The Return

Part of the reason I’ve never --- ever --- hit the “top level” with a character in a video game is that I have the attention span of a 3-year old when it comes to games. No matter how fascinating the game is…I can’t keep myself enthralled enough to play any one game for any significant length of time.

Which was why World of Warcraft surprised me so much. I played WoW more or less consistently from last December until the beginning of August, when the preparations for my trip become more time consuming than I could possibly imagine. Of course, as soon as I left to travel, playing WoW was more or less out of the question. Sure, I had my laptop with me…but how could I connect it to play? And more importantly, how could I justify playing WoW in the middle of Florence?

As a result, I really haven’t logged into the game until today.

And I discovered the other part of the reason I’ve never really completed an RPG. It’s because there’s always some point at which I’m forced, for some reason or another, to take a break from the game. And if that break is long enough, it no longer feels like I’m continuing my game, it feels like i’m returning to it. And that’s so completely different it’s unimaginable.

Suddenly, I have to check to see what my Tailoring skill is at…and, oh, yeah…did I put a scope on my bow? What’s in my inventory? Oh! I remember those!. And that kills the game for me. I’m not connected to my character like I was before. I want to start over, but I can’t make myself go back to starting from scratch…

I’m worried that I’ve reached that point with WoW. With a little luck and some good playtime, I’ll feel right at home in Aggramar…and maybe I’ll be able to grab those last two levels and finally (for the first time ever) hit the top of the ladder.

I just pray Blizzard doesn’t up the level-cap before then ;)