World of Warcraft ... am I a loser?

I'm downloading a trial version of World of Warcraft. If anyone doesn't know what that is and cares, check out the link. Let it suffice to say that it's an online game. Of course, I realize that doesn't quite sum it up, either. “Online game” to some people means online poker.

Okay, look. I'm in the mood for putting on someone else's skin for a bit and pretending I am not who and what I am. My computer won't run Star Wars Galaxies or Everquest II because someone installed a logging program called Boss Everyware on my computer and screwed up my Windows XP installation. I'm told even my wobbly laptop will run World of Warcraft. And if not, who really cares?

Yup. I'm going to go be an elf or something. I've spent entirely too much time gaming in the past few years (see the above mentioned games). I have no intention of getting back into that. But I would like to stop being me for awhile. Does that make sense to anyone else?

Besides, the trial version only last for 10 days. How much of an addiction could I work up in 10 days? Famous last words, I know, but I don't intend to devote large chunks of my life to a computer game ever again. I miss my girls in SWG and EQ2. I miss playing those games. But whoever screwed up my computer actually did me a favor. It gave me an excuse to walk away. I'm not sure I would have otherwise.

And before anyone can raise the specter of my gaming being a contributing factor to the dissolution of my marriage, I should probably state here that my wife had the addiction far worse than I did. So if anything, it could be said that her gaming might have contributed. I certainly recall many nights sitting in front of the television by myself in the living room while my wife sat in front of her computer playing Everquest II.

No, that's not another pointless swipe at my wife. I'm just saying that gaming is fine as long as you keep it in perspective and that online time doesn't take precedence over your real life. We both had problems with that.

I guess in the end the detail I've written about this reveals more than I care to consider. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with disappearing into some fantasy world for a period of time. As long as you come back. That's the scary thing. I've known quite a few people who live for this stuff. I'd hope that I would die from a sudden, sharp realization before I ever reached that point.

And besides, there is no greater babe repellent than the stench of being a “gamer.” I will say in my defense that I've missed most of the great revolutions in computer gaming. I missed the whole Quake thing. I've missed about every major “big thing.” The Sims was ancient before I ever tried it. Really, except for the few I've mentioned here, I haven't played a lot of games, so I don't consider myself a gamer. I'm a lover, not a gamer. Hehe.

It probably says a lot about me that my favorite computer game (and the only one that has a permanent residence on my computer) is an out-of-print game called Dungeon Keeper 2. If you want to have a wickedly good time playing a funny, immersive, and challenging game, pick up a copy. It'll stay on your computer from now on, too.

Although now that I think of it, there's a possibility that I only keep the game around because I'm rather fond of the Mistresses (they're ... um ... well, they run the torture chambers and wear tasty vinyl outfits). I also think I would miss my minions dancing to Disco Inferno whenever someone won the jackpot in the casino. This game is hard to describe.

Okay, I should be thinking about serious life issues right now. But I'm putting that off until tomorrow. Tonight, my download is about finished. I'm going to go create some hot little half-naked elf and watch her run around smiting things. And if that fails to amuse, there's always Dungeon Keeper 2. At last game pause, I was about halfway to being able to summon the demon called Horny. Which sounds like the most fun?