One of the major changes that has happened to Warcraft over the last 5 years of playing is the inclusion and encouragement that a player receives for rolling alts. When I first started playing MMOs it all began with Guildwars. So many great things happened with that game and I played it for a year and a half. When I started I was a Necromancer, but then got frustrated that I would have to wait and wait for a Monk (the only healing class). So I started a monk. With the level cap for each toon at 20 I was able to bring my monk to max level within a couple days of casual play. When I made the jump to Warcraft I discovered a world quite different. During the early days of Warcraft I would spend days at one level and sometimes weeks within a level bracket. To get a ton to level 60 was not just a means to then start raiding but a ridiculous accomplishment, and if you were a player that had multiple toons at 60 then......damn you know what you are doing!
Fast forward to the Shattering. I start my 5th toon that I intend to bring to max level (already have 4). Shadowlocks and SPriest in full heirloom gear, who being played in increments received 120% experience from killing/questing, now with guildperks and cape 135% and soon to be adding the helm. Include upon this the experience needed to level as been decreased by 30% since Vanilla for any content up to level 80. From level 1 to 80 a player can level a toon 170% faster then a person who began leveling in Vanilla. That is a heap of encouragement to start a new toon or race.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Playing to your liking.
So I found myself at the top of a mountain this weekend, covered in snow and freezing my ass off. Most people who found themselves under-geared and underprepared for a snow storm would be put off by this, not me. I had to be essentially dragged down the mountain and convinced not to camp in 20 degree weather. I simply love hiking and camping, whether its 100 degrees or 2, I just want to be out there. And with any RL event, there has to be a WoW parable in there and I believe I found it. I was working on gearing my Mage this week that it really is important to play what makes you feel good. I was looking at the webstats for DPS since 4.0.6 and I've been noticing that Blizzard is moving so much crap around in an effort to balance things out that it really doesn't matter what toon or spec you play. I really enjoy being a frost mage, forget that the other specs might have more damage output or what have you. It's important only that I love hurling ice chunks at your face and making it so that you can't do a damn thing about it. Not much more to say on the topic except that it isn't always about being the best, doing the most, or how fast you kill things, if you love doing something a certain way in this game....do it! Happy Saturday :D
Friday, February 18, 2011
"Need a light?"
Some of you may have noticed that the weblink to this Blog is called Nerdfire. This is a phrase that was coined by Jaybles and one that I am sure that most of us can identify with. It is that burning passion that we all hold close to our hearts for something that might be deemed of the "nerd" or "geek" genre. My nerdfire is fueled by Warcraft and table strategy games i.e Risk, Settlers of Catan, (recently introduced to) Arkham Horror. For the longest time my nerd fire was all about Magic the Gathering. Even now just thinking about how I used to play MtG makes me want to pull out my old decks, grab a double big gulp of Dr. Pepper and play until 3 am. The picture above reminded my of one of my favorite Magic card's flavor text, and you may know the card well, it read "And the ignorant shall fall to the Squirrels." I would often think how right that might actually be. I don't foresee a Squirrel apocalypse, where we are overrun Egyptian plague style, but the end of society might just be something small that you would be ignorant of until.....
What lights your Nerdfire and what was the first thing to turn it into a blazing inferno?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The "Extra Time" Dilemma
The first topic that I would like to approach is the issue that I have to deal with every time I log on or pick up a game. My time is limited. When I turn on a game I have to make very specific choices as to what I want to accomplish during that time. Before WoW that basically consisted of "make it at least to the next check point". Now that I am playing a game that does not have "checkpoints" that question becomes much more mind boggling. There are now expansion goals "Kill the biggest of the bad!", monthly goals "Get X,Y,Z Meta achievement", weekly goal "Run first boss in Karazhan in hopes of Midnight dropping", and daily goals "DO THE DAILIES!!!!". Anything that you do in game outside of these primary goals I am going to call "extra time" i.e. "I have completed the weekly goals, and daily goals.....now what." I have a level 85 Troll Elemental Shaman who is the "main" time sink. He has the mounts, achievements, pets, title, etc. But once I have him 346 geared, have reached the daily and weekly goals then I face "extra time"
Recently I have had to remove one aspect of Warcraft that was taking too much of my time and energy. I am not talking about fishing achievements. No raiding had to go away. Raiding made the game into any other video game where my game time was completely consumed by it. I was either getting ready to raid or raiding. When I logged on my purpose was set, get ready to raid, then raid. After 2 kids and multiple "your playing too much" talks with my wife I am freed to look into other parts of the game long ignored. At first I thought "What am I going to do if I am not raiding 3 nights of the week and preping to raid 4 nights of the week?" Turns out there is more than I can handle especially with the Cata expansion.
