Finding your character in warcraft

I transferred my main character back to Alliance last week, and it feels like home.

A few years ago a small group of my peers convinced me to switch to the horde. I was excited; the misfit horde races were new and enticing, their backgrounds heartfelt and touching. Playing horde was enjoyable, but it just didn’t suit me.

There is much debate over what faction to choose when playing World of Warcraft. Unfortunately many arguments rely on peer pressure and insults to sway their fellow players’ opinions. However, both factions have desirable traits and present their own rewards and challenges

You should never let peer pressure dictate and/or negative words influence what you choose to play, do what you want.

Some friendly advice…

First, do you have friends who play? This is a social game; it’s meant to be enjoyed with friends new and old. If your friends play in one faction and you are ok with that, then go for it. If your gut is telling you you want to be in the other faction then make one for them and one for you. Play the one that makes you happy.

Second, what race appeals to you the most? I like most of the races. When I started WoW, back in Vanilla, my favorites were the Night elves and the Trolls. My friends played alliance so I ultimately chose a Night elf. Now, the worgen appeal to me the most. When I made the switch back to alliance, I made my main a Worgen. In the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion, I will be creating a Pandaren Shaman.

Third, what class appeals to you the most? Some classes are unavailable to each race. Take a look at the stats and perks for the races that appeal to you and weigh them against your play style.

What combination of faction, race and class suit you?

Mass Effect screenshots

These are a few screenshots I took of my Shepard and other characters in Mass Effect.

Click here to view screenshots of my Shepard in Mass Effect 2.
Click here to view screenshots of my Shepard in Mass Effect 3.

To view more screenshots, visit my Facebook page.

Click here view my playthrough of Mass Effect 3 on YouTube.


Nyx Shepard


The faithful Mako


Wrex and Tali were my main teammates throughout ME1


Sovereign


Shepard after the final battle.


Vogue

Neck rolls

Stretching may seem like something only athletic persons do to limber up their muscles before jumping into competition, but it is extremely important for all of us to do no matter how active or inactive you tend to be.

Stretching improves flexibility. Flexibility improves your daily performance by expanding the ability of what you can do (bending over to pick up objects, lifting, reaching, etc.) and improving your coordination. Coordination is important in all aspects of life, but as gamer’s we know the importance of being able to react quickly and skillfully as we play.

Stretching can also improve your circulation, increasing blood flow to muscles. In turn this brings in nourishment and expels the waste of byproducts in the muscle tissue. It can also help shorten recovery time if you have muscle injuries.

These stretches can relieve neck and shoulder pain, which can also help relieve any tension headaches you may be experiencing.

• Drop your head to one side.
• Roll it around in a wide circle; switch directions.
• Slowly find the tight spots. Hold and breathe, letting your breath release the tightness.
• Extra stretch: Place a hand on your head and gently pull to the side.

A basic static stretch – holding the pose for an extended period – should last about 30 seconds. Anything less than 20 seconds won’t make a significant difference in lengthening muscle fibers and tissue; hold too long and you risk injury.

On a personal note, I’ve begun doing yoga at home for about 30 minutes a day. I am by no means a professional, but I am already feeling better; especially in my back where I’ve been having a lot of pain lately.

Meet the brownies

Twin chocolate brown cats own me. Er…that is to say I own twin chocolate brown cats.

Baki and Loki (AKA the Brownies) were only a week old when someone carried them into the pet store I used to work for. I was elected to bottle feed them until they were old enough to be adopted, but by that time I couldn’t give them up. I love them too much.


Loki (named for being a tricky little troublemaker when he was little) is my 16 lb. mamma’s boy. He follows me around and finds ways to get my attention; i.e. catching his toys and meowing with pride before dropping them at my feet among other disgustingly cute habits. He demands to sleep by my side close to my heart or face. Unfortunately he has developed asthma and I have to medicate him or he has alarming asthma attacks.


Baki is my 20 lb. teddy bear. He’s a little chubster, but he carries his weight like a panther. He has a small voice, but a thunderous purr and loves to cuddle; the best remedy for a hard day. He’s gotten very vocal since Cameron and I moved in with one another. Walking around meowing for no reason. Sometimes I will find him standing in the kitchen meowing at the wall…silly.


