Breakfast Topic: I'm not actually "playing" right now
by Becky Granger 
Aug 21st 2010 at 8:00AM
I don't know about you, but my husband and I can never agree on what it means to "play" WoW. I'm a pretty casual player, but I log in most days to take care of my regular tasks and check out what's going on in the game world. Most weekends, I have enough time to do a couple of dungeon runs or quests, but my normal weekday visit is usually just long enough to do a couple of dailies and update my auctions. However, my non-player husband doesn't seem to understand that just because I'm logged into WoW, I'm not actually playing the game. Here's a typical evening conversation:
Husband: "Are you playing WoW?"
Me: "No, just resetting auctions."
Husband: "Well, isn't that part of the game?"
Me: "Sure, but I'm not playing right now."
Husband: "OK, well, you know that stuff isn't real, right? You're PLAYING a GAME."
Me: Sigh ...
I just don't feel like I'm playing unless I'm actively questing, dashing around the world killing hapless animals or barging through a dungeon with a couple fellow adventurers. Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe it's my need for achievement, or maybe it's my innate competitiveness, but grinding, auctioning and banking just don't do it for me. I need to be in the thick of it to feel like I'm actually playing. What is "playing" to you?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
ithalaine Aug 21st 2010 8:06AM
to be honest i agree with basicallyeverything but grinding thats so boring it sort of has to count
Eternauta Aug 21st 2010 10:15AM
I agree with everything said on the post (including the grinding part).
Boring tasks like posting auctions, checking the mailbox, farming mats or doing dailies are not "playing" for me, it's more like "getting prepared to play".
I "play" when I have fun, when I'm doing something engaging and exciting like raiding or pvp, roleplay or even questing to lvl up.
The aforementioned boring tasks feel more like "working" than "playing" for me.
When you see a boxer hitting one of those sandbag-thingies over and over you don't ask him if he's boxing, you assume that he's obviously training to do some "real" boxing against another living person (unless he's so lame that he can only beat inanimated objects).
The same happens with WoW for me: there's "preparation" ("working") and "the real thing" (properly playing).
Beret Aug 21st 2010 8:17AM
You're playing every second you hit the login button.
Utakata Aug 21st 2010 10:17AM
This is precisely right...
...even logging on just to sort out your inventory is "playing the game." It's like turning on the TV to catch the weather, you're still watching TV.
bennet Aug 21st 2010 12:03PM
Especially when you're dealing with a non-WoW-playing SO, I'd say that's not necessarily true. If someone in the house asks me "Are you playing WoW?" I say "Yes" if I'm doing something I don't want to be interrupted at, like running an instance or raiding, and "No" if I'm just checking auctions or fishing, where "No" is a stand-in for "If you want something I'm happy to log off."
Utakata Aug 21st 2010 12:36PM
Yes, bennet...I know what you mean. But this doesn't appear to the case where the writer's non-player husband was asking her for help. He's asking her question directly related to the game instead. And even if he was asking her for help, it does subtract that she is technically still playing the game.
Artificial Aug 21st 2010 2:12PM
Sorry, but you're confusing "logged into the game" with "playing the game". This is a bit like saying "you're driving when you're in the car", and saying someone is wrong if they say they're not driving if they're sitting parked somewhere. Driving is something you do in the car, but it's something in addition to simply being in it. Likewise, you can be logged into a game, but not be playing the game.
orlochavez Aug 21st 2010 2:48PM
"Looged into the game" is in no way like "in the car." "Sitting at your desk" is like "in the car."
To get to the point where you're logged in (i.e. - playing the game) you have to sit at your computer, turn it on, start up World of Warcraft, log in & select your character. To get to the point where you're driving, you have to get in the car, insert your key, start the car and put it in gear. Once you've done that you're driving.
I guess "logged in to your character" would be more accurate. If you're logged into a specific character and have the ability to control them in whatever actions you choose, you're "playing the game." That's the literal definition. You can argue "well, I have my own definition," but you could tell me the sky is green and use the same argument when I tell you that is, in fact, blue.
