Most Impactful Video Games - Part 5 - Gaming Thoughts

Here we are - the end of the road, at least in this series. It's a challenging question we posed to the CGR team: name the video games that have been most impactful to you. It's a difficult question with no wrong answers, but we wanted to share our picks with you and invite our readers to do the same in the comments.

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Most Impactful Video Games - Part 4 - Gaming Thoughts

It's difficult to think about something in absolutes. 'The most'. 'The best'. 'My favorite'. So we tried to create a list that gave each member of our team to put together a list of video games that had some sort of meaningful impact on us in some way. Some of us probably could have put together lists 10, 20, 50 titles long, but we wanted to challenge ourselves and focus in on the elements that mattered most. 

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Our Favorite Games Through the Years - Part 3 - Gaming Thoughts

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

With the team spanning a range of ages, that generally means we have a pretty varied range of gaming generations under our belts. Still, now we are moving into an era where everyone had some experiences to compare and contrast and the genres began to get a bit more divergent than Part 2 was.

Robert:

Sega Saturn: Daytona USA

Sega's underappreciated hardware, the Sega Saturn, was a constant companion to me back in the 90s. Even though it was a fairly basic title, Daytona USA was one that I always came home to and played on rainy days. Maybe it was the crumple mechanic, maybe it was the excellent (for the time) audio, or the way that the various stock cars would handle, I don't really know, but I can still smell the phantom smell of a heavy Michigan rain and it fills me with great warmth. That's hard to say of any other title, no matter how great, that was released on the Saturn.

Nintendo 64: Rogue Squadron

This was actually more difficult for me to decide than I figured it would be. When I think of the N64, I always think of Wave Race ... I don't know why, but I was enamored with it; yes, it was excellent and fun, but I didn't have any one specific memory or feeling associated with it. Then I was like, "Oh! Shadows of the Empire!" which, yes, was fantastic, but do you know what was better? Rogue Squadron. Sure, I played Elite and Wing Commander and the X-Wing / TIE Fighter games, but I think it was Rogue Squadron that truly sold me the dream that some 30 years later, Chris Roberts would be working to bring to reality with Star Citizen. Take an arcade-y space combat game and combine it with a flight control scheme that's easy to pick up (and that worked really well with the N64's goofy-ass controller) and set it in the Star Wars franchise and it's a near-instant success. For me? It was all about making wicked-cool attack runs and the cinematic feel that, some 25+ years later has heavily influenced my own virtual photography.

Pierre-Yves:

PC 2000: Heroes of Might and Magic V

Now we all know there's one King of turn based strategy. Heroes of Might and Magic III. Or for those others that truly want to go back further in time, Heroes of Might and Magic II. Both are valid depending on your point of view. The judges will allow either.

Outside of that though, as time moved forward and 3DO went under, Ubisoft nailed Heroes of Might and Magic V. With returning factions and a return to a more classic gameplay than 3DOs HoMM IV, the combination of gameplay, graphics and general quality of life upgrades made this a title to come back to again and again especially with the hotseat mode and a couple of pizzas over a weekend with friends.

Nintendo 64: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

This was another hard pick and most people may be thinking… That’s not the Ocarina of Time. Nope! For me, OoT was good, and it definitely helped pave the way for the epicness that is Twilight Princess, however, Majora’s Mask had this challenge factor that a lot of other Legend of Zelda titles didn’t. A ticking clock, the option to miss things, the option to fail. Being able to rewind time, you learned how to progress more efficiently over time and if you played around with the features enough? You could have almost all the time you needed if you played a certain song backwards. That was an awesome discovery for the time before there were really any walkthroughs and if you didn’t know something? You hoped one of your friends had figured it out or that someone bought a walkthrough as those weren’t cheap.

Gameboy Advance: Mega Man Battle Network

April cannot get here fast enough for the Mega Man Battle Network collection! This, a bit like Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, took a well-known character and ditched the format for something completely different. Instead of platforming around as a robot, Mega Man was now a computer sprite that played companion to the actual protagonist Lan who could get him into various networks in order to destroy viruses that were rampaging and causing havoc and destruction.

Combat was also unique in that you moved around a 3X3 grid vs your opponent’s 3x3 grid. Normal shots, swords, powered up blasts, health packs and summons of other powerful sprites, this series would go on to see 5 other releases. After Mega Man Battle Network 1-6, there was a continuation of sorts with Mega Man Star Force 1-3 and while it was fun, it wasn’t quite the same as the Battle Network series. So yay that the collection is almost here on our current platforms.

