The Warp Zone: Why You Should Try Warcraft

I know what you’re thinking.  You saw the title and considered not even reading this article.  Keep an open mind and hear me out.  I too was convinced this game was only for nerds—a modern day version of Dungeons and Dragons.  I figured since I don’t live in my parent’s basement and I don’t have a collection of Star Trek figurines, that perhaps this game wasn’t for me.  And I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing right now.

The first time I heard a friend talking about this game, I was not entirely convinced.  I heard the game was really addictive (and not in the good way, but the unhealthy Chinese-kid-played-until-she-died way.)  I like games, and have played many longer than I should have, so I decided to steer clear of Warcraft because of its rumored addictive nature.  That and it has a horrible stigma of being a nerd game.  After running into more people who played the game (and didn’t fit the stereotype), another friend finally convinced me to play.  The antithesis of nerdiness, this friend is a war veteran and has a hobby of brewing his own beer.  Not only would he be good in a street fight, he also is very knowledgeable in the World of Warcraft.  So I gave it a try.

One of the first things I noticed about this game was scope of the landscape.  The world in which you play is basically four continents.  Not to be confused with four levels—this game isn’t really like that.  Imagine you started walking from Toronto, bought a horse in Kansas, took a boat from California to Australia, and then flew to Brazil, all the while sight-seeing and picking up souvenirs.  That’s how big this game is.  To say that it’s big or huge is an understatement.  You need a made up word like ‘ginormous’ to begin to convey it.

If you played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you’ll be right at home with several of the game mechanics.  In WoW, you’ll find yourself picking up quests at point A, kill some dudes at point B, and return to point A for your prize.  That may be oversimplifying it a bit, but you get the point.  While playing San Andreas, you may not have noticed the RPG elements all around you.  As you progress in the game, you upgrade your clothing, weapons, armor, and physical stats—just like Warcraft.  If you’re in the mindset that you don’t like games like Warcraft, you may have played more than you know.  If you liked San Andreas, you’re already one step ahead of other players.

I normally don’t like role playing games, especially the turn-based ones.  Luckily for me, Warcraft isn’t one of them.  Action-RPG is what the kids are calling it these days.  I don’t have to wait my turn to burn someone to death, instead I burn them while they try to kill me.  It’s pretty fluid, and keeps you alert as danger lurks around every corner.  That’s why you can be like me and craft firearms.

“Firearms?!” you exclaim, in disbelief, “But I thought this game was like Lord of the Rings with dragons and swords and stuff.”  It’s all of that plus gunpowder.  There are guns, crossbows, daggers, swords, magic, you name it.  If you can kill someone with it, it’s in the game.  There are few things more satisfying in life than throwing a grenade at a gnome, or shooting a cow with a rocket launcher.  Hurling fireballs at giraffes and zebras is another favorite virtual pastime, all possible thanks to the World of Warcraft.

I understand that you may not be convinced yet, so I saved the holy trifecta for last.  There are zombies, robots, and pirates.  Any game is better with one of these, but all three?  It’s like an awesomeness overload.  I play as a zombie (the Undead race, to be politically correct), and as an engineer (that’s my job) I can build a robot to fight alongside me, while fighting pirates ( I need the bounty money.)  And while there are swords and dragons, some of us Warcraft players prefer guns and helicopters.  Yes, there are even helicopters.

So whether you’re looking for an epic journey from Joe Schmo to the Hero of all of Azeroth, or if you’d rather see what happens when you set an ostrich on fire, there is something here for everyone.  11.5 million people can’t be wrong.  You can download the ten day trial for free.  You’ve got nothing to lose, and I think you should give it a try—you might be as surprised as I was.

World of Warcraft (and its expansions) are rated T for Teen by the ESRB for blood, suggestive themes, use of alcohol, and violence.

Free Trial available at http://www.warcraft.com

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Kevin “Mello Joe” Mercer is a former radio personality and a lifelong gamer. You can find him on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, Gamertag: Mellojoe. View the world as he sees it at www.youtube.com/user/mellojoe. www.myspace.com/charlesk