Breakfast Topic: It's a small, small world
by Anthony Angrisani 
Oct 13th 2010 at 8:00AM
Attaining membership into the club that is the World of Warcraft isn't so hard. Actually, it doesn't take much more than a nominal subcription fee, a decent internet connection and a copy of vanilla to get you a membership card. However, once you are in, you will soon find that the club is much bigger (and much less exclusive!) than you had ever expected it.
The first time I ever got to officially flash my membership card came out of left field. While leaving for work one Saturday morning, I chose to put on my faithful Horde T-shirt. As I arrived at the front door of the building, the security guard said, "Horde or Alliance?"
"Well, these days, pretty much both," I replied.
Each day since then, he smiles and asks me how beta is coming along or how the raid went the previous evening. When arriving at work each day, I look forward to discussing the previous night's events in beta with him while preparing my morning coffee. Sure, my coworkers may think that HR should be contacted when overhearing us talk about our new mounts, but having someone to discuss Warcraft in detail with makes it worth the chance.
Events like this have fostered a continued interest in the game I love. My fiancée may hate the Horde shirt, but as long as the security guard gets a kick out of it, it will remain in the weekly wardrobe rotation. Has the World of Warcraft fostered any unexpected real-life friendships for you?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
darkZ Oct 13th 2010 8:05AM
first id like to say awesome tshirt. B. I'd like to say I do fear hogger. and finally i'd like to say it is a small world
Boz Oct 13th 2010 9:40AM
That shirt is awful, but not in a "so awful that it's good" kind of way. Its colors are straight from the mid-80's (if you lived it as I did, you do NOT want to go back), its design is like vomit, and its joke merits a chuckle at most.
Not every WoW player is a pimply-faced teenager with a closet exclusive to T-Shirts and Hoodies: Some of us are acne-scarred adults! I'd buy a tasteful Polo with a Alliance/Horde insignia on the breast, or maybe even a buttondown if it wasn't a short-sleeve car mechanic spoof. Most of the WoW gear is of the, "Hey that's neat, but I'd never pay actual money for it." variety.
I appreciate the humor, but how about something I can actually wear?
Some of the items I referenced:
Tradesman's Buttondown ($27-$29!): http://www.jinx.com/world_of_warcraft/men/nat_pagle.html?catid=41&cs=2&csd=41
Hoodies and T-Shirts: http://www.jinx.com/collections/world_of_warcraft/men?tcid=1
Neil Oct 13th 2010 10:17AM
@Boz... do you have days off? I mean, I am also a pimply-faced adult, but on weekends I still like to don my "Save the Murlocs" shirt. Or if I'm going out to meet guildies in real life for the first time, its always fun to wear my tabard t-shirt... but more on that when I'm not replying to someone else's post...
Boz Oct 13th 2010 10:40AM
@Neil - I rarely wear T-Shirts anymore unless I'm layering, personally. This is not to say that there isn't a much larger market for T-Shirts and Hoodies as opposed to the suit-wearing set, but that T-Shirts and Hoodies are the ONLY option, currently. There are some pretty solid T-Shirts with great artwork - the Murloc shirt you reference is cute - but many are just awful, as is the case with the above fannie-pack matching Hogger atrocity.
I'd like to see something akin to a rugby shirt you might find at AE/Aeropostale/A&F/etc. or a logo dress shirt with a small crest in a color other than black. All I'm saying is that not every WoW player shops exclusively at Hot Topic, or maybe they do, and I'm the freak (wouldn't be the first time).
Schadenfreude Oct 13th 2010 11:20AM
I'd like to see more tank tops/sleeveless shirts myself. I'm too warm most of the time and get really uncomfortable in a t-shirt unless I'm in a 60-degree room.
Suvie Oct 13th 2010 11:29AM
"a logo dress shirt with a small crest in a color other than black"
This. I'd love to see some colorful WoW gear irl. I don't like wearing black, it doesn't look good on me. I have a Save the Murlocs t-shirt because it was cheap, but I know I would wear it more if it were any color other than black. I'm holding out for a Dalaran University shirt because it's a pretty tasteful blue design.
