This is probably one of the most difficult posts to write. To most of us, World of Warcraft has become a huge part of our life: we talk about it, blog about, we even have get-togethers focused around it. Giant Nerd label or not, I’m sure we can all admit that even though the game was frustrating at one point or another, the benefits far outweighed the cons.
Perhaps that’s why it’s so painful to finally come to this conclusion, but my World Of Warcraft career has come to a close. No, it’s not a protest to the state of the game or a statement about what I think of Cataclysm – it’s really nothing more than ‘it’s time to move on’. I’ve been here since the game’s original beta – that’s over 6 years. The last few months, perhaps even the last year, I’ve been struggling with the game. Not in difficulty, but with keeping interested. Again, not the fault of the game, but simply life changes. I’ve struggled with health issues for quite some time and recovery is difficult. I’ve gotten involved in other things. My career has begun to take on more responsibility. Unfortunately, there’s only so many hours in the day, and when my interests begin to lie elsewhere, playing the game & writing about it seem to be more like a chore than a hobby – and that’s not fair to you guys.
Bloggers should be enthusiastic & passionate about the game. I loved writing for ToaP. Not only was it a great way to work out issues and theories in my head, it was an absolute blast to discuss it and help out the healing community. My entire career has been one of a progression raider, even when it meant a 40 man raid. We’ve killed the Old Gods, slaughtered the denizens of Original Naxx, landed world ranked kills of Vashj, KT, Archimonde, Illidan, KJ, Algalon, Anub, and even Heroic LK. Through out of it, sharing what I’ve learned and discovered was the highlight of my day. But as that passion cools, so does the enthusiasm; I began to feel obligated to write & play, and it’s at that point I decided to hang it up.
Don’t worry! Derevka and Tales of a Priest is not going anywhere! He started it without me and he’ll continue without me. I think you all know he’s an extremely intelligent player – that’s the reason I recruited him to my guild 2 years ago. I’ve glad that I convinced him to bring the site back, and I’m proud to have helped it become a top site for priests in the community. I think we brought some great perspectives from an end game raiding POV, and ToaP will continue to do just that in Cataclysm.
I know my brass, drunk and obnoxious personality isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope I brought some humor and bit of fun and the occasional bit of intelligence into your gaming experience.
*hic*
If there’s a crude joke, I’ll find it
So what’s next for me? Lots of things!!! Increasing work responsibilities & health issues aside, most are aware of my other passion, Horror, and I’ve taken on many exciting projects to promote it lately. I’ve taken writing jobs at Horror Extreme & Bloody Good Horror, I signed on to do the weekly horror segment for the Slash 2 podcast, and I’ve thrown my hat in with the Chicago Horror Society and Zombie Army to organize local horror events such as haunted houses, film fests, and even films. It keeps me extremely busy, but I love it.
We also have something in the works for an adult gaming community, Drunk Tank Gaming, as a way for gamers to keep in touch and play games outside of WoW. We’re still building the site, so look for more information soon!
So to all the people that have made this easily the best gaming experience of my life – I thank you. My guild for the majority of my WoW career, Dark Nemesis & my Horde Alter-Ego Dark Pact – Thank you. The podcasts that have supported us, such as RaidWarning, Slash 2, Rawrcast, Dregcast, Outlandish, Outcasted -THANK YOU. For the fantastic support of such great sites like Curse– THANK YOU. The bloggers and community members who have been pivotal in discussions, discoveries, and good times – THANK YOU. To all the amazing people I have befriended & met because of this game – THANK YOU. And of course to you, the readers and contributors here – THANK YOU THE MOST. Oh and Derevka – fuck you. Kidding, kidding – thank you too. The friendship we’ve developed through this is one of the best things I’ll take away from this game, and I’m glad it will continue without the game. Without you, I couldn’t justify all my homophobic jokes.
As I said, I’m still around and can be found in numerous outlets if you’re interested: Twitter, Facebook, even my personal blog of obnoxious randomness. The best part of this game has been the people I have met from it, and I have no intentions of leaving them behind. It has been a pleasure writing for you all, and good luck in where ever your WoW path takes you!
Until we meet again…
