Finding Peace In Warcraft: How The MMO Became My Escape 

In A World Full Of Chaos, World of Warcraft Was Just What I Needed

Every day, when I wake up and check the news, I can’t help but feel as if the world is on fire. The current administration, whether it’s attacking immigrant and Latino communities or destroying the National Park Service, is setting the fire, and it can feel helpless. As a kid, I used to dream about one day visiting national parks around the United States and taking in all the beauty they offer. However, thanks to the administration, many of these parks, which hold significant environmental and sentimental value, will soon see their best days behind them.

As CNN pointed out in a report, the National Park Service has steadily declined in workers because of sharp budget cuts since the 47th president took office earlier this year. The Service has lost 24% of its employees in the administration’s attempt to gut the government. This is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

Living in the city, nature has been my solace, because it’s a place where I can go and hear my thoughts. I don’t have to worry about someone trying to cut me off on the road or some car running a red light and potentially hitting me. Additionally, at night, I can actually look up and see the stars, a luxury I don’t have in the city. The last thing we need is another retail store in a plot of land that used to be a thriving ecosystem.

One of the main issues that I find myself facing nowadays is the consistent fear of ICE, and the real fear that they may one day kick down my door and take me away. Even though I was born in the United States and have lived here my entire life, the chances of me being sent to Mexico are high because of the color of my skin and last name. I discussed this issue with other Latinos in the gaming industry on ButWhyTho?, following Summer Game Fest. Since then, the problem has only worsened, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

To help my mental health, I found myself diving deeper into my hobbies and also trying new things. This is how I ended up giving Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft a try. At first, I didn’t think I would get as attached as I would.

My first couple of hours consisted of me running around as a little green Goblin in the Dragon Isles as I made my way through the Dragon Flight Expansion. Then, something clicked for me as I was exploring the Ohn’ahran Plains. I started to feel a sense of calmness, and logging in every other night before I went to sleep became part of my routine.

There was something about doing a fetch quest in an area that was so green and full of life that it relaxed me. I often found myself taking quests that I didn’t even need to do, just so I could spend more time in an area. As silly as it might sound, seeing a virtual world full of life and nature helped inspire me not to give up on the real world and to do what I can to help ensure these parks remain sustainable.

Thankfully, nature conservation was a consistent theme throughout Dragon Flight, and by the time I reached the end of the expansion, I felt a little bit better about myself because it helped show me that there’s always a chance for good.

This wasn’t the only way that World of Warcraft helped improve my mental health. As I completed Dragon Flight, I jumped into The War Within, the game’s current expansion, and I was blown away by how deeply I connected with the Undermine story plot built mainly around the Goblin race.

To give a quick rundown of the Undermine story, it’s about how the goblin people are mistreated and abused by their leader, Prince Gazlowe. We’re shown firsthand how bad crime has gotten because of him and the horrible working/living conditions the goblins are living in. Thanks to Gazlowe’s leadership, some people are outright disappearing for speaking up. This eventually leads the people of Undermine to stand up against him and band together to build a better tomorrow. 

I felt a deep connection to this story, and it wasn’t because I was also playing as a goblin. It was because I saw a lot of parallels with how Latinos are being treated in America, thanks to ICE and its raids in communities. This, by all accounts, minor story arc helped remind me of the importance of community and banding together. By the end of that arc, I found myself getting teary-eyed.

There are a lot of reasons for this. In World of Warcraft, some of the hardest-working people are the goblins. This can be seen time and time again. Not only are they in the factory building the city they live in, but they can also be spotted in the lab creating innovative tools.

This was something I could especially relate to, because some of the hardest-working people I know are Latino, and many of them had very demanding jobs that often put strains on their bodies. Or if they aren’t working blue-collar jobs, they are trying to break stereotypes and go above and beyond to prove that Latinos are more than just someone who can work in a factory/warehouse.

But perhaps the part that really stood out to me was the sense of community that was felt in the Goblin race. Once you reach the tipping point of the Undermine arc, you see them band together and help one another out, even if it means putting themselves in danger. This especially got to me, because it wasn’t far off from what’s going on around me with ICE raids.

I saw people from all across the Latino community come together to help out their neighbors by trying to keep them safe, even if it meant putting themselves in harm’s way. Or if they weren’t doing that, they were helping clean up the rubble and destruction caused during the raids.

This story beat helped reignite a flame inside me that was fading because it often felt as if the fight against ICE was an uphill battle, and it was unfolding in a way that I had hoped it wouldn’t. It highlighted the importance oFsf perseverance in a world where people no longer have to live in fear, and why spreading awareness and engaging in peaceful protest is something we must do. It helps give a voice to the voiceless and builds a better tomorrow.

Building a better tomorrow is a theme that has been ingrained in World of Warcraft for as long as I can remember. It can even be seen in the Intercession cinematic, which is meant to prompt the latest expansion, Midnight. Still, the story’s core theme is to show that fighting for hope is essential even when things appear to be at their darkest.

When I first logged into World of Warcraft earlier this year, I didn’t know what to expect. But the one thing I wasn’t counting on was having a new profound view on life. Within the span of a few short months, this game has helped remind me why we need to keep fighting for a better tomorrow and the importance of community.

I’ll be forever grateful to this game. In a lot of ways, it’s helped improve my mental health in ways I didn’t know possible. But most importantly, it taught me that hope only ever dies if you genuinely believe it to be dead, and that’s why it’s important to keep fighting the good fight.