Utakata Aug 21st 2010 3:04PM
Sorry, artificial ...I don't buy that. First, a car is not a media device or program you use to interact with, so this is a poor analogy in comparing a device used for transportation. Second, like with the writer, if you are logging on for the espress purposes of doing something with WoW, you're playing the game.
It could be argued that logging on of itself and doing nothing could be contrued as "not playing"...but who the hell would want to have WoW running and do nothing with it? It would seem absurd at best. Again using the TV anaolgy, it's like of turning it on and then leaving the house for the rest of the day.
RogueJedi86 Aug 21st 2010 3:07PM
Artificial, you sound like Cartman at the end of the WoW episode of South Park. They grind on boars for weeks and beat that griefer, and what do they next? They finally play the game. If you have WoW open and you are doing things in it, you are playing it. It doesn't matter if they're little nothings that can be easily interrupted with no problem. Maybe your car analogy would be better fit if you have your car in neutral and you're going down a slight hill. You're not actively driving it, you're just coasting. But you are still in the car and going places.
If sitting in town doing nothing(or auctions) isn't playing, then 99% of my WoW time was spent not playing. But those 3000 hours or whatever were something. You don't just have to quest and raid to play the game. Some people have turned the AH into an entire metagame of their own, but would you say they're not playing?
bennet Aug 21st 2010 5:29PM
@Utakata: I'd certainly agree that the author's husband wasn't asking for help. The "OK, well, you know that stuff isn't real, right? You're PLAYING a GAME," statement leaves me rather inclined to think he was being a bit of a jerk :)
orlochavez Aug 23rd 2010 2:46PM
You people need to learn what downrating comments is for. God forbid somebody disagree with your escapist definition of what is or is not "playing the game."
The replies above were every bit as constructive and well-put as the ones that agreed with the author and her rationalizations and justifications about her WoW habit. It's frankly pretty amazing to me how many of you feel the need to minimize the opinions of people who are supporting the actual *literal definition* of the phrase "playing a game." Be realistic about what you're doing when you play World of Warcraft instead of acting like it's anything other than "playing a game."
Farthas Aug 21st 2010 8:08AM
Friend: "What's up?"
Me: "Playing WoW"
Friend: "Oh cool, what are you doing?"
Me: "Jumping the gap in Ironforge over and over while I wait for something to happen"
Eli Aug 21st 2010 8:38AM
Running in circles in Dalaran on my mount until my BG/Random dungeon queue pops.
Imnick Aug 21st 2010 9:51AM
I never understood why people just hang around in Dalaran or Ironforge while they are playing a video game, doesn't seem fun to me.
Read a book! Play a DS! Minimise it and start browsing the internet!
If you leave your headphones on you'll still know when your dungeon queue is up or when you get a whisper.
feniks9174 Aug 21st 2010 11:01AM
Wataching for pugs in trade, talkin to friends/guildies, waiting for your dungeon queue, deciding if you want to go farm/rep grind/level an alt, digging through Atlas Loot . . . .
Granted, standing around in Dalaran does get old (unless youre one of those people who treats Trade like your own little chat room to talk to your friends) but It doesn't necessarily mean you're doing nothing.
Kira Aug 21st 2010 1:06PM
Yeah, I usually watch an episode of chuck while waiting for dungeon queues
rulez Aug 21st 2010 8:08AM
Your husband is right. :P
The only thing I personally would not consider playing is if you are only chatting.
Nonette Aug 21st 2010 9:56AM
Yeah. I count everything except long stretches of time where the only reason I'm keeping the game open is to keep an eye on chat and drop an occasional comment as playing. Of course, I don't engage in the srs bsns of auction house transactions.
prenden2 Aug 21st 2010 11:07AM
Your husband believes that listing auctions counts as playing the game?
That's a dealbreaker, Ladies.