LA Times covers the WoW community
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 10th 2008 at 4:30PM
Wait, what's this? A mainstream media story that actually -- gasp -- shows the world that playing MMO games together can actually be fun and healthy for relationships? Thrall be praised, apparently someone at the LA Times gets it. Yup, Brad and Cynthia Murdock, like millions of other players of this game, play the game together and have a great time doing it. Of course, near the end of the article, they get back to Mike Akers, a "self-described recluse" who plays against his wife's wishes and once made her wait for 10 minutes while in labor so he could defeat an "end boss," but we guess we can look past that -- the headline is about people playing the game in a healthy way, and we need more stories like that. since there are a lot more players like that.Blizzard's Frank Pearce also shows up in the story, and admits that Mages could use a higher damage output at endgame. No, we're just kidding, this is a story meant for non-players, so he just says that the game has a "huge social element," and a giant community that supports everyone who logs in. That's you guys! Take a bow!
And not even the LA Times can get Blizzard to give us a Wrath release date -- they try, but Pearce waves them off with an understatement: "We typically try to avoid launch windows." Blizzard? Avoiding release dates? Sounds about right.
[via WorldofWar.net]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
yea right... Jul 10th 2008 4:38PM
"the headline is about people playing the game in a healthy way, and we need more stories like that. since there are a lot more players like that."
sure, WoW community is mainly populated with handsom, rich, beautifull and successful people spending their time in front of a video game or writting comments like this...
xdawgg Jul 10th 2008 4:46PM
Heh, if you go to the site and hover over the picture, it says "addicted".
I laughed at that.
zappo Jul 10th 2008 4:48PM
Or replying to those comments.
Damanuhk Jul 11th 2008 3:51PM
I'd like to note that he left out happy, which is probably the most important.
Witty Jul 10th 2008 4:37PM
Yay! Good journalism is good!
Lenina Jul 10th 2008 4:43PM
I finally got my girlfriend to start playing with me a few months ago after about a year of trying. She would get so sick of me talking about WoW and always playing. Now, she won't shut up about it lol! She's always got some question about a quest or how to spec and I'm happy to help her, but I'm worried she's going to get more engrossed than me =P
Jennifer Jul 10th 2008 4:49PM
Moving a kitchen table to make room for a desk that fits two computers?
That's nothing.
Try organizing a ROOM that needs to fit 10-12 computers on two desks.
http://vboxing.net/images
His desk: http://vboxing.net/blog/images.php?title=mages-jpg&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
My desk: http://vboxing.net/blog/images.php?title=shamans-jpg&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Both together: http://vboxing.net/blog/images.php?title=deskfront-jpg&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
Sure, we're a little extreme. But love sticks when there's similar interests.
Marty Jul 10th 2008 6:03PM
A *little* extreme?
I think once you get past the 6th monitor on the desk, you've gone a lot farther than a *little*!
One question though - does it double as a tanning booth?
Jennifer Jul 10th 2008 6:18PM
I get that lovely white-and-pasty gamer glow. :)
We had to install not one, but THREE uninterruptable power supplies to support any spikes.
On the side, though, it should be noted that both of us happen to work for Microsoft. Geekiness is "normal" for us. ;) We're surrounded by like-minded folks from 9-5, monday thru friday.
xdawgg Jul 10th 2008 9:14PM
If things don;t work out between you and your husband, would you marry me?
Jennifer Jul 10th 2008 9:48PM
Nobody said we were married. :P
This is us: http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/02/08/two-players-take-on-karazhan/
Charlie Jul 10th 2008 4:56PM
Whats with everyone QQing about the Mage changes? I for one love them!
Frostfire essentially adds a "fourth" tree, alowing elementalist builds (my prediction is 0/33/38 is the cookie cutter raid build, or 60/0/11), Winter's Grasp-> Shatter -> 100% Crit Bonus Ignites in raids anyone?
Living Bomb and all the deep Fire changes make us the #1 kings of AoE again (4 Fire based AoEs, all with a base crit chance of 34%, 1 (flamestrike) 49%). Plus 15% increase damage when hitting 3 targets or more. [I have a feeling AoE Damage is going to be to Wrath as AoE Healing was to BC in raids].
The Frost Changes are amazing for PvP, I mean a 5 sec stun? Awsome!
Deep arcane is the most dissapointing out of the new stuff, but it certainly has the best overall changes, Prismatic Cloak reducing your Inviz Time, Magic Attunement giving Arcane +6 range (something it really needed), And finally giving Arcane an instant cast is great.
And for the current ABx3/AM/Scorch rotation, Netherwind Presence is Great. Do your normal rotation (get ABarrage in there instead of scorch), whenever you get a proc, start the rest of your rotation (so if you get it on ABx2, go immediatley to AM), then your first AB will be instant, for low mana cost. Which is exactly what you want.
Loadead Jul 10th 2008 5:05PM
We don't turn into a form based off of the badass posterboy of the last expansion.
Charlie Jul 10th 2008 5:00PM
FYI... Ewwwww, Default UI
RAGE Jul 10th 2008 5:05PM
Whats up with people trying to make WoW,games and all our community look "cool" and "healthy".
Its not and we used to be ok with it,some of use even liked it.
We are being said its wrong and we never cared why should now we feel like its our job to give a good impresion like friendly citizens.
Be like the horde,ugly and brute but proud of it.
Malyfactian Jul 10th 2008 5:10PM
...still trying to get my wife to play WoW with me. :-(
Smurk Jul 10th 2008 5:13PM
After 1.5 years -- though my account hasn't been active constantly during that time -- my girlfriend has no idea I play WoW. It's not a huge part of my life but I do think there's a stigma attached to this particular game. And anyway, I know she would have zero interest in playing. She adores Wii, though.
only1rob Jul 11th 2008 1:16PM
An 'L Shaped dining room table'?
Thats awesome, and i want one!
Zanzi Jul 10th 2008 5:31PM
I don't care how nice and friendly Mr. and Mrs. Murlock look. I'll never trust a Murlock!
Oh... did you say MurDOCK? My mistake. Carry on...
Mike Jul 10th 2008 5:35PM
Well seriously some dork crying because WoW isn't accepted in the mainstream being played by normal people doesn't really help any. Sure, there are certainly some special cases, but for the most part, this game is NOT healthy for people. They spend more time playing
this than most other "hobbies" they might have had. They're looking at a computer screen the whole time, even if they're playing with their significant other, if this is how they're finding "quality time" with each other then they are far from normal.
"since there are lot more players like that" - HTH would you know? In the various guilds on various I've been in, the pictures I've seen of members, the pictures posted from WoW groups on Meetup.com, and pictures posted from fan conventions, there are NOT a lot more normal, healthy people playing this game that you might like to think.
If the headline is about people playing the game in a "healthy' way, then it goes on to talk about how his wife was forced to wait in labor while he played WoW, I think that is a serious contradiction and a SHINING example of the neglect of real-life responsibilities due to their passion for a fantasy game.
The excessive work in a virtual world that people put into it is such a sad waste of time that has ruined marriages, jobs and in some cases, people's health. We need fewer WoW fanboi bloggers writing for this silly site.