Nomadic Gamers

I’ve noticed lately that the landscape of my bookshelf is changing. Getting crowded out and pushed aside are works of science fiction and fantasy that I rarely have the time to read these days. They are being replaced with—of all things—travel guides, or perhaps I should say game guides.

Over the past 5 years I’ve started picking up game guides to many of the MMOs I have played or plan on playing at some point. Call me old fashioned, but I still enjoy looking through a book more than a website when browsing for information about my current MMO of choice.

Yes, I’m fully aware that the content in these books is static and often goes out of date even before seeing the light of print, but to be honest, that doesn’t bother me. I don’t think that’s necessarily what I’m after in these guides.

I think in some ways I see these books as travel guides to foreign places I am currently a tourist of or of places I soon plan to visit. When away from the game and nowhere near my computer, it’s nice to have one of these to pore over. It tends to pique my imagination and enthusiasm for the game.

When I first start an MMO, I often find the character creation section helpful in determining what class I would like to play. I like to have that settled in my head before creating my first character. I rarely bother with the quest sections of these guides and never look at the bestiary. I don’t want to read about what creatures are out there in the world. I want that to be a surprise and discover for myself in game. Call me silly. I’m sure you already have.

I’m also a sucker for maps and atlases and I shutter to think of the amount of time I’ve spent staring at detailed maps of the Sinking Sands, Tortage Island, or the Barrens.

Speaking of offline reading habits, I’m also a proud subscriber to Beckett Massive Online Gamer and Game Informer. Our bathroom is well stocked with issues of both. Please forgive me, Stargrace.

One thing hasn’t changed over all this time. I still have a book in my hand pretty much everywhere I go. It’s no longer a fantasy or science fiction novel, but it’s still something that represents a passion of mine. And that’s fine with me.

If you’re at all curious, here’s but a sampling from my “scholarly” library:

Age of Conan

• Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Official Strategy Guide

EQ

• Everquest: The Ruins of Kunark (Prima’s Official Strategy Guide)

EQ II

• Everquest II Atlas
• Everquest II (Prima Official Game Guide)
• Everquest II: Kingdom of Sky (Prima Official Game Guide)
• Everquest II: Desert of Flame (Prima Official Game Guide)

Lord of the Rings Online

• Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

World of Warcraft

• World of Warcraft: Official Strategy Guide*
• World of Warcraft Master Guide
• World of Warcraft Master Guide (2nd ed.)
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Official Strategy Guide
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Official Strategy Guide
• World of Warcraft Atlas
• World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion
• World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion, Volume 2

* This was the first MMO game guide I purchased back in 2005. I ended up taking it with me on a trip to visit a friend. I had just started playing WoW (my first MMO) and wanted something to read during my trip. My friend had never heard of WoW–or any other MMO for that matter–but after looking the guide over and seeing how much there was to the game decided to go out and get a copy. He’s still playing today.

I have vivid memories of my father getting upset while watching a football game on TV. He would jump out of his seat, yell, curse, and on occasion throw pillows at the screen. As a child I didn’t understand why he got so upset. I think in some ways that’s why I veered away from being a spectator of sports some time ago. I didn’t want to get myself into situations where I would get that worked up over anything.

Fast forward too many years and here I sit in front of my computer playing Risen, a single player fantasy RPG. I’ve yet to throw anything at my monitor, but the swear words under my breath and the clinching of fists have become all too common occurrences while playing the game.

Combat is my undoing. It is at once exciting, challenging, and at times infuriating. There is no locking on a particular target, and as I would imagine melee combat in real life to be, you are constantly moving around. If you find yourself confronted by more than one enemy, you are often flanked and attacked from different directions simultaneously. During most fights I find myself moving around in my chair (as if that’s going to make a difference) which in turn has elicited some strange looks from my wife.

I try my best to stop my gaming sessions on a positive note, but there have been many situations I’ve found myself in where I’ve encountered an enemy I simply haven’t been able to beat–even after 5 or so reloads. So in these instances I have left the game frustrated and stomped out of our computer room in a huff. My wife has been picking up on these mood swings, by the way. And it was while explaining to her why I was so frustrated that I remembered my father.

I guess I should be thankful he wasn’t into video games back then. I’d probably be the one throwing things at the TV now.