Aside from the obvious differences that exist between real life and the MMO's we play, one great difference is that in real life there is such a thing to "Dare to die well", while in MMO's the same behavior is called out as noobish or just plain stupid. Let me explain.
Hugo wrote of his fearless Friends of the ABC leader Enjorlas:
'Daring to die well always moves other men. As soon as Enjorlas folded his arms, accepting the end, the deafening clamor of the struggle died down in the room, and the chaos suddenly abated in a sort of sepulchral solemnity. It was as if the threatening of majesty of Enjorlas, disarmed and motionless, weighed on the tumult, and that, if only by the authority of his tranquil gaze, this young man, who alone had no wound, superb, cruel, dashing, indifferent as though invulnerable, was forcing that sinister mob to kill him with respect. His beauty, at that moment enhanced by his dignity, was resplendent, and, as though he could no more feel than be wouinded after the terrible twenty-four hours that had just elapsed, he was fresh and rosy. It was, perhaps, about him that a witness was speaking when he said later before the ensuing court-martial: "There was one insurgent I heard them call Apollo." A National Guard who was aiming at Enjorlas lowered his weapon, saying: "I feel like I'm about to shoot a flower."
Then a sergeant shouted: "Take aim!"
An officer intervened.
"Wait."
And addressing Enjorlas: "Would you like us to put a blindfold over your eyes?"
"No."'
Fiction or not, the author makes the point that man can be majestic in the face of death, even inspire awe in his enemy, because "Daring to die well always moves other men."
In that story Enjorlas found himself alone, face to face with a multitude of enemies ready and anxious to end his life. He not only stood before death but threw himself in harms way in the first place.
Now, I make a distinction of an MMO player when I say daring to die well is not the same as to die intelligently. As a former raid healer, Shaman, I knew very well that if my death seemed imminent that there are better places to die than others. For example, running in front of the boss to die, planning to Reincarnate while the boss cleaves his way to victory is unintelligent. Finding a place away from add spawns, behind the boss, but in range of the tank(s) is better (again, given that death is unavoidable).
But as a healer I never charged the boss with my arms wide open, and in suprise and shock no boss ever stood in awe of my daring, my courage, nor my faith and dropped his club and whispered to himself "How could I ever hurt such a precious thing?" No, the raid bosses I fought with were pure evil, evidently, and were completely given over to the darkside. Otherwise I'm sure raiding would have been significantly easier.
No trash mob, no boss, no opposing faction player is going to care if you display courage when you decide, foolishly, to charge the Lumber Mill, alone, headlong into a group of 5 or more enemies. They will mercilessly strike you down without a second thought, and you will lose every time.
Death is a joke in MMO's, made moreso by the fact that no person is allowed to dare to die well. (Again, not intelligently, but bravely and courageously). There is no mercy, there is no enemy willing to offer you a blindfold, it's pure blood for blood and anything short of that is weakness.
The only person who cares about daring to die well is you, and the only other who recognizes it is your Id. That said, if you continue to feel like 1 on 5 is courageous or Healer vs Raid boss, by all means, be a hero to yourself. Your fellow raider may not appreciate the wipe.
I'm all for intelligent deaths in MMO's, it's good for you and everyone else you play with.
Until next time!
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misc. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
Happy Christmas!
It's Christmas Eve. Right now. So Merry Christmas to all who celebrate this special holiday.
For all other holidays of the season that I know of or don't know of, Happy Holidays to you as well. I hope that each of you can find joy in whatever activity you participate. Whether it's opening presents or slaying internet dragons, have fun and stay safe!
Cheers!
For all other holidays of the season that I know of or don't know of, Happy Holidays to you as well. I hope that each of you can find joy in whatever activity you participate. Whether it's opening presents or slaying internet dragons, have fun and stay safe!
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
NOT my initial thoughts of the Shattering
Not today, folk, there's too much yet to explore. Yes, I logged in, and yes I tried out a few of the new starting zones, and yes I went exploring, but my explorations and evaluations are not yet complete for a full out post. So stay tuned, because I've got lots to say...and most of it pretty darn good at that.
Peace out!
Peace out!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Idea Ownership - Doth it Matterith?
