• About A. L. Butcher – Fantasy Author, Poet, Author Promotion
  • Alexa Lynsey
  • Author Interviews
  • Book Awards
  • BUNDLES! GLORIOUS BUNDLES!
    • Blood and Shadows Bundle
    • Here Be Dragons Bundle
    • Here Be Fairies Bundle
    • Here Be Ghosts Bundle
      • Here Be Monsters Bundle
        • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Magic Bundle
    • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Unicorns Bundle
    • Heroic Tales Bundle
    • Nightly Bites Vol 2 – Anthology
    • The Immortals Bundle
  • Editor Interviews
  • Erana Promotional Services and Contact Info
  • Friends of Erana
  • Giveaways, Promos and Events
  • Mailing List – Forthcoming events and publications
  • Publications – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – and other works.
    • Legacy of the Mask Tales
    • My Interviews and feature posts.
    • Perseid Press Contributions
    • Short Stories, Anthologies, Poetry
    • Tales of Erana Series
      • Wyrd Worlds – a fantasy and science fiction anthology.
    • The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story
  • Reader Interviews.
  • Reading Challenge 2019
  • Resources
  • Reviewer Interviews
  • Words!

Library of Erana

~ A haven of magic, myth and mayhem! Blog stops, books, reviews, interviews and more. The site of fantasy author, poet and blogger A. L. Butcher.

Library of Erana

Tag Archives: World of Warcraft

The merits of online gaming – it’s not as nerdy as you might think #Gaming #socialworlds #disability #gamersrock

11 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by eranamage in Articles, links and advice, Dark Fantasy, fantasy character, fantasy world, Writers' Corner

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Disability, Fantasy games., Games, Mats Steen, online communities, Online gaming, World of Warcraft

A friend of mine shared the article below – which talks about the pleasure and freedom a disabled young man got from online gaming, in this case World of Warcraft.

My disabled son’s amazing gaming life in the World of Warcraft

Gaming has a bad rep – it’s nerdy, it’s antisocial, it’s played by sad lonely folks with no real friends. Wrong. Whilst it’s true there are online games which can be played solo there are also plenty which can be, and are, played by millions, and generate real and lasting friendships.

Someone, please tell me why playing an online game alone is so frowned up by non-gamers. Why is this different from reading a book by oneself or watching a movie? It’s not. Most of the games have complex worlds, plots and themes. They bring adventure, skills one could not hope to have in reality, and enjoyment. Yes, there are some violent games, but there is very little evidence to state there is a correlation between playing violent games and actual violence. There have been episodes of shooters who played games acting them out – but there are far more who don’t – they have other, multifarious reasons for doing what they do. People don’t say reading or movies are sad… to me gaming is even richer.

Anyway I digress… I played World of Warcraft for many years, and I don’t regret a single day, a single hour, or a single session. Not one. That particular game brought me a lot of enjoyment and lasting friendships. I met folks I’d never have met before, and had (usually fairly silly) conversations with them. We laughed, we co-operated, we grumbled, we yelled at the screen, we joked and we supported one another.

Games like this are so much more than just killing monsters. They are social, engaging, exciting and world-broadening. My guild had people from a range of nations, speaking English mostly but multilingual. We had male and female, gay and straight, old and young. And no one gave a damn about things like that.  Many people think gaming is sad, or for losers. It’s not. Really it isn’t. It’s a way of finding friendship, new worlds and experiences, new realities.

For a long time it was part of my life, and part of my social life. I am still in contact with people I met through that game, and my guild Frozen Legion, was a small and close guild – like Starlight mentioned in the article. There is far more to a social game than running around as an elf (or in my case an undead mage) poking monsters. The guild supports it’s members in the way any club would. People form bonds – and I know within our guild and our alliances with other guilds there were relationships. Why is friendship formed in such a way less worthy than friendships formed at, say the pub, or football, or chess? It’s not. Of course, it isn’t.

I met my best friend through an online game – and we’ve had nearly a decade of deep friendship. I can tell her anything, and we support one another. We speak every day, or at least every other day but we have never physically met as we live thousands of miles apart. Yet that friendship is as dear to me as any of my more local friends.

The young man mentioned in the article was disabled, and could not participate in sports, or various other activities. In WoW he was free, he could run about and have adventures, he was a valued and respected member of that particular community. A few members knew his health issues – but as with many communities online – no one much cared that he was ‘different’. His gaming friends pooled their money so some could attend his funeral, and his friends sent his family touching messages. He’ll be remembered by people who never met him, but nonetheless cared about and respected him. Mat touched hearts, brought joy to others and lived a life of adventure – even it was not ‘real’. That’s not a bad legacy for anyone.

