…or Hunter, rather. This past Monday, BigRedKitty announced on his site that he was stepping away from the game.
BRK is on my short list of a half-dozen or so WoW related sites I like to peek at daily. There are some great WoW blogs out there, but I just simply do not have the time to check all of them on a consistent basis. However, I always have time for BRK. Anyway, after checking to see if Pike had any new Hunter adventures or musings to share, I headed over to BigRedKitty.net as I try to do each day.
Today’s post struck me odd due to the title, but once I saw the amount of comments left I knew this was serious business. Was I surprised..? Not in the least bit. Was I shocked. Yes. It’s hard to imagine there not being any more BigRedKitty Amalgamated Productions.
I can’t help but liken this situation to the scene in Forrest Gump when he decides to go home.
His decision to leave the game has undoubtedly just created a huge void within the WoW blogosphere. I’d only begun reading his blog on a daily basis just last year, but I have to say it’s one of the more engaging ones out there. Even though I don’t always feel his sense of humor, his writing is genuine, entertaining and definitely informative.
One thing I’ve always appreciated about BRK is his willingness to offer up his knowledge and expertise to everyone. Whether it’s someone new to the class and just starting out, or the raid-tested and battle-hardened veteran, BRK treats everyone the same. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but in the months I’ve spent reading his posts and comments he’s always appeared to me to be non-judgmental and polite with others, no matter how insanely stupid or inane their questions or comments were.
That was joke by the way. I was being a little mister right there, as my wife would say.
I’m not applauding him for his helpful and gracious attitude towards others, as I believe that is the way it should be. We’re playing a freaking video game ffs. However, I do enjoy the fact that he created and provided a friendly community for Hunters where all were welcome, not just the uber-leet-massive-pwnage-face-melting types of players (by the way, I don’t speak fluent gamer so that description may not be an accurate translation). Being that I’m at the ripe old age of 37, I recognize a lot of that as a reflection of his maturity, but at any rate it’s always been refreshing to peruse his site for knowledge – as opposed to the WoW Hunter forums. That place is rife with A-holes.
To BRK:
I wish you well in your life outside of WoW. I don’t know you personally, but you have shared with me a great deal of valuable knowledge and insight concerning this class we love to play. For that I thank you.
You’ve also provided a benchmark for WoW blogging excellence which mere mortals such as I can never hope to achieve. Like many others, I am a bit mopey about your departure from the game. However, I am quite happy for Daniel Howell.
I’m not going to sit here and regurgitate the cliché RL > WoW. Every time I read that I want to smack the person silly who wrote it. OF COURSE REAL LIFE IS BETTER THAN WORLD OF WARCRAFT!!! The fact that people feel the need to state something so obvious boggles the mind. That is like saying daily exercise and a healthy diet > smoking crack.
However, that’s not to say that WoW isn’t pretty damn fun, because it is. I too have enjoyed it in the past a little too much for my wife’s taste. It’s easy to let that happen if you’re not paying attention.
The decision you made was the only one you could make, and I’m happy you were able to make it. Some husbands may not have been given that opportunity.
Now… go get reacquainted with your redheaded maelstrom of fury, spend some time with the kid, write that book, get it published, sell hundreds of thousands of copies of it, and get your new Z. Who knows… after all of that maybe you’ll get the go ahead to log on now and again. If that doesn’t work, just do what I did… get her to play too. 😀
At any rate… Here’s to life beyond BigRedKitty!
Best regards,
Craig aka Garwulf
P.S. If and when you do come back, wait a few weeks at least. A bit of effort went into writing this endearing tribute post. A sudden return could lessen its poignancy. 😉
again… ’twas a joke.
Yeah, these blogs definitely take time, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor in my opinion. I spend less time playing than I did before because of it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While I get more enjoyment from actually playing, I find the blog more satisfying.
I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to publish my nonsense to the web. It’s also fun to be a part of this “online Hunter community” where we share ideas, tips, stories, etc.
Thanks for the thumbs up btw.
The married human male bit caught me totally off guard. I thought for sure you were a Draenei IRL. 😉
I’m glad some of you find my ramblings worthy of repeat visits. 😀
> I think to really enjoy the game
> to its fullest you need to pull
> back from it a little
100% true. I came back to the game when I discovered there was a Spirit Beast in Sholazar Basin. I had to get one, just because I think it’s the awesomest thing in this game. When I got it, I also wanted a Proto Drake or a Bronze Drake (timed run) and I got the latest.