A while back, I don’t exactly remember when, Tesh (From Tish Tosh Tesh) asked me a profound question:
“Does idea ownership matter? Is it not wise to consider ideas on their own merit rather than dismiss or validate them based on their source?
Just a thought…”
I finally have a good answer for him, not my incoherent ramblings from my first attempt. This is something I have thought about constantly for a few months now. So I hope in this attempt I can make my answer perfectly clear. To the question “Does idea ownership matter?”, I say:
YES
“Does idea ownership matter? Is it not wise to consider ideas on their own merit rather than dismiss or validate them based on their source?
Just a thought…”
I finally have a good answer for him, not my incoherent ramblings from my first attempt. This is something I have thought about constantly for a few months now. So I hope in this attempt I can make my answer perfectly clear. To the question “Does idea ownership matter?”, I say:
YES
AND
NO
(If you’ve come here for WoW stuff, hang in there, for me it all comes back to another question about Blizzard that I don’t have the answer to. Moving on…)
Idea Defined
My answer is 100% contingent on the definition of “Idea” that we’re talking about. If we were to discuss a theme or subject of unknown authorship, of general public knowledge and/or interest such as Taxes, Immigration, Slavery, Communism, Capitalism, then NO, idea ownership does not, or at least should not matter. Who came up with the idea of slavery anyway? I don’t know. But over time it’s evolved into a subject of debate and consideration (SDC). That’s right, I just made up my own acronym!!! Who had the bright idea that governments should tax its people? I sure as heck-fire don’t know. These are ideas of a special kind, SDC’s that have no known authorship and are debated in public forums or even privately among friends and acquantences.
There are difficulties, however, in debating these general subjects. One problem I see is that no or very few subject(s) is presented by an impartial spokesman, so any information shared will be tainted by biases too difficult to mask completely, if any attempt to mask them at all has been made. Other difficulties are the variables that become part of the equation: An individual's communication skills (listening, speaking, phraseology, use of common fallacies), personal experiences, personality, temperament, education, and the list goes on and on. The ideal is that these subjects should be considered on their own merits and idea ownership does NOT matter. Too bad the world isn’t ideal.
A Bright Idea
The other definition involves an idea that has a known author, which idea is an actual entity (a thought, conept, sensation, or image) that is actually or potentially present to consciousness. Combined with that are ideas which can be considered “plans of action”.
For example: I have an idea for a new TV show. A little alien, only about 2 ½ feet tall (who, by the way, likes to be called a small, but just as smart, person) with magical powers travels from world to world saving the galaxy in which he lives from evil glowing balls of gas and fire. It will be called “Sun Killer, The Irony of Misunderstood Heroism”.
Would you watch a show about a Gnome who accidentally destroyed all the suns in a Galaxy, believed himself to be a hero but everyone hated him, but due to his utter ignorance kept on doing what he thought was heroic? Maybe, maybe not. Are your opinions changed knowing who the author of the idea was? If, for example, the show was put into production, should I (the author) receive credit for the idea? Does idea ownership, in the above example, matter?
Let’s say you’re on Safari in Africa and fall into a pit with 10 cobra snakes and your grandmother and uncle Vinny. Someone needs to come up with an idea, a unique and specific plan of action fit for the situation or you're all gonna die. "Quick, take granny's shawl and toss it onto that tree root, we'll use it to pull ourselves up!" Or let’s assume that you are a blog writer, a novelist, or a poet? Did anyone else come up with the idea of Harry Potter or was it JK Rowling who had that idea? Maybe you had something similar, but you suck at writing, so you scrapped it. Oh well, no billionaire ball for you!
This definition of idea is clearly different than the first I presented. It implies that the idea is a creative thought or concept designed to answer a question or serve a purpose or make someone's life better, etc, etc, etc. Given this definition of Idea, to answer the question, “Does idea ownership matter?” I say without hesitation…YES.
To prove this I point to some popular social and legal norms. Plagiarism is illegal and unethical in just about every civilized nation I know of (excepting communist or dictatorship states). In science, education, the workplace, if you copy someone’s work and pass it off as your own, that’s bad. Why? Because idea ownership matters!
Many nations, including the US of A has enacted copyright laws to protect original authors of their ideas, or intellectual property.
“Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literacy, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works…[The laws] generally gives the owner of the copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf
(See link for more details)
A scientist who bases some part of their new and groundbreaking theories on somebody else’s work MUST reference all his/her work or that scientist will be unemployed and will have to find a job teaching Junior High School somewhere…if they are lucky. Why? Because idea ownership matters. It matters so much, in fact, that breaking copyright law can land you a hefty fine or even up to time in jail. Ouch!
Ideas in the Business World
In business…oh, business. Here is where I begin my decent into Blizzard and World of Warcraft. I’m a businessman, oh yeah. I got to business meeting and have business luncheons, and dress up in business attire, and have a business office. I’ve also had a business idea of mine stolen by a co-worker, which ended up in their promotion and my ultimately having to leave the company. If ever I were to resort to violence to solve problems, that would have been one instance where violence was justified. But that was a long time ago, when I was ignorant and foolish and trusting of, you know, other humans. I’m more guarded now and make sure that I protect my business ideas very, very carefully.
Idea ownership is king in business. It can bring you into the position of CEO or land you in the unemployment line. I imagine if you’re a game developer and come up with a really crappy idea for a game, it may be hard to keep your job or find work in the future. But if you develop a really, really, really great idea and that idea takes off, you could benefit from it in major ways.
Which brings me to my final question, one that I do not have an answer to.
WoW Dev Team – Group Rewards or Individual Recognition?
Does anyone know how much the devs who create all aspects of WoW actually work together vs how often they work alone? Who initially thought up the concept of talents? Did they get a raise? How about 31 point talents? Did that person get a promotion? Or are the ideas that flow within the development team considered “shared” ideas?
Legally, I know ATVI owns all the ideas, it’s how all good businesses protect themselves and their intellectual property and investments. Technically there are things I created at my previous jobs that are legally “owned” by those companies, but I know that I created those programs or processes, etc. And they know it too. But the work I did while there legally belonged to them, as do the ideas belong to ATVI.
But the practices of reality do not always reflect the legality of things. In practice, I wonder if individual devs get credit internally for their work or for any great ideas or concepts that they design? If 10 people are in a room and at the end they decide to go with 31 point talent trees, who gets credit for it? Does anyone? Does everyone? Does idea ownership matter within Blizzard’s development team?
Maybe that question can only be answered by Blizzard, or maybe someone out there has insight that can ease my troubled mind. If I were working on WoW, in some developer capacity (which will never happen, I’m an accountant, remember?) I think that I would enjoy personal and individual recognition of some things, and also be happy for the success of others and as a whole team. But to be void of any individual recognition, to be told that ownership of ideas didn’t matter when I was the one who created the LFD tool (just an example) I think would hurt, ya know, emotionally. How motivated would I be if I never received recognition for the ideas that helped build a really great game? I, Gronthe, would definitely lose some motivation, if I were being honest with myself.
How many used to watch Saturday Night Live in the 1990’s? There was a skit, I can’t remember who did it, I think it was Al Franken, who would have celebrities look into a mirror and say: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggonnit people like me.” It was especially funny when Michael Jordan did it at the height of his popularity. But I’m afraid that in business, in the workplace, self-affirmations isn’t enough. I know I’m smart, but I need my boss to know it too. I depend on his opinion for my living. Without it, I lose job satisfaction.
I’m hoping that Blizzard does both, recognize people and teams, and they probably do. But I don’t know for sure. I hope they do because Idea Ownership, when discussing thoughts and concepts of original authorship, DOES MATTER in society, as evidences by our norms and our laws.
All other general subject ideas, SDC’s so to speak, idea ownership DOES NOT MATTER. I should not validate or invalidate an idea, or a subject matter, because a biased source delivers the topic in a way that is leading and not 100% objective. It may be difficult, but the ideal still stands, it does not, or at the very least should not matter. In reality, however, I'm afraid that it does, that people get tainted by a biased opinion that is difficult to uproot. But alas, a discussion for another time...
So to Tesh, who’s questions have tortured me the past few months, I hate you!!! No, I really don’t, I thank you for making me think about this more. For making me delve into my own opinions, for making me look around me in the world and consider the applications of these questions.
