So, I've officially retired from World of Warcraft.

I've played the game for a solid 7 months or so, whenever the open-beta started, and I have to say, it's one of the best games I've ever played. Combined with the fact that I have a number of workboys playing as well, it's really been a lot of fun. Many a night was spent adventuring, and the following days at work were spent recounting our online activities.

The psychological factors in a game like WoW are fascinating to me. The game is fun, and addictive. Sometimes those two qualities overlap, and sometimes they are at odds with each other.

For those not in the know, a game like this works as follows: You start out with your character who begins at level 1, and only has the shirt on his back and a pointy stick in his hand. You kill little monsters, who drop piddling amounts of copper coins. In enough time, you have enough copper coins to buy a bigger club and some leather gloves. This slightly better weapon and added armor lets you kill more monsters and collect more copper (and soon enough, silver, then gold!) coins. You also go up in level, which unlocks special abilities. Repeat this process basically until you're all decked out in magical plate mail, single-handedly killing dragons and so forth. No matter where you are, there's always the carrot of "the next level" in front of you. This describes the cyclic, addictive quality of the game.

The above isn't fun, though, by itself. So around this central addictive theme is built hundreds of quests, dungeons, interweaving storylines that transport you through many varying landscapes. Also, combine this with the idea that thousands of people are on at the same time, working with or against you in your growth, and you get a really neat overall experience. The grinding becomes actually fun and enjoyable.

The problem that I've encountered in the game is that I've hit the highest level. I can no longer advance my character further. I could still work to upgrade my armor and weapons, but since doing so doesn't help me advance any further, it seems more like a chore than a useful thing to do. The addictive cycle, for me, was broken. The "fun" aspects of the game have also been worn out. I've seen most areas of the game. I've done so many quests that they can all be neatly catagorized and recognized as copies of each other with the names changed. I still enjoy meeting up with friends online, but that by itself isn't enough to justify the time and monthly cost. I could certainly start a new character with a different role (a warrior instead of a mage, say), but the idea of going through it all over again, in spite of how fun it was the first time, doesn't appeal to me.

So, I'm calling it quits. I emailed my associates, and while many said they were sorry to see me go, there were many rumblings of people who were probably going to follow me out the door.

Luckily, a new game has come out to swoop in and occupy my attention. Battlefield 2. Just picked up my copy yesterday. Unlike the above, there isn't any sort of addictive cycle (well, actually there kind of is in that your performance is tracked). Instead, the draw to the game is that it's pure fun. Diana asked this morning what the draw is to a game where you play the same map (or small set of maps) over and over and over again? My answer was that, like chess, every game is different depending on how it actualy plays out, and in spite of it being "the same" every time, the actual playing out the game is fun in and of itself.

So, there's a short synopsis of my gaming life at this point.

In other news, Diana is officially on her summer break. I'm happy to see her taking some time to read book and take naps during the day and stuff. She's still finishing up her paper for her grad school class, but it's fun to see her without so much work hanging over her head. She's also home in the morning before I leave to work, which is sort of a change in the routine. I can no longer snooze more than once or twice (I'll never admit how often I'd snooze before!).

Last night, after work, we met at Seagrove Park for drinks and dinner and book reading (Adam: finishing Cryptonomicon, Diana: starting Under the Banner of Heaven). It was really nice. With the weather as nice as it is, I look forward to more post-work activities (picnics, golf (Iwan?), etc) outside.

That's about all I got. I went through a little post-vacation depression, but I think I'm over it. It's kind of a downer to go from lazy days on the lake with friends to going back to work. I have Hawaii and Montana coming up, though, which I'm looking forward to!

Out.