Richard:

Nintendo 64: Bomberman 64: the Second Attack

Yeah, we're skipping the NES and SNES. I never actually owned either, and while I have played NES and SNES games on other platforms through virtual emulators, like what's available for the Switch, I can pretty much only give old Kirby titles or Donkey Kong Country 1 through 3, which I feel doesn't really give a good pool to pick from. Instead, we're jumping to the N64, which is the 2nd home console I ever played and is what introduced me to console gaming. Yeah, as a kid I always separated PC from home console gaming systems, it's probably an age thing. So, what is my favorite game for N64? Well, this was probably my hardest decision to make, as there are a lot of good options to choose from. The N64 saw titles such as Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Chameleon Twist. All titles I highly suggest you play by the way. But surprisingly, my choice isn't any of these, it's Bomberman 64: the Second Attack. The sequel to Bomberman 64, an amazing game in its own right, Bomberman 64: the Second Attack is a challenging Bomberman adventure type game, where you explore planets, acquire new types of bombs, such as ice or wind, and use their special effects to help solve puzzles and to demolish an evil organization that's controlling a black hole. It also introduces Pommy, a cute little helper that a second player can control, and who can evolve if fed certain types of food. Me and my buddy had a lot of fun with this, which is why it beats out the other single player titles I've mentioned.

Gameboy Advance: Mega Man Battle Network

This wasn't even a debate, Mega Man Battle Network 3. I love Mega Man, and the Battle Network series is great. So great that there have been games that try to replicate the style, so that's saying something. A sort of action battler on a 3 x 6 grid where you use "battle chips" which are given to you every so often, Mega Man Battle Network was an interesting step away from the 2D action platformer style it's mostly synonymous with, and instead had this interesting and unique direction. Out of all the Battle Network games, the first three were the best, and I felt the third title was where they really managed to refine the system with the customization options. I've done everything in all the games, gotten all the stars and stickers, I love the series, so this choice wasn't hard to make at all. I'm super excited for the collection to come out.

Susan N:

PS2: Gran Turismo 4

I had a PlayStation 2 sometime around the time that the PlayStation 3 came out. I bought it off a friend, along with a couple of games. With my newly found console, I grabbed my first ever console racing game in Gran Turismo 2. But my favorite of the series was Gran Turismo 4. Out of the series, this was the first one where I had become an ‘alright’ driver. I could pass several of the licence tests. I could tune my car to suit my driving style. And I was learning more about cars because of the game. The fourth installment was my favorite because it was the first game that had a photo mode. It was also the game where I began practicing on the Nurburgring and Cote D’Azur. Graphically, it was stunning and had a music list that I loved. The list consisted of songs by Van Halen, Jimmy Eat World, Judas Priest, Papa Roach, Joe Satriani, The Crystal Method, The Roots, Jet, and an exclusive track by Will.I.am of Black Eyed Peas fame. My love of cars and racing really started to unveil itself by this point, and I now compare every racing game to it.

PS3: Gran Turismo 5

In a move that would shock no one, the PlayStation 2’s game was trumped by Gran Turismo 5. Not only had I become a better driver, but this game was the first appearance of the mighty McLaren F1. This is significant because it was one of the FEW formula one racing cars I could keep on the track. Unlike some of the other high end cars, concept cars, and formula one options, the F1 was the one that just felt right. This explains why I am totally buying a P1 if I ever become rich. Even more than that, I had improved my skills to a point where I could make it around the Nurburgring with greater speeds than I was capable before. Additionally, GT5 had a completely new layout which took some getting used to. It included A-spec mode, where you get to drive the vehicles and tracks, as well as a B-spec mode where you could get an AI to do those pesky 24-hour endurance races for the big bucks. Overall, GT5 became my favorite game even though they took out one of my favorite tracks (which was Rome. RIP Rome track. You will never be forgotten).

PC 90s-2000s: Myst

From 1990 to the year 2000, there are several games that I enjoyed. Chips Challenge, Gruntz, Tomb Raider, Stunts!, Civilization II, Warcraft II Tides of Darkness, and BattleTech, were all titles that I couldn’t live without. I played a ton more puzzle games like Lighthouse: The Dark Being, Atlantis: The Lost Tales, Starship Titanic, and Syberia. But of all the amazing games, there can only be one winner. That winner is none other than Myst. As mentioned, Myst was a pioneer in the puzzle genre and it stumped a few family members because of the interesting puzzles. I became so enthralled by the game that I came up with the idea to have a Myst styled room for my ultimate dream home. It’ll have gadgets and knickknacks, and Myst paraphernalia like the famous dagger. There is something about travelling to different worlds through a magic book that I found to be fascinating. Perhaps that’s because as a kid I adored books like The Secret Garden and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where you would do the same. So it only makes sense that this is my favorite game during those years.

