LAGWAR | GAMING'S BEST IN TOP NOTCH MEDIOCRITY

Welcome to a special holiday edition of WoWWatch!  This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, the time of year where we give thanks that turkey is delicious and that there aren’t more holidays necessitate large family gatherings.  In the spirit of the holiday this week’s WoWWatch will focus on what we (read I) am thankful for as a gamer, and in particular as a player of WoW.  So read on because I am serving up a smorgasbord of Thanksgiving WoW tidbits that we should all be grateful for…

The game that started it all.

The turkey:

Blizzard Entertainment – Understanding that this will come over as fanboyish, I am grateful for Blizzard games.  I started playing computer games when the original Warcraft came out in all its pixelated glory.  In fact, I still have fond memories of building rows are spearthrowers and watching Alliance footmen getmowed down.  Silly footmen.   Since that time I haven’t found many games that can compare with the subsequent Warcraft titles, Diablo, or Starcraft.  Sometimes we might have to wait longer, like years longer (where is my Starcraft 2 beta!) but when we get the final product Blizzard always delivers.

The stuffing:

Don't mess with his lore...

Chris Metzen (lore superstar) –My favorite part of WoW (as I have beaten into people before) is the story of the game.  The time and effort that they have spent to develop world with a continuous story is not trivial.  So kudos to Chris Metzen – the man behind the lore.  Back all the way to the original game: Orcs and Humans, Metzen has crafted a rich deep fantasy world with only a few slip-ups along the way.  (so the Dranei spaceship thing was a little weird I will cede that, but who doesn’t have an off day every once in a while huh?)  Yes fellow lore nerds unite in singing the praise of Blizzard’s VP of creative development and head designer on many of their games.  Who would have thought that a muscle bound animator that started his career with Justice League task force would wind up piloting the story of one of the most successful story driven games ever?

The mashed potatoes:

WoW wiki – Because what would happen to lore if there was no where to put it?  Besides being a veritable treasure trove of information on boss fights, quest zones, and game mechanics, WoW wiki devotes a surprising amount of time to cataloguing storylines in the World of Warcraft.  You can find anything from in game pop culture references to the location of Mankrik’s wife to the full compendium of Saurfang vs. Chuck Norris jokes here.  There have been many boring days at work that have been broken up by listlessly perusing through the huge amounts of in-game stories and history

The pumpkin pie:

Blizzcon gives us many things to br thankful for.

Blizzcon – One of the greatest conventions ever imagined.  Tens of thousands of Blizzard fans in one place?  Check.  New games and expansions to test?  Check.  Glittering screens and massive speakers blasting cinematics?  Check.  Cos-players?  Check.  Alcohol?  Check.  What isn’t there to like about one of the largest gaming conventions ever?  Maybe just the fact that it lasts a fleeting two days.  I have had a chance to go twice now, and I am certainly grateful for the opportunity to witness the spectacle that is Blizzcon.

The wacky uncle that always shows up but no one really knows how he is related to the family:

The crab man always delivers.

Ghostcrawler ­– AKA Greg Street lead developer of game mechanics for WoW.  Frustrated with devs that never let you know what is going on in their heads?  Enter Ghostcrawler, the spectral crab with completely corporeal notions as to where WoW should go, and he will let you know.  Your class not quite working as intended?  He will admit it.  Is your class OP?  Well, brace for a nerf “to the ground baby”.  Armed with a unusual sense of humor (e.g. But Ghostcrawler promised me a pony!) and a degree in marine biology, no developer is as candid as Ghostcrawler.  Now if only we knew what kind of gin was in his coffee…