I know this wasn’t your typical World of Warcraft post, it was an attempted expression of thoughts that I tied into WoW, somehow. Anyway, I’m tired, I think I want to take a nap. Until next time…
(If you’ve come here for WoW stuff, hang in there, for me it all comes back to another question about Blizzard that I don’t have the answer to. Moving on…)
Idea Defined
My answer is 100% contingent on the definition of “Idea” that we’re talking about. If we were to discuss a theme or subject of unknown authorship, of general public knowledge and/or interest such as Taxes, Immigration, Slavery, Communism, Capitalism, then NO, idea ownership does not, or at least should not matter. Who came up with the idea of slavery anyway? I don’t know. But over time it’s evolved into a subject of debate and consideration (SDC). That’s right, I just made up my own acronym!!! Who had the bright idea that governments should tax its people? I sure as heck-fire don’t know. These are ideas of a special kind, SDC’s that have no known authorship and are debated in public forums or even privately among friends and acquantences.
There are difficulties, however, in debating these general subjects. One problem I see is that no or very few subject(s) is presented by an impartial spokesman, so any information shared will be tainted by biases too difficult to mask completely, if any attempt to mask them at all has been made. Other difficulties are the variables that become part of the equation: An individual's communication skills (listening, speaking, phraseology, use of common fallacies), personal experiences, personality, temperament, education, and the list goes on and on. The ideal is that these subjects should be considered on their own merits and idea ownership does NOT matter. Too bad the world isn’t ideal.
A Bright Idea
The other definition involves an idea that has a known author, which idea is an actual entity (a thought, conept, sensation, or image) that is actually or potentially present to consciousness. Combined with that are ideas which can be considered “plans of action”.
For example: I have an idea for a new TV show. A little alien, only about 2 ½ feet tall (who, by the way, likes to be called a small, but just as smart, person) with magical powers travels from world to world saving the galaxy in which he lives from evil glowing balls of gas and fire. It will be called “Sun Killer, The Irony of Misunderstood Heroism”.
Would you watch a show about a Gnome who accidentally destroyed all the suns in a Galaxy, believed himself to be a hero but everyone hated him, but due to his utter ignorance kept on doing what he thought was heroic? Maybe, maybe not. Are your opinions changed knowing who the author of the idea was? If, for example, the show was put into production, should I (the author) receive credit for the idea? Does idea ownership, in the above example, matter?
Let’s say you’re on Safari in Africa and fall into a pit with 10 cobra snakes and your grandmother and uncle Vinny. Someone needs to come up with an idea, a unique and specific plan of action fit for the situation or you're all gonna die. "Quick, take granny's shawl and toss it onto that tree root, we'll use it to pull ourselves up!" Or let’s assume that you are a blog writer, a novelist, or a poet? Did anyone else come up with the idea of Harry Potter or was it JK Rowling who had that idea? Maybe you had something similar, but you suck at writing, so you scrapped it. Oh well, no billionaire ball for you!
This definition of idea is clearly different than the first I presented. It implies that the idea is a creative thought or concept designed to answer a question or serve a purpose or make someone's life better, etc, etc, etc. Given this definition of Idea, to answer the question, “Does idea ownership matter?” I say without hesitation…YES.
To prove this I point to some popular social and legal norms. Plagiarism is illegal and unethical in just about every civilized nation I know of (excepting communist or dictatorship states). In science, education, the workplace, if you copy someone’s work and pass it off as your own, that’s bad. Why? Because idea ownership matters!
Many nations, including the US of A has enacted copyright laws to protect original authors of their ideas, or intellectual property.
“Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literacy, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works…[The laws] generally gives the owner of the copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf
(See link for more details)
A scientist who bases some part of their new and groundbreaking theories on somebody else’s work MUST reference all his/her work or that scientist will be unemployed and will have to find a job teaching Junior High School somewhere…if they are lucky. Why? Because idea ownership matters. It matters so much, in fact, that breaking copyright law can land you a hefty fine or even up to time in jail. Ouch!
Ideas in the Business World
In business…oh, business. Here is where I begin my decent into Blizzard and World of Warcraft. I’m a businessman, oh yeah. I got to business meeting and have business luncheons, and dress up in business attire, and have a business office. I’ve also had a business idea of mine stolen by a co-worker, which ended up in their promotion and my ultimately having to leave the company. If ever I were to resort to violence to solve problems, that would have been one instance where violence was justified. But that was a long time ago, when I was ignorant and foolish and trusting of, you know, other humans. I’m more guarded now and make sure that I protect my business ideas very, very carefully.