Nick:

PC – 2000s: World of Warcraft

The granddaddy of the MMO genre. Sure, there were others prior, and plenty since, but none of them had the sort of influence on the genre that WoW did. What was crazy is I had a terrible laptop to play it on. I used to joke with my friends that I had to knock all of the settings down to minimum and what should have been grass looked like a giant green tarp. It was good for a laugh but didn’t diminish my excitement any as I played for so many years and so many, many hours. Even when I quit playing for a time – I found myself coming back again. Lather, rinse and repeat a few more times. If there was an all-time PC favorite of mine on this list? It would be World of Warcraft, as it spanned its way into three different decades for me, releasing in 2004, getting played on and off through the 2010s and as recently as late last year around Halloween for a time. This is hands-down the game I have played the most in my life. Played is an odd badge of honor and walk of shame at the same time by now.

Arcade – 2000s: Tekken 5

My time in the arcades fell off considerably during this decade, and I don’t think I’ve played an arcade game once the 2010s hit, but I distinctly recall playing a whole lot of Tekken 5 when it came out around the middle of that decade. Similar to Street Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter, Mortal Kombat and more, Tekkan just felt at home in an arcade cabinet. The music and visuals were top-notch, and as much as I liked pulverizing the AI, nothing beat sending a human opponent away with their head down in defeat. Sure, I lost as well – but I gave more losses than I took and I had a helluva lot of fun doing it.

Sega Saturn: Dragon Force

This is one of those titles that to this day, I really, really wish would get a frickin’ remake. I didn’t own a Saturn – but my roommate did and while we had a lot of fun with a wide variety of games on it, Dragon Force was far and away my favorite. It’s mix of strategy / RPG / tactics gameplay was hugely addicting. It sort of reminded me of Dark Wizard from the Sega CD days, but far more polished and entertaining. Seriously – remake this game and take my money!

Nintendo 64: Super Mario Kart 64 – I realize that there were better games. I didn’t even wind up owning an N64 until a few years after it came out. But my buddy Landon had one, and we all had a tendency to hang out over at his house. Madden. Tecmo Super Bowl. Golden Eye. These were all favorites and a whole lot of fun – but it was Mario Kart 64 that brought out the best (and probably worst) in us as we played. Friday and Saturday nights were for Magic: The Gathering, D&D, board games, Golden Eye but mostly? Mario Kart. “I’m a Wario, I’m a gonna win!”

Article by Robert, Pierre-Yves, Richard, Susan N., and Nick

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Jaggy's Corner! - Saturday May 26

This article isn't going to be easy to write and that's for good reason. Many of you may not know this but while writing this I've been crying, allowing mascara to run down my face as it hits the ground for a person I never actually had the chance to meet. It stings my eyes and I have felt very ill while typing this article. It sucks because this is by far the hardest article I'll ever write. Good thing I can touch type because this would have been impossible...

Let me tell you about my experiences as a viewer to the amazing life of John "Totalbiscuit" Bain.

Introduction to TotalBiscuit

Many years ago I got into a little known MMO called World of Warcraft. Hell, if there are people out there that AREN'T familiar with the game, I'd be really surprised. Anyways, I was questing in a zone that had just come out with a group of people that were pugged to complete a 5 man quest. The next day, my account was hacked and I thought one of those four people was the culprit. Out of those people, the one person I talked to after I got my account back ended up becoming a real life friend.

Nev introduced me to BluePlz and that is how I first heard the tales of Kungen. Though, I only had two episodes and I didn't even know what a podcast was at the time. Often I just listened to the story when it began playing in my iTunes list. That's how this whole thing started, though I didn't know anything about the man behind the voice.

A few years later, I became invested in the Starcraft 2 community where I started to watch YouTubers like Husky, Day9, and Lowko. It was then that I discovered professional esports and how I became reintroduced to TB for a second time. He casted a few matches and somehow I ended up with the knowledge of him being part of The Game Station Podcast. It was at this point that I recognized the voice but didn't understand why until much later. You see, TB talked about the WoW Radio days on the TGS podcast and how he used to have the nickname of BluePlz. That's when the lightbulb flickered on. I finally understood why the voice was familiar... This man was Kungen.

