"Should we get it?"I asked. "What can it hurt?"he responded, and picked up the box with World of Warcraft inside. We were both gaming geeks. We had both played Atari and Super Mario Bros. growing up, and I had played Diablo in college. Halo was our current passion…. but we wanted something new.

"Let's just get one for now,"I said. "We don't even know if we will like it."We went home and suddenly became like children at Christmas. I couldn't wait to try out the new game. Sitting side-by–side, my husband and I created our first characters. He made a druid, and I made a warlock. We were up until 3 a.m. that first night. Realizing we couldn't play together on the same account, hubby came home with another copy of the game the next day after work. We leveled our characters together and quest and profession discussion became part of our daily routine. We came to know and love the game, and the people we came across.

Hubby and I had two daughters at home, and most of the people we ran into found it strange that married people with children played this game. That was until one day while questing I met S, A firecracker rogue from the south. Together, the three of us made our own family-friendly guild, Swift Justice. Today our guild has 250 members, and is still growing. S and I are the best of friends, talking on a daily basis, and flying across the country to see each other. Hubby and I are still going strong, celebrating eight years and a new baby boy.

Even my oldest girl has made a character now, and progressed to level 34…. and I'm sure that one day I'll hear the words "Mom… you're late for the raid."

This year I've resolved to find the silence within myself in hopes of figuring out exactly what I most need. Those who know me well know that I am great at taking care of others and not so good at taking care of myself. I've resolved to be better at this. And today I need to play World of Warcraft. Today, I plan to get my flying mount and I cannot wait. I only need 24 more gold. I am so close to my goal and, I am so far from the player I was a year ago.

Now, this might surprise you but I am not a typical gamer. Oh sure, I've dabbled with Super Mario Bros. and Zelda but I've never thought about playing World of Warcraft until I started working as a project manager for a web development company. My geek boys, as I affectionately call them, got me started. They have been very patient with me.

My first death was glorious. It was my first day of playing and one of my geek boys had already rescued me from a cave of spiders I'd decided to race into without thinking. I was just figuring out my next steps when he looked over my shoulder and asked, "Did you just die?"

Very affronted, I explained that of course I had not died, I was in fact in town. Who dies in town? He asked me to go off of map view (and then explained to me how to do so) looked for a moment, laughed and then asked, "Were you standing in a campfire?" (For those of you who may not know it, standing in a campfire as a Level-2 druid in front of very experienced players can not only result in your death but also in your ridicule for many months to come.)

They had a lot to teach me. I had a lot to learn.

I learned some of my lessons well. I learned how to fight with one person tanking and one person healing. I also learned all the shortcuts that allow your character to flirt, dance, and tell a joke. It took me a little longer to learn other aspects like not panicking in the middle of a fight and leading all the bad guys back to my allies, or looking before leaping. (I did have another embarrassing moment similar to the fire in which I was helping a newbie and after yelling "follow me!", led him right off a cliff where we both died somewhere in the trees many feet below. Let me tell you that it is extremely difficult to resurrect while falling past your body.)

But I have come a long way. Eventually, even the most inexperienced player, with enough encouragement and help, can get where I am. I recently partnered with a newbie who was just playing because her boyfriend was playing all the time. I didn't lead her off a cliff and neither of us died in a campfire, although she did lead a big group of bad guys right to me. We died. However, I was able to teach her how to tank, how to dance, and how to flirt.

And now, I'm off for that flying mount. Today, I am doing exactly what I want and getting exactly what I need and I don't feel guilty at all. :)

I never was really big on MMO, RPG, and RTS-type games... but that all changed one year.

I was a full-time college student and ended up having a heart attack. My girlfriend decided to get me some computer games because I was laid up for a while. She played one called "World of Warcraft," and said I might like it. I wasn't really into gaming but thought what the heck.

I really like to customize things and the character creation got me interested. I created a female tauren warrior named "Shindralla" for fun and never looked back. I experimented with other classes and races but always came back to my warrior. I started to hear the word tank around the game while I was leveling. This got me very interested. I joined a guild and they asked if I would tank when I was 70 (pre-wotlk.) I thought sure, but then the guild split up when I hit 70.