Idea ownership is king in business. It can bring you into the position of CEO or land you in the unemployment line. I imagine if you’re a game developer and come up with a really crappy idea for a game, it may be hard to keep your job or find work in the future. But if you develop a really, really, really great idea and that idea takes off, you could benefit from it in major ways.
Which brings me to my final question, one that I do not have an answer to.
WoW Dev Team – Group Rewards or Individual Recognition?
Does anyone know how much the devs who create all aspects of WoW actually work together vs how often they work alone? Who initially thought up the concept of talents? Did they get a raise? How about 31 point talents? Did that person get a promotion? Or are the ideas that flow within the development team considered “shared” ideas?
Legally, I know ATVI owns all the ideas, it’s how all good businesses protect themselves and their intellectual property and investments. Technically there are things I created at my previous jobs that are legally “owned” by those companies, but I know that I created those programs or processes, etc. And they know it too. But the work I did while there legally belonged to them, as do the ideas belong to ATVI.
But the practices of reality do not always reflect the legality of things. In practice, I wonder if individual devs get credit internally for their work or for any great ideas or concepts that they design? If 10 people are in a room and at the end they decide to go with 31 point talent trees, who gets credit for it? Does anyone? Does everyone? Does idea ownership matter within Blizzard’s development team?
Maybe that question can only be answered by Blizzard, or maybe someone out there has insight that can ease my troubled mind. If I were working on WoW, in some developer capacity (which will never happen, I’m an accountant, remember?) I think that I would enjoy personal and individual recognition of some things, and also be happy for the success of others and as a whole team. But to be void of any individual recognition, to be told that ownership of ideas didn’t matter when I was the one who created the LFD tool (just an example) I think would hurt, ya know, emotionally. How motivated would I be if I never received recognition for the ideas that helped build a really great game? I, Gronthe, would definitely lose some motivation, if I were being honest with myself.
How many used to watch Saturday Night Live in the 1990’s? There was a skit, I can’t remember who did it, I think it was Al Franken, who would have celebrities look into a mirror and say: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggonnit people like me.” It was especially funny when Michael Jordan did it at the height of his popularity. But I’m afraid that in business, in the workplace, self-affirmations isn’t enough. I know I’m smart, but I need my boss to know it too. I depend on his opinion for my living. Without it, I lose job satisfaction.
I’m hoping that Blizzard does both, recognize people and teams, and they probably do. But I don’t know for sure. I hope they do because Idea Ownership, when discussing thoughts and concepts of original authorship, DOES MATTER in society, as evidences by our norms and our laws.
All other general subject ideas, SDC’s so to speak, idea ownership DOES NOT MATTER. I should not validate or invalidate an idea, or a subject matter, because a biased source delivers the topic in a way that is leading and not 100% objective. It may be difficult, but the ideal still stands, it does not, or at the very least should not matter. In reality, however, I'm afraid that it does, that people get tainted by a biased opinion that is difficult to uproot. But alas, a discussion for another time...
So to Tesh, who’s questions have tortured me the past few months, I hate you!!! No, I really don’t, I thank you for making me think about this more. For making me delve into my own opinions, for making me look around me in the world and consider the applications of these questions.
I know this wasn’t your typical World of Warcraft post, it was an attempted expression of thoughts that I tied into WoW, somehow. Anyway, I’m tired, I think I want to take a nap. Until next time…
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Fruit Salad
I like it. Strawberries, Kiwi, Banana, Seedless Grapes (Green), Pear, Mandarin Oranges, Pineapple, you name it! Fruit Salad is yummy. Today I'd like to take some time talking about a variety of things, just like varied fruits in a fruit salad.
Bananas
This tasty fruit is long, yellow, and has a skin you need to peel away to see the actual fruit. But until you peel that skin away you don't really know how good that banana is.
The same goes with reclusive wow players. Those that sit on the sidelines and don't disturb anyone. They don't start a group but are always looking for one...silently. When they see something they like they may jump at it. So let's say you're forming a raid and you go into chat to LFM. There's a good chance that a Banana is there waiting.
That long awaiting soul, a bit too scared to get something going, needs encouragement to peel away their facade, but only when that player joins your group and you actually play with him/her do you know if they were worth bringing in the first place.
