I’m a gamer down to my soul. Some people get their kicks from watching movies, which I do but with less passion than I once did, and I still love a good book, but gaming is where it’s at for me. A good movie with move you, provoke you to think about it’s subject matter, or maybe just make you laugh. A well written book will bring a tear to the eye or make strangers look at you on the bus when you laugh out loud for not apparent reason.
These are things we should expect from games as well, even more intensely. We’re not watching the Jack realise that he is Tyler Durden, we’re finding out that we are Tyler Durden. If gaming isn’t making you react emotionally, then either it’s a bad game or you’re not invested, not interested, in it.
This past week I’ve had a couple of big gaming moments that have sparked a reaction in me. As Nasi has stated, Pirates had an outstanding week. Three progression bosses in a week, including what was becoming our nemesis, Putricide. These successes sparked a number of reactions – elation, adrenaline, a desire to keep going and most strongly of all, pride.
I’m proud of Pirates, I’m proud to be a part of it. I’ve said any number of times that while we don’t raid 25s, we have some extremely gifted players and it shone through this week like it hasn’t since we started Ulduar hard modes. We pushed through awful lag, got three progression kills, had fun doing it and all without out gearing the instance. It was outstanding and the most enjoyable I think I’ve ever had raiding.
On both Wednesday night and Sunday night I had to sit outside for 30 minutes before going to bed, trying to “come down” from the incredible high both nights generated. We raided so well, everyone just clicked and those silly mistakes that so often creep into a raid were non existent. It was a rush and I loved it.
The other was Mass Effect 2, which I finished on Saturday. Over the past week I had spent every moment not raiding, blogging or working playing Mass Effect 2, losing a hell of a lot of sleep on the way through. The entire game drew me in and through-out there were a number of moments that sparked a reaction in me. I got angry, I was surprised, I was inspired, I laughed out laugh and I’m not afraid to say my eyes welled up at one stage. I care what happened to every character in the game and I was completely swept up in it.
When I finished it, it wasn’t elation or disappointment that I felt, but one of contentment. I had that feeling like when you have just seen an unbelievably good movie and all you want to do is talk about it and remember it. I’d been on the fantastic journey that Bioware had made for me and I loved every minute of it. For a while after I just sat, letting the credits scroll and enjoyed the moment.
Then I started playing it again.
One set of emotions was brought on by completion, by achieving something. WoW, for me, is a team game, much like a sport. I rock up twice a week and me and my team mates try to take down an obstacles, to work together to overcome a barrier. It’s just as rewarding as any other team sport I’ve been involved in, without the hangover that usually follows a hard night of drinking after a win.
The other set of emotions came from doing, by the journey, not just completing it. Mass Effect 2 is a story as good as any movie and it’s backed up with amazing voice acting and interactions that feel….real. Your crew are not pixels on the screen or actors in a movie, they’re your crew and they’re important.
This is how gaming should be. Both games have it right, in such a different way. It’s been the kind of week where I’ve wanted to shout from rooftops how great it is to be a gamer, to explain to strangers what they’re missing out on.
There has been a lot of talk in media of late about how Avatar has shown 3D is the future of movies. They’re wrong. Gaming is the future of movies. Stories will not be told to you, you will create them, direct them, live them.
With titles like Heavy Rain, Splinter Cell and Star Wars : The Old Republic coming soon, it’s a great time to be a gamer
The hangover is for guild drinks on the 20th of March