I found another guild and applied for a tank position. They chuckled at me being in "greens" but I had my defense "capped" and did my homework on tanking. They decided to give me a try in Karazhan. Afterward, I got all the tank drops and the guild master said "we were worried you were in greens, but MAN you can tank!" Ever since, I have tried to push my tanking limits with pulls and strategies. I have made lots of friends and earned reputation as a great tank. People are still amused when I tell them my girlfriend got me into World of Warcraft.

Louis

Well, lots of people get asked this question: "Who got you into playing World of Warcraft?" Well, some say, "My dad did." Sometimes, "My brother." Rarer, "My sister." But when someone asks me who got me into World of Warcraft, their jaws drop.

"She did WHAT?"

The answer I have given seems to astonish them. I simply state again, "My mother got me into World of Warcraft."

It all started back in 2008, mid-way through February. I couldn't help but notice my mother was playing this awesome online game. I figured it was something new, one of those "downloadable 3D games." But as I watched, it was too good to be one of those.

"What are you playing, Mom?" I asked. She simply replied, with a smile, "One of the best games I've ever played. This is World of Warcraft." My mother, whom was 43 at the time (I was 18), was running around a place she called "Outland" with a Level-70 named "Wellwellwell." She kept going places that astonished me. I asked her, "Any places outside of Outland?" She chuckled, and logged off. "I'm gonna show you more." She logged into another character, Level 28, named "Dittobabey." And she showed me all sorts of places; Darnassus, Exodar, Stormwind, and Ironforge. They were all lovely places, and the graphics awed me. Finally, time came to go grab sodas from the gas station. I couldn't help but ask her more questions, which she kept answering. Finally, she asked ME something.

"You seem to like it. I still owe you a Christmas present, and I know what to get you. Julie is going to town tonight; I'll hand her $50 and tell her to pick up the Battle Chest."

I smiled, and nodded. That night, when Julie got back, my mom and I set up World of Warcraft on my desktop. I created my account, and made my first character: A hunter, named Menardi. She took time out of Outland, and came to help me out, introduce me to trades, and even helped me tame my first pet: a rare wolf over in the Ironforge area. Since then, we’ve been playing together, and though I transferred Menardi (now Level 73) to Wyrmrest Accord, the two of us still play on Misha.

So, every time someone asks me who got me into playing World of Warcraft, I can say, with pride, "My mother got me into playing World of Warcraft!"

David

I know this may not seem like much, but I would like to say, "Great Job." I recently purchased a PC Gamer magazine (the fall edition), and was reading the articles about some of the things that either guilds have done or Blizzard Entertainment as a company has done. I came across the article about Ezra Chatterton, the 10-year-old boy who succumbed to cancer last year.

I have always played Alliance and decided to try Horde, so I created a tauren warrior, Shihalude. My brother had his tauren shaman a few levels higher than me at the time, and I noticed him doing the quest Ezra had created. I immediately told him the story behind the quest.

Then, when I got my warrior over to do the quest myself, I listened intently to the tauren giving the quest. I could tell that the writing style wasn't that of normal quest givers; it was that of a kid. I thought to myself, that it was touching -- a company actually taking the time to grant a young child’s wish. With all the mess that is going on in the world, it’s nice to hear that there are still people who think about doing something for others.

I myself have been playing the game for about 2 1/2 years now and enjoy it immensely. I just want to say it again: great job guys and gals. I know people who have met through the game and formed relationships, as well as people who stay in touch with their kids all across this country through the game. I am proud to be a World of Warcraft player and will continue to do so. Take care and happy questing.

Rueben

I am a 50 year old grandma who loves to play World of Warcraft. I also have four grown children who play, two of which got me hooked about two years ago. I am a stay-at-home grandma, while my daughter and her hubby are deployed to Afghanistan at the moment. I hadn't spoke with my youngest daughter in a long time, and when my youngest son moved in with us, we got his sister into it also; now we quest, raid, and just have plain old fun.

I can say World of Warcraft has brought my family back together. I recently found out I have two tumors in my chest and will be having surgery on the 11th of September...of all days, and plan to be sitting and playing World of Warcraft during my recuperation. I am a survivor of breast cancer, and am praying that it hasn't returned, but if it has, I'll be playing 'til my last breath!

