“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” – Albert Einstein
Everyone can use a feel good moment to start the day. Let’s go with this…
Most non-MMO players believe that reality is the space in which they go to work, earn their wage, travel home, relax and do it all over again the next day. Reality to most people is what they can physically touch. It is concrete. It is solid. It follows the laws of physics as the individual believes them to exist. It is the order that they have formed from the chaos around them. Some even believe that they form the reality that surrounds them.
OR…. It is what it is and you can’t change it. You live and die at the whim of the Fates.
What is “real” has come up in conversation twice in the last 24 hours.
First, the U.S. women’s soccer team defeated Brazil in a penalty shoot-out at the World Cup and as I was flying home from Las Vegas a woman sitting behind me commented on how ugly the players were; the jist of their crazy-talk was that the players did not meet the stick-figure standards of Hollywood actresses.
If you want real beauty then look no further than Hope Solo, the keeper for the U.S. team. Graceful, powerful, perhaps outspoken, but in a word “Boss”. Would you rather have your daughter aspiring to be Lindsay Lohan or Hope Solo? Even her name is hard to top.
When I checked my mail this morning I had a message from CCP reminding me about their “EVE is Real” promotional program.
“We're about to launch an advertising campaign using a creative and different approach to the way we've done it in the past. At first glance that may not seem super exciting to an existing EVE Online player, but what sits at its center has a lot of potential to be.
"We're making a micro-site into a hub of creative pieces (videos, screenshots, corporate recruiting posters, stories, etc.) in order to form a virtual museum of player created EVE history. We believe that bringing someone unaware of EVE through that experience, and having them encounter this history, will enable them to get a better feel for this unique game we all play.”
So the question is, are our experiences, within virtual worlds real? They feel real. I have never played EVE enough to understand its grasp on a player, but I do understand how it felt to play EverQuest, EverQuest 2, World of Warcraft and other MMOs. My best gaming memories still start with “Remember when we were in (insert virtual zone here)?”
Are MMOs our Matrix? Will those characters wake up someday and realize that we were just playing them? Is somebody just playing us? Send me your thoughts.
As always, you can contact me a number of ways:
- Telepathy (Just make sure it’s during business hours. I hate to be woken by this stuff)
Until we meet again,
John “Boomjack” Hoskin
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One More Week to Win Neverwinter Swag!
Every so often, we reward the cool people who frequent our Members Only Forum by offering some amazing goodies especially for them. Last week we kicked off a contest to win one of two Neverwinter messenger bags. All premium members need to do for a chance to win is post (and post often) anywhere on the Members Only Forums. The more you post, the better your odds of winning!
Since the folks at Cryptic featured our giveaway on the official NeverWinter website we decided we'd extend our contest one more week. Our Members Only Forums are spam and asshat free, so go enjoy some great discussions without all the "noise."
Each legitimate post gives you an entry, and you can post as often as you like. Go to it! (And if you're not a premium member, you can still become one today to enter plus enjoy a year of great members only perks and exclusives for just $9.99!)
GearScore is better than iLevel - Reason #4
I'm sure many of you WoW players have joined a raid with a 359 AIL player, only to find out that he is loaded up in PvP Gear and doing less damage than the tank. Isn't this infuriating? At the very least you've probably run a random heroic with a player who snuck in wearing PvP equipment.
But the proof is in the screenshots. Check them out at PlayerScore.com today, and start finding your own reasons why PlayerScore is WoW's most downloaded addon.
From the Bypassing-The-TSA-Dept. –
Snails Migrate By Being Eaten
From the Save-The-Planet-Dept. –
Cats Are Bad For The Environment
From the Large-Package-Delivered-Overnight-Dept. –
Wilt Chamberlain Postage Stamp
