It's Not Me - Just Pixels on a Screen

As you guys probably know, Kattastrophe & I have been trying to find the right guild. One that raids "enough" but is "fun enough".

A family member on another server is in a guild that is trying to recruit us. As it stands, I sincerely doubt I will make the switch, but Kattastrophe is still trying to decide, and postred about it HERE. Any thoughts or ideas you guys may have would be appreciated.

As for me not wanting to change, there are a bunch of reasons. One of the biggest is that this guild is Horde. All the other things set aside ($$$ to server switch AND faction switch) I just don't want to be a Belf. (or a Cow, in another 6-8 months)

Do I really care about factions that much? From a lore or "us vs them" side, no I don't.

For me it's about the aesthetics. True, Dreanei (males) aren't exactly "good loocking" (though the goat girls are cute!) But the rest of the Ally character models are "good enough".

When I was a younger man...

20 years ago, I would have played Horde, probably on a PvP server, and would likely have gone the RP route.

Now? I just like the look & feel of the Alliance cities and characters. I chose a Drae simply because it was different. I've "been" an elf, human and a dwarf countless times. (and gnomes are a "fun" race, not necessarily a "srs bzns" gaming race for me)

Where's Waldo?

And then there's the fact that my toon is simlpy a "Waldo" for me. (it's a Heinlein reference HERE, that was the first use of remote control or telepresence)

Anyhow, when I play Balthazario, I am not in the character at all. I am not "in" the game world nor am I immmersed at all. Balth is simply a remote control wrecking ball that I use to interact with other avatars/toons and the environment.

If only he didn't have that goofy Russian accent. :P

But All Games Aren't this Way

Now, to counterpoint my lack of immersion in WoW, I *DO* get immersed in other games. For instance, I've been flying around the galaxy in the starship Normandy, along with Shepard, a Krogan and a few others. (Mass Effect 2)

This game is VERY linear and does a good job of storyteling (folks that hate semi-interactive cut scenes would hate it) It's a bit mystery, a bit action, and all around an interesting story. In fact, I think I like the story here more than I did in the first one.

Some things are better, some worse... but I can say that I miss the Mako. (I'm one of the few people I know that actually enjoyed buggying around on planets)

EDIT - I have heard that this post says "I don't like playing WoW." That isn't my point at ALL.

No, this means I simply don't take on the role (RP or whatever) when I play. When you play multiplayer HALO, I seriously doubt that the players are "feeling like they are the Master Cheif" or anything. They are simply using the game as an extension of themselves (like an RC plane or RC car) :)

THAT is how I feel.