games

Games are an intrinsic part of my life, providing me with both entertainment and wisdom. I strive to be an excellent gamer, and by that I mean I strive to fully experience the game itself, not obsess over my success or failure at it. I am extremely lucky because my beloved owns Gamescape North, so we will always be surrounded by plenty of games and gamers.

In 1992, I logged into a MUD variant called a muck, and I have been involved with them ever since. Read what I have to say about these virtual communities on my “mucks” page. I played Cygnoir Blanc in Second Life, which used to fascinate me because it is much like a graphical muck. Now it just annoys me.

In 2004, I ventured into the world of MMORPGs via EverQuest II, which I played until 2006, when I started World of Warcraft. My main character is Carinah of Gamescape Northerners, a Night Elf Druid.

Offline, I have a modest game collection that I love to share with friends. My favorite is Scrabble, as it is a puzzle game based on words that can be as simple or as complex as you make it. It is both an addiction and a sentimental habit. For Christmas 2007, my beloved gave me the Scrabble Wordbook, which I will be working through for the rest of my life.  I made a friend once by posting to alabama.birmingham.general, looking for Scrabble players. Her name is Rebecca and I miss her terribly.

Second only to Scrabble is Qwirkle, which has key similarities but is quite different and challenging on other levels I enjoy deeply.

Chess is another favorite. It is infinitely complex, fascinating, and fun. In Birmingham, I had an excellent chess teacher and friend named Freeman. Sometimes I play online at GameKnot, but I much prefer to play in person.

My all-time favorite party games are Fluxx, the card game of ever-changing rules, Mini Mao, the card game of secret rules, and Zobmondo, the game of hypothetical questions that appall, amaze, and generally disturb.

My newest game obsession is geocaching, an activity that blends puzzle-solving, mapping and hiking into both simple and complex adventures, depending on the experience you would like.

Alone, I like puzzles of all sorts, especially Sudoku and crossword puzzles. I still consider Myst to be the best video game of all time.

Last but never least, I love playing Dungeons and Dragons. I am not currently involved in a campaign, and I miss it very much.