Both cats are of a large build, but I have placed them on diets to take care of any unhealthy weight. When I lived at home, my mom had a dropdown feeder that the cats could access whenever they wanted food…they wanted it a lot. My vet recommended I feed them EVO wet food for the high protein content if I want to improve their weight and skin. I plan on switching next time I stock up on cat food.

Blame rises

When I was a child, my parents sat me down and told me I could watch the movies they watch, but I had to keep in mind that they were not real, they were made for our entertainment. I watched movies as a young girl (under the age of 10) that were rated PG13 and sometimes R, including the first two Alien movies, the Terminator movies, Total Recall and so on. They still scared me as they are meant to, and I was welcome to leave the room at any time, but they never affected who I am as a person. I have never had any thoughts about exacting that type of violence on another human being.

I've played video games since I was aware and coordinated enough to understand what they are and hold a controller in my hands. Some games are violent and some are not; I play both, but they do not influence my actions. Again, “they are not real, they are made for our entertainment."

Cameron and I went to see Batman: The Dark Knight Rises July 20th at 12am. We enjoyed the movie immensely and praised it highly as we left the theater with our friends. More than a movie about violence and death, it was a movie about never giving up. “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.”

When we returned home we learned that a young man in Aurora, Colorado had dressed in tactical armor, fired smoke bombs and shot into the crowd after The Dark Knight Rises had started, killing 12 and wounding 58 more. The loss of life is nothing to take lightly and my heart goes out to the victims' loved ones. I cannot begin to imagine how painful that kind of loss would be.

People are angry and fearful right now. They want to analyze what makes this man (and other’s like him) tick. I’ve seen people blame the violence of movies and video games for the actions of individuals like this and I have to disagree. There are plenty of people who watch movies and play games that have never lifted a finger to harm another. If violent movies and video games play a factor, they are enhancing an issue that was already there to begin with. The people who commit murder have an underlying mental problem(s). Sometimes these mental problems are compounded with a rough home life. Needless to say their parents or guardians never discussed what is real or entertainment, and what is right or wrong.

If we want to improve the youth of today and tomorrow it needs to start with the parents. It’s up to the parents to set a good example for their children and nurture them into respectable human beings. Allow your child to experience the world, but have open communication with them and start a dialogue about what is right or wrong. Teach them manners and respect. Guide them.

No, I am not a mother yet, but I’ve thought a lot about this. I love and respect my parents, I feel they did a pretty good job raising me and I’ve realized we have always had good communication with each other. Good communication is the key to a good life and I hope to continue and improve upon that pattern with my own children in the near future.

Portal review

Portal is now one of my favorite games of all time.

Not long ago, I made a promise to myself that I would start experiencing “older” video games that I had never had the pleasure of playing when they released, and Portal was my first choice.

Portal is a first person puzzle-platform game, released by Valve. The player must navigate their way through a series of puzzles using a teleportation device that allows you to control two portals. The portals may be used to move the player and simple objects from location to location within a confined testing space.


It is really enjoyable to play an intelligent game that makes you think. Portal forces you to pay attention and think about your next move, like a game of chess. I experienced such a range of emotions while playing this game. Within the first few levels I felt like a genius, wielding my portal gun and snickering with glee as I completed each course with flying colors. As the levels progressed however, I found myself more and more agitated when it took me longer to complete each course. Eventually I prevailed and the amount of satisfaction I got from succeeding made it all worth the while.

Although shorter than the average modern game, Portal is still entertaining and a valuable experience within the gaming universe. Once you’ve finished the campaign you can challenge yourself on advanced courses or within timed chambers. There are also a variety of achievements to unlock if you’re into that. I picked it up Portal for $9.99 on Steam and it is definitely worth it!

Check out "The First 60 Minutes of Portal"

Headache solutions

Headaches are one of the worst things that can affect us while playing games, or participating in any activity really. There are many different factors that can play a role in causing headaches so let’s discuss some solutions that don’t involve popping pain pills.

1. Drink lots of water - The human body needs water to remain healthy and functional and dehydration is the most common cause of headaches. I make it point to drink at least two 32 oz. water bottles worth a day, if not more, and I feel so much better and have way less headache problems than I used to.

