The lifestyle of a gamer is measured by many things in an age where the diversity of genres is only matched by the lives of the gamers that play them. From multimillion dollar franchises such as over the shoulder post apocalyptic epic Gears of War too the lighthearted sandbox style Lego? series which seems to cling to the coat-tail of any blockbuster movie bringing delight to niche hardcore markets and toddlers alike. As many other gamers surely know the immersion into a genre of gaming known as Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games can seemingly blind you to the giant catalog of video games available to the modern gamer. Why do these games so easily cause us to lose interest in video games released outside of this specific genre or even the universe of the game we spend our precious spare time immersed in?.
From my own humble beginnings of spending my childhood exploring every single pixel of Hyrule and slowly being driven mad by a persistent blue lightbulb that seemed to enjoy hovering invasively close to my heroes head. I slowly progressed though video games in the standard fashion moving from The Ocarina Of Time to the Final Fantasy series and dabbling in every popular new title I could get my hands on, This pattern repeated itself until on my fifteenth birthday a good friend bought me a life changing gift in the form of a MMORPG known as World of Warcraft. To any nerd World of Warcraft seemed like an online Utopia, My imagination swarmed with images of Night Elf hunters emerging from a dense woodland carrying the pelt of a bear they had hunted for a week, Dwarves spilling flagons of ale as they celebrate their latest victory, The scars of the battle being worn proudly on their skin. My friend explained to me that he had paid for my first month of gameplay as I eagerly launched my virtual self into the world of Azeroth. At this point in time I hadn't realised that my kind friend had purchased my first taste of a drug that is refereed to as wowcrack. Sure he had purchased me my first taste but to continue feeding my addiction I would need to purchase hits monthly. Before I knew it six months had passed and the sales assistant at my local video game store had became my drug dealer.
What keeps our weak minds glued to these games? Is it the feeling of exploring a world as an anonymous hero who can complete amazing fetes of strength that we are incapable of fathoming in our dizziest daydreams behind our office desks?. For myself personally the glue that keeps me attached to these games is something that I like to call the playground effect. In short the playground effect is the voice inside you that urged you towards being the biggest and coolest kid on the playground, Wanting to stand out above the masses. When I was immersed in the world I wanted to have the shiniest armor from the most challenging section of the game and to earn the respect of my peers. Thus began the challenge to constantly keep up with new content and the progression of other players.
What is your opinion forumers what keeps you going back to the heroin that is your selected brand of MMORPG and if you have never delved into the world or have been one of the those lucky enough to escape what game has kept you entranced throughout your gaming life?
From my own humble beginnings of spending my childhood exploring every single pixel of Hyrule and slowly being driven mad by a persistent blue lightbulb that seemed to enjoy hovering invasively close to my heroes head. I slowly progressed though video games in the standard fashion moving from The Ocarina Of Time to the Final Fantasy series and dabbling in every popular new title I could get my hands on, This pattern repeated itself until on my fifteenth birthday a good friend bought me a life changing gift in the form of a MMORPG known as World of Warcraft. To any nerd World of Warcraft seemed like an online Utopia, My imagination swarmed with images of Night Elf hunters emerging from a dense woodland carrying the pelt of a bear they had hunted for a week, Dwarves spilling flagons of ale as they celebrate their latest victory, The scars of the battle being worn proudly on their skin. My friend explained to me that he had paid for my first month of gameplay as I eagerly launched my virtual self into the world of Azeroth. At this point in time I hadn't realised that my kind friend had purchased my first taste of a drug that is refereed to as wowcrack. Sure he had purchased me my first taste but to continue feeding my addiction I would need to purchase hits monthly. Before I knew it six months had passed and the sales assistant at my local video game store had became my drug dealer.
What keeps our weak minds glued to these games? Is it the feeling of exploring a world as an anonymous hero who can complete amazing fetes of strength that we are incapable of fathoming in our dizziest daydreams behind our office desks?. For myself personally the glue that keeps me attached to these games is something that I like to call the playground effect. In short the playground effect is the voice inside you that urged you towards being the biggest and coolest kid on the playground, Wanting to stand out above the masses. When I was immersed in the world I wanted to have the shiniest armor from the most challenging section of the game and to earn the respect of my peers. Thus began the challenge to constantly keep up with new content and the progression of other players.
What is your opinion forumers what keeps you going back to the heroin that is your selected brand of MMORPG and if you have never delved into the world or have been one of the those lucky enough to escape what game has kept you entranced throughout your gaming life?