Category Archives: Blogging

365 days in wonderland

365 days ago, I opened this blog to create a space for my endless thoughts on online gaming, my passion that is virtual fantasy worlds and role playing games. I also opened it so I would commit to more regular writing and to have a project that would keep me in touch with close friends who walked Azeroth’s paths by my side for many years. My journey into the world of MMOs did not begin here, but it has certainly taken a turn for the more serious with World of Warcraft and opening Raging Monkeys, by now known as Raging Monkey’s.

It is odd considering the blog is one year old. It certainly doesn’t feel that way, maybe because there were never set expectations, except to walk the road to see where it takes me, as long as I am enjoying it. When it comes to writing, I trust that you should write what you know and that’s what I attempted here and still attempt every week. Especially during the past three months, I have felt more and more relaxed with my posting schedule and believe I have somewhat found my voice – if not my zen when it comes to editing typos.

I have been told that blogs not dedicating themselves to one strict topic, have a harder time out there – that may be true. Yet, I have found that there are a great many voices and ears to be found in this blogosphere who have a similar, more generalist interest in MMO worlds, their complex design and fascinating dynamics. There is an endless list of topics to write about, so diverse is this phenomenon uniting millions of people around the globe. I have come across a great many bloggers during this year who share my fascination and appreciate a variety in discussion, whether their own blogs have a more game-exclusive focus or game design-centric one. Some topics concern us all. I was surprised and delighted about the positive feedback and warm welcome RM received from the very beginning and I am happy to find myself in the company of so many insightful and passionate bloggers in a blogosphere I am still exploring.

I know about common “bloggaversary traditions”, but we all deal differently with birthdays. In real life, not all of us like to celebrate in the same way, or less and less every year. I used to be this kind of person the past few years – one not raising much fuss about her birthday, no big parties, no lofty presents. I don’t know why or when exactly I lost my enthusiasm so completely, but this year I have decided it’s going to be different. In fact, I just invited my first bunch of friends to the party (still 3 months away) yesterday. It will probably end up being a very casual, cosy event anyway, but I will make it a day worth a memory, at least. Sometimes we should turn back the pages and allow ourselves to dwell on what we achieved. We tend to easily forget.

I guess by now more regular readers of Raging Monkey’s know me a little by the way I write and the topics I choose and God knows why it is you keep reading. That’s the big, eternal question for every writer, even the most famous and acclaimed: why do people like to read this? Maybe that’s what really keeps you writing and keeps your writing fresh. I truly think knowing the “recipe to success” would be the end – trying to copy old achievements, paralyzing yourself and thus putting an end to all growth. To write great texts is about being afraid. Just like a pro actor still feels nervous before stepping into the limelight. We reveal a lot of ourselves by publishing our thoughts.

Now, if you were only just chancing upon this small space in the blogosphere though, if this was the first day you ever set step on Raging Monkey’s – what would I tell you?

I could tell you maybe that I strongly believe MMOs should be about a journey into wonderland; that we should be travelers and adventurers on a fantastic road; that we should be pioneers there; heroes and creators, not just consumers. That for me, our time there is about stories and memories. Sometimes memories most of all.
Or I could tell you how often I laugh at the ironic and silly, that some of my favorite articles are those that made me laugh while writing and hopefully achieved the same with a handful of readers. I like to give my serious eyebrow a rest sometime which is why I often dedicate Fridays to more frivolous enterprises. There’s many blogs that I love for their author’s humor alone.
I should point out that I have a deep interest for the social mechanics and psychology behind MMOs; the idea of virtual communities, the reality and struggles of guild leading, the social acceptance of gaming as a hobby and pastime. I could tell you that I feel no shame to be a gamer and neither should you.
My most controversial post? Probably one on playtime. The most popular? Hard to say as joystiq & Co. have had too big an impact stat-wise and we are usually not the best judge of ourselves. As far comments go, I should probably leave exploration diaries to others though. My most personal posts? Here, here and here. My personal favorite? Easy. Other bloggers I read regularly and recommend? All on my blogroll, all awesome writers on their own account. Be sure to pay them a visit!

If you asked me whether I am the wiser for any of the 120+ articles I have written, I hope I am not. I’d write each of them again the same way, je ne regrette rien. Very rarely have I felt the nervous tingle about a line of mine and then decided to run with it no matter what. I believe in authenticity and that the best writing takes courage at times. The few times very popular sites linked to one of my articles, I got a troll commenter or two, that was it. But whether it is a huge gaming network or single blogger linking to something I said, I feel equally flushed and humbled every time. There’s no real accounting for why somebody links to you or comments on your articles, but it would be a lie to claim that it doesn’t add a lot of meaning and joy to what you are doing. To me, the ideal article is one where dialogue and discussion spring from, be it on site or somewhere else. That and laughter and mirth of course – those above all any day.

I want to thank all of you for your support (and tolerance for textwalls!), those lending this blog their ear from the very beginning, as much as those joining in later or stepping by once, be it as a reader or commenter. I thank those adding their own thoughts, supportive or critical, inspiring me to more of my own, during many enlightening discussions. I have come a long way in some of my judgments on MMO aspects, thanks to people speaking up, offering alternative views or pointing me further. This is what I write and comment for and what keeps things fresh and interesting.

With that I close this first bloggaversary on Raging Monkey’s. As for the next year, I don’t believe in forecasts and promises – I can only promise that absolutely nothing will change on this blog. And now finally for that cake!

Back in a bit

Another busy week of blogging is coming to an end, although I started off thinking that this would be my week of slack. But then the damn rain never stopped, hasn’t stopped for 3 weeks now, while I keep hearing friends in England and the US complaining about the heat wave of the century. It’s friggin’ July – and it rains down here and roasts up there…the world is going to the dogs, mark my words.

Anyway, today’s gonna be a short post (*cough*). A note really to let you know that I’m off, off to green shores, rocky beaches and ivy-clad castles, wahey! During that time Raging Monkey’s will remain silent while the squirells give things here a good cleaning and dusting. Business will continue as usual by the third week of August.

Timing probably couldn’t be better; I’ve been wondering a little about the blogosphere lately, how quiet and melancholic it’s been in places, until somebody actually reminded me that it’s SUMMER and that’s what happens usually during this time of the year y’know, the activity curve plunges inside and outside our virtual homes. That made me laugh – shows just how much I’m not in the loop right now, out of guild and server life, raid and progress agendas. And a good thing, too.

I also really blame the pitiful weather of course. Which is why I am off now, friends, off to pack my bags and get away – Ireland here I come!

…You can stop laughing now.
Yes, I have packed that rain coat and umbrella. (Wish me luck)
A fantastic summer break to everyone, those staying at home or hitting the road! Be seeing you! =)

The napkin analogy

I believe in balance. Not to mistake with total equilibrium, an absence of all emotion and not in the sense of mellow or mediocre – but in the sense that the world needs variety and different forces pulling into different directions at all time, so the bowl won’t topple over. The older I get, I believe in such balance and freedom for myself and my personal life, too. It’s difficult to accept and yet a relief at times, as paradoxical as that sounds. Darkness and light.

I believe in strong opinions, not to mistake for extreme opinions. I don’t believe in extremes, although when it comes to some political questions I don’t believe in the middle, either. But then, the middle means something else there altogether.

Strong opinions, different opinions are a good thing. They don’t make life easier or decisions necessarily swifter, but they make things a great deal better. For one thing, they make for interesting discussions where an open ear is assumed. More informed and thoughtful decisions. Most importantly, they maintain balance. What a scary thing would it be if we were all the same, always and in every aspect; if too large a group of people in a society were in complete and utter agreement on all the important concerns. What would ever save us from radical extremism, if we never disagreed?

So this is the end,” Tanis said. “Good has triumphed.”
“Good? Triumph?” Fizban repeated, turning to stare at the half-elf shrewdly. “Not so, Half-Elven. The balance is restored. The evil dragons will not be banished. They remain here, as do the good dragons. Once again the pendulum swings freely.”
“All this suffering, just for that?” Laurana asked, coming to stand beside Tanis. “Why shouldn’t good win, drive the darkness away forever?”
“Haven’t you learned anything, young lady?” Fizban scolded, shaking a bony finger at her. “There was a time when good held sway. Do you know when that was? Right before the Cataclysm!” [Dragons of Spring Dawning; M. Weis & T. Hickman]

The napkin analogy – A fond memory

When I was still teaching teenage 10th-graders whom today’s society calls the “under-privileged”, I tried to include analogies and graphic or figurative examples as often as I could when attempting to illustrate a more complex matter. I’m a very visual person myself and I believe in the lasting effect of using several channels at once for education (as many senses as possible). It’s frankly also a lot more fun. So, on the subject of political extremism, when discussing contemporary politics in class together one day, I returned with a stack of red napkins after morning break. The idea had occurred to me while listening to my students discussing extremist riots (which had occurred at the time), the legitimacy of such acts on behalf of values and political viewpoints, the whole “left versus right” debate and who’s worse and why. Uh-oh.

I could just have talked about how extremism is always cruel, no matter coming from what direction. That it’s destructive and wrong and comes in fact down to the exact same thing, left or right, because it leaves no room for anything or anyone else. That it is tyranny and tolerates none other, the opposite of balance and freedom of choice. Oh, I believe in social(ist) values a great deal more than I believe in free markets and lower taxes (*cough*); but I do not believe in burning containers and smashed windows, no matter who’s throwing the stones. I don’t want that – I don’t want extremism. 

To simplify just that, how opposite extremes boil down to the same and become a totalitarian system – that’s right, the napkins! I had cut them a little in order to make for the shape I wanted, basically an arrow shape pointing in two directions. I gave one to each student with the explicit request to wait for further instructions (skip this and the time to penis is on you faster than you could ever dream). It was a collective exercise in the following easy steps, accompanied a few simple questions for my audience.

 /enter wise voice….

Me: “So, hold the napkin horizontally between both hands. What do we have here? Basically a pole at each end of the napkin, completely and utterly opposed, out there at the very edge of each side. Right? Great!”

“Now, fold the napkin right through the middle. Where lie the opposite ends now?”

Them: “At exactly the same spot.”
Me: “What happened to the middle?”
Them: “It’s been folded / It’s gone.”

Me: “Now, if you look at that new shape holding it up in one hand, where is its one end?”

Them: “It’s at the top.”
Me: “Where is everything else?”
Them: “Below it.”
-pause-
Them: “Ahhh..”

That’s when some eyes grew larger as insight grew within them. That’s where I got to nod with a satisfactory smile, that province of the insufferable and teaching. Sometimes a nutshell is all you need to make it stick. And if not, well then it was good manual exercise.

This article is dedicated to yesterday’s topic. And also, to recent blog discussions, to strong opinions demanding to be heard and to those who are able to listen.

Friday link love

It’s Friday, w00t! Hardly ever does stating the obvious make me this happy. It’s been a very interesting week for me blogging-wise, so I wanna thank all of you who added their own takes on the alt debate. I feel I gained many insights and once again the confirmation that with WoW being the “genre freak” that it is, with a much wider audience than just the classic MMORPG audience, questions like these become generally more complex. Even on smaller scale, there are already differences between a very raid-centric focus or other just as valid playstyles. I still think alts are a problematic feature; at the end of the day though, I hope you enjoy whatever you do because that’s what really matters.

I haven’t allowed myself to ramble freely in a while, although that is not to say I’m always coherent with my thoughts (I hear coherence is overrated, anyway). So, in the light of the upcoming weekend, I’ll be blissfully incoherent and throw random links at you for no specific purpose.

This week the US decided that violent video games are good for kids, or good enough anyway, and everyone in Europe is talking about it now too – what does it mean for us, what should we do, oh noes we’re all going to die, et cetera. Games don’t create violence. Here’s the proof.

Besides that, my literary God met up with my late-night God this last Sunday, so imagine my excitement. If you have no idea who these two people are, you should really get your act together. Fast. While we’re talking youtube: do you actually recognize Peter Jackson in this video? I had to check twice, scary! And I really can’t wait for the Hobbit.

Ah yeah, WoW launched a new content patch. I almost forgot. Hurry up and do your dailies grind so you can unlock your reward NPCs asap! Hurry hurry, you don’t wanna be left behind now, do you? Harder, better, faster, stronger. And what then? Who knows. Comme on fait son lit on se couche. I hope those hoops come in different colors, at least.

New bloggers on the block

I’d like to mention a few relatively new bloggers that I’ve only recently come across in the blogosphere. A few have been around longer than others which shows that some link love is overdue. In the spirit of oldschool MMO cooperation, remember your first blogging days and weeks and pay them a visit sometime –

  • Vudu, the “blog-less blogger”, writes commentaries on other MMO blog articles over at MMO Syndicate. He has fixed his comment box now, so you can start visiting. That’s Final Fantasy’s Zak in the header, by the way.
  • Straw Fellow is a relatively new blogger who has joined the circle of general MMO critics and analysts in the blogosphere. I have a weakness for scarecrows, so he’s off to a good start.
  • The Game Preacher has set out with an intriguing blog focus. He is “…here to help you develop your team. Whether you call it a clan, guild, or electronic sports team”. True to his name, his articles are comprehensive and substantial, so you want to take your time reading them through.
  • Telwyn from Gamingsf is an MMO player of variety who writes about MMOs in general as much as his adventures in Azeroth, the Planes of Telara, Norrath and more. I really like his blog template.
  • Max is a frequent commenter on MMO design blogs and has recently set up a place of his own under a most original name. To use his words, a blog about “MMO design snippets from the safety of an armchair”. With that, he joins our ever-increasing corner of critics and also, second language writers which is something to encourage.

/Wave to all of you and happy blogging. And of course, a fantastic weekend to everybody!

