Gaming

Same, brother. Back in college, I used to main tank for a very prestigious and successful WoW raiding guild across 4 expansions. But then work and life started to interfere and I just wasn't "the guy" anymore.

Then came the last time I went to Blizzcon to meet up with everyone. Thankfully, it coincidentally fairly nicely with Blizzard's overall fall from grace. (I was in the auditorium during the infamous "Don't you have cellphones" line.) But I miss the friendship, the comradely, the shared trails and triumphs. I'm a combat veteran, and yet I draw more personal pride from what I did with those geeks from around the country fighting internet dragons than anything I did in the military.

I don't play much in the way of multiplayer games anymore. I just have too many responsibilities now to guarantee a blocked amount of time for anyone other than my family. Occasionally I'll get with some old friends and we'll try out a new game for some novelty, or go back to an old classic. But it's not the same. It'll never be the same.

Some people don't understand those guys whose athletic careers peaked during high school or college. I do. I remember staying up late instead of studying or doing homework to practice a new rotation I came up with, testing my reflexes, or just helping someone do their dailies. I used to enjoy engaging World bosses solo just to see how long I could survive. I tanked things so well sometimes that they had to patch away my ability to survive them.

Don't be sad you're not the same guy you used to be, be happy you were the man; at least for awhile.