#10YearsOfWoW (I was not prepared)

*Ten years* have passed since the mortal races banded together and stood united. Could anyone but Blizzard have really, truly, and honestly imagined what a simple computer game would come to mean to so many people? 

I began my journey playing World of Warcraft, during the first expansion, the Burning Crusade. I was introduced to World of Warcraft by my brother who was stationed in Afghanistan while serving in the US Navy. It was a way for him to release himself from all that was going on around him during his down time, as well as a great way for us to stay connected while he was thousands of miles away. We spent countless hours farming materials, grinding rep, and raiding dungeons together, and yet while he was so far away, it felt as though he was in the next room of the house with me. One night while we were on a raid in (Karazhan), the base were he was stationed was attacked, and the very barracks he was in while playing was hit by a mortar round. I could hear the ensuing chaos in the background through his headset until his connection went dead and his character went offline. For the next several days our family tried to contact him via telephone and email with no success and I couldn’t help but thinking that the very worst had happened. Finally around three weeks after we finally got the phone call we had waited for and it was my brother calling to say he was safe, and that while he was playing WoW that night with me in the communications office, the room he would have been asleep in, was the one that was hit by the mortar round. 

Now if the preceding events laid the foundation for the passion and interest I have and share with so many for WoW, than the following is what really made me come to love and appreciate the time I have spent, and people I have met along the way. 

In late September 2009, I was diagnosed with Nasalpharyngeal cancer. It came as a big shock to me and the treatment was going to be fast and intense. Outside of my family the first people to find out were my in-game friends and guild mates. One night after a guild raid we had a meeting and I broke the news to them that I would have to step away from WoW for a while to undergo chemotherapy at the hospital. I didn’t expect the amount of support and well wishes I began to get from people who I had never even met in person before. Following my first treatment I received a package in the mail, inside was a box and a card. I opened the card and to my surprise it was e-signed by almost the entire guild and had a note that said, “we aren’t going to let you go that easy, a good warlock is hard to come by”. It explained that immediately following our meeting the officers of my guild got together and decided that they were going to buy me a laptop and pay for my subscription fees for the duration of my treatment so that I could continue to play while I was in the hospital. I can’t tell you how much this meant to me and if any of you happen to stumble upon this post please know that I can never repay you for what you did for me. Although the treatment was very difficult and there were times I just wanted it all to go away, having a place that I could escape to where there was no pain or misery made it so much easier. 

To me and countless others WoW has become more than just a game. It is a place where anyone can go to get away from their troubles in the real world and do anything they want. You can conquer, create, and just let your imagination run wild. It provides an outlet and allows you to become part of a community were you can meet some of the best people with the biggest hearts. If the past ten years has been any indication of how much hard work and dedication Blizzard has put into making a game that defines a generation, I can’t wait for the next ten years.

Best Regards

Kergin/US Fenris