The Podcast

Because of the TGS podcast, which eventually became the Co-Optional Podcast, I was introduced to amazing gaming influencers like Angry Joe, Jim Sterling, Danny O'Dwyer, Margaret Krohn, and so many other wonderful people – none of whom I've met IRL.

Through TB's YouTube channel, I learned about other video games because of the "WTF is...?" series. Sometimes I'd yell at the screen about how wrong TB was about a game until one day when he said, "It's alright to have a different opinion of a game." I felt like a rebel for liking certain games he didn't, but that's alright. We're different people.

I came to respect his content and his impact in Starcraft and in gaming. I made it mandatory to watch all of the podcasts, no matter what it took. I needed to know what games were coming out and the big gaming news each week. I had planted my flag.

TB never let me down as a viewer. I understood that everyone has an opinion since everyone has different criteria for gaming. He taught many how to critically think about the gaming industry and its developers. He also taught people that we have to hold everyone accountable for their actions – or sometimes inaction. We must put our money where our mouths are and not pre-order incomplete games that only showcase pre-rendered footage instead of actual game play. As in, he taught the industry to be shepards, not sheep.

I recall seeing a video where Jesse, Dodger, and TB played Just Dance. The dancing prowess of the three of them was not fantastic but it was great fun to watch. I mean, we're talking about a group of people who were truly best friends that, from a viewer perspective, were always together. Having such close friends when you're in the eyes of the gaming world or celebrity world, is very valuable to maintaining ones sanity.

I also remember that TB, Jesse, and Dodger had the unique opportunity to work with Guillermo Del Toro on a hammy fan made promo video for the movie Pacific Rim. At the time, I knew nothing about the movie but after this promo video, I decided to give it a go. I ended up enjoying the movie without knowing much about it. The selling point? The voice of GLaDOS from the portal series. Truly. You can experience that magical video below.

Starcraft 2

Many might know that for a couple of years Totalbiscuit founded his own professional Starcraft 2 team that consisted of Koreans that did not speak English well. He respected his players and gave them every opportunity he could at the time. He wanted Starcraft 2 to continue thriving. TB's dedication to Starcraft rivals that of Artosis, Tasteless, and Day9 in my opinion.

Anyways, the ongoing issue of the team sat under two umbrellas. TB had moved to the United States and therefore was challenged in his ability to meet the players in person. The second umbrella of issue was the massive language barrier. In a comical twist, the Korean language does not have a precise translation for "TotalBiscuit". As a result, the Korean players called him the equivalent to "the sum total of all the cookie." He really was the whole cookie but I digress...

AXIOM, the team he founded, ended up taking a side line later on. It was too much to continue to run the team, despite his best efforts. I believe that was when TB begun having issues with his health. Like everything else, he tackled the disease head on. Not only that, but he wouldn't let it stop him from putting on the ShoutCraft Clan Wars – his own created tournament. He kept that going for as long as he could in order to keep the toughest RTS on the market alive.

John, thank you for everything. We will miss you. pic.twitter.com/wbmuqNAQem

— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) May 25, 2018

Health

After news of his health had come out, a number of things happened. Sadly, in my haze of tired and emotional outbursts, I can't recall the specific order of things. However, TB would not bow down to anything. He took the high road and made a video where he urged people to go get checked out as soon as they felt like something was wrong. Because of that, he likely saved many lives by being honest with people about colonoscopies. And I say that because there are people who are scared of doctors/hospitals/etc... Sometimes people need reminding even if they know what action should be taken.

Anyways, later that year, I had asked a friend if he could get me an autograph from Kevin "RotterdaM" van der Kooi – another Starcraft 2 caster that I enjoyed watching. Unfortunately, because of issues with his visa to the USA, Rotti didn't make it to the event so I wasn't able to get his autograph.

In between that event and the next, I discovered that TB would be at an event my friend would be attending. The friend felt bad about missing out on the previous autograph and said he'd make it up to me somehow. I asked if it was possible to get TB's autograph, knowing that it might be tough. I didn't want it to be anything epic and if anyone could get that for me, Temp0 would be the one. In my mind, I figured that given my living situation, I was unlikely to make it to an event that TB could attend before he passed. At the time, I didn't know that I'd be right...

Before writing this piece, I plotted out things I wanted to mention. The autograph event is among those moments. And weirdly, late in the evening of May 24th - after the news broke of TB's passing - Temp0 streamed. He made mention of asking TB for an autograph, for me.


