'WoW' launch: Sleepy old grandpa geek comes out at night

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

To paraphrase the immortal Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, I'm getting too old for this stuff.

I started noticing it last summer while standing in line for The Dark Knight's midnight showing. For one, I took note that a good 70 percent of the participants were in the 18-22 age bracket, which as a mid-30s guy standing in line at 11 p.m. on a weekday night tends to make me feel just a tad old. Especially when I start getting sleepy eyes while most around me are positively brimming with vim and vigor.

It was virtually no different a few hours ago at the San Francisco launch party for Blizzard's much-anticipated second expansion to World of Warcraft--Wrath of the Lich King. Even as I type this, I'm fighting sleep as it's way past ol' grandpa here's bedtime. I really don't have many midnight launches/premieres left in me. I'm thinking Watchmen and The Hobbit. Then I retire from these types of things.

It's funny. Years ago, I would have been mixing it up with more of my fellow geeks, talking about WoW to no end. Don't get me wrong, there was quite a bit of that going on, but once I actually got in line, I went into, "Don't talk to me, get out of my way, and just give me my friggin' game. No seriously, you need to get the hell out of my way and give me my game" mode.

OK, enough complaining. This event was basically like a miniature Blizzcon. There was face painting, a dance contest, a costume contest, and developers on their feet for hours on end being constantly interviewed.

Then there was the ridiculous three-block-long line. As you can see from some of the pics, there are some real hardcore fans who take the time they put into this game seriously. Most were there with friends, and for them WoW is basically a social network. A useful way to keep in touch while pwning nubs.

The most impressive thing of the night was a woman dressed as a Night Elf Druid. It wasn't her incredibly detailed and well-thought-out costume that impressed the most, but her admission that she'd once played WoW 28 hours straight. That beats my record by about eight hours.

Lots more geeky pics after the jump.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

[Cruton502]

Lol, thanks for the post. I'm feeling the age hit too. I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter last year and that just killed me. Thanks for chronicling the event for us old fogies.

[rishidan]

You KNOW it's over when you order the game online, pay a ridiculous amount of money to have it sent to your work via FedEx and then attempt to justify it with blatently trivial excuses such as "deadline", "responsibility" and "carpool".

/sigh

LOL!! You children have a shock coming. I turned 60 on 9/2/08 and I am having trouble keeping up with the kids too. Tonight I'm headed to my Alma Mater to attend a football game in the snow and sleet Saturday. However, the trick is once you get on the wrong side of the hill, prepare, start earlier, and save recovery time for post event. I worked the Renn Faire in Minnesota for (16) 12 hour days in 2007 and I'll repeat that effort in 2009.

It is necessary that we all get older, but nothing says we have to grow up. For the first time in my life, I a life long Republican, voted for a Democrat for President, and my hair is down to my collar for the first time in my life too.

Come on lazy, suck it up and join the party! ;-)))

[Pishkado]

People like the dancer in the red sweater in the 7th picture down, viewer's left, should keep their midriffs covered.

[kwilsonjr]

50 in January and still gaming like a madman. I consider myself a child of technology because I got to experience Pong as a technology innovation as a kid. From 10 cent pinball to the age of computers in a very short time span, all during my tweens and teens, the golden hour for gamers.

I am afflicted with that horrible condition 'Peter Pan Syndrome' and refuse, even at 50, to give up my love of gaming. After all, I was 'online gaming' over a 2400 baud modem at one point and 'war dialing' for local bulletin boards. Ahh, DOS. The good 'ol days'.

I was in line at Midnight for Windows 95 and was in line at Midnight for Windows Vista. I can only hope I do the same thing for Windows Vision 2020 (in 2020).

So 'you 35 year 'old timer' you get no sympathy from me. And BTW, I spent 36 hours on WoW my very first session.

Ken Wilson
San Diego CA

[popeye9]

Ken are you still married?
lol
Keep gaming dude!