2. Diet - There are trigger foods that have been known to cause headaches and/or migraines in people (not to mention the healthier you eat the better you’ll feel in general). Pay attention to what goes in and if you start to notice a pattern, say (God forbid) every time you eat chocolate you get a searing headache about an hour later, it’s time to say bye bye to chocolate.

3. Calcium and Magnesium supplements - You can take these supplements to help relax your muscles and increase blood flow, which will help keep the toxins out of your muscles.

4. Exercise - Exercising will increase blood flow and circulation, which will keep the toxins out of your muscles.

5. Soothe eyestrain - Blink often, focus away from the screen when you can and above all try to rest your eyes as often as possible. Eyestrain, for us geeky types, this will be our most common cause of headaches. When you stare at a screen as long as we do, you are bound to do some funky things to your eyes/brain.

6. Massage - We carry the majority of our stress in the shoulders and neck, leading to tension headaches. A little massage either given by a caring individual, professional or yourself could help relax tight muscles and therefore alleviate the tension headache you’ve brewed up for yourself.

7. Hot shower or bath - Along the same lines a hot shower or bath will also help soothe tight muscles. The steam can also help unclog your sinuses, which can be another cause of headache.

8. Icepack - Applying an ice pack to the painful location(s) for 5 to 10 minutes at a time can reduce inflamed muscles in the shoulders and neck.

9. Pressure points - Pinch and hold the fleshy spot between your thumb and index finger for up to 5 minutes. Also try placing your index fingers in the middle and just above each eyebrow, press with your fingers and hold. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for up to another 5 minutes.

10. Relax and rest - Simple as that, take a break from whatever is stressing you out and go do something that will relieve your stress.

If you have tried these solutions and the headaches persist, you should visit your doctor.

Wedded bliss

Cameron and I have been married for a little over a month now.

This all feels so surreal.

I have always been the romantic. Clinging to the hope of love finding me and living happily ever after. After many years of trial and error, I finally found a man that was who and what I wanted and needed (coincidently I am who and what he wanted and needed too).

I had been convinced that once the wedding was over, we could settle into married bliss and relax with one another. WRONG! There is still so much to do even after a wedding is over! Including (but not limited to) changing my name across the board, sending thank you cards and decorating our new apartment.

Temperament-wise we are just peachy keen. I’ve heard of so many couples struggling to cope when moving in with one another. “You really don’t know a person until you move in with them” doesn’t apply to us. I’m sure many would say we’re still in that honeymoon stage, that the rose-colored glasses are still on. Well good! Leave them there! I like being happy in my marriage with my husband. I look at how many people around us have lost the love in their relationships (or never had it to begin with) and I feel incredibly sad, not to mention determined never to let that happen to us.

After over 2 years of being together, Cameron and I have not fought once. The only time we’ve even snapped at one another at all is when either one of us was hungry (I am like Joe Pecsi in the Snickers commercial when I have no food in my stomach).

All of our little skeptics out there will say “Yeah right give them a few years, then let’s see how happy they are”. Think what you will. We are human, we aren’t perfect but we will always remain happy in our marriage.

My top 10 video games

My top 10 favorite video games are as follows (in no particular order).


Okami


The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (but all are amazing)


The Mass Effect Series


Portal Series


KOTOR Series and SWTOR


The Elder Scrolls Series


The Final Fantasy Series (VI and IX are my favorites)


The Kingdom Hearts Series


Epic Mickey


World of Warcraft

Of course we are adaptable creatures and our tastes change as our experiences grow, so this list may change as I experience new games.

What are your favorite games?

Playing catch up

As much as I love gaming, sometimes I’m ashamed of how many popular titles I have missed getting to play. I blame it on not having the right equipment, internet access or money to purchase the game at the time. Right now is the best time of my life to be experiencing “new” games and I want you to help me out. I have listed the games I could think of below. Some I have played and want to re-experience, but most of them I’ve never played. Suggest your favorites to me if I’ve left them out!

