Escape

There's a number of reasons people play warcraft. Educators are studying the internal rewards system and examining why kids will play for hours and hours on end - even while stating that they are bored with it and tired - because it can be addictive for some people. Others like to see the graphics and interaction of the game, and when they've soaked up all of the visual potential, they grow tired with it. Some people like to log in and sit around and chat.

Unlike most people, I know exactly why I play because I've thought about it, and I think about it every time I plunk down $30 for two months' play time: It's cheap therapy.

The real world often sucks, and due to very complicated societal obligations that prohibit killing people, smashing vault doors, and eradicating endangered species, we will accumulate a lot of stress restraining ourselves from showing displeasure at the things that bother us during the day.

If someone cuts me off in traffic and screams obscenities at me, I can't jump out and smash his car with a tire iron, but I can wait until later and log into warcraft and demolish his siege engine in Lake Wintergrasp. I can turn on the television and hear people screaming about how the world is coming to an end because of politics, but in Warcraft I can ignore one or two people and still hear what everyone else is saying just fine.

I had a wonderful episode on Wednesday, that describes this perfectly. I was in a meeting with a group of people who were giddy, nervous, and talking over their heads about management material. After a half-hour of uncomfortable and ridiculous exchanges, the presenter made a gross insult against my family. He knew better than to say what he did, but said it nonetheless, and I found it offensive enough to leave the meeting (and not smash things with a tire iron). Of course as a result I was disciplined for leaving the meeting. Feel the love.

The perfect anecdote was to log into warcraft, be given clear direction by a questgiver, and offered a non-negotiable reward. I did several of these, and started to relax. Then I joined a pick-up group in Hellfire Ramparts and healed a group through the dungeon, keeping everyone alive and healthy while we looted the place. Everyone got what they needed, and I got some compliments for my healing ability. Later, I joined an Alterac Valley battle and we battled against another army, strategizing and cooperating on the fly, and earned a strong victory.

If only more people played warcraft, they'd understand where we were coming from, and we'd have a common language to communicate with. Like when someone tells an off-color joke we can say "dude, not in guild chat please." Or if someone steals from your bank you can kick them out of your guild, and put them on your ignore list. Warcraft is honest where the real world fails, and it gives us feedback that we desire in our daily lives but never get. It heals people, and it reinforces self-worth - even in tiny amounts it at least assures you that you are not crazy.

/tireiron