New Comm Ave

Ever wonder what a typical day in a land of Arthurian legend would have in store? For Pezzle, a level fifty, Realm Rank eleven, Master Level eleven Briton Friar, living in Albion and completing mythological quests is business as usual. After checking to see if his merchant has sold any of his valuables, it's time to go on hour-long adventures to kill the "Kraken" in its underwater lair, or Chimera, a mythological creature with the heads of a dragon, a lion and an ornery goat. In the "Dark Ages of Camelot," Pezzle is in “constant warfare with the minions of the realms of Hibernia and Midgard, the Celtic and Norse realms (High). For Bryan High, Albion is a second home; quite literally, he has a three story home there where he keeps Pezzle's belongings and trophies. Bryan is an MMORPG, player, or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Like most MMO players, Bryan spends a great deal of time playing a role in an imaginary world. Some may look at this gaming as a waste of time, or even a negative influence on habits and behavior, but Bryan and other gamers feel otherwise. Despite having some personality quirks which have developed during his years of gaming, Bryan has shown himself to be a successful person, and liked by nearly everyone he meets. Although Bryan has changed some his gaming habits, this paper is still an accurate look into the life of a gamer. This is a look into a vastly growing subculture, a culture which is often misunderstood.

As an avid video gamer, Bryan's day in 'RL' or real life, was very different from a typical person's day (Helmer). Instead of interacting with others and developing his
own personality, he chose to live vicariously through his fictional character, Pezzle, the Briton Friar. During a recent interview, Bryan detailed his routine for a typical day in the school year:

Spending upwards of twelve hours of gaming a day seems like a great deal, but for a gamer like Bryan High, it wasn't close to enough time. During the summer, the time he logged the most online time for the year, Bryan easily and regularly would play at least eighteen hours a day. On rare occasions, he'd spend entire days, a full twenty four hours, at the computer. Bryan's summer gaming routine was by far the most demanding routine of the year, but he could always keep himself entertained:

Though his typical day may not have been very interesting in a physical and social sense, what he was doing in the game is a very different story.

What is it that is so appealing about playing an MMO? It does not seem too appealing to sit in front of a computer screen for hours upon end, but what is going on inside that picture on the screen is actually quite marvelous for some. Being able to traverse beautiful landscapes completing adventures in a seemingly endless world can inspire and satisfy the most adventurous of spirits. In an MMO, as put simply by Matt Helmer, a gnome rogue in The World of Warcraft, you can "meet new people and go on fun adventures with friends--and do things you could never do in real life, like kill a dragon with seventy people" (Helmer). An MMO game also gives its players a powerful
sense of accomplishment from completing quests, quests which can take hours to carry out; moreover, these quests can give a sense of recognition to those who may not receive praise in the real world. Matt explains, MMOs give a sense of "progression towards being the best at what you do, to accomplish everything you can do in a virtual world," in other words, being the best you can be (Helmer). Some people are not cut out to be star athletes or good musicians, but like any other achievement, gaming is becoming one that people are becoming proud of. With statistic boards for each game server showing the highest ranked players of each class, it's easy for gamers to identify the elite gamers of the moment. 'Gaming fame,' as Bryan explains leaning back smugly with his hands behind his head, "is very satisfying" (High).

Bryan and Matt are not the only ones who take gaming seriously. Millions of other people from kids to adults log on to their virtual worlds and take gaming to heart. Bryan, renowned in his gaming world for his skill, decided to take advantage of his ability to see if he could profit from it. Single handedly battling giant squids, guardians of the underworld, and dragons, Bryan was a master at his craft. The result was over a thousand dollars in 'RL' revenues from playing a video game, payment for what amounted to very little gaming work. When asked how this was possible, the grin on Bryan's face grew, and his pride was undeniable: "People that involved in the game will pay crazy amounts of real money to get either game money or game items that they can't get on their own 'newbs'"(High). Bryan can accomplish quests that can take from fifteen to fifty "newbs," or unskilled players, with just his one character. By single handedly killing the Chimera, a quest that normally takes twenty or more people, Bryan can sell all the items the Chimera drops after it dies himself. By selling the items the Chimera drops to other players in the game, items that are very valuable to players who cannot kill it on their own, this one creature alone can make Bryan anywhere from sixty to eighty dollars. The drops of such high profile targets are often extremely valuable, and because he doesn't have to split them with group members, he can sell them for all the profit. The concept is really no different than people finding value in baseball cards or action figures. With all his gaming success however, how did Bryan's real life friends and family feel about his gaming habit?

