• 1Jul 12

  Every silver lining's got a touch of grey- or how gaming has saved and redeemed

  Hail everyone!

  So this is going to be a pretty long blog entry. I was inspired to do this based on boogie2988's video and how are stories about gaming are remarkably similar. Boogie I don't know if you will ever see this, but if you do a huge shout out to you, I love your videos, keep on making them and best of luck in everything you do.

  One lovely monday morning I was sitting in math class. I was quite tired-I had stayed up late the previous night in World of Warcraft doing some raiding and dungeoneering and was just tired. I finished all my math work early and was getting started on my homework (luckily I managed to do the classwork well despite my tiredness, I don't let gaming interfere with acedemic success). Whilst doing my homework in class, I had baout 10 minutes or so, I yawned and closed my eyes for just a minute to collect my thoughts.

  While I was doing this, the wench across from me, who I have really not gotten along with in the past (think popular, wears-way-too-much-makeup-drama-addicted type) looks at me and goes "Xandoom, why the hell are you so tired?". I open my eyes and look up to see who was talking, see who it is, mumble something about playing WoW late at night, then return to bed. She says "you were playing video games?" I look up and say "yes, that's what I do every day, leave me alone)". Unfortunately, this wench decided that this was a topic that she needed to pursue.

  I mumble answers to her questions-eventually I get her to leave me alone. But to her- she just couldn't fathom how I could spend my nights hunched in front of my computer in my room-it just didn't compute. I shrugged off the incident as some idiot who was bored in math class being forced to talk to me.

  However, to my dismay, incidents like these started occuring more frequently with different people. I was quite bored of it all-after all, I don't really like many of the people asking the questions, I generally keep to myself and a small group of friends.

  I've never been to a school dance. Out of my 14 years of living, I have never once been to a school dance or a school party (that wasn't mandatory, even then I would sometimes feign illness). I just don't like the people, I don't act how they act like idiots, how they spread germs by touching and kissing, how they are just crazy and emotional. I would generally just schedule WoW raids to be that night and make an excuse.

  But I think people started to realize just how much time I spent gaming-hence the reason for the awkward social interactions concerning my habits. And the fact that I had to bring my alienware to school to take notes on didn't help. I was bombarded with questions, and eventually came to be pitied-here I was, a socially awkward gaming addict who had very little friends, no wench to call his girlfriend, and spent most of his time wholed up in his room gaming.

  Some might argue that gaming is bad for me. As I said, I am pretty anti-social to much of my grade, I spend FAR too much time gaming, and I don't go to parties or dances.

  But to me, it's the opposite. I haven't made stupid decisions, I don't get drunk or high or spread germs, I don't talk like an idiot and pretend it's the end of the world when my silly 8th grade adolescent relationship ends. And because of this, I game. I enjoy gaming, it's what I like to do. I don't enjoy sports or dating. So if I cna go play football, or I can game, I'll game because I enjoy gaming.

  I've also meant some of the greatest people I have met over gaming. I've been in many World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Rift, and TOR guilds where I get to know people over the years, where we genuinely care about each other and have fun adventuring in fantasy lands. I've met some of my best friends playing Dungeons and Dragons. I've met so many interesting people, people I care about, over gaming, and these people I would never have met if it weren't for gaming.

  I have so many fond memories of playing with my World of Warcraft guild on Friday Nights-of playing with my DnD groups. These are all people who share my common interests, who love to explore fantasy lands and adventure with me-who want to fight monsters and demons and space pirates rather than sit around and play spin the bottle.

  So when people ask me if I waste my life gaming-no I waste my life talking with people like you. I'm the happiest I've ever been adventuring in Azeroth, not partying. And this has allowed me to see the idiotic things my generation does and not partake in them. So all in all, gaming has saved me,and provided a good sourc eof friends and companionship. Gaming has helped me get through some tough times and has been there when I've been the happiest I've been.

  When someone asks me why I game so much, I just shrug it off and say I'm an addict. I don't want to deal with them. But I always have been, and always will be- a gamer. I look forward to what the future holds both in the real world and fantasy lands.

  Thanks for reading everyone,and may your blade never dull

  -Xandoom

  • Posted Jul 1, 2012 9:24 am GMT
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• 3Jun 12

  Minecraft help!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Failed to update news
  java.net.SocketException: Invalid argument: connect
  • Posted Jun 3, 2012 9:07 am GMT
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• 3Jun 12

  Minecraft Halp!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Failed to update news
  java.net.SocketException: Invalid argument: connect
  • Posted Jun 3, 2012 9:05 am GMT
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