Life as a WOW Wife

WOW:World of Warcraft
Level 80: Highest level of achievement so far.
Northrend: Where my husband is fighting in Ice Crown killing Scurge. Barron Rivendare is the last boss in Strathlome in Eastern Plaguelands, which is where the Death Knights start out. The Lich King is the Lord of the Scurge and Lord of the Death.

Do I know what I'm talking about? No. This is a game that has taken over my husband's computer. Talk of the latest missions, characters (or "'toons", as I recently learned) or what skill has been honed is common dinner talk. Never mind that I'm blathering on about my sister's lost 20.00, or Ammon's latest tricks, or that the cat barfed up a huge hairball. All that is going on is the active conversation about what happened, where they're at in the game, who's on the guild tonight, and...and....blah, blah, blah. Do I care? No.

I've been watching this evolve over the last three years. Curtis' participation has been like a roller coaster. Too much game and I complain about time he's spent hiding behind his computer. Too little time and he's all up in my business, not that I'm complaining about him being up in my business but when I get used to him being occupied in the evening on his computer, I've gotten used to my own nightly computer routine. Now my oldest boys are involved too. They help develop characters, crowd around the computer to watch him play, give advice (Jesse is very good at this),step in to play for him when a poopy diaper calls. All the information at the top of this post was dictated to me by Isaac and Jesse, who corrected me on spelling. Jesse's mission this afternoon: find the WOW Log Plume ride. Isaac's mission: Look up Plaged Protodrakes. Today at lunch I watched Curtis and Jesse hunch their shoulders, fold their arms in and stick their elbows out so they could show me how cool the Protodrake is. What the heck is a protodrake?! And, did they realize how goofy they looked in sync, acting out what protodrakes were? It was like a bad game of charades. Look! Nerds, and their nerdlings! I really do love them though.

Unless I'm dragging Curtis out to social events, he really doesn't go looking for them, so WOW has become his social network. The basement dwellers at his work are involved in WOW, so now they have "guild night", which is Friday night at 6:00 p.m. sharp, that they network together in the game and play. They have headphones so they can communicate with each other. They help each other out with gold. They "roll" for mount drops. Again, I have no idea what any of this means. I'm wondering how many of them actually have small snack appliances sitting on their desks to supply them with actual manna?



I do have to say that computer gaming has always been Curtis' hobby. I have actually uttered the words "You love the computer more than me!"...when I was much younger and much more immature ****cough* last year *cough****. I have read articles and forums in which the game has taken over people's lives, an addiction, and ruined relationships. Some throw up their hands and join up with their significant other so they can spend time together. Others go separate ways. For us, I have chosen to not become involved so that at least one of us is remembering to feed the kids. I looked at it like this: If I was involved heavily in scrapbooking, leaving every Saturday to spend in crops and projects, and living, eating, and breathing scrapbooking, and my best friends were there with me on that one day, how is that any different than what Curtis is doing with his game? With the exception of a few instances, usually Curtis will put down the headphones and mouse and join me in whatever I have requested his presence for.

However, I can't help but wonder why he gets so excited at the thought of being snowed in by a blizzard, or rained out of a picnic. Those stars in his eyes are not for me. (Well, maybe later they are..but not immediately). Do I want a happy husband or one bored out of his mind watching 14 hours of Smallville?

Besides, look at the graphics. I've been asked several times "Isn't this gorgeous?"
Compared to the barren landscape of Nebraska: yes.



I should just be grateful I don't have a keyboard in some kind of WOW language, or an actual doll figure of his character taking up space on my piano, or that he left the house dressed as a "something" from the game.



So, life as a WOW wife isn't too bad. I'm starting to find some humor in it now. Maybe it's making fun of him and his basement dweller friends that play that make it easier. Maybe I should make a forum for wives of WOW addicts. We can ask questions like "What happens if they leave the game in an "unsafe" place? Dinner is burning!" "Why do they sometimes wear clothes that look like something from a bad 1980's rock concert?" "Is anyone concerned about the adolescent boys telling your husband they think he looks hot as a girl dwarf?" You know, things like that. Important things.
At least he's home with us though. I know there are much worse things out there he could be doing.

*Modified to clarify: The reference I make to "basement dwellers" is in reference to Curtis' friends and him in his work place. Because they actually do work in a basement. On Friday's they have "The Basement Dweller's Potluck" lunch. One of his friends pointed out he does not play the game in his basement. He plays in his living room that has a couch. So, they aren't actually basement dwelling gamers, only basement dwelling workers. There. Clarified.