As I’m sure 99% of the blogosphere knows by now, Phaelia is closing the doors of Resto4Life. I don’t know if she is quitting the game entirely or just the blog, I couldn’t make it out from the entry, however, it’s definitely put a lot of thoughts into my head.
I remember a time when I figured I’d never quit Neopets. (shaddup, do you guys know how long it took me to get my Draik? =P) Of course here I am now having not touched it in months. I miss the friends I made there on the Neoboards sometimes, but other than that, there is very little that I do miss, and although I have tried a time or two, I haven’t been able to get back into it on the same scale that I was before. I have no regrets about the time I spent playing, and I made some accomplishments I’m quite proud of. But eventually I lost interest, and moved on.
World of Warcraft is like that. I think it’s something that we as a blogging community perhaps don’t like to think of sometimes. But it’s true. How many of us will still be playing this game ten or twenty years from now? Will it even be around? Even if it is in some incarnation, I imagine many of us will have moved on by that point. What that means for us as a community, is that these blogs we read and enjoy so very much will not be around forever, at least not in their current form. And it’s hard to deal with sometimes.
It’s perhaps ironic that it’s been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve reached a point where I sort of feel like I need to scale back the time I spend in game. I love this game dearly. Yeah, I try to deny it sometimes, but it’s true. I still have fun with the game. I am not quitting anytime soon, I don’t think (so please don’t think this post is about that!) But man cannot live on WoW alone. And there are days where I feel like I come home from work, I get onto my computer, aaand… I play WoW, I read about WoW, I write about WoW, I tweet about it on Twitter. And sometimes I wonder where that line is. You know what line I’m talking about. Where it becomes too much. Where it goes from being a hobby into being your only hobby. I often find myself wondering if I need a break or something.
And then my mind wanders to how I’ve lost interest in other obsessive hobbies I’ve had like this so fast. Sometimes seemingly overnight. It’s just a matter of time for this one, too.
In a way, it scares me, because when I think of all that, I inevitably end up thinking of this blog and this little community that has gathered here. What will happen when it comes to that point for me where I have to say goodbye? What would I do with this blog? How could I even bring myself to end something I enjoy so much? And more than that, I wonder if it all matters anyway. Will it matter decades from now when I look back on my life? Will it matter that I taught someone how to improve the way they played a class in some long-forgotten video game? Does it matter?
In the end though, I think it does. If for any reason, because of all the raw talent that is out there. Through this community I have met artists and writers and CSS masters and people whose blogs are packed with personality and humor and wit, and that’s only to name a few– I can only hope that Blizzard is at least marginally aware of this massive gathering of talent they have unwittingly drawn together, out of the passion for a video game, of all things. Positive influences from my guildies and in-game friends aside, I am extremely humbled to be a part of this community perhaps best known collectively as “Blog Azeroth“.
So, thank you, Phaelia. Thank you for being the person (well, alongside Bell) to really inspire me to make my own treedruid, who to this day is still the only thing in game that has really caught my interest anywhere close to what hunters do. And thanks for sharing your talent and enthusiasm with the internet.
And to everyone else, the specifics of what we blog about may not be important twenty or thirty years down the road. But positive influences only have to be very small, to be positive and meaningful. Thank you for being both, to me. I do not know how long our time together will ultimately pan out to be. But thank you for making the most of it every day.
Interacting with people always matters, I think.
I have a similar feeling about some Neopets forums I used to frequent. I was there every day, reading posts by the same people, writing responses, getting to know them. The community as I know it has changed now, some people have moved on, some are still there hanging on, but it’s not the same.
Even though our community was centred around a virtual game, I still felt I got to know people on a fairly personal level. They were a part of my life and had at least a small influence on the person I am today, and I miss them. Luckily, these days, there are so many ways to keep in touch – Twitter, Facebook, IM 🙂 So although the community won’t be the same, the people will still be there…
Hey Pike,
You made a difference.
Fav. quote time, I think it speaks for itself.
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a better place whether you heal thy child, garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to know success.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Reading your entry makes me wonder about what we’ll do after WoW is gone (or just not as popular and as played) and what will become of our blogs. I’ve only been blogging since October and I would be sad to lose the last few months – there are some of you that have been doing this for years!
