Pages

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Day 1 - In Which I (Re)Introduce Myself

So I decided to do 20 Days of MMO Blogging beginning with an introduction. I feel just a little silly, since I've been at this blogging thing for a couple years now, and much of what I can say by way of self-introduction is visible on this page or within one click of it.

Hi I'm Rowan, at least that is my nom-de-blog. It's based on my main character in World of Warcraft, a female priest named Rowanblaze. When I was involved in raiding, my guild called me Rowan in Ventrilo (the voice over IP program we used, if you need to know). When I started this blog (actually, my initial blog was called "Rowanblaze Saves Azeroth"), it made sense that I continue using my in-game identity, even if she is female. I think the moniker Rowanblaze is more associated with me as a male blogger than the character by a much wider audience anyway, thanks to this blog, my comments on other blogs, and Twitter (and also G+).

I've been playing MMOs for almost six years, starting with WoW, and including Star Trek Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan, Rift, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. I am very much in favor of story-driven content; and game mechanics—while important—are secondary to narrative. I have many posts related to that preference, plus a couple I have yet to publish.

When I am not gaming, I love spending time with my new bride and our lovely teenage daughters, and my grown stepsons, when they are around. My lovely bride, known as Sctrz on Twitter, plays MMOs as well, when she is not busy with RL obligations I don't have. That is, I can play much more than she can. But I love playing together. I am a computer software instructor and curriculum developer by day, ruthless Sith Assassin by night. My occasional business travels have given me the opportunity to visit some pretty fantastic places and also meet fabulous people that I had only known online. I look forward to continuing that trend of meeting fellow gamers and bloggers.

I have come to realize I have an overdeveloped sense of justice, like Batman. Unfortunately, I do not also have a cape or utility belt, so I am limited to online rants, and occasional meetings with the idiots running the schools around here. If you have read this blog for long, you have seen me in action; though I do try to temper my words here on the blog. I can only hope I produce coherent thoughts. You Dear Reader, can be the judge.

If you have any questions that aren't too personal (I do value my privacy), feel free to post them in the comments. I'll try to answer, as I love interacting with my readers.

8 comments:

  1. I like the occasionally reintroduction, because rarely do I click the about page, unless it's a female blogger with pics on it and I'm stalking them...er I mean I never do.

    Like I didn't know you were a software instructor. Here I thought you had a much cooler job. LOL Just kidding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with River -- I didn't know you were a software instructor! Also, congratulations on being married to another gamer, you lucky dog! The only games my wife has ever really been interested in is Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Birds, and Puzzle Quest. I'm not complaining, but MMO gaming is beyond the Pale in her book.

    Anyways, I was inspired by you, and I've decided to take up the challenge, too! There's even a "rowanblaze is an awesome human being" tag.

    Okay, but "serious" question: how much of playing a Sith Inquisitor is escapist fantasy? By way of example, I know I started my Inquisitor after one particularly terrible day of grading undergraduate papers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good stuff Rowan! Really digging this 20 days of blogging.

    AH - my RSS feed is dizzy, you gotta slow down the blog hopping. Especially since dreamwidth.org forces you to create an account just to comment. )-:

    ReplyDelete
  4. @hzero Ooo, there's a good reason to stay away. Another reason I keep to Blogger (and wordpress) is that sites like dreamwidth are blocked at work, where I do most of my blog reading. And thanks. I've barely started. :)

    @AH I think pretty much all of SWTOR (and a good many other MMOs) is escapist fantasy. That's why I personally don't like ground-up sandbox games, seems like too much work. I will say that it a bit of (emotional) work always choosing the dark side. I think I have maybe 300 LS points on Tollkirsche, I make dark side decisions purely for teh evuls, not necessarily what I think He'd really do if he were making the decisions. On all my other characters, I am much more neutral, some dark some light, though really more light than dark.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Damn, here I go off and make a new blog, and none of my old friends can comment on it. THAT WILL TEACH ME

      But also: my Inquisitor's MO is basically "lightning blast when I can, but keep my word and try to help those underlings that help me." Following those rough guidelines, I found my storyline quest on Balmorra to be really, really rewarding.

      Delete
    2. Heh, I forget that this blog does nested replies.

      With my Inquisitor, I chose the Assassin advanced class, because I knew I wanted my Consular to become a Sage. With each mirror class, I have chosen the opposite advanced class in order to get a feel for the mechanics on both sides. I think I would have preferred the Sorceror, TBH. But the stealth tank in light armor is a fascinating concept, and I do still have the basic lightning abilities. One of the "light" choices I did make was a power play on my part, when I could have just been sadistic. It made more sense to me.

      Delete
    3. I wanted to play an Inquisitor for one reason, and one reason only: FORCE LIGHTNING

      I don't even use the lightsaber, not really. Ranged DPS lightning, all the way.

      Though we work well together, I'm really looking forward to abandoning Khem in favor of someone else. Tired of him judging me. D:<

      Delete