• American McGee’s Alice
• American McGee’s Alice Madness Returns
• Assassin’s Creed
• Assassin’s Creed II
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Batman:Arkham Asylum
• Batman:Arkham City
• Bioshock
• Bioshock 2
• Dead Island
• Diablo (I am currently playing 3)
• Dragon Age
• Fallout
• Final Fantasy (V thru XIII)
• Hitman: Codename 47
• Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
• Hitman: Contracts
• Hitman: Blood Money
• Jade Empire
• Left 4 Dead
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Longest Journey (Subscriber’s suggestion)
• Longest Journey: Dreamfall
• Portal
• Portal 2
• Super Mario Bros.
• Manhunt (Subscriber’s suggestion)
• Megaman
• Metal Gear Solid
• Metroid
• Minecraft
• Resident Evil
• Shogun 2 Total War (Subscriber’s suggestion)
• Spyro
• Tomb Raider
• Uncharted
• Vampire the Masquerade
• Wizards and Warriors
• Zelda

Those that have been crossed out, have been played.

Water, water everywhere

The human body needs water to remain healthy and functional. Our bodies use water in their cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because our bodies lose water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. The amount of water we need depends on a variety of factors, including the climate we live in, how physically active we are, and whether we are experiencing an illness or have any other health problems.

We all know it’s healthy, we all know we need to drink it, but quite often we shirk it off for tastier and less healthy beverages like soda, alcohol or sweetened tea and juices. Drinking water is a good habit, a habit that can be learned, and it comes with some pretty powerful benefits.

• Water is one of the best tools for weight loss. It can replace high-calorie drinks like soda, juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. It’s also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs and no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.
• Drinking a good amount of water could support heart health, by affecting factors such as the thickness of blood and plasma. In fact, a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that subjects who drink five or more glasses of water per day have half the risk of fatal coronary heart disease compared with those who drink less than two glasses of water each day.
• Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.
• Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. Often when we suffer headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one and upping your intake of water could lead to less.
• Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. A week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.
• Our digestive systems need water to digest food properly. Water can often help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).
• Water flushes out toxins and waste products from the body, leaving your system cleansed and much healthier. The elimination of these toxins and waste can also contribute to weight loss.
• Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.
• Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, by slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

Starting a good habit is easy. Continuing that good habit until it becomes second nature, not so much. Always carry a water bottle with you and keep drinking. Replace other beverages you normally drink with water. Give yourself a goal of how much you would like to drink per day and improve upon it.

Happy drinking!

Eyestrain

Eyestrain is a condition that manifests itself through a number of non-specific symptoms; fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headaches and occasional double vision to name a few. This condition can occur after reading, computer work, gaming, or other similar activities that involve tedious/repetitive visual tasks.

When concentrating on visually intense tasks, the ciliary muscle tightens, causing the uncomfortable symptoms listed above. The ciliary muscle is a ring of smooth muscle in the eye’s middle layer that controls the ability to view objects at varying distances.

If you’ve ever seen a photograph of yourself playing video games or watching television, you’ll find more often than not that you look something like this 0_0. Being a gamer, I know we are doing this to take in as much information as we can to react as fast and efficiently as possible, but it is incredibly bad for our eyes and brain.

Fortunately there are some things you can do to keep your peepers happy.

• Rest - The number one thing you can do for your eyes is rest them. Allow them to relax and slip out of focus, gently focus from one object to another at varying distances or simply close them.
• Blink - Blink as often as you can remember. When you stare without blinking your eyes dry out and begin to get irritated. Blinking lubricates your eyes with tears, keeping them moist.
• Minimize Glare - When using a computer/tv your ambient light in the room should be half as bright as the screen (not brighter or pitch black). You can also try buying a pair of anti-reflective coated glasses and wear them to protect your eyes.
• “20-20-20” - Every 20 minutes refocus on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

If your eyes are already strained and hurting there are a few steps you can take to soothe them…

• Close your eyes and let your face soften. Keep your eyes closed and roll your eyes in circles.
• Rub your palms together fast until they warm, then place them gently over your closed eyes. Softly hold them there until the heat dissipates.
• Run a washcloth under hot or cold water (whichever you prefer). Gently hold over your eyes.

Stretching

Stretching may seem like something only athletic persons do to limber up their muscles before jumping into competition, but it is extremely important for all of us to do no matter how active or inactive you tend to be.

