I was a teenager in High School watching my character apply a poison to her two daggers from my dad’s high back computer chair. At least, I think it had ahigh back, but maybe I was just not very large at the time. My partner was a man in his twenties who had a steady paying job. He became worse at the game as he got more drunk. When it got late enough, the sound of glass shattering came through his microphone as he threw whatever receptacle was previously around his whiskey against the wall and it turned from a cup into dangerous shards. Somehow, this grown, drinking man who spent his free time playing an MMORPG with a teenage me was not a sexual predator. He was actually a really cool dude.
In World of Warcraft, as in life, your progression in either of its two primary end game modes was marked by obtaining higher level gear. In PvE, or raiding, the game mode that almost defines the genre, the pieces dropped from the bosses you kill. Back then, it was people who decided how to distribute the spoils; this led to no small amount of hilarious internet nerd fighting and often cry-typing.
I just want to say, I got kicked out of a World of Warcraft raiding group once because I rolled for the same trinket that the raid leader wanted and won. They didn’t even tell me, they just didn’t invite me to the group. No one even wanted to look me in my naked eye balls and tell me, “yeah, you’re gone”, because then I’d ask why, and they’d have to admit their glorious leader had pulled a trick most commonly associated with totalitarian dictators in foreign countries. I still got the trinket, though, so suck my ass, Sharon.
In PvP, you could get basic gear through battlegrounds which were unrated and had no matchmaking rating, but in order to go higher than that you had to increase your rating in arena. There were no rated battlegrounds at the time. It was Wrath of the Lich King, by the way.
At the time, I had a philosophical problem with this, because it wasn’t an even playing field. People who were higher rated already had an unfair advantage over any up and comers. As game design, and with the gift of retrospect, it is actually a stroke of evil genius. Not only does PvP get easier as you get better at it, you also get better gear, meaning it gets easier due to skill and gear at the same time. This had the effect of a high reward PvP system, and if you hit 1800 you could purchase weapons—the most impactful upgrade—from the vendor. Maybe the end didn’t justify the means, but I still have those daggers on my inactive World of Warcraft account to this day. It was my first time ever not being total doggy doo doo at a video game in my life. I was sixteen years old.
If you enjoyed this piece, follow the author on Twitter at @JSMcQueen.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this .AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.