I have made tons of new friends through playing World of Warcraft and have also made a couple of enemies. Overall though, I have learned to relax and have fun and use my brain for something other than the drama of real life. I can escape for a couple of hours and in the end I have no worries other than maybe the next achievement or leveling of a lower character.

We have four computers lined up along one wall and make fun of the South Park episode all the time and how our situation sometimes mimics that particular program.

My young granddaughters are already getting into this game, and I hope to play alongside them when they are old enough

To all my World of Warcraft friends... you're awesome.

Two years ago, my roommate and I had just started playing World of Warcraft. We had both reached level 40, him a night elf hunter and me an undead warlock, and I had a very slim grasp on rarity of items, having never run an instance because I did not know how to access the looking for group channel.

So, there I am, killing level 44 rock elementals in the Badlands for a quest, when the purple item [Icemail Jerkin] drops. I was shocked, dimly remembering from the guidebook that a purple item was incredibly rare. Being an undead warlock, I had never had more than 5 gold at one time, because I never really needed it (free 40 mount and all that). As a result, I did not understand the economy of World of Warcraft at all, partially because I had never used the auction house, preferring to make the items myself. So, I turned to my roommate, who had taken that exact opportunity to use the bathroom. I yelled through the door, describing the item's properties, such as color, appearance, stats, and my general exuberance. Eventually, since the item was a chainmail item and I could only wear cloth, I asked him how much I should sell it for, assuming that, because he was playing a night elf hunter, had to work with money to purchase his 40 mount, gear, etc., without my scruples against buying anything from other players. He suggested the ground-breaking price (to me) of three gold.

I immediately hearthed to the Undercity, and posted, after a series of trial and error, the item on the auction house. It sold immediately, to my surprise. Around this time, my roommate comes out of the bathroom and suggests that I look the item up on google, to find out how rare it is. I do so, click the first link I see, which takes me to a spoiler database site. This site tells me, among other things, that the drop rate was around .01%, and that the item sold, on average, for upwards of a hundred gold on most servers. The ensuring argument with my roommate lasted several hours, and up until a few hours ago, we have been throwing the occasional jibe at each other.

A few weeks ago, we both started two new characters on a new realm, to try out the PvP experience. I once again find myself in the Badlands, doing the same quests as before. As I kill, beast after elemental after humanoid after dragonkin, I find myself sneaking behind a whelp, a few levels above me. I instantly remember the purple, its rarity, its drop rate, and my luck, before engaging the whelp. It dies, after a few seconds, and the epic level item [Nightblade] drops, under almost the exact same conditions as the previous epic from two years past dropped. As I sit there, transfixed, staring at this epic quality that I once again cannot use. I am vividly struck with the memory of that night, reminding me of what an item like this did to my friendship. I stood up, walked over to where my roommate was playing, and sat down beside him. After I remind him of the argument that took place almost two years ago, I utter the words “I am sorry.”

After playing World of Warcraft for over two years, I still find myself returning to the mountain peak paths of the Barrens. And with every walk I take, I remind my guildmates that I intend to build a summer home there. They always laughed until I took them up there, and then they saw what I loved about it. It is beautiful with the plains of the Barrens to one side and the dark mystique of Dustwallow Marsh on the other.

My guild is perhaps one of the greatest sets of people I’ve ever met. We’re not raiders or power players of any kind. For the most part, we’re just people trying to relax and do something to help each other. Although I’ve left the game world to pursue courses and work many times, I always find myself returning to it. Not just to play a game, but to connect with friends on a level that doesn’t exist outside of World of Warcraft. I run instances with them, complete quests with their help and share good times with them. The fact that we are like a family, with common goals and desires makes World of Warcraft a warmer place to be.

I’ve played few games where people can meet, play, and grow their connections. There are guilds and raids and time-consuming quests, but World of Warcraft provided something else. It provided a warm place to let bonds grow and be nurtured through those quests and raids and guilds. This is probably the most credited reason I have for returning to World of Warcraft every time my game time card runs out.

We are the Castaways, formerly of the Fallen Protectorate, and we are a family.

