Breakfast Topic: How do you cope with muggles who don't "get" WoW?
by Aiden James Kosciesza 
Jan 27th 2011 at 8:00AM
We have a hunter in our guild whose mother does not understand World of Warcraft at all. She's the type who doesn't use computers, refused to have an internet connection in the house until this very year, and thinks that MMOs sound the death knell for her hopes of having grandchildren. My friend the hunter has painstakingly explained that raids are a group activity, that there are real people behind the colorful avatars, and that it's not polite to jump up and leave in the middle of fighting a raid boss -- to no avail. The mother still doesn't understand what could be so compelling on a computer screen that her child can't be at her beck and call.
We all know people who are not WoW players, and most of us have had the experience of trying to explain our favorite game to someone who just doesn't get it, whether that someone is a parent, a significant other, a coworker, or a friend. My own efforts have met with varying results. My family still can't quite wrap their heads around a gaming hobby, but after much persuading I was able to convince my last girlfriend to give WoW a try. She's a valued guildie to this day.
Have you ever had to explain your World of Warcraft hobby to the uninitiated? What was the hardest thing for them to understand? What kind of reaction did you get? Have you convinced any of them to try the game themselves?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 9)
Knob Jan 27th 2011 8:05AM
Making someone understand that the other characters you see on the screen are actually being controlled by real people in different countries is what I've found to be difficult. Especially when you're trying to explain it to your parents if they aren't computer-savvy.
Zenith Jan 27th 2011 8:53AM
This. I still want to plant my face on the desk every time I hear the phrase "why don't you just pause the game?" - usually in the middle of a boss fight
Of course I will still excuse myself if there is an emergency or something that can't wait, but I still hear that phrase so often, even after explaining that there are 4-24 other people depending on me at the moment.
Malozing Jan 27th 2011 9:17AM
Not only explaining that I cannot pause the game, but that I am not talking to myself when I am in vent -.-
Mitawa Jan 27th 2011 9:23AM
I've not really had a problem explaining the "other characters are real people" aspect of the game to my mother, but then when my girlfriend and I had to live in separate states for awhile we used WoW to communicate and do stuff "together". She thought it was really sweet.
As far as explaining the other parts of the game to her (the teamwork, the level of skill and professionalism in raiding, etc.) well... I actually took a shot at it last time I saw her and made a half-screenshot-half-MS Paint diagrammed version of the Sindragosa fight. I was able to point out all the add-ons and stuff that needs to be kept track of, the Grid nameplates of my fellow teammates, and gave basic explanations of each of the jobs each raid member had.
She was overwhelmed fur sure, but inclined to believe me because I could still point out one poor little druid tree cowering inside an ice block and say, "See, Mom? That's Laura. You know her, she does this job for us..."
Khirsah Jan 27th 2011 10:49AM
I finally got my wife on board with the fact that I can't pause the game, but the other night, when I was in AB she suggested that I ask the pally I was fighting for a quick time-out. "If you ask nicely, I'm sure he won't kill you while you empty the dishwasher."
I didn't even bother to explain that even if I did ask nicely, he wouldn't understand anyway, I just said that the guy was a jerk. Let's be honest, if you rolled a human pally, you probably are!
J/k. :)
Almoderate Jan 27th 2011 11:20AM
I'm married and my husband and I both play, but my mom (aware of our pastime) just figured out the fact that there are other people playing with us. But she seems to think that this only happens if they physically come to our home and play. I've demonstrated to her a few times that there are other people playing from other locations, but she doesn't quite get the distance thing.
She's asked me a couple of times why "that young lady you're referring to" couldn't come to some gathering or party that we're having (or to my baby shower). When I explain that we live in Alabama and she lives in Canada and another guildie lives in the UK and another in Alaska... She just shakes her head like that's not possible. I even let her talk to these people in vent, and she STILL doesn't believe that they live just down the road from me.