Despite all his renown and accomplishments made in Albion, people in Bryan's real life social sphere look at his accomplishments differently. Playing video games religiously was not a new development in Bryan's school life. When asking his mother about how she felt about his extreme gaming she put it very simply, "He's always played video games since he was a kid, so it wasn't much of a change. My main concern was that he make good grades, and my baby did that because he's Bryan. He has always been the brains of this family” (High, Gina). Excessive gaming may not have hindered Bryan's success at school, but when I moved to the topic of Bryan's social life and his personal encounters, Gina's tone turned serious from her happy boasting of Bryan's intelligence. Gina explained that she did sometimes worry that gaming was becoming a social burden on her child:

In spite of a rigorous and obsessive gaming habit, Bryan was able to still excel at school and find a means of making a considerable amount of money. Excessive video gaming, or
reaching a point of addiction, can sometimes be dangerous for the most avid of players. In the most extreme of cases, there are instances of skipping class and work, and in rare cases violence. In a study on excessive gaming by Nick Yee, a Stanford Ph.D candidate, he finds that "many college students are enticed by the dynamic graphics and sense of belonging offered by the games' online communities, but they also find that the more they play, the harder it is to log off, and their classes and friendships pay the price"(Breitman). Gaming has been a habit for most of Bryan's life, a habit which has, to this point, not harmed his education or real life success. This habit does however pose the problem of his social development, but it was not a problem that could not be overcome.

One consequence of living life vicariously through Pezzle the Briton Friar was a lack of opposite sex relationships during high school. After learning of his hermit-like tendencies that lasted for the majority of his high school career, I wondered about the extent of real life relationships Bryan had made during this time. Upon reaching this part of the interview Bryan's attitude clearly seemed to change from giddy excitement over his gaming glory stories towards embarrassment, as he guessed where this questioning might lead. I felt it necessary to inquire about the extent of his social interactions, more specifically if he was able to have any interaction with members of the opposite sex. Bryan quickly responded, "F-ck you dude, f-ck you," a response which tends to answer itself (High). In Bryan's case, gaming led him to not go out and socialize until senior year, causing a deep sense of shyness. Intense gaming was a habit which affected his ability to interact with others, but contrary to what some believe, it was personality quirk that was easily changed.

Like any enjoyable habit, gaming must be taken in moderation and mixed with other activities. In an article discussing the possible dangers of excessive gaming, Amy
Bruckman, a college professor at Georgia Tech who has done research on the subject of massive online gaming since 1990, expresses her opinion on the matter of excessive
gaming: "People need help getting balance in their lives, whether it means doing sports, playing the guitar or eating junk food--I don't think those are any different than playing these games too much...I think it is useful to find ways to encourage people not to completely eliminate them because games are fun" (Breitman). Similar to the idea of moderation in habits that Breitman described, Bryan began to reduce his time spent gaming, opening up more time for him to go out and socialize with others. Bryan started this change of habits and began working on his shy nature after having met myself and some other friends who began visiting him at his house regularly; anyone who met Bryan could not deny his unfaltering humor, intelligence, and kindness. After going out to various social gatherings, Bryan finally began to shake off his fear of social events. Possibly due to the beer, or maybe because he knew he was with people who cared about him, Bryan learned to be comfortable with himself around others. Eager to go out and meet new people, but still wanting to play games, Bryan learned to incorporate both gaming and going out into his lifestyle. In spite of his new experiences going out, Bryan still holds true to his love of gaming, saying, "gaming, over even some parties, was still some of the most fun I've ever had" (High).

Playing video games provided Bryan with a constant source of excitement and adventure for the majority of his high school life, a time he does not regret to this day.

Contrary to what some may understand, this time on the computer was not really spent alone. Bryan has made many lasting friendships with people that he met in games, people "that [he] loved to talk to and play with over the years" (High). Bryan has recently moved from the Dark Ages of Camelot to the World of Warcraft, but in addition to his game changes, Bryan has also made drastic changes in his social behavior. Without losing any of his love for gaming, Bryan now has toned down his time spent gaming, keeping a balance between games and a social life.

• 2007 Spring
• Feature