I’ve been here for more than 12 years.
I’ve never found anywhere like this. A world that I can walk through for hours, storylines that’ve made me cry, that’ve touched my soul, that’ve taught me about the world and how important is to be kind. How, even in the darkest moments, there can be light. You can make it.
I had an amnesia episode when I was twelve. Haven’t really recovered from it since. You just - keep going. Even if you remember things later, it’s not like you have all the lessons you learned then. I just have a bunch of pieces of stories of my life that I barely understand.
My folks didn’t believe giving their children television or smartphones - all that did was restrict my view of the world even further. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t have the language to explain what was happening to me, and was either trapped in their house or havin’ a very bad time at school.
At some point in 2012 I was allowed to play WoW to connect with my father. I didn’t know either of my parents really so I was just going along with the flow.
It was here I met most of my first people outside my household. It was here I learned about a lot of the horrible events that’ve gone on in the world. My folks kept a lot of that away from me. It was here that I learned to fight for others, to listen to other perspectives, and to throw everything you have behind the people who love you.
I’m long gone from my family. They don’t know where or who I am anymore. They don’t have the ability to influence my knowledge of the world or the people around me. It’s a gift.
Warcraft is still here though - and every time I log in again after a break I…feel like I’m home again. I walk through Orgrimmar or Stormwind and my shoulders relax, I hear the wind blowing in the barrens and my mind quiets. I’ve loved to see the game grow, to see it’s playerbase grow with it - and I’m excited for where it’s going.