Another thing that followed TB's diagnosis was an amazing post done on the Team Liquid website. It was a truly heartfelt post dedicated to TB where the community essentially said that we would be there for him, no matter what happened. Unfortunately, I cannot find this post again and it makes me sad... Anyways, from that point, TB made it a point to keep fighting because he was not going to let some stupid disease take him down. He fought for Starcraft, for gaming ethics and standards, and for honesty and transparency from game developers. He was going to fight cancer in the same way he always had. Because of those things, he was a legend for gamers, pioneering many into their chosen professions like itmejp and hundreds of others. In fact, I've read countless twitter posts about how TB pushed people to become better. I am one of them.

John,
I'm really going to miss you. It feels like you've been part of my life forever.
Thank you for supporting and cheering me on through so much. Thank you for pushing me to trust myself and be a stronger voice and thank you for being an incredible friend always.
Love,
Brooke

— Dodger (@dexbonus) May 24, 2018

His Best Anime Friendo

One of his best friends, Dodger, was helped by TB in a way that only viewers of the podcast and her stream would know. She had entered a relationship with Strippin fairly early on when the podcast became "Co-Optional". The two had large stream/YouTube followings before meeting, and knowing that neither of their successes superseded the others, decided to get involved.

Later, Strippin approached TB to get assistance on a major project. He wanted to propose to Dodger by way of making a video game that recounted special moments in their relationship. The amusing part about this story is that Dodger had put off going to Europe to see Strippin because of gaming commitments! The poor guy had to wait a full week before he was able to see her and get her to play the game which led to his proposal.

Last week Dodger had a baby girl and presumably TB was at least able to see the beautiful life that he helped bring into existence (in the sense that he helped orchestrate the marriage proposal. Don't get that twisted.)

Dodger gave us a couple of happy parent pics with Clarke so we thought we'd send a little update to everyone! Check it out! 😍😍😍https://t.co/4kit6LnRFi @dexbonus & @Strippin pic.twitter.com/gRXwAQ016m

— Dodger Coffee Co (@dodgercoffee) May 17, 2018

The Ending of My Viewer Story

TB was younger than me. That concept is terrifying.

From the year 2014 when he was first diagnosed with cancer, he defied the odds, made a difference in people's lives, and provided a solid foundation for his family to have a good quality of life. While I never met the man, I respected him and loved him for everything he did as a major gaming influencer. He touched the lives of thousands of people, whether directly or not, and he will live on in all of us. Hell, he's one of the main reasons I wanted to get into esports in a professional capacity.

Not everyone liked the man – he even had some extremely public outbursts to indicate such – but regardless, he pushed people to take a stand. He forced people to have an opinion, good or bad. He brought people together. That is what an influencer does; they force people to give a shit about something.

I was linked a post from the subreddit Writing Prompts. One person had an epic response that was very much in the spirit of TB. I'm simply going to link it. Enjoy that.

Baneling, if you ever read this, I want you to know that your father was an amazing person. And your mother is even better for being able to manage the chaos brought to her. So, if I could ever tell you a solid piece of advice, it would be don't believe everything people say about him. One day you will understand that 90% of the content spewed by media sites is utter crap. That said, this article, is straight from the heart. In future, I hope you find a calling that leaves a lasting legacy, regardless of what that might be.

Genna, you are a strong woman and have gone through some of the toughest situations, from running a Starcraft team to managing a family to dealing with internet trolls. Please keep that tough exterior. I know that there are jerks out there that will give you flack by association. Since you are a Bain, I know you will continue to be tough as nails and shouldn't let people bring you down. TB wouldn't want that. You have so many supporters that you can call on. Any time. I look forward to your future and hope that you will carry the torch. But before that, make sure you take all the time you need. I can also only hope that we'll still get an arbitrary awards at the end of the year because the gaming community still needs a champion.

I'll leave you all with this clip if you don't mind some profanity (in a good way). This is from JebroUnity's stream on May 24th, 2018.


I will miss you.

As much as it pains me to say this, until next time TB. (In case you didn't know, TB would always close out his content with that phrase.)

Article by Susan N.

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Memorable Music in Gaming #21

I am kicking things off by going back to a familiar well here - with a song from the Neverwinter Nights soundtrack. This is still arguably one of my favorite music scores in a video game ever, but I decided to lead off with it and then create something of a theme as I decided to pull all of this edition's songs from RPG games.

