How to play the game not let the game play you
World of Warcraft is such a fun game. Its so fun that sometimes you can get lost in it. When I first started playing warcraft I found myself in a party, after I'd made a typical huntard mistake, feeling the rage of four other people rain down on me in a most unpleasant way.. I said to my party, "It's just a game guys, calm down". One party member said "Its not a game it's a life style choice". In fact we were both right. It is just a game but, it can also become a very important part of our lives. It's a place were we come to meet with people who are our friends and in our guild I'd say we are like an extended family. Its often our soft place to fall when we've had a rough time in rl. We log on and we know that we are going to a place of warmth and comfort filled with fun things to do with our WoW pals. People who don't care about your social status in the real world, your age, your gender (well maybe your gender a bit), your skin color, the place you grew up all those thing are meaningless to your guildies. Its no wonder then, that its sometimes hard to get out of that safe place and face the real world which is not so kind. Workplaces that suck balls, Study deadlines looming and not a word on the blank page before you, Partners that are mean, Kids that won't clean up after themselves. The list is endless and faced with the two alternatives; facing real life issues or killing dragons with your WoW Pals its a no brainer which one is more attractive.
However, we can't stay in the soft cosy place that is Riftwarriors and Warcraft it's just not possible. So here are some tips to avoid total immersion and real life fails.
- Set Real Life Goals to complete and reward yourself with time playing WoW
- Use the in game timer to stop yourself spending all day in WoW
- Make a deal with yourself that you wont turn the computer on until you've done your daily rl tasks
- Include completion of tasks as part of your "Raid Preparation" list in your mind.
- Set in game tasks for example two dungeons then I'm doing my real life stuff
I really think all of you are awesome and I love our guild culture. It's really nice how everyone is getting along. I also like to hear about how great you are doing in your real lives and I'd like to think we are all here to at least provide good advice and support for the times when your real life isn't so great. It does take some time to learn how to balance fun with rl commitments. There really is an art to learning how to play the game and not let the game play you.
