by Arithan

Created on: April 08, 2009

World of Warcraft may be a time sink, but I don't see it as a waste of time. It isn't just a game for me either. There are real people behind these characters. Some people may not feel this way, but I treat them with respect as I would if I met them in real life. A lot of people are selfish and only care about loot or whatever, but there are some really good people in World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft is also a place where I feel can be my outlet and a place where I can really be who I am. I'm not really a social person in real life, so this is a good way for me to talk and hang out with groups of people with common goals or interests.

Since most of my friends went away for college, I never really talked to them again. For me, playing World of Warcraft is like spending time with friends. I have met many good people in this game and made a lot of friends, which I probably wouldn't have if I never started playing. Some of my closest friends are actually the ones I met in World of Warcraft. Some people may not see online friendships/relationships the same way I do, but I believe that you get to see who the person really is first, rather than judging by looks etc. I know there are people who lie about who they are so they can get closer to someone, but I know who my real friends are. Even though I may not have met most of them in real life, I really feel like I know them and that they care. I've had some hard times in real life and my World of Warcraft friends were able to help me through them. I have really learned a lot from them. Some of my World of Warcraft friends and I sometimes even play other games together. So it's not just restricted to World of Warcraft. I did end up meeting some of them at BlizzCon, and since I already knew them, we had a great time together. I really have Blizzard Entertainment to thank for most the friends I have now.

Being an officer in my guild has really helped me become a better person in real life. Not only do I apply what I learned from being a leader to World of Warcraft, but I also apply that to real life. I actually take initiative on things now that I never thought I would, especially when it comes to dealing with computers. If people have problems, I actually speak up and try to help them. It really has made me a better and more confident person.

I'm a multimedia major and I really have a lot of respect for the arts. World of Warcraft may not have the best graphics, but I have seen many good videos made from it. I sometimes just sit somewhere where there is good scenery to escape reality. The ambient sounds really help me relax and allow me to think. I wanted to learn film or video production ever since I was a kid. I did some shorts and some fan films of movies, but now I can also use World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft has really inspired me to work on machinima since I never did something like that before. It is a really interesting experience and it helps me develop the skills I wanted. I also hope to one day be able to make a full-length CG movie. The cinematics from World of Warcraft has really inspired me to learn CG.

Looking back, I really have no regrets from playing World of Warcraft. I don't know where I would be if I never started playing, but I can say that I would have as many friends, and that I probably wouldn't know what to do for my future. I also probably wouldn't be who I am now. So I definitely don't see World of Warcraft as a waste of time.

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