The Black Hole of MMORPG - Are You A Victim?

Yesterday was focused! I didn't get any housecleaning done, but I got the grocery shopping, six loads of laundry, and yes - the two aspects of prep work on this year's holiday cards completed. Today I move on to the next step in the design and assembly process with a good feeling of accomplishment. 

Sometimes turning off the computer to get other work done
is the hardest thing to do! 

Part of the reason for my successful day yesterday was the fact that I didn't turn on my computer until after dinner. Do you find yourself sucked into the black hole of "I'll just check that one thing and then get back to my to-do list"? More often than not, my computer black hole has been Lord of the Rings Online, a MMORPG that I've been playing for more than ten years. 

DDO was our first foray into massive multi-player
online role playing games and we loved it. We tried
other games - "World of War", "Everquest", and a
few others - but they didn't resonate for us the way
that DDO did. 

DH and I first started playing in the interactive multi-player on-line role-playing universe in 2006 with Dungeons and Dragons Online. As usual, DH was more focused on playing the game than I was, but I enjoyed it. My favorite character was "Venomspeak", although I think I had three or four characters in all. She was powerful, took no prisoners, and was a lot of fun to play. Turbine, the company that introduced DDO, then invited us to join a large throng of Beta players for a new game they were developing - Lord of the Rings Online. We jumped at the opportunity, knowing that the chance to wander Middle Earth would be mesmerizing. We were right! 

One of the earliest editions was this one - the
Gold Edition of LOTR Shadows of Angmar. I
suppose I could walk across to our software
stash to check if that was the original release, but
I'm a bit lazy. This was an early release, though. 

After the beta experience LOTRO was opened to the masses and they flocked in. Multiple servers were set up and people worldwide started exploring Middle Earth. It was fun! There was something magical about wandering through the Shire and experiencing Bree. When I was first standing on top of Weather Top, or the first time I was standing at the cliff edge overlooking Rivendell, I had to stop in amazement because there I was, virtually walking over lands that had only had a physical image in my imagination since I first read LOTR in 1968. 

Rivendell is one of the prettier places in LOTRO, and since my main
character is a Rivendell Elf, she comes here whenever she can to recharge
her batteries. 

I'm a "lifer", a VIP and still play almost daily. Fall Festival is going on right now in-game, and although aspects of it drive me crazy, like finding the correct door for the Attic in the Haunted Burrow, I still enjoy the game. I go hot/cold on it - life gets in my way - but DH plays often and it's not uncommon to find us each at our computers trying to survive a quest arc. I know some of my other on-line friends play too, and it's been fun to sometimes cross paths with Aearwen while wandering the lands. 

Did you play "Roller Coaster Tycoon" or "Civilization"? Maybe
"Pharoah" was more your style, or one of the many "Might and
Magic" chapters? I've probably crossed your path somewhere
in this long journey. 

Is there a computer game that you love to play? Were you addicted to anything when you were younger? Maybe "Roller Coaster Tycoon" or "Civilization"? Share with me. I can't be the only computer nerd who still loves computer games? Or am I? 

I'm off to the pool, then I'll start the next stage of this year's holiday cards. Have a wonderful Thursday. It's a Project Runway night, so I'll be watching and posting a general episode summary tomorrow morning with a spoiler and fashion show on Saturday. Enjoy your day!