Joel’s Scattered Thoughts

How should we study religion? Prospect Magazine March 2006 issue 120
looks to be fascinating. Now if only I’ll take the time to read it…

Jaimie and I have been plying World of Warcraft for the last two weeks or so. It’s a lot of fund. Here’s what I enjoy about the game so far.
1. The scenery. I mostly prefer text to graphics, but the scenery in this game is amazing. Looking out over the Thunderfluff cliffs and bridges gives me a touch of vertigo, the undead lands look like a ruined copy of the human lands, Ironforge looks like a dwarven city.
2. The people. Admittedly there are some real jerks on there, but mostly it’s fun to get together with a group and take on a tough quest. I love the way Blizzard “forces” you into groups – the creatures that you fight will come against you in a group so you need a group of your own to match them. Soloing is an option, but being with a good group is so much better.
3. The character options. I’m having a lot of fun creating characters and seeing what they can do.
4. The Auction House. Selling things to other players is a lot more fun than selling them to merchants. I can see how some people would stick to playing the auctions rather than doing quests and such.
5. The professions. I like creating things and having them be used in the world.

Things I don’t like
1. All the running. I would love to be able to tell my character “Take the path to Brill” and be done with it rather than having to steer it every step of the way. This is especially bad in the capital cities – why can’t I just click on “Go to alchemist”?
2. The minimap has no labels on it. I often have trouble finding a place I’ve been to before just because it isn’t labeled.
3. Some of the quests are less than inspiring – “Talk to this person, now go talk to that person, now go talk to that person.”