Character Quandries, Dual Blogging

I've given up on Alanna for a few reasons.

First, while my build was pretty cool, how I allocated ability and skill points made her fairly ineffective at kiting (an essential survival skill for DPS characters). While I am, by no means, an expert at kiting, I have played many DPS characters in (MMO)RPGs, and I can usually do it somewhat effectively; however, for some reason, Alanna spent more time dying and searching for her corpse than she did fighting against the rising darkness.

So I made a new character, picked a different faction, and created a new build. His name is Eoin "Cross-Hatch" Wilcester of the Templars. He is the first male character I have played in an (MMO)RPG in at least six years (although, to be honest, I can't remember the last time I created a male character). He wields an Assault Rifle and Chaos Magic, and his skills are split between AoEs used to fight mobs and high-damage solo attacks. So far, his balance is perfect.

Perhaps the best thing about creating a second character is that I could pay more attention to the beginning sequences (even though the Templars have different cut scenes, characters, and dialogue than the Illuminati). Specifically, I made a point to look at the phone that the Templars gave to my character. While it did not surprise me that it was a smartphone (of what variety is unclear), it had not occurred to me how important this fact was for understanding the construction of the game until I recognized it as such.  For example, quests are recorded and turned in by using the phone to submit reports to the bosses in whichever faction. Presumably, the quest coordinates on the mini-map are located in the smart phone (while the large, full screen map is paper). And, as mentioned before, the player has access to an in-game internet browser in order to assist with the investigation quests. This, also, can happen through a smart phone. In fact, the current investigation quest I am working on directed me to go to this website (homepage here). A previous quest had asked me to use the employee database to figure out the name of one dead man's wife so that I could access the files on his laptop.

This continual blending of the in-game and out-game worlds is unique in The Secret World: because it is part of the modern fantasy/supernatural genre, the game asks the player to use skills that are prominent parts of normative offline behavior: using one's iPhone or Android to search Google; relying on GPS satellites and map programs for directions to unfamiliar places; receiving, sending, and writing e-mails, texts, or other forms of communication.

So, in an effort to explore this intersection, I have decided to add on a second blogging project and begin a third (and final) character: Quinn Pryce, a member of the Dragon. As I play the game (and Quinn progresses through the story line), I am going to keep blogging about gameplay and other more scholarly/autoethnographic thoughts here. However, I am going to pair this blogging with some in-game blogging written from Quinn's perspective (taking advantage of that 'smartphone' technology). I am doing this for a few reasons. First, I have not flexed my creative writing muscles in a while, and this is a good opportunity to begin to do so. Second, I am curious how this project of 'inhabiting' Quinn's skin will affect my own experiences as a gamer. And third, I want to further complicate the in-game, out-game boundaries.

So, look for a link to be added on the sidebar of this blog to Quinn's blog, as soon as I get around to making him a Gmail account.
 
Glossary (For anyone who needs it):

DPS: damage-per-second; generally refers to a character whose build focuses on dealing damage. In the dungeon-crawl system (made popular by World of Warcraft), the meta-game classes include DPS, tank (built towards survivability), and healers (who are fairly obvious). DPS tend to be the most popular, as well as the easiest to play in a raid or dungeon setting, while tanks and healers require precise play.

Kiting: Refers to the general strategy of DPS characters playing in solo (or, sometimes, in group play). Essentially, the DPS character attacks the mob/boss while constantly staying in motion in order to avoid taking damage (hence, the character strings along the mobs/boss like a kite).