I've been interested in MMOs since before they were around. Back in 1990 I was dreaming of a Wing Commander MMO (still think it would be pretty badass). I tried to play them; Ultima Online, Everquest. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what was going on; and to the degree I did it wasn't fun. It felt like work.
Then WoW came along. It hit me at a pretty vulnerable part of my life and it quickly became an obsession. I played every second I could; I thought about playing every second I wasn't. My career wasn't too illustrious though. Maybe it was cause I sucked; maybe it was because I tended to want to reform my guild rather than move on to one that was actually doing what I wanted to do.
My life changed after about two years; I was out of school, I had a job that I loved. And it was like turning a switch. My desire to play, some deep elemental part of my brain, just wasn't getting stimulated anymore. Even though I wanted to play (I had no idea what else do!), I simply lacked the desire. Every few months I'd come back and try to like it, but I just couldn't. The power the game once had over me and the way my life circumstances could just turn my addiction on and off with absolute ease continues to fascinate me.
What also fascinates me is spitballing about how to balance classes, the bosses, the grind, the balance between hardcore and plushy soft; the whole game from start to finish. I have my perfect MMO in my head; I want to find out what everyone else's perfect MMO is. I want to figure out why people play, what works in a game, and what doesn't. Also, what the hell is WoW doing so right? And what will the MMO landscape look like once WoW comes of its plateau and begins its decline?