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How I found myself playing World of Warcraft... again - Gaming Thoughts

I never really planned on playing World of Warcraft again. Recently however, Blizzard ran a promotion that proved to be the final hook in getting me to recreate some characters and play again for the first time in years. There were some other factors as well, including friends at work who played, but at the end of the day I found myself almost too easily thrown right back into the mix. With the new patch 6.0.2 patch ready to go live today, I thought this was a good time to reflect on my time back in Azeroth.

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Guild Wars 2 - PC Review

When I played the first Guild Wars, I really did not know what to think. I won it in a contest and gave it a shot - but it never really resonated with me the way World of Warcraft did.

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The Elder Scrolls Online - Gaming Thoughts...

I admit that sometimes I am amazed at how angry or worried gamers can get about release announcements.  The excitement I have come to expect, but the apprehension still surprises me at times.  Not that it should - games as media are far more interactive than music, movies or books.  As a result, our level of investment increases as well.  It is a major part of why we play these games - because we become immersed and feel we have a stake in the outcome.

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Xbox 360 Review

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a title has been in my sights ever since I stumbled onto it via trailer at IGN that I shared here.  It was a flashy trailer that caught my eye with its visual style and everything I saw about the fast-paced combat intrigued me.  I continued to follow it, posting about it here and there, until I finally got a chance to try the demo and share my impressions.

Well, this game turned into a pre-order for me at that point and I have had a lot of time to sit down and get to know this new fantasy RPG title over the last 100+ hours.  Before I get into the specific technical breakdown I usually do, I figure a game I have sunk this much time into deserves a bit more of an overview first.  One word really comes to mind for me when I think about KoA and describe it to others:

Dense

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Gaming Thoughts... 9/15/11 - Word of Warcraft

So my last post got me all nostalgic as I thought back to some of my earlier Blizzard titles like Warcraft, Diablo and obviously StarCraft. I spent a lot of time on these games. But like many people, the Blizzard game I probably spent the most time on was World of Warcraft. In fact, I've been a player on two different occasions.

I did not play right when World of Warcraft began, but I was not terribly far behind. I spent a good deal of time playing Alliance and got a couple of characters to level 60, and even went ahead and did the same for some Horde on another server afterward. I was really big into it, had quite a few epics and eventually got tired of playing and just quit.

I was an awkward MMO player though, especially that first time around. I almost never grouped, at all. I hardly ever did raids of any kind, which meant I was missing tons of content. Sure, I'd go back and run lower level stuff when I was bored/high enough level to solo it, but I just never really wanted to group much.

Fast forward a couple of years or so, and several of my old real-life buddies I used to play D&D with are all playing World of Warcraft on the same server. They wanted me to start up again and went so far as to chip in and get me the expansions. I played (very) heavily once again, and shot multiple characters up through the ranks again. I was even more diligent this time, having all of the crafting professions completely covered, tons of really good gear and even ran instances now with my friends. It was certainly a lot more fun the second time around, but still not ideal.

On the one hand, I noticed I was sinking just an absolute ton of time into the game. I play video games very heavily, and even I had to admit my time spent was probably unhealthy. The other thing is I still tried to be a husband, parent, full-time employee and found myself distracted when trying to group. There's no pause button. If a kid gets sick or dinner boils over, I have to hop up and deal with it. Now, my friends were pretty understanding - they know me, know my family, but it still made grouping with other people pretty much a migraine for me.

Once I was at the top of the food chain yet again, all that was left was lots of grinding. The sense of exploration was gone and it was just more of a chore than fun - and steadily sapping away some money every month to boot. So, this account eventually went the way of my old one - given to someone else I knew.

Still, when I look back on it, I still enjoyed Wold of Warcraft a good deal. I'm a big fan of RPG games. I played more than my share of computerized/console titles and D&D over the years. I run a MUD with my wife, which I usually describe as online, text-based dungeons and dragons. It's easy to see the influence MUDs have had on the MMO community over the years. They were the first MMO's - just without graphics.

Unfortunately the Warcrafts of the world have had their own impact on MUDs, and it fewer and fewer people invest in MUDs than they used to. Our own game used to have 50+ players a night, and now on a good night we see maybe 10. I think if my wife had gotten into World of Warcraft, I'd still be playing it today. I love doing things with her - the MUD is an example of that, but she tried it and just never took to Warcraft - but at least she did try it.

Still, I have a lot of fun memories from my time spent there. I've tried looking at some of the free MMO's out there like Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings - and I once won a copy of Guildwars, and while there's good things about each of them, none of them ever captured my imagination quite the same way World of Warcraft did.

Any of you reading ever play a MUD, or a graphic MMO? Did you stick to it? Were you a loner or a grouper? Do you still play?

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