My mother (Sweetelfette/Hitmanslady: Dentarg), my father (Himantheone: Dentarg), my brother (Hitmanjr: Dentarg), and I (Watchitibite, Deadhitgirl, Ibublaway: Dentarg), all began playing World of Warcraft a little over three years ago.

We were growing apart in real life, each of us going our own ways to do our own things. My father's friend suggested to him that he play World of Warcraft with him. Dad saw this as an opportunity to have fun while bringing us all back together. It would be something that we would all enjoy, because we were all gamers at heart.

That's when our adventure began. Mom and Dad rolled tauren shamans, my brother rolled a tauren hunter, and me being me, I decided to roll an undead warlock.

We leveled together, all reaching level 70 a couple of months later. As we played we slowly began to come back together, smiling and laughing at all of the things this wonderful game has to offer. Eventually, we were close again. We formed a guild named Elite Renegades at War and began to raid.

What started out a WoWing family of four (Technically a family of seven, five kids and two parents. My younger brothers only play on occasion.) ended up becoming a big family of well over one hundred. We enjoy laughing and messing around with our guildies, most of whom we have become very close with.

People often criticize an entire family playing, but there are others who are in awe ("I wish my parents played!")

World of Warcraft brought us back together as a family. Don't be afraid to introduce your parents to a game. They might actually get interested, and even though you think that you might be annoyed with your old-timers asking you how everything works or for help, you'll actually come to appreciate the time that you spent together. It may seem like a little thing, but truly gaming together can be an enjoyable experience for the entire family.

And if you ever want to become part of what is sometimes know as "The Hitman Family," pop by Dentarg and whisper Hitmantheone, current guildmaster and head of the family of Elite Renegades at War.

When I first started playing World of Warcraft I didn’t know what kind of character and class I wanted to be. My dad had made a hunter and he had made it to 70, and I wanted to be one of those people to make a 70. I have been trying to and I’m now at level 58. My shaman is the best character I have ever made. She has made a lot of friends on there and I have a lot of good times with them.

When I first started playing, I didn’t know what to do, so I asked my dad and he told me how to do the controls and everything. I had finally figured it out and the day after that I had made level 10. When I did I just started loving it more and more each day I played it.

Before I started playing, I used to ask my dad "why do you play that dumb game all the time?" then here I am like six months later with a level-58 shaman, and I told him "I take back what I said to you"; I still laugh about it today. The thing that has inspired me to play was the excitement, the joy, and just having fun and playing and meeting people from around the world. I LOVE World of Warcraft, I think it's an awesome game to play, and someday I hope to make level 70 and have the best shaman ever made.

So that’s why I make my goal I plan on being a good 70 like my dad, and hopefully you will be a great 70 too.

Mother's Day 2008 was a wonderful day. My real-life daughter (character named Cynovmen) and I were questing together in Nagrand when we both achieved our eagerly awaited level 70 at the same time. We had just finished the quest Buying Time for Altruis the Sufferer and raced to turn it in. I knew we were close to leveling but I held my breath as we turned in the quest; would SHE ding before me or would I be the one? I had started playing World of Warcraft in July 2007 but it took until November for me to convince her to give it a try. She made a hunter just like I had and from that first day she was as much into World of Warcraft as I was. Day after day she got closer and closer to my level. It soon became a race to see how fast she could catch up with me so we could quest together; then she and I were neck and neck. So, there we were on Mother's Day 2008, questing together as we often are wondering which of us would reach that magic plateau of level 70. And, it happened! We 'dinged' together. I was so excited I took a screen shot. What a wonderful 'new beginning' it was for us. Who knows what Mother's Day 2009 will bring for us; we can hardly wait!

I am a 65-year-old grandmother and have been playing World of Warcraft since October of 2006. Why, you ask? Well, let me start from the beginning.

I took early retirement in late 2005 to take care of my ailing husband (who by the way also plays World of Warcraft). After working for so many years, it was hard to find ways to keep myself busy and the days became pretty boring and repetitious. Our youngest daughter, her husband, and stepdaughter were already playing World of Warcraft for quite some time, and one evening when we were visiting them, our daughter suggested taking home a 10-day free trial disc and seeing if we liked playing the game. If we decided we enjoyed playing, they would get us into the guild that our son-in-law started (Clan of the Toes) and help us to learn all the ins and outs of playing and leveling.

