I have reached the endgame of World of Warcraft. And unfortunately, I have so many options, I don't know what to do with myself.
World of Warcraft, or WoW, is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, or MMORPG, where people all over the world can interact by creating characters and embarking on quests. This, along with factors that I will discuss, is what draws so many people to the wonderful world of video games and technology.
After creating multiple characters and quickly losing interest in each, I have finally gained enough experience points, or XP, with one character to reach the level 60 limit in the game.
With over 5.5 million players paying about $15 a month, it is the largest and most successful MMORPG yet.
The game has been recognized with several awards, including "Best PC Game" from the Spike TV Video Game Awards and the Apple Entertainment Award for the "Best Mac OS X Entertainment Product" for 2005.
The game also gets my own award: Anjali's Award for the Most Addicting Product of 2006.
With so many areas to explore and constant updates and events being added to the server, it isn't surprising to learn that even at level 60 there are several lands and instances I have not seen or experienced.
What is it about this game that makes it so inviting to the largest gaming population yet?
The game is empowering because it transcends physical reality. In Azeroth (the virtual reality world of WoW), I can be a tall and agile night elf with blue hair. I can run for hours and slay dragons. In real life, I am short and even after copious amounts of hair dye, my hair won't stay blue.
There is also immediate satisfaction in questing for money, new clothing pieces that help you improve your game, and experience points until you hit level 60.
But beyond that, the game becomes even more dynamic. You could spend all your time on the front lines of battle fighting against the opposing factions to capture the flag or defend your bases, thus invoking as much adrenaline as Halo.
Or if you prefer, you could engage in high-level instances where 40 people must work together cooperatively to get the best gear in the game by killing bosses. Killing a single boss can take more than half an hour.
What's more, behind every instance and nearly every computer character in the game, there seems to be a story of enchanting lore if you care to know it. There are libraries where you can actually read books and characters you can learn stories from, if the science fantasy attracts you.
Be warned, however, with the disclaimer freely offered at the login page: "Game experience may change during online play."
My level 60 character is a druid. It can shape shift from its humanoid form to be a cat or bear to better perform different abilities like healing, dealing damage or taking damage.
And perhaps the best part of the game (apart from buying new clothing) is the ability to invent up to 50 characters. This way, you can waste your time, as I do, customizing each of their looks and names to your liking.
Regardless of how you feel about video games or World of Warcraft in particular, they are certainly entertaining and I definitely appreciate the occasional delve into a fantasy world.
So I salute you, citizens of Azeroth or not. This is Master Sergeant Faile and I have a PvP game to catch.
Reach the reporter at anjali.patel@asu.edu.
