by Jenna Busch
Hey, guys. Sorry I’m late. I know you’ve all been playing World of Warcraft for years, and you’re on your third or fourth character. You’ve got alts in every city and toons on both sides of the war. I, on the other hand, am a newbie. I’m Murloc-in-the-mud excited about it all. I’ve got a Pally t-shirt, a WoW mouse pad, and in the past month, I’ve read four WoW novels.
I pay my rent by writing about all things geek. I’ve been a gamer all my life. I play Dungeons & Dragons, and I have a collection of 20-sided dice that would embarrass Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. But until last year’s Blizzcon, I managed to avoid the WoW-crack. After reporting on the Con, I was sent the games. They sat on my desk, covered in dust, until a buddy of mine couldn’t take it anymore. He showed up at my house, taught me to play, and now I’m a level 59 Human Paladin named Chicknchasr. (Yes, that’s a Fable reference, in case you’re wondering.) I’m like a teenager who just discovered sex. I say things like, “Ooh, how cool! Did you guys know how much fun sex is? Best thing ever!” while the rest of the kids are like, “duh!” So I’m asking, please be tolerant of the over-excited pally who can’t shut up.
I know I go a bit overboard. I tweet about WoW constantly and my friends think I’m crazy. Even my dog heaves a great sigh when he hears the music from the game. So I promise to control myself. But if you happen to pass a blond pally with Grunty the baby Murloc, telling everyone about how cool the post-Cataclysm landscape will be, or how I am currently wearing my talking Murloc doll on my head, don’t blast me with a spell. Giggle to yourself and move on. (Any buffs would be appreciated, of course.) Soon I’ll be level 80, and I’ll stop clapping my hands like a child hopped up on sugar every time someone says, “blood elf”.
Jenna Busch is a writer of all things geek for SCI FI Wire, JoBlo, Huffington Post, UGO, IGN and Forces of Geek. A New York transplant living in Los Angeles, Jenna has been on many sides of the entertainment industry. Makeup artist, (don’t stand too close, or she’ll glue something to you) actor, (stopped because she felt that replacing body parts with silicone was the first step towards becoming a cyborg) and finally writing, which allows her to work in her pajamas.
Follow Jenna on Twitter: twitter.com/jennabusch
I think that’s one of the big things crusty veteran players have to remember — it’s always new to someone, and their resulting excitement is a beautiful thing.