Well, needless to say, we enjoyed playing so much that it is now 2009 and we are still going strong! I, myself, have two level-80 characters, and six more that are 70+. By no means am I as fast nor as good as my younger counterparts, but I enjoy playing at my own speed and abilities. A few people that I have grouped up with to do dungeons and instances have asked me my age and when I tell them, they are floored! I have had nothing but positive input about my playing and others wish that they had parents/grandparents playing with them.

Besides our daughter's family playing, we also have two grandsons from another daughter playing World of Warcraft on the Illidan realm, and another daughter and grandson playing on Laughing Skull that live in another state. Might you say that we have a family-based game-playing experience going on? You bet and we love it! I firmly believe in the old adage "the family that plays together, stays together."

Also while we're playing the game, we talk to each other via a voice program which helps us all work together on quests, dungeons, and instances in a constructive manner, plus it allows us to keep in touch with each other.

I really have to say that playing World of Warcraft has kept my mind sharp by making me think about my moves while playing, and my reaction time may be sharper than if I wasn't playing this game. Will I be giving up playing anytime soon? Not as long as I can make my fingers work the keyboard, and my brain can function well enough to quest and reasonably keep up with younger family members! I love being the World of Warcraft playing grandma, and I'll be around for quite some time. See you in-game!

It is a very early Tuesday morning, the rain a heavy drum on my ceiling. I open World of Warcraft, apprehension and anxiety coursing through me. My friend sends me a text, advising me of the correct course of action to create my account -- he had been kind enough to install the game for me. It takes me about 10 minutes, if only because I keep re-checking things to make sure I have them right, but I’m finally at the part where I can create a character.

And I freak out!

What is the side I should choose? What creature type should I pick? What class is the best to use? All sorts of questions flew out of my mouth, and were translated into text as I messaged my friend for help. Encouraging me, he helped me create the character I would focus on, a blood elf priest. As I clicked the arrows to adjust her appearance, he told me about some of the spells that I will get to use. Healing and resurrecting were the ones I was really excited about.

As I click the finish button, he springs a surprise on me -- he created a blood elf character, too! As I appear on the steps of my starting point, he joins me with his character. Walking me through, step by step, I learn the basics. Simple things like walking, jumping, and using the basic spells I started with. Although his spells are different -- he created a hunter instead of a priest -- he had done his research so that he could help educate me in my baby steps.

As we embark on the first mission, killing mana worms, he’s shocked at how fast we’re gaining experience points! After only a few minutes, we’ve reached level 2 and are steadily moving to level 3. He is excited, which makes me excited, and we go around and complete another mission. I was scared when I suddenly died, but my panic attack was short-lived when he mentioned to me that I just needed to run back to where I died so that I could be resurrected.

After several hours of playing, I realize that it is time for me to get to bed, especially if I want to go to work awake later in the day. He imparts a few final words, as well as telling me how great I did, and I log out of the game.

And that was the first time I played World of Warcraft. Since then, I’ve played enough to level several characters and found other people who enjoy the game with the same passion I do. But I still find a few hours every week to spend specifically with my friend, and we reminisce about old times where I was still a newbie and we killed mana worms. Those are always the good times, and I have World of Warcraft to thank for it.

Thank you!

-DECEMBER 2007-
It's a rainy Saturday evening. J steps out of his front door and waves as I pull into the driveway. J is beaming as he gets into the car. We've been dating for a couple of months now, and things are going pretty well so far. We're headed out to dinner tonight.

We exchange greetings. I get about halfway down the block before J says, "Hey, is it alright if I talk about WoW?"

I chuckle. I've never played World of Warcraft before, but a few of my friends are enthusiasts. Occasionally, they get together and say things like "My level-70 troll shaman is exalted with Netherwing!" and I smile and nod along as if I understand. J generally avoids World of Warcraft talk around me, but I can tell he's really excited, and besides, he's cute when he's geeking out.

"Sure," I say. "Tell me all about it."

