Page 22 - WoW Magazine Issue 29

22 // World of Warcraft Community Magazine
ARTICLE
HOW TO BE BETTER
s 2016 comes to an end, there will be
many of you more than grateful for its
Adeparture. It is traditional at this time of
year to make resolutions: attempting to make 2017
different, looking at how as a person you can improve
on what has come before. This year, I’d like to ask you
to consider yourself in Azeroth, and how, in the next
12 months, you could learn to be a better player.
What I’m asking here will not involve you pouring
over third party websites or spending hours at the target
dummies in your capital city/Class Hall of choice. In
fact, I’m not talking about that aspect of participation
at all, because I don’t have a clue how you approach or
play your own character. My focus is on how you look
past the desire we all have to simply focus on the people
and things that matter to us first and to look beyond
both the safe and comforting, by taking a step in the
dark for the first time and doing stuff that scares you.
This is a difficult thing to do, and I know from first-hand
experience how intimidating it can seem to approach total
strangers online… but in Azeroth, nobody should ever be
alone for too long. Features like the Class Hall are meant
to bring players together, and it is in the spirit of doing
The GameOn Magazine
By Sarah Reeson
new and sometimes difficult things that I present five
ways you can stretch beyond your comfort zones in 2017
and perhaps make some new friends along the way.
1. BELIEVE IN YOUR ABILITY
This, for many people, is the most difficult first step of
all: self-belief. Am I good enough to cope with random
issues? Do I possess the skills required to make it look
as if I’m a capable player? Before you start fretting, none
of this really matters in the bigger scheme of things to
everybody except you. Your brain will throw ridiculous
amounts of logical and well thought out reasons for
not taking that step if, deep down, you cannot believe
there is the capability within you to begin with.
The key to success is to stop listening to yourself and
your objections to change. There has to be the belief
that whatever happens, you are better with other people
than you’ll ever be alone. Even if it scares you, find
something that you can believe in as a starting point and
go from that. It can be baby steps: a LFR with a bunch of
random people, or maybe signing up for a World Boss
group. Start small, and go from there. Honestly, you have
nothing to lose, and might enjoy yourself in the process.