I was moving from computer to computer and found this. It is not as detailed as I would have liked, but its a brief outline. If you feel you have missed out on the broadstroke details of my first trip at least - here you go:
6/68th Chemical Company and the Road to Baghdad
People do some silly things when in an anonymous environment. The World of Warcraft is an online game people go to to escape reality. The depth and the progression of the game are the true forces in the addictive nature of this alternate reality, but a great deal of its attraction also comes from social interaction.
While it attracts the asocial and social personalities alike, the asocial personalities are the ones that dominant the chat channels. People will say and do whatever ridiculous thing comes to mind when there is perceivably no consequences or accountability. A large portion of the policing is done by average users who form guilds, and make personal notes on inappropriate game play. Blizzard, the creators of WoW, promote this environment of zero accountability. While players try and make their own order, Blizzard allows players to move to new realms or simply change their player names for a small fee.
A few people have been counting I guess; I personally just looked up and noticed.
Its been 5 years now since I crossed the Iraq-Kuwait border in 2003, and among other things, I have been a bad blogger. As time has passed the details of those events, though still vivid in memory, have become less important. Not to me personally, but in my need to convey the details to others in a meaningful way. I was never hung up on it, but at this point I'd say I've just moved passed it. It has shaped my and my families lives and, when the context is relevant, I'd be glad to draw upon my experience. At this point though I'm going to pick up my story with you on the lighter side.