Another example of this touching and respectful communities amongst gamers –

Star Trek Online – when Leonard Nimoy passed away there were several in-game memorials to the legendary actor, who was, of course, Mr Spock. Players gathered their avatars on the world of Vulcan to pay their respects.

https://www.vg247.com/2015/02/28/star-trek-online-leonard-nimoy-spock-tribute/

https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/9079793

For those of you out there who disparage gaming and online communities – please think again. It’s rich, caring, society where there is far less prejudice and far more freedom.

Dedicated to my friend Zherevox – I miss you buddy – Mats Steen and his family, Starlight and Frozen Legion.

#Gamersrock.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Blog Tour – The Gentlemen’s Club – Contemporary Romance
  • A Day in the Life of Jo Elizabeth Pinto #Uniqueauthors #Meetanauthor
  • Warrior Woman of the Samurai – Blog Tour #Historical Fiction
  • For Remembrance Sunday 2019
  • How To Backup Your WordPress Blog To Prevent Losing All Its Contents
  • A Day in the Life of… Johann Conrad Dippel #Meetacharacter #Bundles #Frankenstein
  • New Release – Might Have Been – Tales and Retales Bundle #Fantasy #Fairytales #adultfairytales #bundles
  • Dark Tales and Twisted Verses – New Release #Darkfantasy #Horror #Poetry
  • Dirty Dozen Author Interview – L L Thomsen #Meetanauthor #Fantasy
  • Snuggle Up With These Books – November #Books #Prizes #Indiepromo

Book Images

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dark Fantasy- Beyond the Storm

Dark Fantasy- Beyond the Storm

Erana Interviews and Features

Erana Interviews and Features

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
Follow Library of Erana on WordPress.com

Proud supporter of Senior Salon

Copyright notice

(c) A.L. Butcher and Library of Erana Blog, 2012-2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to  A. L Butcher and https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/ with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. The interviewed authors and characters retain any excerpt, image rights and character copyright.

All gallery photos are the property of A. L. Butcher, or the correct licenses have been purchased.

Amazon Associate

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #CommissionsEarned

Goodreads

My pictures

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,150 other followers

  • The Irish Giant -Patrick Cotter
  • Blog Tour - The Gentlemen's Club - Contemporary Romance
  • Back into Hell - Hell Week 2015 - Dr Neill Cream
  • Book Spotlight M/M romance/erotica - Doctor's Orders
  • Spotlight and Blog Tour - Eyes Wide Open #MMF #EroticRomance
  • Hell Week 2017 Day 3 - Andrew Weston/Charles Vane
  • Text speak and the evolution of language?
  • Dirty Dozen Interview - Ron Vitale - Fantasy/Mythic/Paranormal
  • About A. L. Butcher - Fantasy Author, Poet, Author Promotion
  • Audiobook Narrator Interview Number Four - Dean Robertson

Category Cloud

Adult fantasy Articles, links and advice Author interviews Author Spotlight Book Spotlight British Fantasy British writer Character Interviews Chat and Introductions Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fantasy author fantasy character Fantasy Creatures fantasy world female writers Fiction Heroic Fantasy Historical Historical Fiction indie authors Indie Promotion My books Paranormal Promotion Romance Spec Fic Support an Indie! The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles Writers' Corner

Blog Stats

  • 61,768 hits

Pages

  • About A. L. Butcher – Fantasy Author, Poet, Author Promotion
  • Alexa Lynsey
  • Author Interviews
  • Book Awards
  • BUNDLES! GLORIOUS BUNDLES!
    • Blood and Shadows Bundle
    • Here Be Dragons Bundle
    • Here Be Fairies Bundle
    • Here Be Ghosts Bundle
      • Here Be Monsters Bundle
        • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Magic Bundle
    • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Unicorns Bundle
    • Heroic Tales Bundle
    • Nightly Bites Vol 2 – Anthology
    • The Immortals Bundle
  • Editor Interviews
  • Erana Promotional Services and Contact Info
  • Friends of Erana
  • Giveaways, Promos and Events
  • Mailing List – Forthcoming events and publications
  • Publications – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – and other works.
    • Legacy of the Mask Tales
    • My Interviews and feature posts.
    • Perseid Press Contributions
    • Short Stories, Anthologies, Poetry
    • Tales of Erana Series
      • Wyrd Worlds – a fantasy and science fiction anthology.
    • The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story
  • Reader Interviews.
  • Reading Challenge 2019
  • Resources
  • Reviewer Interviews
  • Words!