Are you a banana?
Strawberry
Over the past month or so Blizzard has been forthcoming about upcoming changes that will occur once Cataclysm hits, or shortly before. The blue posts have been many, with even more responses. But I can't help but think it's all kind of like a Strawberry.
What do you see when you see a strawberry? The red coating and the seeds on the outside, right? Seeds are the beginning, the genesis, the motive. We've received reasons for the changes in Cataclysm, we have even seen the color and shape of the game, but there is something that is still out of reach, it seems, which appears to be caused by the fact that we don't have all the information nor can we see the end result of those changes in front of us on our monitors.
I know I've gone to the store and purchased strawberries, but it's not always easy to tell which ones may not be as filled with as much sweet juice as I think, or maybe it's a particularly bitter patch of strawberries, or maybe the inside isn't quite ripe. I think I can see what it will be because I can see the seeds, the reasons behind, but I'm convinced that I won't know how that strawberry will taste, how Cataclysm will actually play out, until I have it in front of me. Still, it does seem mouthwatering.
Pineapple
A most welcome addition to my fruit salad today, and in honor of my wife's love for pineapples, I'd like to say a little something about raiding. Pineapples have some of the sweetest juices and captivating fragrances of any fruit I've tasted in my entire life. A truly ripe, sweet, and perfect pineapple has few rivals anywhere in the world. Versitile as it is it's found by itself or on pizza or part of exotic recipies in some of the most well known restaurants. But there is an evil side to pineapple, one that my wife knows only too well, and that it can be extremely painful to those who are allergic to it.
Raiding, at least in my own experience, I can't speak for you, has provided me with some of the most varied experiences in my gameplay. My sweetest victories have happened with my fellow raiders, conquest filling my mouth with pure satisfaction. I have danced, dodged, jumped, twisted, and willed myself with others to triumphant ends from Naxx to Ulduar to ICC. But often an allergic reaction will surface, tempers flare, and raids can utterly fail. Often all it takes is one to catch the allergic symptoms and it can become contagious.
Hopefully you taste the sweetness that comes from raid success more often than feeling the affects of an allergic reaction. But don't let those allergies keep you from Pineappling!
Watermellon
I know, it's not in my original list above. Deal with it. The other day I bought a watermellon at the store that was about 5-6 inches in diameter. They are larger most of the time, true, some can even engorge to county fair blue ribbon sizes of 4-5 feet tall.
The AH prices for small, nearly obsolete items on my server are county fair sized. Inflation is a natural side effect of the creation of an economy, but so is deflation. My point is that there are various factors that cause a price to move up or down, I won't inflict the tedious reasons upon you here. But lately I've noticed that I can't get an axe for my level 14 whatever without paying 26 gold for it. When I first started playing wow and learned of the auction house I could get the same axe for 1-2 gold, now it's either crap or grind for some heirloom items so I don't have to worry about spending that much gold.
But what about the new players that are still coming into the game? There's little reason to expect that they are carrying around 300g in their backpack at level 15, but that's what they would need to buy any gear upgrades so they don't have to enter dungeons in grays. I always try to keep it reasonable, if I put a weapon for a level 15 at auction, it's going up for just a couple gold, maybe 3. Call me a softie, but I cannot gouge the new player, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
Don't "free market" crap me, I work in accounitng and finance and economics in real life so I understand all that, but this game ain't the real world, fatty, so listen to what I'm saying. If you charge 25 gold for a weapon with +1 Strength and +1 Stamina, I think you suck. You probably have a low self-esteem that you'll never admit to, and you'll defend yourself by using big words such as supply and demand, but the fact is that you're trying to compensate for not having something else in your life and gouging people with unnecessary inflated prices simply means that you're a jerk...ergo you suck!
Enough with the Watermelloning!
Well that's all for today, I always enjoy ending on a tirade. Hope you take it personally, that means that I'm right and you suck. If not, I hope you laughed. Thanks for your visit, as always!
Bananas
This tasty fruit is long, yellow, and has a skin you need to peel away to see the actual fruit. But until you peel that skin away you don't really know how good that banana is.