ChefCK Oct 13th 2010 3:23PM
@ Boz
They have other ones than the retro '80s look. I don't like the 80s neon colors much, since I had to live through that era, but the simpler ones aren't so bad.
http://www.jinx.com/world_of_warcraft/men/fear_hogger.html?catid=41&cs=2&csd=41&preview=1
http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Apparel/TShirts/NoveltyTees/World-Of-Warcraft-Fear-Hogger-TShirt-124138.jsp
My husband and I were thinking about naming our future German Shepard Hogger, buying a box of the shirts, and when anyone asks why his name was Hogger, handing them a shirt.
Drecin Oct 13th 2010 8:09AM
Unfortunately no...I think I am a victim of the enviroment I live in...not a lot of people in my neighborhood don't have computers let alone WoW...but I do work security at the NJ Devils arena and see a fellow WoW head once in a while and ask Horde or Alliance lol
Nirva Oct 13th 2010 8:08AM
Talking about 3.3.0 at school with my friend, it turned out a guy who I'd been sitting next to in physics for a year was also a WoW, and then we found lots of ex-WoWers and many new WoWers in the year below, quite a lot of us it seems =)
Bunyun Oct 13th 2010 8:11AM
Was getting destroyed at pool by a blond the college pub, I said I'm rusty as I spend most of my recreational time playing computer games. One thing lead to another, and I transferred to Nerzhul :P
MusedMoose Oct 13th 2010 8:11AM
I used to have two co-workers who played WoW, but they've since left, and I haven't met anyone else via WoW-related stuff. However, I'm going to my local Gamestop's midnight Cataclysm release, so that should change. ^_^ Going to wear my legendary mage shirt and see if there's anyone wearing a warlock one. Bwa ha ha.
Darky Oct 13th 2010 8:36AM
Make sure to bring your trusty flame thrower :D
MMMMFRRFMMRRMFFMFMRRF(nasty smelly warlocks)
thegatherer Oct 13th 2010 8:52AM
damn mages, dont know the difference between murlocks and warlocks.
I would go to a midnight release.....if i didn't have exams that week.....or wasn't writing a journal article....
c'est la vie!
Darky Oct 13th 2010 10:42AM
Someone doesn't play TF2 ;)
ggohierroy@hotmail.com Oct 13th 2010 8:29AM
I met the love of my life at work and we immediately connected.
She played WoW.
Horde side.
And she's good.
How can you resist?
Crystal Oct 13th 2010 8:34AM
Actually, this is what happened to me too! I worked in IT and my boss hired a new guy... at first we just both found out we played WoW and he didn't have a guild so he transferred his main to my server to play with my guild. Then we became good friends, and now almost three years later we own a home together and are having a baby! Oh, and we conceived on a Tuesday, how's that for irony! :)
Saeadame Oct 13th 2010 9:21AM
@Crystal, there's a comment I could make here about Patch 0.0.x or about Alpha or Beta or something, but I just can't quite word it right =P
Phil Oct 13th 2010 9:54AM
@Crystal Well here is to hoping she is born on a Tuesday as well! =) Also congrats!
Tim Oct 13th 2010 8:17AM
You bet. Once my group leader at work told another group leader if he had any WoW related questions to talk to me, I have become real good friends with a guy I thought was pretty much a social recluse. We have become good friends and talk about everything now. I even got him involved with a fantasy football league one of his people puts on every year. He tells me about his kids and wife and I do the same. Unfortunately, life has gotten the best of him and he hasn't been on and said he might not return. I will keep telling him about Warcraft and when Cata hits and he sees my excitement; he'll be back :)
vinniedcleaner Oct 13th 2010 8:20AM
So does your girl hate the shirt becasue she's an anti-gamer? or is she a Varian apologist? Either way, I'd call off the wedding.... :-)