So Much for so Little

Admittedly, virtual worlds are something I find myself longing for. Last week I went four days without playing one game. During that time I found myself fantasizing about playing video games again. Not one game in particular, just to experience a world that isn't this one. It's nice to give up all the mounting pressures of life, if only for a short while, for the frivolous pressures of unreality.

Oddly, I find myself not wanting to play one of my characters, Leye. The main reason for this is that playing him has brought a lot of it's own pressure with. Two of my real life friends and my dad are in the same guild as Leye. When I'm not playing they constantly pester me to come on and play citing that the guild needs my help. When I went on to play last week after my four day hiatus I had high hopes of helping the guild defeat the huge black dragon Onyxia. Too bad I wound up having to complete a boring task, which felt more like a chore than any sort of thrilling experience. I had to compete this task to get the key that would allow me to enter Onyxia's lair. While I was doing this I listened to everybody else having fun on the voice chat software that we use which works like walkie talkies. After I completed the menial task I logged of dissatisfied.

Afterwards, I asked myself “why would anyone want to play a game that requires so much work with so little reward?” I still haven't found the answer.