Sometimes I login and go around doing achievements, I love LOVE doing them with some people (mostly random). 1 hour is enough, I then quit with a happy smile.
The trick here is playin as you play any other game: not CONSTANTLY and not with obsession. Just for fun. Also, focusing on specific objectives and then stopping works fine with me.
I’ve thought many times about starting a blog on my own (I’m a developer and love this kind of stuff) but I had previous personal blog/forum experiences and they killed my time… so I decided I would have never started a new one 🙂
Thumbs up for your blog. A shame we’re not both in EU or US, I’d like to meet you ingame (don’t worry I’m a MARRIED HUMAN MALE…;-).
Cheers!
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoying playing, I’m just not too driven about any of it.
If anything, creating this blog has given me a renewed vigor for the game, but yet I’ve actually ended up playing less. However, the time I do play is much more enjoyable, raiding especially.
I think to really enjoy the game to its fullest you need to pull back from it a little.
Yes I’ve read Mania’s latest post. Overall… I guess we’re starting to feel “bored” yet again. The game mechanics are more or less the same as always (grind over and over for anything you want to do), What briught me back to Wow was WOTLK, then I stopped as soon as I finished the main quests and got (almos) full pre-nax epics.
Now 3.1 is thrilling me but overall I have the same feelings: I login, lurk the AH… do few dailies… and if I found a group in 4-5 minutes I do one or two heroics. Then I logoff. 1hr and a half maybe two, that’s my maximum.
I still love reading wowinsider, wowhead forums, blogs (yours, brk, …) and wow-related stories… maybe even more than actually playing the game.
Dalaila,
I too am glad Blizz has made this game more “casual-friendly”. The height of my addiction to this game was probably back before there were x-realm battlegrounds. The old PvP ladder system was horrible when it came to a huge time sink. I felt like I was missing something if I wasn’t able to log on each evening and grind out AV after AV.
At some point I came to grips with the fact that all of this means nothing in the long run. It’s definitely an enjoyable diversion for the time being, but eventually it will all be a memory and nothing more. The idea is to look back on the time we spent playing this game and have fond memories of it, rather than reflect upon how many sacrifices we made and how it adversely affected our lives.
Unfortunately, the false sense of achievement and perceived progression is what draws most individuals into the trap. Sure it’s exciting to down new raid bosses week after week, gain exalted rep with a new faction, or earn a new piece of PvP gear, but if it requires making real-world sacrifices, then what good is that?
I’ll miss BRK’s blog and his videos. I hope he gets his life in balance again, and that he’s happy with whatever path he chooses from here on out. If he’s able to reset and come back to the game with a new mindset – great. If not, then it wasn’t meant to be.
Coincidentally, for a week or two prior to the BRK announcement, I’d been thinking about writing a post concerning the game and its addictive properties. Until (and if) I do, check out Mania’s post from a day or two ago. Her attitude towards this game and mine are eerily similar at the moment.
He was too much addicted to the game. Too much. When your wife turns to you saying you’re not a good father/husband, well you really have to stop for a moment and think “what the hell I’m doing…”.
Working, raiding, blogging, selling t-shirts/stuff, writing columns for other wow-related sites… That’s something that kills your free time and gives you zero interest/patience/tolerance for other “real life” things such as laying on the sofa with your wife or just play with your beloved son.
He was so addicted he just could not stop. Other players already killed their social/family life. I’m very glad he did not 🙂
I perfectly know what “balancing” means when it comes to play, organize real life, work, grow a child. That’s why I rarely rarely raid, do not are too much about guild stuff, do not “plan” things in advance and so on.
On a side note, I am SO HAPPY Blizzard decided to make this game smoother for casuals removing tedious and “grindable” stuff like attunements.
I hope he will NOT come back. It wont be the same player/blogger (1st thing) and would risk to fall in the hole again (2nd thing).
After seeing the post on Wowinsider it seems as if maybe it’s just a “break”. Who knows what a few weeks or months away from the game will do to him. I do hope he comes back at some point, but only after he rights his ship.
*lifts mug*
To BRK!
Foshizzle!