It’s a depressing thought 🙁
Ahh, Neopets. How the times of my internet for me have changed over the past seven years…
Apparently I’m in the remaining 1% of the [word i can’t use] because reading this was news to me. Although I love playing the game now I often catch myself wondering what the hell I’m doing when I then go and spend some time to write about it as well.
I’m old enough and been through enough ‘phases’ to know that WoW is just another of them. It won’t last forever, I may even quit before it comes to a natural end, I don’t know. All I can say with some confidence is that my next obsession will be even better.
I never really read Resto4Life much, although I was planning on using it as valuable help and reference when dual specs arrive allowing my druid to co-opt healing with tanking. At least the archives will remain accessible. 🙂
@ Anea – don’t be depressed! You started creating something for others to enjoy and that in and of itself is awesome-tastic. If in five months or five years we’re not talking about WOW, there is still a wide, wide world of inspiration out there to throw a life-tap on.
Create – share – encourage others to do the same. It matters.
that was a very nice post. I was sayng to my b/f the other day if he thought we’d still be playing wow in 30 years time. I can’t imagine not playing it, but at the same time I can’t imagine playing when i’m in my 50s.
what will become of us i do not know, but i intend to enjoy it while it’s here.
“Seasons come and go.” “It seems the only constant is Change.”
These may seem like simple platitudes, but they are true. I’m enjoying the game now. I’ve taken breaks before. It happens.
The only small bit of truth that I may have found thus far in my few 35 years is: Life really is a journey. The people make it worthwhile.
Z
We’re all going to miss her quite a bit. She was the best of us; I don’t think any Resto druid can deny the role she played for all of us as bloggers.
And, Pike, so long as you learn from, grow from, or enjoy something…it matters.
Thanks very much for this send off! It IS funny to think how we can dedicate ourselves to something with so much passion and energy one day and yet be able to make the decision to walk away the next. I think realizing that I felt almost trapped by my success (a large reader count, tremendous numbers of comments) and overwhelmed more by the trappings of maintaining R4L than actually posting made me realize that it simply wouldn’t be possible to continue once our baby is born. The outpouring of support and appreciation from visitors has only served to confirm that I made the right decision at the right time. I’m happier now than I have been in some time, and posts like these help affirm that I won’t necessarily have to lose touch with the great people I’ve met over the past two years.
Thank you!
I feel that if WoW ever does die out (Elune Forbid) that my incessant need to write about whatever I find entertaining won’t. I’ve been writing for other blogs for quite a while now and enjoy it too much as a hobby to put it down. I’d probably quit WoW first (I won’t, ever, lol).
–Davlin
Don’t like to think that I might not play WoW someday. Seems odd. Also would be really odd if you closed up shop as you’re one of the first blogs I ever stumbled across.
Does it matter?
Does it matter?!
of COURSE it matters!!
You’ve given us laughter, made us think, and helped those of us in need. It’s all just light and magic but it still matters.
What matters is what you make real in your life. There is no one thing in our lives that we can consider ‘real’ and what is not. If you make this game, this blog, real, then it is. And then, by its very definition in YOUR life, it matters.
As humans we tend to focus too much on trying to make things last forever, and not enough time focusing on enjoying what we have, while we have it. It sounds sad, but that can be said for everything. Including our loved ones, hobbies, dogs, cats, cars, whatever! Simply enjoy them. Try not to think about when it will leave you, and focus on having fun and being happy with it while you have it.
Life IS simply short. Smile, enjoy your games, your friends, your loved ones. Because right now, for you, that matters.
Thanks for the great article. It got me thinking about how much time I have dedicated to playing this game and how much time I have lost with my family.
I deleted all my characters last week and uninstalled the game entirely.
I have had more fun with my kids in the last week then I can remember in a long time and well my wife frankly is a little surprised to see me so much!
When I told her what I had done she was shocked (her word) and surprised that I would tear myself away from something I loved so much (her words verbatim). I looked at here and said Honey I love you more than any game.
Thanks Pike I have always enjoyed your blog. Hunters are my fav class and I may someday return to Azeroth, maybe when I can take the seriousness out fo it and remember that it is fun first!