1) Character Name and Server
Alazzaji: Babalawo – lvl80 Orc Shaman, Uvatha – lvl80 Undead Warlock, Kezial – lvl80 Orc Death Knight, Insharah – lvl80 Blood Elf Paladin, Monan – lvl78 Tauren Hunter, Alazzaji – lvl76 Troll Priest -Plus a few others between 30 and 60.
Exhibition: Exhibition of Nagrand.
Redmoot: Redmoot, Resto Druid, Nagrand (Horde)
2) Real life age
Alazzaji: 39
Exhibition: 32
Redmoot: 40
3) Marital status (children?)
Alazzaji: Divorced, 3 kids aged 12, 13 and 19
Exhibition: Married, to an orc.
Redmoot: Married, 2 girls aged 7 and 9
4) How long have you been playing WoW for? What attracted you to the game?
Alazzaji: Approximately 3 years. Used to play Warcraft III at home with my two youngest via local LAN, after the separation we started playing WoW as a means to keep in touch. I was working a fly-in/fly-out mining job at the time and the internet was all I had out in the middle of nowhere.
Exhibition: Since Classic. I was a fan of Diablo II and I could find a pirated version of WoW.
Redmoot: Started playing WOW when BC was released. Played RPGs for years, the ultima series, the elder scroll series and heaps of others. Decided to give WOW a try knowing very little about it.
5) Do you consider WoW a negative or a positive influence on teenagers and young adults? How does it differ from ‘your generation’?
Alazzaji: Positive in that it teaches some social skills to kids who may otherwise not have a chance to interact with too many people. Negative at times because it can eliminate repercussions of ones actions through the anonymity the internet provides. When I was a teenager all interactions were face to face, if you were a jerk you would pay the price. On WoW you can be an absolute tool and know that no one will ever know who you are.
Exhibition: Positive. It encourages cooperative play, leadership, and imagination. It provides a colourful, safe environment that challenges the intellect and the imagination.
Redmoot: I think WOW could negatively influence teenagers if it displaced study time or caused distractions at school because of tiredness after staying up that little bit longer to down a boss. This game is incredibly addictive. But it has a positive influence in learning to work with others, get over losses when you've wiped on the same boss for an hour, researching encounters etc. I believe its an overall positive experience compared to spending your time watching TV (gets your mind more active). It could be a dangerous game if you were younger and unemployed. I was unemployed for a while at 20ish and if I had found this game then I would have found it difficult to get motivated to get out there and find work. I have found examples of young idiots in game but found some fuckwit older guys too. The game doesn't cause you to become this way, I believe these types of people can be found anywhere and just like in real life I can choose to ignore.
My generation didn't have this sort of thing easily available but I used to play DnD book/paper based. We didn't have the opportunity to be as anonymous to a large audience, to create a whole different persona to use as you like.
6) Do you consider the view society has on WoW fair? Why/Why not?
Alazzaji: Yes. I played the tabletop versions of Dungeon and Dragons all through the 80’s. The views back then were pretty poor; especially from religious groups. The idea of being able to resurrect someone turned church goers into fits! I think society now sees most forms of RPG’s as relatively harmless when stacked up against violent games, or even against what’s available on the net (thinking porn) these days.
Exhibition: I think it is fair. There is a lot of negativity manifested in WoW. That negativity is a by-product of the anonymity granted by the internet, and the lackadaisical action in schools with regards to simple etiquette. And pop culture influence.
Redmoot: A lot of my friends think its weird that I play this but don't give me a hard time. Most of them know I've been a gamer for years. I don't think society is being fair to the general population of WOW when they perceive us as being spotty kids playing in the parents basement. Sure there are people out there that fit this description and others that take it way to seriously. Unfortunately high profile "incidents" give us all a bad rep. But considering the subscribed player base compared to such cases its an unfair view. Any society this big, and wow is a society I feel, is gonna have it's freakshows.
7) Would you let your children play WoW, or do you (if applicable).
Alazzaji: I do, the 12 year old isn’t too fussed on the game but the 13yo has been playing for as long as I have and has a few 80’s of his own. The only restriction I placed on him was filtering out the trade chat. The 19yo is too busy at uni and too busy chasing boys to be ‘uncool’ enough to play WoW.
Exhibition: Yes, when they are old enough to meet the ratings in place for the game (emotionally and physically) – and under supervision initially. There is a lot of abuse rife in this game. Abuse is never shaken off – it builds up subtly and wears down the confidence, especially of a teen.
Redmoot: Yes I want to let my children have a go but the wife is going to fight that tooth and nail. She is addicted to Facebook games now and the girls are playin stuff with her. My oldest is starting to play other free online rpgs. My wife hates this game but since she gave up watching TV and started to get into games on facebook I think she is understanding the enjoyment of using the brain while being entertained. She is constantly working out efficient methods to make more coin or gain xp at something. Our TV is really only used for movies now. We have 3 computers setup in our family room, hers, mine and one for the kids to use. We get to supervise the kids in whatever they are doing as one of us is online most of the time. I have a second account that I will let the girls use so I can play with them.
8) What would you have to say on the social dynamics of WoW, such as guilds? Do you think they are a positive or a negative thing?
Alazzaji: With respect to guilds, I’ve seen many guilds that are very well run, and some that are just out to get as many numbers as possible. The latter usually fall over pretty quick. The stronger guilds all have a very strong, charismatic leader – however the guild’s behaviour as a rule follows the examples set by there leaders and officers. Take Endless Fury for example…strong guild, strong leadership, good values imparted onto their members. They are all nice people and easy to deal with in-game. Khazuals from Khaz’Goroth on the other hand, strong guild, possibly ahead of EF content-wise, but led by an arse and so most of their members are arses. Other interactions are pugging and trade chat…there is a huge ‘brat’ element creeping into the game. The brats think they can do and say whatever they want, and because of the lack of policing on Blizz’s part, they can get away with it. I personally would much rather play with someone who is polite and under-geared, than some hard-core player who could probably solo an instance but is a complete jerk.
Exhibition: Guilds are an excellent way around the issues raised above. Establishing a network of friends from different places – communicating, working together, understanding and employing a hierarchy.
Redmoot: Guilds are a positive influence when you've found the right people. I've only been in a few in the 3 and bit years I've been playing, I've also been guildless quite a bit. It's the people behind the toons that are important and when you've found a few like minded people it's great. Guilds with a good structure (assigned roles and tasks, values that are considered important, simple rules to not be broken and action taken when broken) are a hugely positive thing but if you don't like anyone in it Get Out! It takes a while to find these like minded individuals but the reward is great, and it may take a few ginvites to find em.
Guilds that just pop up all the time and invite every Tom, Dick and Harry on the other hand are a waste of time and seem to be a breeding ground for fuckwits. But just like any society there are going to be groups of sheep that follow a perceived "cool dude" blindly.
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