I was flipping the papers today when something caught my eyes. It was an article on Heroes of the Storm.
It’s been 5 years since I played any Blizzard games. My most-valued account is probably hacked so many times over I can’t be bothered anymore. I can’t tell which emails are spoof, which are real. In any case, it matters little now.
Prior to this, I was a hardcore World of Warcraft (WoW) player. I live for WoW. The virtual world that Blizzard crafted, so grand and surreal, was my reality. I often neglected assignments and revision study for game time. During those 25-man raid, I would be one of the first to arrive and among the last to leave. My commitment would see me skipped dinner. Strangely, I never missed a jog during those period. In fact, I was still actively physically even though my mind was pre-occupied with the points allocation for the skill talent tree. I was obsessed with improving myself. My character was pretty much maxed out so the rest was up to me. I subscribed to Lowerping to lower my latency, hanged around all day in Arena Junkies and just read up everything I could for the game. I consumed WoW but at the same time, WoW consumed me.
It wasn’t until I met my wife (then girlfriend) that my obsession came under control. I’ve long thought of quitting the game altogether, but a combination of friends and the effort in building up the characters convinced me to stick around longer. But gradually, I lost interest. The first step to solving any problem is to recongized it. I did, and I was determined to kick it once and for all. They said you don’t quit a habit. You replace it. Since WoW has been a big part of my life for a couple of years, it would take a lot to forget it. I began going out more and more, spending time with the nature. My wife and I took up kite flying, search for places where there’s open spaces. I taught her how to cycle. She was over the mood and that remains one of my proudest moments. Before long, my subscription lapsed. Surprisingly, for a game I held so dear to my heart, parting way seemed too easy and smooth.
So that was it, my time with WoW was over. People go through different phases of life and as I closed a chapter with MMORPG, I opened a new one with my first step in the workforce. Work commitments, long hours staring at the screen filled with numbers, figures and reports. They have already drained much of my mental activeness, so passive activities like watching shows and reading became my preferred leisure hobbies.
I’m weary of how addictive MMORPG can be, especially those built around a strong community. I made many good friends in my years playing WoW, and I recalled the fond memories of exploring the vastness of the land, queueing up in the wee hours for PvP to avoid the stronger teams, and the joy of killing a raid boss for the first time. Those are good times.
But if you ask me whether I’d consider another time-sucker game like Heroes of the Storm? Highly unlikely.