The lessons I learned while NOT playing Guildwars 2

When Guild Wars 2 got released in August 2012, I was immediately hooked. I first heard about it through Felicia Day’s Facebook page, which I still follow (If you, by any chance, haven’t seen her YouTube series ‘ The Guild’, go watch it right now, it’s awesome). Somehow I got myself a beta key and couldn’t wait to start playing. It was amazing. Great art, a great story, and lots of fun. I vividly remember killing a giant dragon as part of my introduction to the game and I still get warm and fuzzy feelings when I play that part of the game. Maybe it feels extra special to me because I’ve played it as a beta first.

When it got released, I started playing kind off hardcore. Back then, I was still in college and only had a few part-time jobs, so time was plenty. I started doing dailies in the morning, coming back online in the afternoon for dungeons, leveling, and of course, random guild chat and quests with newly made friends who were as crazy about the game as I was. Within a few months, I was promoted to an officer in the guild and helped organize missions and recruit new guild members and stuff. Great fun. 

For a while, I seemed addicted to the game

Then, life got in the way. I realized I was playing way too much, it was almost like an addiction. Just like my friends who were addicted to games like Don’t Starve Together or Animal Crossing. I switched jobs, started another study, and stopped playing all together. Later on I got back to it when the Heart of Thorns expansion got released. I played actively for about a month or so and quit playing again because it quickly turned into a big time-sink again. 

Every time I saw another RPG on Steam, I tried it out. RPG, MMORPG, any survival games. And sure, it would keep me busy. I spend a lot of hours in Avorion, trying to create a nice-looking spaceship and killing pirates and aliens. I captured a lot of really awesome-looking dinosaurs in ARK. I’ve created a massive castle with multiple stables for all the different animals in Minecraft. Played LOTR Online, Elder Scrolls Online, The Raft, Rust, Mist Survival, and The long dark… All really fun games and enjoyable, to a point. And I realized something. For me, all these games are kind of similar. It’s all about creating an adventure, your history, your alternate reality. When playing any of these games, I like to create my own story. It’s all about storytelling. A way to escape reality.

(Some battleships in the game Avorion)

For instance Avorion. I imagine myself being a space pirate who is chaotically good, killing pirates and aliens, but if one of the other factions pisses me off for trying to be a trader without a trade license (no, other random faction, that is NOT the same as smuggling!), I just as easily kill them (and of course take all their loot). Or Mist Survival, where I try to create a really well set-up base with all necessities for survival, and I imagine myself being the lone survivor in a world full of zombies, trying to live a happy and comfortable life till I die. Even Fallout 67, where you can not only build a great looking base but also play guitar and have a coke along the way.

(One of the cabins in the woods of Mist Survival. Who wants to go camping now?)

But I always get bored of these games. I start playing them really vigorously, and then get bored after a while (might be hours, might be weeks).  I love the genre, I love the gameplay, it’s missing something. 

Nothing could replace Guild Wars 2

Finally, I figured out what was missing. They were not Guild Wars 2. I’ve started playing again, and god, I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this game. ArenaNet did a great job creating an immersive world where there’s always something new and fun to do and explore. It’s a game that will appeal to a lot of different players. Do you like hard-core PVP? You can do that. Do you enjoy puzzle games? Try to solve the jumping puzzles or give Fractals a try. Roam the world on your own and explore the vast regions of Tyria. There will be plenty of other players on almost every map, because not only are there different elements of the game to complete on each map, but they’ve also found a way to make lower-level maps still interesting for higher-level characters. Oh, and it’s really easy to get max-level. 

(Divinity’s Reach, one of the major cities in Guild Wars 2) 

The fun part is the exploring and doing quests. Or fashion wars (yes, that’s a thing ;-). Whether you want to look totally badass with flames coming out of your ass, or fairy-like with butterfly wings and a pink unicorn-bow, it’s all possible.

(First of all, yes, this bow shoots unicorns. And rainbows. Second of all, no, I do not want this bow.)

(Of course, your boobs are on fire. That makes perfect sense.)

Also, the player base in general is really friendly and helpful and social events happen all the time. Try killing a massive dragon with over 80 people, and see people lighting fireworks, playing songs, sitting in 8-bit-style chairs and dancing while waiting for the boss to spawn. It’s fun. Great fun. 

(An Asura sitting on a Super Adventure Box chair in Guild Wars 2) 

Anyway. I’m glad I’ve found my way back to Guild Wars 2 again, and I’d love to write some more about survival/rpg/scifi games in the future as well. Great to be a part of the Girl Gamer Community. Do you have a fun story about your experience with Guild Wars 2, let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!