Sometimes I - like all of us at one point or another - wonder why I play this game.
Some nights I like to attribute it to the friends I've made and kept over the last two years. Other days I lean towards it being a simple form of relaxation, away from the stress of the real world. And once in a while, when I don't exactly feel like raiding, I'll tell myself it's my job not to let the other 9, 24, or 39 people down who are depending on me. And the DKP is nice, too.
But when I open my screenshot folder and I look back at my little paladin back when she was level 19 and running around Darkshire, I find myself smiling. Not because I didn't know what a flightpath was until 22. Not because at one point my spec was quite seriously something like 15/9/10. *shudder* And not because I was in a guild that consisted of a grand total of six (amazing) people - until I left it after 60. But because of the magic that I remember feeling: That curiosity in me compelling me to explore everything that was hidden on the map, even if that meant seeing Emeriss, the world dragon, not knowing what it was, and walking straight up to it wearing leather and mail, and getting slapped into the ground for more than thirteen times my total health. The first time I mounted up at 40. The first time my little guild, Sentinels of Silvermoon, went to Zul'Farrak and summoned Ghaz'rilla and I thought it was the biggest thing I had ever seen in my life. How would I know that 4 months later I'd be wiping on the Four Horsemen?
Everyone has memories in this game. Not only as they were leveling up and un-nubbing themselves, but even after they hit 60. Remember the first time you saw Ragnoros in MC? Who didn't think to themselves, "Ohhh....sh-" ? Remember the first time you had an epic item drop from a random mob? Maybe you were in Western Plaguelands. Maybe you were in Mauradon. Purple letters were on your screen and you could instantly taste the gold in your mailbox. Remember the first time you had some Tier pieces on you? Oh man, you were on your way to taking over the world at that point. I have over 2k +heal in raids and I still get giggly and retarded when my gear matches colors.
People say that ever since Burning Crusade came out that it's not the way it used to be. It's not as fun. The guild I'm in, Deception, the #2 guild on the entire server just behind Invictus, has had their share of people leaving the game for lethargic reasons. Some people blame the new 10-man and 25-man raid cap, other claim it's the overall design of instances and trash pulls. Some say it's too easy and Blizzard catered too much to the casual player; while others claim it's too tough now, and that 10-mans are cutting guilds in half and the gear from Kara isn't enough to hold up in SSC and TK, and that all the reputation attunements are crippling guild progressions. Either way you slice it, World of Warcraft is not the same. And it never will be. Ever again.
Does that mean the magic is gone?
I say it's absolutely not.
About a month ago, Blizzard released a pretty big patch that upgraded epics, added new graphics and animations, buffed stats on armor and weapons, and introduced an improved echelon of arena sets. That night, Deception went to raid Magtheridon for it's weekly kill. As we all met up it was quite the moment to hear on vent all the bustling new excitement about all the new surprises. Hunters pulled out their axes and polearms to show the new Savagery enchant animation with the blood dripping. Everyone "ooh"d and "ahhh"d in vent. Everyone characters were running around trying to get a better look at the Mongoose enchant, with it's pulsing lightning around the swords. Guild chat was full of links, and everyone's enthusiasm about the improvements to the stats.
And for one moment... one fleeting moment... all the magic was back again. No one was agitated about guild progression. Or PvP records. Or arguing over the new guild rankings. Or... anything. For 5 minutes, we were all little kids again, smiling about our new toys like it was Christmas morning. It was a moment I'm fairly certain every single person in the guild missed and has forgotten by now. And I guess that's my whole point to this, my very first post on this blog. The magic and fun that you remember when you look back at your screenshots or when you're sharing old stories with guildies over vent... they still happen. You have to remember that when you're in the moment, it's not fun when someone falls asleep at the keyboard and walks straight into a mob and pulls 15 elites at your raid just as they're buffing up after the 10th wipe 5 hours into the night and you're closing in on 1am. But months later, they make hilarious stories to recall and share. Years from now when you're not playing this little game anymore, you'll look back and wish you could do one more silly Shadow Labyrinth run, just to hear four of your old friends groan when you hear, "Time for fun!", and hear them laugh at the ensuing ridiculousness.
The magic is still here. You just have to pay attention . . .
Or you'll miss it. =*)
~F.
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