Archives

Buy links

  • Bellator – Amazon.com
  • Bellator – Smashwords
  • Heroika: Dragon Eaters – Universal Link
  • Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy – Amazon – Kindle
  • Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy – Amazon.com Paperback
  • Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy – Create Space
  • Perseid Press
  • Shining Citadel – Universal Link
  • Tales of Erana Audio Amazon UK
  • Tales of Erana Audio US
  • Tales of Erana – Audio Amazon US
  • Tales of Erana Universal Link
  • The Light Beyond the Storm Universal Link
  • The Stolen Tower – Universal Link
  • Wyrd Worlds – Amazon Kindle
  • Wyrd Worlds – Smashwords
  • Wyrd Worlds II – Amazon
  • Wyrd Worlds II – Smashwords

Blogs I Follow

  • Gastradamus
  • The Literary Gangster
  • Penstricken
  • Jewniquely Myself
  • melissabowersock
  • SCAN-a-BLOG
  • The Heart of Applebutter Hill
  • Maryqueenofscots1587's Blog
  • Phantasmagorium
  • The Library Lady Travels
  • Discount Coupons Now
  • अक़्स
  • Creativewordsflowchat
  • POETRY FESTIVAL. Submit to site for FREE. Submit for actor performance. Submit poem to be made into film.
  • Musings
  • Stephen Page
  • Writing Wrinkles
  • THE HISTORICAL DIARIES
  • KayCKay Book Reviews
  • Mugilan Raju

Pages

  • About A. L. Butcher – Fantasy Author, Poet, Author Promotion
  • Alexa Lynsey
  • Author Interviews
  • Book Awards
  • BUNDLES! GLORIOUS BUNDLES!
    • Blood and Shadows Bundle
    • Here Be Dragons Bundle
    • Here Be Fairies Bundle
    • Here Be Ghosts Bundle
      • Here Be Monsters Bundle
        • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Magic Bundle
    • Here Be Merfolk Bundle
    • Here Be Unicorns Bundle
    • Heroic Tales Bundle
    • Nightly Bites Vol 2 – Anthology
    • The Immortals Bundle
  • Editor Interviews
  • Erana Promotional Services and Contact Info
  • Friends of Erana
  • Giveaways, Promos and Events
  • Mailing List – Forthcoming events and publications
  • Publications – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – and other works.
    • Legacy of the Mask Tales
    • My Interviews and feature posts.
    • Perseid Press Contributions
    • Short Stories, Anthologies, Poetry
    • Tales of Erana Series
      • Wyrd Worlds – a fantasy and science fiction anthology.
    • The Secret of Blossom Rise – A Ghost Story
  • Reader Interviews.
  • Reading Challenge 2019
  • Resources
  • Reviewer Interviews
  • Words!

Library of Erana (c)

Site copyright (C), works and layout belong to A.L. Butcher. Guests post (c) also belong to the author.  Photo images belong to A.L. Butcher, or have been purchased under appropriate license.

 

Blog at WordPress.com.

Gastradamus

Gastradamus is my name, and Gassy Topics are my game!

The Literary Gangster

Dare To Write | Get Wise

Penstricken

Fiction in all its forms

Jewniquely Myself

melissabowersock

Eclectic writer of fiction and non-fiction

SCAN-a-BLOG

A Quiet Place of Inspiration. We love art and literature.

The Heart of Applebutter Hill

A Novel on a Mission

Maryqueenofscots1587's Blog

The stolen Lindisfarne Gospels in the British Library and the persecution of Mary Queen of Scots and Catholics

Phantasmagorium

Weird worlds and writing about writers.

The Library Lady Travels

If adventures do not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad - Jane Austin

Discount Coupons Now

Save Money With Printable Coupons and Deals

अक़्स

राज़ की बातें

Creativewordsflowchat

SHORT STORIES AND POEMS by E.E.R

POETRY FESTIVAL. Submit to site for FREE. Submit for actor performance. Submit poem to be made into film.

Musings

Short fiction, poetry, and information for writers.

Stephen Page

Author: The Timbre of Sand, Still Dandelions, A Ranch Bordering the Salty River. Alum: Palomar College, Columbia University, Bennington College. Follow on twitter @SmpageSteve on Instagram @smpagemoria on Facebook @steven.page.1481

Writing Wrinkles

Smoothing out the wrinkles in this wrinkly's writing

THE HISTORICAL DIARIES

LOOKING INTO THE PAST ....

KayCKay Book Reviews

No one ever reads the same book. We all react to the written word differently. The following are my opinions regarding the books I have read.

Mugilan Raju

Prime my subconscious, one hint at a time

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: