world of warcraft, the popular mmorpg by blizzard, despite being over a year old, still has millions of subscribers. i'm still subscribed now (although i did quit for a few months). what i realized, however, is that with few exceptions, the game is highly repetitive and is usually played as a means of escape into a fantasy world (or, as some people claim, as a means of socializing).
but i discovered that WoW isn't all that different from the real world - you can eat and drink in both - you can get sick, you can get disease... you can be well rested, or you can suffer from fatigue. if you try to swim across the ocean, you die from fatigue. rather than airplanes, we have gryphons or hippos. your deeds earn you a reputation with the cities and communities you work for - helping the community earns you a good reputation, whereas killing its people or harming them earns you a bad one.
in addition, as you "grow up," you learn more, just like in the real world. just like in the real world, you need money to do anything useful, including, but not limited to, going from one place to the other (and, just like in the real world, you could, in theory, walk almost any distance, but you will pass through bad areas, see highway men, and it will definitely take you a long time), buying new equipment, buying food, drink, etc. just like the real world, you can also learn to utilize the gifts of God to man in nature - you can learn to be a miner or herbalist, or you can learn to skin dead animals. and, like in the real world, you can use these raw materials to make something useful - to make medicines to help people who are sick, or build a nice leather armor, or fix a broken sword as a blacksmith. you can even fish or be an amazing 'chef de jour.' heck, you can even be a jeweler!
like in the real world, you can make friends and add them to your friends list. you can join a group of people or a faction and call yourself part of them, just like our typical nationalism today in the form of guilds. moreover, you can can communicate with a lot of people. like in the real world, there are many languages depending on your race and origin. oh, and like the real world, there are many races, humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes among others.
just like in the real world, there are good people and there are bad people. there are trustworthy people and there are thieves. besides the fact that you can pickpocket enemies (in a robin hood style "take from the rich give to the poor" fashion), you will also meet people who, when questing with you, will steal from you or be dishonest. and, of course, you'll meet honest, friendly, and good people.
just like in the real world, there are spiders and other bugs. there are also bears, wolves, and tigers. there are also forests, oceans, and skies. there is a concept of day and night. there is a moon at night that shines so beautifully in the horizon. just like the real world, parts of world of warcraft are beautiful. just like the real world, there are areas with forests and areas that are mountainous and areas that are desert. just like the real world, there are a set number of continents, and travel across the is possible.
just like the real world, you can be religious in world of warcraft - i mean besides the fact that you can be a priest as a class, there are churches in many of the major cities. i have not stumbled across many mosques, although i have often found empty open homes which would be suitable to pray in. and, of course, for a muslim, the whole world is a masjid. in addition, all my characters follow the sunnah and thus have beards.
so yeah. world of warcraft is like real life. and that's all.
[disclaimer: i don't really believe this... or do i? ;)]
update: i've tried again to run WoW under linux, except that this time, i was trying with a dell 2005fpw. all i can say is wow, transgaming really did an awesome job with cedega. i get pretty decent performance, even with an ati card on the 2005fpw. linux rocks!
Tags: wow
my first comment on your blog (and it had to be WoW related):
You are a nerd!
oh and you forgot about the concept of needing to breathe in water and how you can die by falling off high elevations or by drowning under water. but you didn’t mention about dying, coming up in a nearby graveyard and resurrecting. we don’t get multiple chances like that in real life do we?
But … can you make babies (and increase the population of believers so that our master Muhammad [SAWS] is happy on The Day)?
Thought so.
I can’t help but posting this link ..
(respectfully removed by ahmed — see ahmed’s comment below for explanation)
hehe.
i’ve not played WoW before btw.. i really should try.
… u can make an escape by exiting the game, and there’s nothing really dictating ur future. btw, i also liked the namaz gizmo u made; its cute.
waaaiiiittt a second… this is that same game from last december, isn’t it…
ahmed!!!! you freaking psycho. you need to come back and live with us so we can blow your computer into smithereens… and put some sanity back in your life. you know you miss salman and i.
oh ya, i didnt even read your post (only the topic), and i dont think i ever will
ren-yi: i needn’t say a word.
muchfitna: yeah, you can just make new characters with beards or hijabs :p they come up as adults right away. its easy man
sueyi: don’t play it, you’ll get addicted… hehe sorry yo, i had to censor the link in your comment because i know my little brother reads my site sometimes and i don’t want him seeing that video, although it is pretty funny
fariha: yes, it is the game from last december :p i quit for 6 months then came back. but i plan on quitting sometime soon insha’Allah
oh, also, i plan on making that namaztime program work in windows too so everyone can use it lol.
achin: haha yeah, the time off the game was when i lived with you guys, because you gave me such a hard time that i couldn’t play it! but of course i do miss living with you guys… i must say, both amazing cooks (at least by my standards, but then again, i think speghetti is amazing so… :P)
aww … ahmed alright i’ll try to keep your blog R-rated next time
i think this is the first time i’ve ever been censored lol
no fear of me installing and playing it .. someone would have to make me
rad..?