Getting Ready For Guild Wars: Fan is Short For Fanatic

The Super Fan contest was an interesting one. And if I can be said to know someone by frequenting their site than I do, in fact, know one of the people who won. Brinstar's going to be at PAX and promises to deliver some reporting from the event. Including, no doubt, the GW:EN launch part. So, a belated congratulations, but congratulations all the same.

However, the most super fan of all is, of course, me. Since, I'm nowhere near Seattle at the moment, though, and not exactly willing to shell out for the trip on the off chance of getting a pass to early Guild Wars party access or whatever, I didn't enter. But we all know that the e-king would not be denied in this, had he but chosen to pursue it. Finding out about it after it was over probably had something to do with that, too.

But, seeing the page of the winning entries, I couldn't help but think what I'd have said if I had, though. Because, somehow, I don't think “You fuckers owe me.” would have worked, here's what I would have written:

There are dozens of stories I could tell but the one I will is that I first played Guild Wars back in 2004, because of a link I blindly followed from Penny Arcade. A tiny file. Only sixty some k. A free demo, promising a few hours of fun to while away the hours. It sounded like fun. That installation file's never left my computer since. In that time, I've been a tester, a poster, a writer, a player, a builder, a teammate, a winner, and more. And less. You see, in those stories I won't tell, I've left the game, come back to the game, left again. Cared about it until I didn't want to care any more. In all that time, I've never taken the opportunity before, so I'd just like to say thanks for all those memories.

Which is too long as always but, you know, fuck it.