Question about raiding

First off, great show, always fun to listen to.

My question is that having recently gotten 80 and being a tank, I have to be consistent in our guild which is just starting to raid. The problem is that it's really hard to raid with real life commitments and especially with my "limitations" on playing time. My parents don't understand that when I'm the middle of a raid/instance, I can't get off on a whim because of how important everyone's role is in clearing content. I can't just tell 4/9/24 other people that I have to go right in the middle of something.

What I'm trying to say is that this game is really fun and I would love to be a hardcore raider however I have so many interuptions and I can't commit the time.

Desire to raid - factors I can't control

(This sounds like I'm 12, but I'm 17 and I can't play a videogame I want to in my frozen wasteland of North Dakota)

Thanks in advance and keep up the good show,
Jarudy

I actually just answered another listener e-mail about a similar subject:

Quote :

Sorry to hear about your challenges balancing RL and gaming. We addressed this topic on a recent previous episode. Make sure to run through the archives and listen to our opinion on the matter.

The big picture is, real life should always come first. It is just difficult to keep perspective on what is important when you are immersed in a game. If your parents are having issues with your playtime, I imagine it is because something in RL is being neglected; school, chores, spending quality time with your friends and family, etc.

A good first step would be to set some guidelines that you and your parents agree to:

* How many hours a day you are planning to play...
* What time you plan to log out...
* What needs to be done in RL before you begin a play session...
* etc...

It is all about balance. Find a game, a guild, a lifestyle that works for you and your family!

When you are talking about raiding specifically, I think it is more a matter of finding the right guild with the right class composition. Having multiple tanks and off-tanks to rotate through with varied levels of time availability would be helpful in allowing your more flexibility. Have a chat with your guild leader about your RL commitments and the possibility of recruiting another tank.

At least you understand that playing the role of a tank is a huge undertaking, and that people rely on your to give your full attention. Just make sure your RL isn't suffering because of it.

you need to find not a casual guild but a nice one...
my guild lets us 1 or 2 people go brb during a raid

My two cents would be to start with the parents. It sounds to me like you get the "get off that computer, RIGHT NOW!!!" thing a lot. That may be overstating things a bit, but I think you're picking up what I'm putting down.

First, handle your business. Chores, homework, taekwando practice, etc. Just make sure that you aren't neglecting any of your RL commitments before you sit down to play. I promise, if your parents see that you're neglecting any of that stuff, your gaming time will catch the brunt of their ire.

It's easy for people who see the game in a limited context (i.e. parents that see it as you just sitting in front of a computer wasting time), to dismiss the valuable aspects of it, so it's a good idea to sit them down and explain what's REALLY going on. Their only experience with MMO's is probably just that news report they saw that one time where kids were going into rehab in Europe because of their addiction to online gaming and their fear that you are going to be just another statistic!!!

Just sit them down and tell them why you like the game and explain what it brings to you that they may not have considered.
There is nothing quite like the getting together with 4 complete strangers and running a smooth pick up group. As a tank it is incumbent upon you to keep things running smoothly and that builds leadership. Tanking pugs is a lot like project management, to me. You have assets (other party members) and a goal and it's your job to make things work like they should.

There also is the teamwork aspect of it. Running with groups (especially large raids) puts you in a situation where you have to work together with people. I can't remember many times in high school where I was put in a situation where I HAD to work with people to succeed aside from sports. There were a couple of times I had group reports or things like that, but it was never anything one person couldn't knock out by themselves (me, usually) then we all got credit for it. Grouping and raiding aren't like that. You HAVE to learn to rely on your group's members to play their roles while you fill yours. It builds trust, and when things go poorly, character.

You can also mention the whole time management and economics thing too... lots you can talk about there as well. Your parents probably just see that you're killing stuff and looking at the pretty graphics and may not understand that there is a lot more depth to it than just the pixels and blood.

Actually, let's go back to the addiction theme here for a second. Parents worry. It's what they do. They've heard bad things about online gaming and they're scared for you. This might also be overstating things a bit, but I promise, in the back of their mind, they are seeing you still living with them 30 years from now in the basement with no job, an acne problem and a serious addiction to your computer. This is where your best course of action is to just talk to them. I know they're old and smell kind of funny and aren't "groovy" or whatever term you young adults are using these days, but being honest and open with them about playing is going to get them off your back sooner than anything else will. Set up specific times that you will play and plan what you're going to do in-game so you can be as productive as possible while your in Azeroth but be consistent. It lets them know that you're in control of your playing time and it's not taking over.

So, to sum up my wall of text... Make sure your real life is handled before you invest your time in WoW. Talk to your parents about playing. Let them know why playing WoW may benefit you in the long run. See about setting up times so you can plan ahead and get more out of your time playing. Lastly, BE CONSISTENT so your parents don't think WoW is getting the better of you.

Like I said at the start, just my two cents.

Hope this helps.


Haf

Wow... this is why I love you, baby. Awesome job thinking things through and communicating.

• Initiate a dialogue with your parents
  
• Talk about the good stuff in this game we all love
  
• Set guidelines for balancing RL and in-game time
  
• Be consistent

Haf covered this perfectly and there's not much I can add. Best of luck working things out.

Some great advice on here already but I thought I'd throw in my point of view.

I also have to balance my real life with my play time. I may not be Seventeen (how I wish I was...) but I also have someone looking over my shoulder wondering why I'm playing when I could be doing X Y and Z so don't think that this will stop any time soon

Blizzard have done a great job recently of tailoring the game towards the more casual player, and that's not to say that the content is entirely lacking (though this is arguable) but in my opinion it means Blizzard have looked at their game and decided how silly it was to demand that a guild put four hours into the game just to clear a couple of bosses.

A good guild can clear a wing in Naxx in about an hour and that time will tumble down as you get more familiar with the instance and better geared.

Set yourself a goal of clearing a wing or two in an evening, plan your raid week and over the course of five nights out of seven you can clear Naxx, OS and Malygos! Stomp makes a great point of finding a setup that can allow you to rotate into a schedule. Satisfy yourself with seeing half the content one week and half the next and in no time at all you've seen it all and you'll be gearing up along the way.

Of course you need to find the kind of guild that has such a schedule so have a look around, if you're not already in one then ask guild leaders how they approach the game and weigh up how it fits into your lifestyle.

Check out the official forums and look under the guild recruitment boards. On the Euro forums, for example, we have a great sticky that details 'Late night raiding' where guilds kick off their raids after 21:00.

A couple of hours of raiding will take you to 23:00, not a bad time to call it a night in my opinion and you've had the time to clear a couple of wings in Naxx. This will free up your evening to get home, spend some time on homework/chores/socialising.

There is also the option to start your own guild and run the schedule to suit your needs. Advertise your raiding start and finish times and set out your aims and attract players that think like you do. With a pool of millions of players there is bound to be a handful that will sign up to your cause.

To sum up my ramble I guess what I should say is don't set your sights too high. You talk about being 'hardcore' but you really don't need to be that dedicated to clear the content these days. I tend to raid two or three nights a week, a couple of hours a night and I'm decked in full Tier 7.5 having Main Tanked all the content and I really don't consider myself a hardcore player

Good job on picking up the MT role btw, it's a huge amount of fun so enjoy yourself!

Emeny.