I began playing World of Warcraft (WoW) again recently. It’s my second time around. I played during my carefree college days, averaging 5 hours a day, which would have disrupted my social life except all my friends played too. Turning the weekends into prolonged LAN parties and foiling our chances with the microscopic female student body. The handful of us who had girlfriends transformed them into a support group named: Widows of Warcraft. Okay, only one of us had a serious girlfriend and she had the sleeping habits of a housecat. We’d play upstairs and she’d laze on the couch, watch movies or play PS2. I quit WoW, about a year after graduation, when the house cat went feral and divided friendships, incited deceit, which ruined our online guild. The guild amounted to a boys’ club — think Fleas or Rotary for a new generation.

I came back to WoW to fulfill my need to play videos economically and for a group of three friends. I’ve been waiting to hear back from MFA programs for quite some time now, and still have six +/- weeks to go. From January on I’ve hopped compulsively from TV to movies to my XBOX 360 and Wii, trying to fill the hours. About a week ago I realized three significant details: 1) once I get accepted to an MFA program (I refuse to believe otherwise, call me arrogant if you like, but without that belief I’m sunk) I’d have four or five months of working 9 to 5 and sitting around with which I need to cope; 2) I have a total of 170 hours of TV, about 6 to 8 weeks of viewing, waiting for me on my shelf; 3) sitting on your couch, with or without your roommate, waiting for a letter is an incredibly lonely way to live.

I would like to add that I try not to play my consoles while my roommate is awake, because she doesn’t play video games and she is also my sister. Our arguments tend to stretch back to our childhood and move forward — it’s best to avoid them. WoW on my laptop seemed like the best choice.

WoW provides me with an updated version of a party game. I can play alone or as I tend to do while chatting in game with friends. Instead of playing Canasta or Bridge, which requires everyone to enjoy the same game and play only when together, we have a highly customizable group activity. I can play Death Knight, while Derek plays a Mage, Heather, Derek’s serious housecat, plays a Hunter, and Patrick plays Priest. During the week we can play separately or meet virtually and play together. On Friday nights we can gather and sit around a table chatting, snacking, and drinking while we play together.

Group video gaming is nothing new. When I was in ninth grade Goldeneye was released on Nintendo 64, and the next year was spent going to friends’ houses to shoot at each other. After Goldeneye was Perfect Dark or some other shooter. Then, in 1999, Mario Party came out. I’m sure it wasn’t the first group oriented video game, but it was what my friends and I played endlessly.

So, what has changed in WoW?  Not much. Derek, Heather, Patrick, and I are gearing-up to hold weekly gamer parties. The game is as beautiful, complex, and expansive as I remember. And it still takes obscene amounts of time to do anything, but doing anything and everything is incredibly fun. Last night I picked flowers for two and a half hours and loved every minute of it.

Going to an MFA program won’t stop me from gaming, but one day I’ll have a wife and kids (or not), a house and yard (or not), a job that requires me to work ridiculous hours (or not) and I’ll have to give up gaming, or at least WoW, altogether. But until then, at 10 pm on most nights I will stroll over to my MacBook Pro, log-on, and become a Minotaur. Then I’ll find Derek, Heather, and Patrick so we can kill some zombies.

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