World of Warcraft/ SL/ Time to Burn
I sort of wonder what burnout looks like in SL; I wonder if its a function of loneliness? I know what burnout in WoW will look like - you'll notice that you're not really doing anything great, there's no real grand quest or honor its just a person sitting at a computer playing a game. I have never felt that way with SL, its kind of like a really interesting cellphone - you can call people in very interesting ways. But still, I definitely get bored in there. I really enjoy doing kind of wild things in there; I have a really creative side and I really like to explore different aspects of art. SL is a huge forge for art; I was proud to be a part of three projects there. The creative aspect of SL is hard to really help people to understand; you can get addicted to good graphics design - but you never really get addicted, because it takes alot of work. Watch this if are curious; we all owe philip rosedale alot - he made this space to create art. I guess its kind of like burning man ? You can't do it all year long, but its great for what it is. Totally different. WoW is a game, pure and simple. SL is something else. Burnout in WoW will be when I just stop playing.
In SL I have had alot of fun as Turner Singh; a sort of playboy but not really - hard to describe. Maybe I can say what I've done? I got married (which was cool) (and sort of not cool also, because the marriage had symbolic meanings to some real life people I knew). I've gotten involved in some really great projects. I've explored the fragments of JR Tolkiens lost tales. I've sucked up all the bad architecture in my neighborhood with a black hole sun. I've played trivia with a brilliant woman who in real life has a bar code tattoo and can run the mile in 3:47. I've even won real life projects out of it. I've even talked to someone who is a self described submissive but kept telling me what to do. Oh, and I've made great friends of a Romanian web cam girl who goes there to get away from it all (she's now a slave in there, I have learned not to talk too much about that). And she's helped me do my hair. I've been a man and a woman, and a wolf. I am a happy woman, actually in one form quite lesbian and in another form sort of businesslike and semi-straight, and cool. I've learned about gracefulness with her (and where I can improve). As a man, I've done what men do. And I've been a well fed wolf. I've made art, built things, and gotten involved in music. Ah. Well. I guess I'm only missing making up for one awful date (we went to the world of genetics.. can you imagine anything worse? I'm going on a date on thursday to see "no country for old men" ... imagine if I told them , "hey, lets just take a look at the genetic material here before we go".. it was my fault ade..). SL is learn, grow and play.
In WoW, I've had some moments there. Its more of a run each time. Each quest, is like that. I am learning how to level fast, and frankly I'm curious how fast and how many levels I can make in one night. I get invited on alot of quests because I can really keep a party alive. In one of my forms I heal. I sort of love bringing someone back from the edge. Its a blast. You can watch them getting tense then just pull them back alive. Its great. I also play a mage. I can wail on things with the mage; I eliminate anything in my way. I would strongly recommend playing alts in WoW, but not more than two or three. They reward you for playing alternate characters - and also theres more to life than just killing or making a killing. Priests are fun. I really love healing. (I will not go into my family history here... lets suffice to say its probably in my blood).
Both spaces are about dynamic. . World of Warcraft is a place where your friends and you can do things together in a kind of fun and focussed way, its a group raiding party sort of head rush. SL is more of just a way to communicate with people and you can have fun alone (I go there alot of times just to paint and draw and shape things). And you can also have fun with smaller groups of people, onesies twosies. SL is a profound enhancement to communication between two or more people.
The downside of SL is always the people who are wearing a crown. And to tell the truth, I'm not that into that manly hugging thing. People go through stages there. The funniest stage is the one in which people realize that they can listen to their ipod while they're playing and start singing lyrics from whatever they're listening to. I get a kick out of that one, since I write them. SL can be popular with cool people, but there are also the fair share of oddballs - and SL lags.. its a slow, clunky, buggy environment and they're still not shaking the bugs out. Its a huge client (makes a 700 mb memory footprint). If you have a nice fast mac you'll be ok I guess.
Again, I'm Turner Singh there and feel free to use me as a referral, I will give you half the referral fee. In WoW I am the mage Tsaar (Cenarius) or the Priest Tsaaritsa (Cenarius) (you will find me more and more, in her skin.. I am a great healer, probably better than I am , a mage)(it took practice though). Oh I am also the undead NazGhoul in some dark scary place , and I feed off my dead victims. Don't worry about him... heh heh heh.... >:) lol
Real life is really alot more fun than any of this stuff, I mean that goes without saying. This stuff is addictive. But I have it under control. Take this for example: this is where I am going to be next year...
Would you like to go there with me? Burning Man 2008 will be fun; I will make sure I don't burn up all my time before they burn up the man.
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