If I learnt only one thing from the responses to the Jay Chou piece written a while back – it is not to write a satirical piece on a topic in which you have no knowledge whatsoever. So that’s why we’re doing it again!
I have a confession to make: I have never played World of Warcraft (WoW) in my life – and hence that should make me the most qualified person to write an impartial piece on it, right? People go up to me in amazement and marvel: “But you’re an Asian guy! All Asian guys play Warcraft!” Apart from the gross generalization of classifying all Asian males under the same bracket, there is the fact that one should probably question their “Asian-ness” if they don’t watch anime, read manga, listen to Asian music, enjoy doing peace signs during photos or possess that Asian spiked hairstyle or fringe… but hey that’s another story.
Playing World of Warcraft is an Asian rite of passage. Asian kids would collectively skip classes to play Warcraft together. Even as adults, these same Asians are likely to skip work for the exact same reason. In fact, World of Warcraft should be placed alongside Facebook and cigarette breaks as leading causes of declining productivity among today’s workers. The game is just so damn addictive.
To those who think this is solely a predicament for Asian males, think again! A friend of a friend of mine apparently met his girlfriend over World of Warcraft. They supposedly bonded over their common interest in the game and became an item due to the bonding potential of WoW. (Ladies take note). Guys, seems too good to be true, huh? So ironically enough, they broke up over WoW because the guy was spending too much with the game rather than with his partner – the very same partner who bonded with him over the game. (Ladies no need to take note of that). Morale of the story, Asian men are more likely to become fatally addicted to the perils of WoW… however that does not mean Asian women cannot do likewise! Hooray for gaming causing unsociability!
Look around you. You are more than likely to know someone who is obsessed with video games. Perhaps it is your sibling who doesn’t seem to go out very much. Perhaps it is your significant other who you wish would spend more time with you over that stupid game. Perhaps… it is you, yourself who is the culprit! World of Warcraft takes the term “gaming addict” to a whole other level. The whole open-ended structure of the game ensures there is no ending, and you can theoretically play the game forever and ever. From what I understand, the aim of the game is to just level up your characters until they become so ridiculously powerful that your brain explodes from the sheer strength of their presence on-screen! The greatest problem this particular game poses over many others is its addictiveness and following on from that, the tendency of the player to sever all contact with the human world, as the game becomes one’s entire life.
In 2005, two Chinese WoW players, known as “Snowly” & “Nan Ren Gu Shi” died after playing the game for extremely long uninterrupted periods. Apparently Snowly was preparing for a particularly difficult part of the game and had played excessively without sufficient rest. After these tragic deaths, several online communities posted announcements advising gamers to “pay attention to their health” specifically in relation to World of Warcraft. Adding the cherry on top of this macabre tale, is the fact that an online funeral was held for these gamers, mourning the fact that one of their own in the online community had periled due to the dangers of gaming. Makes it sound like a warzone, doesn’t it?
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-11/01/content_3714003.htm
As for what Warcraft is exactly… ummm, well, it’s a MMORPG (whatever that stands for), you play the game on the computer, your people fight against other people and if you win – good stuff happens… ummm yeah… that’s all I’ve got. As I said, I’ve never played the game before, and it’s probably best that I never do. In the past, I’ve wasted countless hours of my life being obsessed with #42 on the SAPL list – the oh so addictive Final Fantasy series. Lastly, one must note, Warcraft is not the same thing as DOTA – don’t ever make that mistake or you’ll regret it… trust me!
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