A Different Kind of Lost

Over the past decade plus that I’ve played World of Warcraft, I’ve become lost in-game countless times. I was infamous for it on my hunter Sriset and became known as Perpetually Lost Sri. However, with the recent events that have unfolded regarding Acitivision Blizzard, I’m experiencing a different kind of lost that isn’t fun in any way.

For years, WoW has been my escape from the real world and a type of therapy that got me through my darker days. But the recent issues at their company concerning their treatment of female employees has soured me on the game. I realize there are plenty of good people that still work at the company and that they’re fighting for change, but I just don’t feel like playing the game right now. I canceled my subscription today. Ironically, I’d bought the six month sub for the first time ever in my years of playing WoW, so it runs up through October. I might play the game again eventually before my sub runs out but I don’t know.

There have been times in the past where I’ve stopped playing WoW for months, even years, due to personal issues in my life, but this is the first time I’m doing it because of something Blizz has done. I’m sad, angry, disheartened, frustrated, and…lost.

I know that the characters I’ve made in the game are mine and I’m the one who has given them personalities and life. But the world they exist in is problematic for me right now. I don’t like the direction they took with some major characters in Shadowlands and the expansion as a whole has been underwhelming. I still enjoy the older content and leveling characters through it, but once I get to Shadowlands, I just sort of groan.

So for now I’m doing other things with my free time such as playing other online RPG games and writing. I know the issues that have been revealed at Blizz exist in probably every industry and there’s no way to live a life without supporting them in some way unless I go off the grid (which I’m not willing to do) but I can direct my energy and time to more positive past times and environments right now. I know my World of Warcraft characters will still be there waiting for me when I’m ready to return, hopefully after Blizz has made some seriously overdue changes. Until then, I’ll work through this different kind of lost and try to find my way again.