aware that there are always unforeseeable consequences, but I'm happy to wing those.
In playing warcraft I find that this type of thinking is encouraged. The game is fraught with decision making. With every possible bonus comes risk. Do I attack the mob that's camped around the piece of ore I want? Will the time it takes me be worth the reward? Will the risk be worth the reward? Is it possible to achieve, or will I simply waste my time whilst I die trying?
It is possible and I suspect a frequent occurrence that players blunder their way to the top when leveling. Particularly younger and inexperienced players. I am pretty sure that I often blunder from one level to the next, simply because it's easier and possible. It's also easier and possible to level up by only seeing the immediate future. I bet plenty of players simply play from one quest to the next. That too, is an option that's available for the taking.
I choose the road less travelled. Or what I see as the road less travelled. I prefer to apply a little foresight. I know where I will be spending all 61 of my talent points by the time I reach level 10. I know which professions go well together and try to keep my professions at the same level as my actual level or slightly ahead. I began thinking about finances my level 40 mount from level 1 and at level 30 started to think about affording my level 60 mount. I like to plan ahead. I love that the game allows me to plan ahead and generally rewards me for it. I love that it doesn't make the decisions for me and isn't lenient towards the mistakes I make. I have spent gold to unlearn talent points.
Azeroth is a great place to learn about foresight and hindsight. It teaches lessons about regret and responsibility. Looking back, there are always things I would have done differently, but I'm proud to say that I stick by every decision I have made with the knowledge available to me at the time. In Azeroth, you cannot have it all. You have to either carve out the road you want to walk from the options available to you, or you have to learn to put up with the road that is shaped by your short sightedness. If you do not choose your road, it will be chosen for you. If you choose, you get to play the odds and be in charge. If you neglect to set a course, you leave the fate of your character in the hands of chance. I'm a master of my fate, captain of my soul kind of person. Foresight is better than hindsight.
I like to think that I have no problem making decisions. I do not make decisions by taking fluke events into account. Decisions are calculated risks and having a keen interest in mathematics means that I generally tend to know the odds. I cannot foresee every possibility and I try my best not to get bogged down by improbabilities. I also try not to simply blunder through life. I think about the consequences of my actions before I take any action. I am aware of any risks I take before I commit to a specific course. I am aware that there are always unforeseeable consequences, but I'm happy to wing those.
In playing warcraft I find that this type of thinking is encouraged. The game is fraught with decision making. With every possible bonus comes risk. Do I attack the mob that's camped around the piece of ore I want? Will the time it takes me be worth the reward? Will the risk be worth the reward? Is it possible to achieve, or will I simply waste my time whilst I die trying?
It is possible and I suspect a frequent occurrence that players blunder their way to the top when leveling. Particularly younger and inexperienced players. I am pretty sure that I often blunder from one level to the next, simply because it's easier and possible. It's also easier and possible to level up by only seeing the immediate future. I bet plenty of players simply play from one quest to the next. That too, is an option that's available for the taking.
I choose the road less travelled. Or what I see as the road less travelled. I prefer to apply a little foresight. I know where I will be spending all 61 of my talent points by the time I reach level 10. I know which professions go well together and try to keep my professions at the same level as my actual level or slightly ahead. I began thinking about finances my level 40 mount from level 1 and at level 30 started to think about affording my level 60 mount. I like to plan ahead. I love that the game allows me to plan ahead and generally rewards me for it. I love that it doesn't make the decisions for me and isn't lenient towards the mistakes I make. I have spent gold to unlearn talent points.
Azeroth is a great place to learn about foresight and hindsight. It teaches lessons about regret and responsibility. Looking back, there are always things I would have done differently, but I'm proud to say that I stick by every decision I have made with the knowledge available to me at the time. In Azeroth, you cannot have it all. You have to either carve out the road you want to walk from the options available to you, or you have to learn to put up with the road that is shaped by your short sightedness. If you do not choose your road, it will be chosen for you. If you choose, you get to play the odds and be in charge. If you neglect to set a course, you leave the fate of your character in the hands of chance. I'm a master of my fate, captain of my soul kind of person. Foresight is better than hindsight.