I spend about 2/3 of my game time with the Goals and then working on the "extra time" projects. Sometimes I am not sure what I want to do with this time since it is such a precious commodity. Do I work on something that will bring great reward now, or slowing work on bringing alts to level so that I can get their benefit in the near future. Some times I will sit at my character screen mousing over each of my 8 toons (spanning levels 12-85) and thinking about the possibilities of each and trying to figure out what is the best use of the "extra time".
What do you fill this "extra time" with? How do you get the most out of your subscription? What is fun for you, after the "chores" are done?
Divinerath
Recently I have had to remove one aspect of Warcraft that was taking too much of my time and energy. I am not talking about fishing achievements. No raiding had to go away. Raiding made the game into any other video game where my game time was completely consumed by it. I was either getting ready to raid or raiding. When I logged on my purpose was set, get ready to raid, then raid. After 2 kids and multiple "your playing too much" talks with my wife I am freed to look into other parts of the game long ignored. At first I thought "What am I going to do if I am not raiding 3 nights of the week and preping to raid 4 nights of the week?" Turns out there is more than I can handle especially with the Cata expansion.
I spend about 2/3 of my game time with the Goals and then working on the "extra time" projects. Sometimes I am not sure what I want to do with this time since it is such a precious commodity. Do I work on something that will bring great reward now, or slowing work on bringing alts to level so that I can get their benefit in the near future. Some times I will sit at my character screen mousing over each of my 8 toons (spanning levels 12-85) and thinking about the possibilities of each and trying to figure out what is the best use of the "extra time".
What do you fill this "extra time" with? How do you get the most out of your subscription? What is fun for you, after the "chores" are done?
Divinerath
Why WoW makes for such a great Hobby game
Sticking with the conversation from my earlier post about the different types of game players, I wanted to speak specifically to why it's so easy to be a gamer hobbyist in WoW. The first and foremost factor is the challenge of the game. It's really hard to play games as a hobby when the game is easily beaten and I'm thinking specifically of console games like Call of Duty and the like. You can only run a map and PvP for so long before all luster is lost. The Warcraft world, specifically the actual size of the world is large enough to occupy your attention for months on end. For instance, if you wanted to simply explore the planet of Azeroth, it isn't something you can do in a matter of hours, days or even weeks. If you are going to explore Azeroth, you are looking at a commitment greater than just entertaining yourself, you want this for other reasons. However, the reason we do things as a hobbyist vary widely however the one similarity that all hobbyist share is that they are willing to commit.
I keep falling back on the example of hobbyists who build wildly complex and surprisingly accurate ship models inside bottles. I'm sure this particular hobby has fallen out of style, many who are under 20 probably don't know what I'm talking about (google it, it's mind blowing what people make) but take a second to itemize what kind of skills and patience you would need to make such a thing. It's probably not overly difficult, but people who are passionate about it, are willing to spend the time. This is the case with WoW, it's a game designed for all ages, including the very young, but it doesn't patronize it's older players with content that isn't stimulating. The game requires that you do certain things to progress in the game experience, but it offers so many options to what you do, and how you do it, that it seems to me that the possibilities are endless. Endless enough that one could play for years and not be able to claim to have done everything the game has to offer. This simple reason is why the MMO and WoW specifically are so conducive to hobbyist play.