The same goes with reclusive wow players. Those that sit on the sidelines and don't disturb anyone. They don't start a group but are always looking for one...silently. When they see something they like they may jump at it. So let's say you're forming a raid and you go into chat to LFM. There's a good chance that a Banana is there waiting.
That long awaiting soul, a bit too scared to get something going, needs encouragement to peel away their facade, but only when that player joins your group and you actually play with him/her do you know if they were worth bringing in the first place.
Are you a banana?
Strawberry
Over the past month or so Blizzard has been forthcoming about upcoming changes that will occur once Cataclysm hits, or shortly before. The blue posts have been many, with even more responses. But I can't help but think it's all kind of like a Strawberry.
What do you see when you see a strawberry? The red coating and the seeds on the outside, right? Seeds are the beginning, the genesis, the motive. We've received reasons for the changes in Cataclysm, we have even seen the color and shape of the game, but there is something that is still out of reach, it seems, which appears to be caused by the fact that we don't have all the information nor can we see the end result of those changes in front of us on our monitors.
I know I've gone to the store and purchased strawberries, but it's not always easy to tell which ones may not be as filled with as much sweet juice as I think, or maybe it's a particularly bitter patch of strawberries, or maybe the inside isn't quite ripe. I think I can see what it will be because I can see the seeds, the reasons behind, but I'm convinced that I won't know how that strawberry will taste, how Cataclysm will actually play out, until I have it in front of me. Still, it does seem mouthwatering.
Pineapple
A most welcome addition to my fruit salad today, and in honor of my wife's love for pineapples, I'd like to say a little something about raiding. Pineapples have some of the sweetest juices and captivating fragrances of any fruit I've tasted in my entire life. A truly ripe, sweet, and perfect pineapple has few rivals anywhere in the world. Versitile as it is it's found by itself or on pizza or part of exotic recipies in some of the most well known restaurants. But there is an evil side to pineapple, one that my wife knows only too well, and that it can be extremely painful to those who are allergic to it.
Raiding, at least in my own experience, I can't speak for you, has provided me with some of the most varied experiences in my gameplay. My sweetest victories have happened with my fellow raiders, conquest filling my mouth with pure satisfaction. I have danced, dodged, jumped, twisted, and willed myself with others to triumphant ends from Naxx to Ulduar to ICC. But often an allergic reaction will surface, tempers flare, and raids can utterly fail. Often all it takes is one to catch the allergic symptoms and it can become contagious.
Hopefully you taste the sweetness that comes from raid success more often than feeling the affects of an allergic reaction. But don't let those allergies keep you from Pineappling!
Watermellon
I know, it's not in my original list above. Deal with it. The other day I bought a watermellon at the store that was about 5-6 inches in diameter. They are larger most of the time, true, some can even engorge to county fair blue ribbon sizes of 4-5 feet tall.
The AH prices for small, nearly obsolete items on my server are county fair sized. Inflation is a natural side effect of the creation of an economy, but so is deflation. My point is that there are various factors that cause a price to move up or down, I won't inflict the tedious reasons upon you here. But lately I've noticed that I can't get an axe for my level 14 whatever without paying 26 gold for it. When I first started playing wow and learned of the auction house I could get the same axe for 1-2 gold, now it's either crap or grind for some heirloom items so I don't have to worry about spending that much gold.
But what about the new players that are still coming into the game? There's little reason to expect that they are carrying around 300g in their backpack at level 15, but that's what they would need to buy any gear upgrades so they don't have to enter dungeons in grays. I always try to keep it reasonable, if I put a weapon for a level 15 at auction, it's going up for just a couple gold, maybe 3. Call me a softie, but I cannot gouge the new player, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.
Don't "free market" crap me, I work in accounitng and finance and economics in real life so I understand all that, but this game ain't the real world, fatty, so listen to what I'm saying. If you charge 25 gold for a weapon with +1 Strength and +1 Stamina, I think you suck. You probably have a low self-esteem that you'll never admit to, and you'll defend yourself by using big words such as supply and demand, but the fact is that you're trying to compensate for not having something else in your life and gouging people with unnecessary inflated prices simply means that you're a jerk...ergo you suck!
Enough with the Watermelloning!
Well that's all for today, I always enjoy ending on a tirade. Hope you take it personally, that means that I'm right and you suck. If not, I hope you laughed. Thanks for your visit, as always!
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