Mephistophles

In real life, my name is Dennis and I'm a retired IT Software Development Manager, living in Seattle, WA. Last job was at T-Mobile USA, before that was Amazon.com and prior to that at Microsoft. Been in the computer biz almost before there was a computer biz (the first computer I worked on was an IBM 7094, which had an oil pressure light!). Besides the computer stuff, hobbies include automated Christmas light displays, electronics, reading science fiction and fantasy books, and exploring spirituality and meditation. 

Been playing MMORPGs since the late 90's, starting with Asheron's Call (AC) in 1999, from there to Asheron's Call 2, Horizons, Ryzom, and Everquest 2. My guild on EQ2 fizzled out so I decided to move on, and Guild Wars 2 seemed like a good place to explore - lots of good vibes from Reddit. Been with GW2 a little over a year now, enjoying the game immensely! GW2 did a lot of things right that other games had problems with. I really like the way they've woven social collaboration into the design -- the implementation and graphics are fantastic, as well as the incredible performance (been in overland battles in GW2 that would have brought an EQ2 server to its knees, simply amazing -- kept going at 20 fps or so and didn't even stutter!!). 

I think I'm really going to enjoy my time here! I've come to understand, in playing MMORPGs, that what matters to me the most is relationships. It's pretty easy to get to the "end game" (max level, oober armor and weapons, etc.) and to get map complete and do all the quests. Then what? I've found that it's the relationships and friendships that endure far longer than the mechanics of the game itself.