Looking for adventures

The mighty Kleps had a recent topic up about how sometimes when you lose something, you’re really winning and that got me thinking deep thoughts about the duality of things, how we never quite get what we want in life and that endless, futile chase for perfection. Yep, all of that by reading one post, impressive huh? I guess that’s more a tribute to him than me though.

Lately, I am enjoying the more personal blogposts loads more than gaming news ones, although that is not to say that I’m not ever-eager to read and comment where whim strikes me and my favoured bloggers are discussing the wind of change in the world of MMOs or scrutinize design and market development. Nils is telling me too, that “as long as it’s interesting”, someone’s always going to read it – which is basically so true, but gosh, the pressure!

And I really can’t say that this is going to be an interesting post, but I have decided to keep writing anyway. The truth is, I need help for I am desperately looking for adventure – adventureS in fact, after yet another long and delightful night of book reading and not sitting at a PC. I realize that I miss stories, have been missing them for a long time and I’d really just love to play a game again that is heavy on narrative and simple, standing pictures to stir your own imagination, that one true escapism. So, I’m not thinking classic RPG here, I’m thinking back to the roots – point&click or graphical adventures with lots of text to read, choices to make and atmospheric descriptions. Monkey Island naturally springs to mind and before that a game called the Grail I used to dabble at on Atari ST and that drove me mad with frustration. It also looked like this (and I don’t mind to play something slightly better looking FYI).

Do these even get made anymore? And where would I start looking? I’ve no idea and I cringe at picking a random one from google….so your suggestions are appreciated. It seems like the only thing to do gamewise while I wait for that utopian, next AAA+ MMORPG that might never get released because all games are now MMOs and it prints money. And a good weekend to you as usual!

P.S. This article was also an excuse to post that beanstalk; I love beanstalks, don’t you?

On new paths and missing the 60ies

I realize that it’s been over 3 weeks since I’ve updated this blog which really is a UH-OH! moment for myself – time has flown by at ludicrous speed with hardly a moment to myself to formulate a thought outside work. On the gaming front I haven’t spent a single hour on anything, although Portal 2 sounds great and so does the Witcher sequel. But I’m not sure I will play either. Rift is a lovely, solid game and I’m still subscribed, but for the moment at least that’s off too.

The truth is that a lot has changed these past weeks and months. My new job has considerably increased in responsibility and is challenging me in exactly the right ways. A big chunk of it is event and personnel management with lots of communication and translation work involved, which is exactly in my alley. It’s also reminding me loads of past officer duties and the role I used to have in World of Warcraft, it’s almost funny. I couldn’t have had a better training – the difference being maybe, that people whine less and payment is (literally) better. On the downside I get to teamwork much less and there are not those shared moments of epic win like when you’re killing that big ugly together for the very first time. But I’m having a good time while our accountant leaves me alone and I got that “itch” of ambition again to throw myself against new challenges. It’s never felt that way back in school when I was still teaching.

Adrenaline is going to celebrate its 3rd birthday really soon. There’s been a big exodus of oldtimers these past weeks and some of the parting certainly wasn’t easy – not on an emotional side and not on an organizational one. But Stumps is still fighting the good fight with the current team of officers and fresh people have joined the ranks to fill the multiple gaps created. It’s good to see that what we began in 2008 is still standing the test of time and I know which people currently are to thank for that. I still keep in touch with closer friends and ex-guildies via mail and the guild forum, although it feels a little weird to find more and more strange names there than known ones. A bit like visiting a home you used to live in that is now inhabited by other people.

I feel like the blogosphere has changed during the same time too, not just in terms of mass-exodus but overall a change of theme and atmosphere; maybe also due to some of the discussions (and drama) having transferred so much to twitter. Things on Raging Monkeys have certainly changed, with both me and Grumpy Dorf having quit WoW and Stumps putting focus on his own career and keeping raids going for Adrenaline. I’ve been blogging by myself for quite a while now and felt it increasingly difficult to place myself after so many changes – and also, more and more restricting in terms of topics. The future of the MMO genre and design is still of great interest to me, but as Wolfshead said to me in a short exchange of Emails, right now it feels like we all keep repeating ourselves and all that can be said has been said.

That said, the blog isn’t going anywhere – but I don’t know how frequently I will update for a while. Raging Monkeys was first and foremost a place to ramble about online gaming and also, keeping in touch with close friends. The few other humble “goals” I’ve had on a personal level have all come true much faster than I ever dreamed and I’ve had a real blast, getting to know many great people. But when I get home in the evenings these days, I’m tired from work and happy to get away from the PC. I feel like writing, but not about games and there’s a lovely spring out there, many books to be read and glasses of wine to be had among friends. I’ve also taken up a new TV series which the fans of George R. Martin among you will no doubt know about, “A Game of Thrones” – the popular fantasy series put on screen. There’s 4 episodes out now and while the pilot left me somewhat skeptical, it’s a long way off from series like Legend of the Seeker or worse, Xena and Hercules, so it’s all good. Sean Bean is cast in a major role and no doubt adds to an otherwise okay lineup. Heck, beggars can’t be choosers, we know the tube isn’t blessed with this particular genre.

