Breakfast Topic: Has your time in Azeroth lent you inspiration?
by Colin Curry 
Oct 2nd 2010 at 8:00AM
I started my first year at a liberal arts college this past August, choosing a liberal arts college because I had virtually no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The first week was soul-crushingly hard, and I felt like a piece of flotsam in an ocean, lost and without direction. I was talking with my family about this, and they told me to consider the following scenario: If I could do anything at all and education wasn't an issue, what would it be?
It was then that I had an epiphany of sorts: I wanted to design games. More specifically, I wanted to design games that were as powerful as World of Warcraft, reaching across cliques, age, gender, occupation, ethnicity and geographical location and making people happy. Bringing players together to have fun and enjoy an amazing idea (despite the impressive technical implications) is most awe-inspiring to me because of its relative simplicity. I envision a game in which people anywhere across the world could play together, with more to do than just kill X, grind Y.
World of Warcraft has allowed people to do amazing things, from letting people make friends they would never have otherwise met, to simply allowing a father to connect to his terminally ill child. I want to be an integral part of something that extraordinary. Has WoW ever inspired you in any way, be it big or small?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Powatodapeople Oct 2nd 2010 12:05PM
I can see your point in thinking it's too much of a job. I agree that it's a job but I think it really is fun to work with people for a common purpose. if anything, wow inspired me to work together with people and try not to "solo" lifes problems and issues, because you'll "wipe"
:X
cbmorgan87 Oct 2nd 2010 8:10AM
Good idea let's get a CP thread going
Gamer am I Oct 2nd 2010 8:12AM
Not a direct inspiration, but if it weren't for WoW, I wouldn't have started blogging (obligatory link not included so I can't be accused of shameless out-of-place self-promotion). I have always enjoyed writing, but most forms of writing just never appealed to me. I could never stick to a story long enough to write novels, and I was passionate enough about anything to write persuasive essays. All of the ways I tried to satisfy my urge to write never worked for me, and I was worried I just didn't enjoy writing, that it was one of those things I'd never be able to get into. Then I realized, why not try blogging about WoW? WoW is a big part of my life, as it was back then, and it had inspired quite a few thoughts in me that I never did anything with, so why not formulate those thoughts into a blog? Now my blog has been active for more than a year, and I have written some pretty amazing things. It's something I'm proud of every day, and it never would have happened without WoW. (Not to mention that it allowed me to practice writing frequently, helping me go from being a writer of mediocre essays to a writer of essays that cause professors to leave comments like, "Please e-mail this to me so I can show it to students as an example of a good essay." True story.)
ajduchesne Oct 2nd 2010 8:26AM
Hey, it's LRR in that there photo. They're an awesome sketch comedy group, but aren't really associated with WoW at all, its kinda strange to see them here in this photo?
ambermist Oct 2nd 2010 9:28AM
Ignorance is bliss?
"Child's Play," the check they're holding, is an organization of gamers that comes together to play games and raise money for children in children's hospitals across the nation.
At least one year, and I think maybe 2 (or coming up on 2?), they form a group of people who play WoW marathon-style. For each hour they play or goal they reach, people donate money to the cause.
That's why the picture is there.
ambermist Oct 2nd 2010 9:29AM
Sorry, shouldn't have been snarky; it's early.
But here's the link: http://www.childsplaycharity.org/
daapster85 Oct 2nd 2010 1:33PM
Actually @ambermist, I think LRR does that with the video game Desert Bus (http://desertbus.org/). I know there was another group inspired to do the same thing with WoW, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't LRR. Not that it really matters, since the concept is the same, though.
ambermist Oct 2nd 2010 5:43PM
Ahh, I wasn't aware of that. More cool people to support. :-)
Joker Oct 2nd 2010 8:35AM
I don't understand why all those nerds are dressed like Mafia.
Nerd Mafia?
Deathknighty Oct 2nd 2010 8:59AM
Perhaps with the exception of the guy in the middle with the hat, they don't look very mafia-y to me. :P
StClair Oct 2nd 2010 11:25AM
It's called formalwear, you slob.
Joker Oct 2nd 2010 12:25PM
@StClair. Slob? All my clothes are expensive name brand shit, even my
boxers, socks, undershirts, shoes, and hats.
That's one of the things that stuck with me from living in the ghetto.
jscott87 Oct 2nd 2010 12:55PM
@Joker
If you lived in the ghetto you wouldn't have named brand stuff
Joker Oct 2nd 2010 2:04PM
@jscott87. How would you know? You obviously have never been to the ghetto.
What's with the retard comments today?
exogenesis. Oct 2nd 2010 9:03AM
I am a writer - of the novel kind, I couldn't blog to save my life - and the sheer scale of the lore behind WoW has inspired me to create a sprawling history of my own for my books.
For that, I am very much grateful towards Blizzard.
D-A Oct 2nd 2010 9:19AM
im always looking for a good read, and like stuff with tons of history and lore. where can i purchase your works to check it out?
SweeneyTodd Oct 2nd 2010 9:25AM
a
Deathknighty Oct 2nd 2010 10:01AM
b
sccorp.sc Oct 2nd 2010 12:04PM
c
Shoikler Oct 2nd 2010 2:03PM
...is for Cookie. That's good enough for me.