Jennifer (Chapter 4)

MMO community connection:

Girl Unplugged

Chapter 4: Preferences

At your peak, how much time per week would you say you spent gaming? How about now?

It’s difficult to say. I spent so much time gaming at the height of my experience that I basically lost track of time. When I was raiding full time in WoW…I’d say I probably spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-30 hours a week gaming. Now it’s much reduced, more like 10-20 hours.

When during the week are your regular play times?

I’m currently taking a leave of absence from college and work, so I can play pretty much whenever I want. Typically, though, I only play when my boyfriend is home, meaning in the evenings after dinner and on his two days off a week (which rotate).

Generally speaking, are you more of a social creature in MMOs (grouping to quest, joining guilds, etc.) or something of a lone wolf?

I play with my boyfriend most of the time, so I obviously am somewhat social. I’d say I tend to be somewhat of a loner when I’m not playing with him, though. Playing with him makes large groups and guilds tolerable. When I’m alone, I can’t stand being a part of a big group.

Have you made any lasting friendships through your MMO experience? Please explain.

I met a lot of people through my blog, which was focused specifically on Warhammer Online. As far as in game, though, most of my friendships ended when the gaming ended, like friends within guilds. I loved the members of my WoW alliance guild, but I didn’t keep in touch once I stopped playing. I did make one friend in WoW, a Dwarf Hunter from Arkansas (that sounds odd!), and kept a friendship with him outside the game for a while. Ultimately we didn’t keep in touch for very long after we stopped playing, but we exchanged e-mails for a brief time.

Before logging into a game, do you already have a course of action planned out in your head, or do you just sort of do whatever you feel like once in game?

Sometimes I’ll go in with a plan, if I have business to take care of: managing auctions, checking mail, etc. Sometimes Boyfriend and I will log on with a specific course of action in mind, such as playing a specific character duo or doing PvP over PvE. When I log on alone, though, and am not taking care of business, I am more apt to go with the flow once I’m in the game.

When playing MMOs do you tend to just play one at a time or do you take more of the smorgasbord approach?

I definitely prefer to play one at a time, and, with the exception of a month of subbing to both CoX and WAR, I usually do.

Do you tend to supplement your MMO gaming with other PC, console or tabletop games?

Not typically. Occasionally I’ll play a round of Team Fortress 2, or play a flash game, but mostly my non-MMO entertainment time is reserved for reading, writing, and watching TV/movies.

Are you something of an altoholic?

Not usually. I tend to try to get to max level with the first character I make. In CoX I’m more of an altoholic, especially now that leveling has been made easier with the AE farm missions.

Do you find yourself multitasking while gaming (perhaps watching TV, talking on the phone, out of game instant messaging, playing another game, or even listening to a podcast)?

I rarely multitask while gaming. I can listen to music, and sing along, but otherwise I need to focus my full attention on the game. If I have to, I can talk to someone on the phone, but I’m either paying much less attention to the game or paying little attention to the caller.

Do you find yourself having much MMO discussion off-line, perhaps with friends or family?

I talk to my boyfriend about MMOs a lot. In fact, I’d say about half of our chats deal with MMO discussion, whether it’s dreaming up new game designs or discussing our current gaming habits. I talk about it some with friends who used to play WoW with us, but we’re all playing different games now so it’s hard keep track. Sometimes I’ll mention the games to my mother, but that’s not something I’d call a “discussion,” more of an explanation of what I’m doing.

Have you ever felt that you game too much? If so, how did you cope with that?

Oh, definitely. It’s very easy for me to get “addicted” to gaming. My usual solution is to devise “game-free” nights. I reason that, if I can make it through a night without gaming, I’m good.

Since you started playing MMOs, have you ever taken a break from the genre? If so, please explain.

I took breaks from WoW and played no other MMOs, and took a break from MMOs between WoW and AoC and between AoC and WAR. The breaks from WoW were due to burnout. The break between AoC and WAR was because there weren’t any MMOs I really wanted to play at the time.