Why the 60ies are like vanilla

I’ve also started to listen to more music again and find myself getting to know Rock better, not as in Rock’n Roll but the Hardrock of the 70ies, with bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple at the top, but also early Aerosmith or Thin Lizzy. I’m such a horrible music noob and I always feel embarrassed when listening to my partner and his (all horribly music-savvy) friends debating bands and the evolution of the music of the past decades everytime they come to visit us on weekends. I’m so deeply into all kinds of visual arts and literature, but when it comes to music I’ve utterly missed out on education (I blame my parents!). I’ve always listened to contemporary music, Pop and Soul mostly, with some classic music on the side. So I’m slowly picking up the trail of where and when “the real shit”, that shaped everything after it, changed the world.

And I realize that for many music lovers, having missed the 60ies and 70ies is a little bit like WoW players having missed vanilla; the thought came to me when listening to some of their chats and the feeling of loss for not having been there when Woodstock happened, to hear Janis Joplin or Jimmy Hendrix live and being there when one band was as groundbreaking as the next. There’s simply no going back to such a time when everything is being re-defined. What comes after is great too, but actually having been there when it was all born is another matter. And that’s what connects veterans and always will when they share a nostalgic moment, leaving newcomers to that slightly wistful longing.
Each time I think of WoW, I’m so so glad I was there for vanilla. And yeah, TBC was good too and WotLK was great in places; but we were there when the days were young, with all paths wondrous and new and everyone in the same boat of “whoa”. If you missed vanilla, I’m sorry, what can I tell you – you missed the 60ies, friend.

And that’s the whole veteran topic in a nutshell, although no doubt some will cringe at the analogy. The truth is that many great experiences are simply about a strong, shared feeling among a group of people.

But getting back to the blog now and closing this rambly wall of text: que sera, sera. I’ve never been one to keep up things for the sake of them, but I’m also not the one that simply disappears and quits on a good thing for no good reason. That sort of fatalism belongs to the young (*enter wise voice*).
Things are simply a bit quieter right now and that’s the whole of it, although there’s a handful of unfinished posts waiting in my post box and all sorts of other ideas (curiously enough a lot of them about comics) fighting for space in my head. Until I have found peace to sort them out or come to some other conclusion, I hope that you are all well out there, those still reading these lines and going about their own lives, wherever that may be.

Never give up, never surrender

Before the weekend, a little comic I played around with (I added a link to the original version in the caption, just so my copyright infringement guilt feels a little lighter).

(Original version)

To end the week on a somewhat lighter note, two links you all want to look into:

  • Altnotes.com where Gilded has recently set up camp with a new MMO blog. He focuses on analyzing and discussing modern MMO design and mechanics in general, adding a new voice to the circle of blogging MMO critics in the blogosphere. In the spirit of supporting our newcomers, check his thoughts out sometime, it’s worth it! 
  • Rift: The little things over at massively; I’ve always been one to look for the little things in my MMOs, the silly, fun and secret along the way which are all too easily missed in the rush. A formidable list with the very same focus, saves me creating one for Rift then, I guess!

Enjoy your weekend everybody, be it inside or outside those virtual worlds we all love so much!

Your blog on the world map

What started as a creative brainstorming between myself and Larísa a few days ago in a topic on second language blogging, is beginning to take shape in the hands of enthusiastic Rebecca at the MMO Melting Pot. The crew over there has been very busy the past weeks, giving the page layout a basic overhaul and adjusting their blogroll – and that’s why clearly, they needed more work on top of it!

It’s great to see at what speed this idea was taken up, but what’s needed for this to happen now is your input and support. Do you want to add your MMO blog to a united blogosphere world map? Did you ever wonder who your blogging neighbours might be? Then it’s time to head over to the Melting Pot and leave your feedback and suggestions for Rebecca and the rest of the team!

Personally I’d love to see this in action and I hear there are cookies involved.
Leave your vote today folks (no vote makes Squirrel sad)!

Absolute Zero

Returning from holidays (which turned out to be shockingly snow-less) never fails to leave me slightly wistful – oh ye blessed free time, such a sweet life it could be without work! People keep saying that we need to work in order to appreciate our time off properly, you know all that ying-yang rubbish. Sometimes I wonder if these people have ever actually been off for longer than a few weeks? I could do with more spare time. Lots! I never get bored.

Anyways, back to work and the blog, I noticed that trolls without a Rent-a-Troll© approved certificate of authenticity have been busy in my absence – I guess I should’ve known the competition strikes when I’m not around! Over 10 people (shockingly anonymorons) felt the need to post the exact same thing in an older post of mine about the silly item names in Cataclysm, pointing out how utterly stupid I am for not getting the actual meaning of “belt of absolute zero”. Squirrel did of course make quick work of them and while I’m way more inclined to get amused about comments such as these and make fun of their authors rather than getting upset, the occurrence inspired me to take up a topic I’ve been wanting to blog on for a while now. What a nice opportunity.

Bridges, Walls and Language

The WoW blogosphere can seem daunting to freshly starting bloggers: such a huge playfield of well-connected blogging veterans and regulars, so many blogs to explore, so many bloggers and commenters to get to know. Over time however, you realize that it’s actually quite a cosy place to be in, a village much rather than a mega-city. Oh, every now and then a wave of wild guests from WoW Insider and Co. will find their way into this part of Azeroth and its inhabitants too, like to tease each other and even brawl sometime; life gets boring and stagnant without the odd argument. It’s really up to you though how much you’d like to engage in the more active and maybe heated part of things – there’s room for pretty much any type of blogger, just like there is an audience for every writer.

If you’re a fairly regular blogreader in this village (and a nosy person like me) you will gather more demographic information about the blogs you like to frequent over time: maybe what age the author is, what he or she is doing for a living, what their geographic location is. Some bloggers are more forthcoming in this respect than others, either by leaving an about-section or writing more personal posts sometime where the reader can glimpse a little of the person behind the screen.

Personally I enjoy getting to know authors more personally; it’s not that I actually care if they’re male or female, 20 or 50 years old, but I’m naturally curious about people and the background they’re coming from. I’m also not ashamed to admit a slight tendency to groupie-ism, or rather enthusiasm in following news and background history of authors I enjoy reading (I love you, Neil!). Writing and reading are about connecting for me.

A particular thing I’ve always enjoyed about the blogosphere is that unlike to when we’re playing on our servers, there’s no separation between EU and US players. A large group of the blogs linked on my blogroll are authors from across Europe, probably as many as there are American writers (I don’t think I noticed anyone blogging out of Asia yet but maybe they’re just good at hiding?). We get to communicate and share our experiences – and we realize just how little it really matters where somebody is from. That is not the determining factor about people, no matter what those who like to build walls instead of bridges would have us believe.

What I’ve always loved most about online gaming and MMOs is this “global village”; talking to somebody halfway across the globe whom you’d otherwise have never ever met and realizing just how much you can have in common. And a shared language is of course the central means for this; it is the meeting stone, it sets the stage for more interaction. In this case English which serves as a lingua franca worldwide.

I’m sure we’ve all met WoW gamers that actually struggled with speaking the accepted, official server language, be it that they weren’t native speakers or were suffering from some other cause that would impede their ability to communicate. While many guilds use voice comms, the main communication in MMOs still happens via written chat. That can be a big disadvantage depending on the environment of the player and the requirements set before him, for example by a raidguild that expects its members to actively and vocally participate in ongoing discussions. I remember many occasions when the guilds I was in would turn players down or at least heavily debate their application on grounds of not being able to communicate properly. And I think that is a legitimate concern – even if it felt a little lousy to me each time.

In the WoW blogosphere too, your language skill can be to your advantage or disadvantage. I would argue that it’s directly connected to a blogger’s success, but if written language is the central medium and in the spotlight like it is on a blog for example, then your background and level of literacy adds to the impact of your posts and the appreciation you might receive from your readers – especially, if you manage to impress with both content depth and writing style. I’m not talking about things like typos here, I doubt a lot of people care for them nearly as much as I care about mine. What I mean is the actual “high end” of literary skill: stylistics, rhetoric, semantic finesse.

Now I’d never claim that these accomplished skills actually go hand in hand with native speakers; I’ve studied language learning and linguistics and I’ve taught languages for several years at different schools and on different levels, to all kinds of students. Quite often a non-native speaker would match or surpass his class mates: talent and passion aren’t things you can teach. Also, if I am to believe my English WoW mates, the “worst English” can be found on the island and of course everyone likes to refer to the horribly incorrect, clichéd American English we get to watch on youtube and co. (which of course is totally representative for all Americans..). Just because I’m not a native speaker doesn’t mean all native speakers speak or write better English than me – no argument there. Still, there are natural “gaps” that will come up sometime from not actually living or having grown up in anglo-cultural background or an English-speaking society.

