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World of Warcraft Character Becomes Campaign Issue
Dr. Gamera writes "Maine state senate candidate Colleen Lachowicz plays World of Warcraft. The opposing party in Maine has issued a press release attacking her for her Level 85 Orc Assassination Rogue. From the article: 'In an unusual press release issued Thursday, the Maine GOP attacked Lachowicz for a “bizarre double life” in which she’s a devotee of the hugely popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft. In the game, she’s “Santiaga,” an "orc assassination rogue" with green skin, fangs, a Mohawk and pointy ears.' Her incumbent, much to his credit, rejects the attack as 'mudslinging politics.'"
I think the point is that WoW requires an inordinate amount of time just to keep up with everyone else and as a social game keeping up with everyone else is pretty much the whole thing. Playing WoW is an unhealthy lifestyle. It's a good thing for disabled people with hordes (har har) of time on their hands because it's a waste of time, but people who take on stations in life that require productivity should never touch the thing.
An employer can't demand that you do more productive and beneficial things with your spare time, but they can hire someone who does rather than you. They have every reason to. First of all, a WoW player is a huge insurance liability. It's an extremely unhealthy hobby. The guy who mentions jogging as a hobby has a huge advantage over the WoW player. The jogger will also likely require less sick days, have more energy, and just plain look better. Then there's the matter of self improvement. A person who spends their time improving themselves - mentally or physically - is likely to become a better employee with time. Playing WoW doesn't help one to self-actualize. It's modeled after casinos - create an addictive game the consumer can never complete by allowing for an infinite amount of minor, achievable goals. Sure, you may have won this hand (you found that purple sword you've always wanted), but in the end the house always wins.
So does the mayor of Sim City. They each think their fantasy is reality.
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make install -not war