by Michelle Stilley

Created on: June 04, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

I have a bit of an addictive personality.

There are plenty of things that I LOVE to do.

I love to read.
I love to scrapbook.
I love to cook.
I love to play games.

Any kind of game, really. I grew up playing games with my parents, my cousins, my friends...anyone with a deck of cards would do, really. My husband doesn't possess the same game-playing tenancies as the rest of my family, so when we finally got a computer, I took to playing games on it. My dad and I are able to play cribbage together across 1800 miles. I LOVE technology.

The first time I ever found a role-playing game...an MMORPG, that is, I was a little overwhelmed. To be honest, I had no clue what I was doing, and when I finally got out of the training mode, I encountered two people speaking in "Ye Olde English." It freaked me out, and I almost logged off. As it was, I didn't talk to anyone for a long time, but soon I realized that not everyone in the Far Far Away world I had found spoke like that.

When I finally did log off that first day, FOUR hours had passed without my knowledge. A little embarrassed, I couldn't believe that I had managed to lose myself in a game for so long. After all, I have responsibilities. I have a respectable job and a house to keep. I'm a wife and a mother, a daughter, a friend. I have things I need to do.

But for the moments I can steal away and pretend I'm someone else, I'm none of those people. I'm a warrior, an adventurer, a scholar. I'm a character in a make believe world with no responsibilities other than gaining my next level or completing that next task.

I love it. That's why I play.

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