He excitedly tells me the details of the Karazahn raid he just left. They kept wiping on Curator, J says, but his warlock's DPS was 1,100+ ("What's DPS?" I ask.), so he didn't feel too bad about it. The raid was still going as he left.

I smile and nod. "I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?"

"Nah," J says. "My guildmates are cool with it." He pauses for a moment, then adds, "One of them said I should pat you on the bum, because 'girls like that sort of thing.'" We both laugh, and move on to other subjects.

-APRIL 2008-
I decide that I'm tired of not knowing what J and my friends (who now talk about World of Warcraft whenever they're together) are talking about, so I decide to try a free trial of the game. I tell myself it's just so I can pick up the lingo and so I can follow along in conversations. Besides, it's spring break, and the trial will be over by the time I start school again....

I create my first character, a night elf hunter. J creates a night elf priest so we can level up together. We battle Mangy Nightsabers, pick flowers, and get attacked by bears all through Ashenvale together.

-MAY 2008-
I'm really into World of Warcraft now. My hunter is shooting everything that moves in Dustwallow Marsh and capping Warsong like nobody's business. During road trips, I have lengthy conversations with my brother on whether or not Fandral Staghelm's actions are morally justifiable. Despite this, I ace my finals and get on the dean's list for the semester.

-APRIL 2009-
I've finished with undergrad. My main (a holy priest) is now ready for Ulduar. I raid on a weekly basis with the fellow who suggested that J pat me on the rear during our date (he turned out to be, in no particular order, hilarious, an amazing player, and one of the nicest people I've met in World of Warcraft). I've talked my brother into joining our guild, and we have a blast playing together.

As for J? Things are still going great. I love him dearly, and we are having a great time kicking Scourge butt in Northrend. He's the best death knight a gal could ask for.

But I still pwn him in PvP.

One day I was in a raid group for [For the Alliance], we met at Ratchet and were awaiting the go-ahead to start the raid on Orgrimmar, and the raid leader asked if everyone had their epic mounts. As a joke I said, "No I'm 700g from getting mine," and he replied by saying, "No, your epic land mounts not your flying mount." I then said, "Oh yea that I have lol."

Then someone from the raid said to everyone, "Maybe we should all chip in to help. 700g isn't that much." I was sitting there kind of stunned. I sent him a whisper saying, "Thanks! You're the only person who has actually tried to help me." He then said, "I will -- come meet at the top of this building." So I did thinking that he was just joking, but then he opened up the trade box and put in 700g. I was shocked thinking that at the last second he was going to click cancel and when I saw the trade box light up green on one side I clicked trade on my side and sure as heck, I got 700g more for a total of 5000g.

I went back to Dalaran and bought my epic flying lessons and am now enjoying flying 280% faster. For all those reading, the name of the guy who helped me was Ohurs, and I immediately added him to my friends list. So I have found something rarer than an artifact weapon drop -- someone who was generous without looking for any payback.

About four years ago a friend of mine introduced me to World of Warcraft. I started out with a night elf priest on the Uldaman server. Maybe a year into me playing the game my brother moved back to the states after leaving the navy (Flamedancer, warlock on Runetotem). He was in a guild at the time named Time Off. He was at my house one night running a dungeon and had voice chat on with only speakers. All of a sudden I heard a new voice come over the speakers, and from that moment on I was hooked on the guy who had spoken. I transferred my priest to the Runetotem server and joined Time Off.

I met a lot of really cool people in that guild. Some have become friends out of game also, but the real excitement was when I finally got to meet, run instances, and talk to Carolynn (actually a guy -- he just has a female character). We spent two years talking, starting new characters together just to have "alone" time to talk with no one else knowing who the characters were and it ended us up with four max-level characters each.

In January of 2008 he flew down from Minnesota (this would be the first time we met in person and first time we had even seen what each other looked like). He arrived two days before my 26th birthday and was only supposed to stay for a week, but he never went back. Now we have a beautiful son together and have been married for almost a year. I can honestly say that if it wasn't for this game I wouldn't have met and married my husband, and had a beautiful son. We are still going strong, still playing World of Warcraft, and still enjoying the time we spend on the game together. Now we roll with Plays Well With Others and he plays his tankadin and I play my healadin and we have a blast doing it.