Stretching improves flexibility. Flexibility improves your daily performance by expanding the ability of what you can do (bending over to pick up objects, lifting, reaching, etc.) and improving your coordination. Coordination is important in all aspects of life, but as gamer’s we know the importance of being able to react quickly and skillfully as we play.

Stretching can also improve your circulation, increasing blood flow to muscles. In turn this brings in nourishment and expels the waste of byproducts in the muscle tissue. It can also help shorten recovery time if you have muscle injuries.

A basic static stretch – holding the pose for an extended period – should last about 30 seconds. Anything less than 20 seconds won’t make a significant difference in lengthening muscle fibers and tissue; hold too long and you risk injury. Try a variety of stretches 2 to 3 times a week at least.

Breathe deep

Poor breathing robs your energy and negatively affects mental alertness by preventing enough fresh oxygen from reaching the blood stream. Without properly expanding the rib cage the surrounding muscles get stiff, causing inhalation to become more difficult.

Rapid shallow breathing often caused by poor posture and weak or stiff muscles leads to poor oxygen supply, respiratory disease, sluggish reflexes and/or heart disease.

To practice breathing correctly…

• Sit up straight.
• Place one hand on your belly.
• Breathe slow and deep, feeling your hand rise and fall.
• Let your shoulders drop.
• Feel your body relax and renew.

I take about 4 seconds to breathe in (expanding my belly out) and 4 seconds to breathe out. Eventually your muscles, lungs and ribcage will adjust, allowing you to breathe correctly on your own, without relying on the exercises.

Good posture

Do you ever find yourself slumping over your keyboard? Your controller? Do you ever pause to consider how poor everyone’s posture has gotten over the last fifty or sixty years? I had never really thought about it before and I’m sure most of you haven’t either, but now that I am I find it somewhat depressing. Poor posture can lead to a lot of unpleasant problems in your body and it is something that can be corrected with some effort.

My posture used to be fantastic when I was in ballet classes, but I’ve found myself slumping more and more over the years as my good habits started to fade. Recently I have begun practicing good posture again and I find it challenging to break bad habits, but rewarding.

Proper posture or “neutral spine” is the proper alignment of the body between postural extremes. In it’s natural alignment the spine is not straight, but a gently curved in a very slight backward S-shape. Good posture optimizes breathing and affects the circulation of bodily fluids. The body is able to function best in its strongest, most balanced position: stress to joints, muscles, vertebrae and tissues is minimized.

In contrast, poor posture increases stress on your back and causes discomfort and damage. When the spine is left in poor posture for extended periods of time, it raises the diaphragm, which prevents the body from taking a full breath; this can lead to reduced oxygenation throughout the body. It can also compromise the internal organs performance by putting pressure throughout the abdomen. People who sit for long hours are susceptible to a number of misalignments.

Follow these tips to align your body. If you are standing, skip the “sit bones” portion.

• Sit on your “sit bones”; these are the sharp bones are found on the back underside of your pelvic bone. Notice when you press yourself into sitting on these bones that your body starts to naturally align itself.
• Ears should align with your shoulders; shoulders should align with your hips.
• Let your shoulders relax, soften your jaw and lower your chin. Take a few breaths.

Although difficult at first, try to remind myself whenever you find yourself slumping throughout the day. Eventually you will retrain your muscles to hold this position without extra thought or effort.

Improving your posture may improve aches and pains in your back and neck. If you are experiencing extreme pain or discomfort, please go see a doctor peoples!

Female gamer here

I am a female and I love to game.

Gaming is not about my gender, and it never has been. I have gamed nearly my entire life, starting with an Atari Console and a Tandy Computer. I did not wake up one day after puberty and decide to get into gaming so I could reign over all the geeky men of the land with my booby baubles.

To me gaming is about relaxing and having fun: an opportunity to experience worlds, powers and plots that are normally confined to our imagination, novels and films we have no control over. I want to prove my skills and accomplish the achievements set forth by the games I play.

I do not seek special treatment or gifts; I expect to earn your respect as peers because I have the same passion for video games and geek culture that you do. I hope to earn readers, viewers and subscribers based on the content I produce and the person I am; not based on my looks, how much skin I show or if I am available.

My name is Melissa.