World of Warcraft: Are you playing?

World of warcraft

They have surrounded you! But you are far from helpless. You fire your laser cannons, mowing down your enemy like wheat. The problem is, the more you shoot, the more enemies appear. You therefore have but one option if you are to survive—kill everything in sight. As you fire, the enemies perish in a cascade of blood . . .

“SPINE-RIPPING, flesh-clawing, head-exploding fun”! This was the way one magazine writer enthusiastically described the latest version of a popular computer game. Actually, this is just one of a new generation of computer and video games that allow players to act out thrilling fantasies. Previous releases seem rather tame in comparison with these bloody, often sadistically violent games.

Even so, violent video and computer games are enormously popular among young people. And with an estimated one third of all households in the United States having some sort of electronic game system, millions of youths have access to them. For youths whose homes are not so equipped, it may take little more than a walk to a friend’s home or the local video arcade to play these games.

What about you? Have you been tempted to purchase—or at least to try out—some of these new games yourself? Well, after examining all the facts, you may have second thoughts about doing so.

Online Games has been an addictive stuff to the teenagers and even to the adults. They are renting computers to continue the pleasure playing such online games. A great online game for youths and adults that is running at this time is the World of Warcraft.

World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). It is a Blizzard¢s Entertainment fourth game set in the fantasy warcraft universe. The first official expansion pack of the game, The Burning Crusade, was released on January 16, 2007. During the 2007 BlizzCon event, Blizzard announced a second expansion pack called Wrath of the Lich King on August 3, 2007. The release date of Wrath of the Lich King has not yet been announced.

In the Warcraft series it is not a real-time strategy game. Players control a character with a constant game world, exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, performing quests, building skills, and many more. The game rewards success with money, items, experience and reputation, all of which in turn allow players to improve their skill and power. Players can level up their characters from level one to level 60, level 70 if they have The Burning Crusade expansion. Upon release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, players will be able to attain level 80 after purchasing the expansion. In addition, players may opt to take part in battles against other players of an enemy faction, in Pvp battlegrounds or in normal world zones subject to the rules in place on the particular server. Duels can also be fought between members of the same or opposing factions, although these do not provide tangible rewards. Many players also choose to join guilds. Short-term parties and raid groups can be formed to conduct  against enemy territories and instances.

There are two types of characters and 9 types of character classes in the game raids: Players Characters or Non-Player Character. A player character is controlled by the player while the Non-Player Character is controlled by the game software. Talking about the character classes, there are 9:

The Druid (Hybrid Class) The Hunter ( Damage Class) The Mage (Damage ClassThe Paladyn (Hybrid ClassThe Priest (healer/Damage Class) The Rogue (Damage Class) The Shaman (Hybrid Class) The Warlock (Damage Class) The Warriors (Tank/Damage Class

Players/characters can have different items or equipments in this game. Items can vary from resources such as herbs or raw ores to items to be retrieved for quests. Player/characters can also equip different weapons and armor, either to customize their character or to improve abilities (such as better attack or defense skills).

Does the above description of this game affect the players emotionally and physically?

Gamer

 True, experts debate how computerized play really affects youths. One study, reported in the magazine New Scientist, optimistically concluded that such games “are not a root cause of bad behaviour.” Nevertheless, 97 percent of the youngsters surveyed in that study “thought it was possible to become addicted to the games.” The youths said that arcade games were particularly harmful because “they encourage players to spend more money.”

The darker side  

Many of today’s games, however, are steeped in spiritism and magic! In one game “magic spells” must be used in order to win. Players are instructed: “When you’re ready to cast the spell, click on the lightning bolt at the bottom-right corner of the menu, then click on the creature you want to fry.” Could not such games cultivate an unhealthy curiosity about demonic forces?

Game Spirits

    It is also possible to call up cheap pornography on the computer screen. Nudity and graphic sex have become such common fare that U.S. game manufacturers produced a rating system to warn purchasers of offensive games. Few retailers, though, seem willing to curb sales to youngsters. “Our only obligation is to give customers what they want,” says one store clerk. Yet ask yourself, ‘Will exposure to sexually arousing images help me keep my mind on things that are “righteous, chaste, lovable, and virtuous”?’

Can these games really be addictive? Apparently so, for some players. One youth told Awake!: “All you can think about is getting to the end and winning.” A young man similarly recalls: “I spent hours trying to figure out how to kill everybody and get to the next level of the game.”

You may think that you could never get so caught up in a game. But consider the way TV shows and movies manipulate people’s emotions—moving them to tears, rage, or cheers of excitement. Imagine, then, a program that not only has an exciting plot, unique characters, and dazzling special effects but that lets you be the superhero. Would it be easy to resist getting thoroughly involved in it? So, it is not surprising that some players have difficulty separating fantasy from reality. One youth recalls: “The effect of playing violent games was so bad I even imagined that my hand was a gun and pointed it at people.”

So for the players around, why not ask yourselves? Any opinion?