by Conn Vickt

Created on: January 07, 2007   Last Updated: January 04, 2011

I'm not a nerd, I'm a Gamer. Yes, it's capitalized. It's a title that describes most of my generation. And let me tell you: I'm proud to wear it (well, figuratively. I'm not actually swathed in clothing with 'Gamer' all over it).

Us Gamers, yeah we catch a lot of crap. People consider us outcasts from society or loners, heck - I've even been called a 'hermit' before. But they (and I use 'they' to describe the majority of People-Over-Thirty) just don't understand. Video games are now, and more so then ever before, a Second Life (why did I capitalize that? You'll see soon!). Communities are built over the Internet and friendships are born fighting dragons on snowy mountainsides in lands that don't exist outside of my 15.4" laptop screen. People even get married after having met for the first time over the Internet (no, not a dating service either). Virtual reality is the future (or rather it's the future as portrayed in the rich imaginations of the game developers) and little wonder; to some, it's much cooler then reality (yes, I said 'cooler').

Let's talk about what alternate reality games are. Actually, changed my mind, I'll write what they are and you can read.
[The author would like to apologize for that little joke and the groans caused my it's existence. "Sorry, I couldn't resist!"]
Getting back on topic; these games! They are online worlds where thousands (and in some cases, millions) of people live a second life. For example, World of Warcraft, this is a game with a player-base of seven million. People can create a character from eight different races (Orcs, Trolls, Tauren [they're like cows], Undead, Human, Night Elfs [think Lord of the Rings], Gnomes and Dwarfs), then pick a 'class' for their person (for instance: a Warrior) then create their name (Gulfac the Unclean is so much cooler then Bob) and enter a new world. This person will then interact with hundreds of other players as he kills monsters, does 'quests' (think King Arthur), battles demons and otherwise smashes, pokes, stabs, shoots, or magics his way through the game.

World of Warcraft is more then a game, however. You see, a game can end, World of Warcraft (hereinafter refereed to as WoW) does not. It is an ever-expanding universe, with cutting-edge graphics and almost no limits. This is our first catch, WoW requires a monthly payment to play which (depending on how you pay it) between $10 and $15 per month. That, I think, is the one connecting point between WoW and reality and one that can

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