I'm an online gamer. Phew, it feels better now I've got that off my chest.
See, the thing is, not only am I an online gamer, but I'm also a 35 year old employed, house-owning, married, father of one. But when I tell people that I play a character in a virtual environment, killing dragons and demons and casting magical spells, they seem to think that I'm some sort of social inadequate.
I'm part of the generation that grew up with video games. I lived through the early days of Space Invaders, saw that develop into Pac-man and Super Mario and then how that evolved into the Playstation generation to where we are now. Video games are just another entertainment medium to me, much like television and music.
I'll admit a lot of what I spend my time doing in-game is pretty geeky. The agony of over where to spend that latest talent point, how to complete my latest quests in the most time-efficient way, whether I really need that new piece of armour from the Auction House. That having been said, I don't think it's any geekier than people who spend their weekends noting down train numbers or sitting in the cold for hours on end in a vain attempt to catch fish in a canal that's so polluted the only thing that could ever survive in it would not be something you'd want to remove!
But the positive side to online gaming is this: you form real friendships in an imaginary world. You can gain real life skills too - just try administering a 30-person plus guild and associated bank and tell me that you don't learn some managerial skills from it...!
So in closing, welcome to the Emerald Dream, I'll be posting here from time to time, with my thoughts on the crazy rollercoaster ride that is World of Warcraft.
Oh by the way, I play on the Emerald Dream (EU) server and have a character called Pelias a level 67 Paladin in the Mercury & Solace guild. Say hi if you're in Azeroth some time!
