Valentine’s Day

A day to let the people you love know how you feel about them. Should it just be in a romantic way? Maybe to some, but not to me. Love your kids? Buy them a teddy bear. Love your dog? Snuggle them today. Love the way your mailman brings packages to your doorstep instead of leaving it strapped to a mailbox when it’s raining? Let them know. This Valentine’s Day I’m writing why I love World of Warcraft. Consider it an open love letter to my home away from home.

My Dearest World of Warcraft,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. There are few things in life that bring me more joy, comfort, and happiness than logging into Warcraft. Why though? It’s just a game right? Not really. Sure you play it, but it’s so much more. Warcraft isn’t just a game to me. It’s a community. It’s a place to challenge myself. It’s a place to just be me.

Lovely World of Warcraft Memories

Every expansion there’s always an unavoidable slow period. I always get to a point where I’ve done everything I need for my character, and yet day after day I log in and just stand around in a city. I can’t help it. I log in and am excited to see who’s online. My guild has become my second family. At least monthly I get into these log trips down memory lane where we talk about all the memories we’ve made in almost seven years. “Remember when we dinged Realm First Guild Level 25?” “Remember when Jason ate year old cookie dough from his trunk?” “Remember when that crazy guy got on our vent high?” We’ve celebrated weddings and births… We’ve comforted each other during divorces and deaths. We are a family. Not one by blood, but by this wonderful bond we found in a game. We are soulbound.

WoW Community Support

Until last year I thought that’s what people meant when they mentioned the “World of Warcraft Community.” Boy, was I wrong. Yes, it is my in-game family, but it’s so much bigger than that. When I started making WoW guides I was really, really nervous. I thought for sure, being the new kid on the block, I would hit a wall of negativity, but I didn’t. People at MMO-Champion and WoW Reddit thanked me for pointing things out that they didn’t know. Youtubers, podcasters, and website admin’s such as Wowmartiean, 10tofireresist, and Lowpopwow on twitter retweet my tweets and have interviewed me. Fans I have met along the way share my videos, check in on me when there’s down time, and leave comments that make me wish I had been doing this forever. I wish I could name all the fans who really make me feel this way, but you guys know who you are. This is the community Warcraft has nurtured and grown… and it’s amazing.

World of Warcraft Struggles

Sure the community is incredible, but Warcraft, my love, you give me more. You challenge me. I’ve accomplished things very few people in my daily life could ever understand. As guild leader I am challenged to be a leader to people wanting so many different things while also trying to help the majority. It can be stressful and difficult, but in almost seven years’ time it still brings a challenge for me to push through and love. WoW, you challenge me to think of different strategies to defeat bosses when there’s mechanics that my guildies and I might struggle with. You help me challenge myself. Hero of Shattrath and Insane in the Membrane seemed like mission impossible at one time, but I completed both. It wasn’t easy and it took time… but I did it. I may only be a silver healer now, but I know I will be gold. It’s my current challenge and I can’t wait to feel that sense of accomplishment when I finish it.

Eyes of the Warcraft Beholder

My dear Warcraft, you not only surround me with love and support or give me challenges to rise to… oh no you do even more. You give me a place to just be me. I log in to a world where everyone calls me “Short.” Sure they worry about my real life if I’m sick or if something is going bad, but generally speaking I’m just a gnome or night elf. I’m not “that girl in a wheelchair”, I’m that druid who pulls over 100k heal per second. They don’t see me wearing leg braces, they see me equipping a legendary cloak. They don’t see me taking breathing treatments or medicine, they just see me flasking up. To have a world completely free of judgment or prejudices based solely on how a person looks… it’s something I never want to be without. It’s a world I wish everyone could experience, even if only for a little while.

Thank You

So World of Warcraft, my love, thank you. Thank you for a world where I can be me. Thank you for challenging me daily whether it be on a personal or leadership level. Thank you for fostering communities in-game and out. Thank you for surrounding me with people who are supportive and love this world you have built as much as I love it. For this I’m yours… forever.

All My Love,

Short

Not only can you tell me why you love WoW in the comments below, you can find more of mine at our Opinion column!