What are some of your reasons for playing games? If you are a hobbyist, what are some of your reasons for being a gamer hobbyist?
I keep falling back on the example of hobbyists who build wildly complex and surprisingly accurate ship models inside bottles. I'm sure this particular hobby has fallen out of style, many who are under 20 probably don't know what I'm talking about (google it, it's mind blowing what people make) but take a second to itemize what kind of skills and patience you would need to make such a thing. It's probably not overly difficult, but people who are passionate about it, are willing to spend the time. This is the case with WoW, it's a game designed for all ages, including the very young, but it doesn't patronize it's older players with content that isn't stimulating. The game requires that you do certain things to progress in the game experience, but it offers so many options to what you do, and how you do it, that it seems to me that the possibilities are endless. Endless enough that one could play for years and not be able to claim to have done everything the game has to offer. This simple reason is why the MMO and WoW specifically are so conducive to hobbyist play.
What are some of your reasons for playing games? If you are a hobbyist, what are some of your reasons for being a gamer hobbyist?
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Gaming as a hobby
The first thing to be said about gaming is that it is as diverse as any other media. Especially in regards to the people who patronize video games. Gone are the days when you could easily say that a "gamer" is either a 350 pound, 40-something, recluse, with coke-bottle glasses or a 12 year old boy who is just showing signs of puberty as he flames you over the voice communicator. Don't get me wrong, those two subsets definitely exist, but they have become marginally fewer when compared to other populations. I've seen and gamed with every type of person from young kids to 70 something grandparents, the blue collar dad, to the mother looking to socialize with other adults while the kids are napping.
Beyond the demographics of gamers, there are some pretty big divides, which leads me to my main point, gaming as a hobby. I firmly believe that the dynamics of gaming are most lively and dramatic when 3 major types of gamers mix.
First, the "hardcore" gamer, you know them well. The ones who treat gaming as work, they are deadly serious about it. They usually are REALLY good at the games they choose to play and expect everyone else to be as good as them or get out of their way. They dedicate some pretty obscene number of hours to playing the game. They are usually the first ones that get on your case when others mess up, and they will be the first to see the end to any game. These types of people are a form of hobby gamer, but in other very important respects they are not. Most don't get paid to be the douche bags they usually are, and they usually have a deficiency in other aspects of their lives that lead them to focus so intently on playing a game until their computers break. I know two hardcore gamers and both have neurologic syndroms like Asberger Syndrome and Autism.
It's my opinion that these folks tend to live unhealthy and unbalanced lives, but we will save this subject for a more in-depth post.
Then you have the subject of this blog's interest, the gamer hobbyist. A hobby as defined by the dictionary is: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. If asked, most people who game on a regular basis probably would define themselves as a gamer hobbyist. I, however, disagree. Gamer hobbyist fit into a very particular set of parameters. A gamer hobbyist needs to do something else with the majority of their time besides gaming. Simply put, add up the amount of hours you spend doing different things in a week, gaming can't fall into the top 2 to be a hobbyist. A gamer hobbyist strives to be good at the game, they study, they are patient and they are in it for the long haul. If you haven't spent more than six months (not continuous time) playing a game, then you aren't a hobbyist. A hobbyist spends time on the details, like getting the Loremaster title in WoW, it doesn't help you in any way achieve the main purposes of the game, but it certainly enriching to the lore, understanding and experience in the game. That is a hobbyist.
Lastly, you have the casual gamer. These folks do NOT spend much time gaming or playing any one game for long, and don't particularly care to study the ins and outs of a game. They play simply for the enjoyment of the game and the social aspects that exist and they stop when they are bored. These folks are the most likely to piss off the hardcore guys, and it's my suspicion that these folks represent the vast majority of folks who game.
The fun part of gaming for all these groups is the dynamics, for me how these 3 groups interact is endlessly interesting and we will explore that in it's entirety over time.
I'll stop here and continue my thoughts later. Now it's time to hear from you. What do you think about my definitions? What would you add or subtract to these definitions?
