I remember the first MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing page) I ever played. Lineage II. At the time I was just out of high school and still had a kind of crappy computer at home. My friends and I all used to go to local cyber cafes to play games like Counter-Strike and Battlefield. One of the guys that worked at a cyber cafe we frequented suggested we check out a game called Lineage. He said it was kind of like being able to play Final Fantasy online (which, in hindsight, it really was nothing like), which of course peaked most of our nerd interests. The game wasn't out yet, it was still in Beta-testing form, which we immediatly signed up for.
We spent a lot of hours playing that came at the cyber cafe. It was unlike anything we had ever played before. Up until that time we had really only played First Person shooters online. We really liked the idea of having a community and stuff like that. Needless to say, many of us bought that game when it came out officially, and played it for a while after that. It's been a long time and I don't remember the exact story of the game, or game play specifics, but the game does hold a special place in my heart as taking my MMORPG cherry.
I also remember the stigma with playing game like Lineage online. Playing video games was one thing, but to pay to play a game online was a whole other thing. You must be a real loser or nerd to play MMORPGs. I know that we never spoke of Lineage outside of our circle for friends or outside of the cyber cafe. Time came and went and I eventually rejoined my gaming roots on home consoles and pretty much left PC gaming, although still playing an occasional match of StarCraft every now and then.
The something happened a few years back. One of my friends, who played Lineage II with me, was telling me about this new MMORPG he was playing. It was this little game called World of Warcraft. I was intrgued by the notion of re-joining some soft of gaming community like that but really didn't have the time due to my work schedule. He wouldn't take no for an answer though, so I installed the game and got a trial key for it. I started a rogue and got to maybe level 10. I didn't like it. There was something missing from my first experience with WoW, a game that would later take over a good chunk of my life. I stopped playing that poor rogue long before my 10 day trial.
Some time time passed and another friend tried to get me into WoW. Again, I was hesitant to even bother, telling them I didn't like the game at all last time. They said that I must have started with the wrong class and should check it out again. At this time I still worked a lot of hours and had little time for the game, but figured, what the hell? So I again installed the game and started my free trial. This was right as Burning Crusade (the first Expansion pack) was about to come out. My friend, who had been playing for a little while now, sat down with me as I chose my class and race. He played an Alliance Human Paladin. I decided I would too play a Human, but wasn't sure I'd like playing a Pally. He explained me to the strengths and weaknesses of each class the best he could, so I could get a good feeling for what I'd enjoy playing. He recomended to me a Warlock. He told me about them, their love for the dark arts and use of demons. How could such a class be availble on the "good guys" side I wondered. Summoning demons to fight along side of me interested me greatly and this was the class I chose. From that point on, I pretty much never looked back. Though I have quit and taken breaks on and off a few times (all of them only in this current Expansion), something always brings me back.
There is something about this game that people who do not play can not explain. I use my experience with WoW as the focus for this story because it is the MMORPG that I play. Other than lineage I have never really strayed my loyalty from Blizzard. I love what they do with the game. I love the lore of the game, which sometimes even rivals my love for Star Wars lore. Anyone who plays MMORPGs probablly feels the same about the game that they're playing. If they didn't why would they put up with the monthly subscription fees. MMORPG players all play for various reasons. I play because I love video games. Well made video games are worth ever penny to me, because they take me someplace that only things like video games and books and movies can take us. I play because I like having a community when I log on. I have made some really great friends, many that I have never met and probably never will, while playing WoW. It sounds wierd to many who don't play games online.
I have turned a few close friends, who couldn't understand my enjoyment out of the game, into WoW players. My girl friend is one of them. She would complain that I was on too much, or that she was bored, as I would be on sometimes when she would get to my house. I talked her into trying it out. She started a Night Elf Druid, and has pretty much been playing ever since then. She plays because she enjoys the community as well. She isn't like me, she doesn't care about have the best gear or about raiding the newest dungeon. She plays for fun and to meet new people, which I think is awesome. She isn't a gamer to the core like I am. I would describe her as a more casual player, who simply enjoys the game and the lore. Something I think there is nothing wrong with.
Then there is my friend Joe. All he ever did was bad mouth this game, something I couldn't even begin to understand, as he used to play Lineage II with me. I offered to let him try and play the game and all he was interested in was trying to run around naked and spam people with rude or sexual driven comments. He took the game as a joke and wasn't interested. It didn't stay that way forever. For whatever reason, he decided to give it another try about 6-8 months later, though still not taking it super serious, as his Hunter's name is Vahjj. This time the enjoyment of the game stuck a bit more. He purchased the game and continued playing. Like me, Joe is a gamer at heart. He leveled to 80 (the current level cap) and began to run stuff with us, as we tried to gear him up. His playing time began to decrease long before he was any where near geared as life began to get in the way. It is hard to find time to play, when a lot of people around you don't play. I was lucky, my girl friend played WoW. Not all of us can be so lucky. But just like me, something brought him back into playing again (which, caused me to come back after a few months away).
What is all this getting at? Well, I think it's crazy how mainstream MMORPGS have become. Like I said before, when I played Lineage we dare not talk about in public. I didn't want my non-gaming friends to know that I was playing Lineage.
While there is still some stigma to playing MMORPGs, it is nearly gone. It is no longer a game that the dorkiest of dorks played, but is simply just another form of game play. There is no stigmatic differenance between those who playing WoW and those who play Modern War 2 on their PS3 and 360. Hell, most of the guys in my guild all play Modern War 2 as well.
Playing MMORPGs used to be something lame to do. No one popular or famous would have ever ascociated themselves with these types of games 10 years ago. But a lot of things change. I know you all have seen the WoW commercials starting Mr. T, William Shatner, Verne Troyer and other famous faces. While I have my doubts that these people actually play WoW, the fact is they are still putting their famous faces on the brand, which just goes to show how much times have changed. Society is beginning to accept people who spend a lot of time in cyber space. Though, it will be some time before binge gamers are accepted, the MMO playing nerd is earning their spot in a socially acceptable society.
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