A big part of language knowledge is based on pragmatics: that affects how we understand each other in relation to all sorts of non-linguistic knowledge and psycho-linguistic factors. Another important role play sociolinguistics: factors like cultural background, but also age, sex, level of education etc. all shape our perception and ultimately how we understand, judge and value not only the world around us, but all ongoing communication.

Blogging in a second language

I think sometimes WoW players on English-speaking servers (no matter UK or US) forget that not all the people they’re playing with are actually of native English background. That makes for some funny puns at best and unhappy misunderstandings at worst. I’ve seen a player take serious offense at a well-meant joke, either because his level of English was beginner or because what was said simply wasn’t very funny where he came from. That can be a tricky situation to deal with and it’s usually not made better by defending the maybe harmless intention with a smug and arrogant air of “lingual leadership” (“my language, my server, punk”).

The same can be said for blogging. A while ago I wrote an article on how we tend to forget that the other bloggers and readers we’re talking to aren’t necessarily playing the same WoW that we are playing. This extends to language as well: sometimes people forget that speaking English doesn’t mean somebody’s English (or alternatively, they don’t realize the world reaches farther than the end of their nose). I guess to some extent this can be seen as a compliment, a testimony to a writer’s skills if you will. Yet, I’ve cringed many times when reading through a fellow European blogger’s article, seeing readers pick them apart for literally misreading a patchnote or leaving petty, formal attacks rather than commenting on anything substantial to the article.

Than can of course happen to any author: nobody’s safe from stupid, not even the most glorious writers. To me, it’s usually overly apparent though when a reference, idiom or jargon term is being misunderstood because the person lacks either cultural or colloquial knowledge or special lingo, rather than linguistic knowledge. Especially if you know little about someone, it’s an option to consider. Then again, if you already fail to tell these things apart, you probably cannot be expected to know what you’re dealing with anyway..

Just to clarify: I don’t mind a commenter who rectifies me on an error or educates me on something in the process of an exchange – in fact I find this helpful and enriching. What I find rather pitiful however, are people who nitpick for nitpicking’s sake, or make a comment section sound like a broken record. A close friend of mine is an outstanding writer himself but shies away from giving English blogging a go exactly for this reason. And I know bloggers in this blogosphere too who are very self-conscious about their articles because they aren’t native speakers. And they really shouldn’t have to be: not only are they producing brilliant texts, but they’re doing it in a second language. 

And yeah, I know: if you can’t take the heat, you probably shouldn’t be out there blogging. I still think it’s a little bit sad though – way of the world or not. As a sidenote, I also find such uninspired comments almost offensive in their lack of finesse and commenters who lack any sort of imagination or creativity so entirely in their trolling, are an incredibly boring lot. Maybe I can help once more?

Dear fellows

To the boring, uncertified trolls, a few kind words:

• I’m not native to English so it can happen that I miss an existing reference from within the field of physics – shocking, I know. (I speak 5 languages fluently by the way. You?)

• Repeating the exact same thing like the 9 people above you, doesn’t make you look very clever. I know some people actually don’t comment on blogs for the sake of exchange, ignoring everything else; find my special Email link for you at the bottom of that page.

• Semantically speaking, “absolute zero” is funney. But of course, if very smart people in history named it that changes everything. Mea culpa! That means “my bad” in latin, by the way.

• It looks to me like you could use some training. Find a selection of properly educated, sophisticated trollery on my page here. I am accepting beginners, although your clear lack of trollish language skills might prove too great a handicap to overcome!

To all of you out there who blog in a second language or are overly self-conscious about writing errors:

Don’t worry. It’s not about the odd mistake but what the person on the receiving end likes to focus on the most. You know, pragmatics and sociolinguistics. Or maybe just dickery.

Don’t waste your time on such things, they matter not, nothing – absolute zero.
Happy blogging everybody and a good weekend to all the creative and the inspired.

P.S. I have deliberately placed 3 errors in this article, of either grammatical, semantic or textual nature. If you can spot them all and send me an Email with the correct answers, you shall be awarded an exclusive Raging Monkey’s “Blogger-Sherlock of the Month”-Award©!

The end of the road

Checking back on the blogosphere halfway through my little holiday break, I was gutted to read that Tamarind and Chastity announced their resignation from Righteous Orbs (if not from the blogosphere entirely…yeah you better not, we know where you live! or something) the other day. And I can’t help but find myself sigh a “not again” in resignation, because I’ve been reading far too many farewells this past week.

Beruthiel suggested a great way to honor the passing of such a cherished blog and its widely respected writers, is to include some cheerful or fun article of your own in the days to come, in honor of the witty and funny articles we were used to reading from RO. And while I agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly, I simply cannot be cheerful right now. I know, I will at some point, but it’s way too early for me – I want to sulk and mourn.