Jaybles
Beyond the demographics of gamers, there are some pretty big divides, which leads me to my main point, gaming as a hobby. I firmly believe that the dynamics of gaming are most lively and dramatic when 3 major types of gamers mix.
First, the "hardcore" gamer, you know them well. The ones who treat gaming as work, they are deadly serious about it. They usually are REALLY good at the games they choose to play and expect everyone else to be as good as them or get out of their way. They dedicate some pretty obscene number of hours to playing the game. They are usually the first ones that get on your case when others mess up, and they will be the first to see the end to any game. These types of people are a form of hobby gamer, but in other very important respects they are not. Most don't get paid to be the douche bags they usually are, and they usually have a deficiency in other aspects of their lives that lead them to focus so intently on playing a game until their computers break. I know two hardcore gamers and both have neurologic syndroms like Asberger Syndrome and Autism.
It's my opinion that these folks tend to live unhealthy and unbalanced lives, but we will save this subject for a more in-depth post.
Then you have the subject of this blog's interest, the gamer hobbyist. A hobby as defined by the dictionary is: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. If asked, most people who game on a regular basis probably would define themselves as a gamer hobbyist. I, however, disagree. Gamer hobbyist fit into a very particular set of parameters. A gamer hobbyist needs to do something else with the majority of their time besides gaming. Simply put, add up the amount of hours you spend doing different things in a week, gaming can't fall into the top 2 to be a hobbyist. A gamer hobbyist strives to be good at the game, they study, they are patient and they are in it for the long haul. If you haven't spent more than six months (not continuous time) playing a game, then you aren't a hobbyist. A hobbyist spends time on the details, like getting the Loremaster title in WoW, it doesn't help you in any way achieve the main purposes of the game, but it certainly enriching to the lore, understanding and experience in the game. That is a hobbyist.
Lastly, you have the casual gamer. These folks do NOT spend much time gaming or playing any one game for long, and don't particularly care to study the ins and outs of a game. They play simply for the enjoyment of the game and the social aspects that exist and they stop when they are bored. These folks are the most likely to piss off the hardcore guys, and it's my suspicion that these folks represent the vast majority of folks who game.
The fun part of gaming for all these groups is the dynamics, for me how these 3 groups interact is endlessly interesting and we will explore that in it's entirety over time.
I'll stop here and continue my thoughts later. Now it's time to hear from you. What do you think about my definitions? What would you add or subtract to these definitions?
Jaybles
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the Looking for Group blog! I wanted to describe the basics of what this blog will be about before we began blogging. First off, the main body of work will be done by two gaming enthusiasts, specifically Warcraft enthusiasts, myself and my best friend Divinerath. The whole reason for making this blog is to fill a niche that we feel is under represented, those of us that see gaming as something worth investing time in as more than just an entertaining way to pass the time. Both Divinerath and myself are grown men who grew up as gamers and see gaming as a hobby, along the same lines as someone who collects stamps, or builds those really cool ships inside bottles. I would argue that investing time in games, though it produces nothing "real" can be just as rewarding as building a ship in a bottle.
Simply put, if you play games as a hobby, something that you invest time in because you are enthusiastic about it, and strive to know it inside and out and be ultimately be as good as you can doing it, this blog is for you.
We will discuss everything under the sun related to gaming, Warcraft, the MMO phenomena and everything under the sun therein.
Lastly, we love feedback. Please participate in the discussions we have and help us improve this thing. We really look forward to discussing gaming, Warcraft and all that jazz :)
Simply put, if you play games as a hobby, something that you invest time in because you are enthusiastic about it, and strive to know it inside and out and be ultimately be as good as you can doing it, this blog is for you.
We will discuss everything under the sun related to gaming, Warcraft, the MMO phenomena and everything under the sun therein.
Lastly, we love feedback. Please participate in the discussions we have and help us improve this thing. We really look forward to discussing gaming, Warcraft and all that jazz :)
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