Know Jan 28th 2011 12:45AM
As a game playing parent, with a game playing spouse, with game playing kids (Wizard 101). When asking the kids to do something around the house and being asked if they can please get somewhere safe, the answer is always yes :) I have lucky kids.
WaterRouge Jan 27th 2011 8:05AM
I never bothered with my parents when I was in High School. All I had to do was convince them why I should have another month's worth of game time.
It is weird trying to explain it to people I think would enjoy playing the game, casually, once, or hardcore. Basically explaining why it's the most popular MMO in the world helps.
Nawaf Jan 27th 2011 8:50AM
I'm in highschool right now. I keep WoW off my parents completely. They only know it as "That game I play on the computer". I don't even have to explain to them why "I should have another month's worth of game time" cause I play on prepaid gamecards which I buy myself.
Noyou Jan 27th 2011 9:26AM
I usually refer to it as "this stupid computer game". Of course I am the one who has the addiction so clearly the joke is on me :p Less is more for sure. And kudos for you for buying your own playtime :) I also think many non gamers would like aspects of the game if they sat down and played. However with many games, you either do or you don't. Not a lot of middle ground. For most of us there is an appeal, perhaps the chance to be something we can't in real life. Perhaps a distraction from the mundane. Who knows. Whatever it is, it's implanted deep in our DNA somewhere.
seanbob91 Jan 27th 2011 12:10PM
+1 on the Kudos to Nawaf for buying his/her own cards to.
seanbob91 Jan 27th 2011 12:10PM
+1 on the Kudos to Nawaf for buying his/her own cards too.
Vladeon Jan 27th 2011 1:26PM
Whenever my parents used to harp on my pastime of playing video games, I would just calmly remind them of all the things I wasn't doing. I wasn't doing drugs. I wasn't in a gang. I hadn't gotten anyone knocked up. By the time I got to the third point they usually dropped the issue.
Mazaltov Jan 27th 2011 8:08AM
I'm 28 years old and I took an entire week off work when Cata launched. I got alot of good natured ribbing when my co-workers found out the reason for my vacation. One of my co-workers rass my pretty often about my online gaming addiction. But I can dish it out also. I may be a 28 year old gamer. But shes a 40 year old mom who likes with Twilight.
MusedMoose Jan 27th 2011 8:11AM
I, too, took time off when Cata hit, and when my co-workers asked why I was taking specifically those days off, I told them "Because the world ended." They never got it. ^_^
Omner Jan 27th 2011 9:30AM
This.
My coworkers were cool with it but when some of my regular customers asked where I was, and they told them I had taken time off to play a video game it seem to severly hurt my creditability.
"It's not just a video game, it's an MMORPG. Oh that sounds nerdier, okay then it was a video game."
madbatter697 Jan 27th 2011 10:24AM
I took off a couple of days and some of my coworkers understood as they are gamers themselves. Now my wife (who plays as well) was pissed!
1: she didn't have the time to be able to do it as well.
2: "why can you take time off to level and you couldn't take off when my mom came into town?" (Does she really need an explination there?)
Austin Jan 27th 2011 8:08AM
I know first hand how it feels to have parents that think you can just get up at any time during a scheduled raid or arena match to do whatever they need, but part of the issue is that I'm not very good explaining what's going on in the game. I feel like if I told my parents before a raid started that I was going to need some time to concentrate on just that, they would have been fine with leaving me alone, but then again, they more likely would have just put me down for my hobby. It's difficult to teach someone what is so engaging about sitting on the computer; after all, most likely they only see you sitting and staring into space rather than trying to lead a group of other players to accomplish a feat that you've been struggling with for weeks.
Vitasia Jan 27th 2011 8:18AM
I suppose subtle manipulation wouldn't work here, would it?
"Well Mom, if I get interrupted in a raid one more time, they'll kick me out of the guild. And then all I have to fall back on are drugs and loose women. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Naw, that would never work.
Austin Jan 27th 2011 8:28AM
That might have worked, had I not already been caught with drugs and loose women.
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