Salon.com > Robin Kirk http://www.salon.com Thu, 23 May 2013 11:20:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 How “World of Warcraft” helped me through my divorce http://www.salon.com/2011/01/19/world_of_warcraft_divorce_open2011/ http://www.salon.com/2011/01/19/world_of_warcraft_divorce_open2011/#comments Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:07:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2011/01/19/world_of_warcraft_divorce_open2011 For those of you without boys underfoot: "World of Warcraft" is an online computer game where players log in to explore a world of grim forests, mountain ranges and jungles crawling with purple Undead, among other creatures. Quests earn treasure, skills and opportunities for ever-more-difficult quests. Death is frequent, but adds up to only a brief pause in play. "Resurrection" begins in the shadow of an angel hovering to spooky music. Then you run to the spot where you were slaughtered, click "accept," live again and play on.

"WoW," as it is known, is not for moms, especially ones who think computer-based games are only slightly less harmful than crack cocaine. It is not necessarily for people with jobs or old houses or novels-in-progress. Playing can suck up entire afternoons. At the end of a session, all I have to show for my time is a shoulder twisted by keyboarding and a virtual knapsack filled with ruined leather scraps (you can loot and skin your prey), copper coins and frayed pants, depending on my adventures.

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