The truth is, I am a silly and frivolous person; I like making fun of others, as much as of myself. I love sarcasm and puns and generally delight in silly things and dark humor. Life is way too short and ridiculous to be so damn serious all the time. If you can make me laugh, you’re pretty much in my good books.
So, as a blog reader too, I keep scouting for WoW blogs that make their readers smile. There are more informative and commentary blogs out there than I can keep track of, good ones too and I read them regularly – but there’s only so much information and advice I need on WoW or Blizzard.

The posts that will always stand out to me are the daring; the personal writers that share their joys or loathing (and both in equal quantity) with their audience, the ones that allow themselves to be silly and creative, witty and funny for the sake of entertainment. Needless to say what a loss RO will be in that respect. When I created this blog, it was for the sole purpose of enjoying myself – and that someday somewhere, one of my articles might make a reader laugh in a similar way I have laughed reading their blog every week. If I achieved this, if I could say that at some point in the far future, a few readers enjoyed a post of mine that made them smile or chuckle in the morning on their way to work, I would be happy. That would be enough for me – and it still is. RO was a great example for me, a source of inspiration to look up to and find motivation for my own writing.

The end of all things

The reason why I am dedicating a whole, rather long article on a goodbye is not just me being sulky and selfish – luckily the blogosphere is full of fellow writers I respect and enjoy reading for my own reasons. I am only just beginning to get to know some of them better, while I discover new and great blogs every week that will hopefully stick around. Oh and: hereby I encourage all of you to dare be silly and playful on your blog sometime and whenever you feel like it!

The underlying theme for me is the topic of goodbyes in and around World of Warcraft. Saying goodbye is such a controversy in most MMOs; it’s almost like a taboo not to talk about leaving the game until you leave it – and then disappear quickly from the midst of everyone else, short term and long term buddies alike, popping like a bubble in mid-air.

We all know that we will not play this game forever. We all know in general, that all things must come to an end. And yet, for as long as people are playing WoW in their casual circles or raid guilds, they never utter that most feared and loathed of words: we all act as if we’re here to stay forever. If we read goodbye posts of guild mates that take us by surprise, we joke and secretly think “he’ll be back”, and often we are quite right about that. If we refer to “that time” after WoW, it’s some obscure era in that “real life current” that sucks everyone back in sooner or later. Mates leave and sometimes we mourn their passing for a while, wondering about the true nature of online friendship, until our time has come and we disappear too.

“None of us will play WoW forever”: this overly obvious sentence has the potential to leave a shocked silence depending on where you say it and when. You do know that, right? That includes you, too. But for now, let’s not speak about it. Let’s be those “other people”, utterly free and remote from the course of time, life’s constant changes and changing expectations.

I’ve a hard time thinking of similar social behavior for other activities or clubs where leaving is such a break of contract, happening so entirely and abruptly like it’s often the case when members leave an MMO community. Maybe it’s because most of us do plunge themselves so fully into their alter egos after all, that illusion of a second life and world in which, RPers or not, we are all a little bit “in character” for as long as we’re playing. And if someone leaves that circle, he better be gone entirely; half-assed departures are usually frowned upon as weird as it seems. You could think that if you enjoyed somebody’s company, any casual logging in or sign of that person would be better than nothing – but that’s not how it works usually. You’re either with us or not, pal! Uhhh…

Do you know when you will stop playing WoW? Do you think about it sometime and does it make you feel uncomfortable to leave people behind? Or do you already think about what will come after, like I’ve actually heard some of my guildmates do when they talk about their life and plans for “post-WoW”?

Ripping off the plaster

In the past week, two of my longterm WoW guildmates and core members have announced their leave from the game. I doubt they will be the last ones, Cataclysm just doesn’t do it anymore for many raiders. Both were rather abrupt announcements, even if thinking about it some longer made it somewhat less of a surprise.

When it comes to leaving your longterm WoW guild or online community, the best option for most people seems to be to do it quickly: like ripping off a plaster from a wound. You know it’s gonna hurt, you know it’s always gonna be uncomfortable – it’s not like you’re enjoying yourself. So do it quickly. Then, get the hell away from everybody, catch your breath and sigh out in relief. That’s when you know it was the right thing to do: when leaving feels like a load lifted off your chest.

I’ve seen the plaster ripped off many times in these past years of WoW, I’ve seen it done at least four times over this week. And as quick and harsh as it might be when it happens, I dont blame anyone for it one bit. To all of them, I wish the most sincere and best of luck with whatever they might be doing in the future – in that new era of “post-WoW”. All of their reasons I can understand very well.

But I will still be gloomy and sulky for a little, staring at their empty spot and wishing they were still here with the rest of us. Until one day it’s time to rip off my own plaster and hit the road.