Siblings

For as much time as I spend playing SWTOR, it's always kind of reassuring when I get some time away from it and realise that I don't miss it that badly when I have to do without it for a while. (Being without the internet in general on the other hand is a different matter. Life without a search engine at hand is frustrating in so many ways. So glad to have it back.)

There was one occasion during my leave of absence that did make me miss the game though, and that was when I had lunch with my older brother. He and I only get in contact fairly rarely, not just because we live in different countries now, but because we're simply very different in a lot of ways. We do share an interest in online gaming however, which, among other things, manifests itself in us playing the same MMOs at roughly the same time - but never together.

I wasn't even sure whether he was still into SWTOR and vice versa until he brought it up at said lunch. When I replied in the affirmative he went on to tell me how he had taken the week of early expansion access off work specifically to level like a madman.

"Tsk tsk, not all of us can afford to do that, you know," I said, jealous as anything. "I did try hard to get as much done as I could in the week before my hiatus though, and I got to 55 in two days."

"It took you two days? I did it in one."

I resisted the urge to engage in a game of sibling one-upmanship, especially as I know from past experience with WoW that he'll always outdo me when it comes to levelling alts anyway (while I tend to have slightly better raid progression in the long run /cough). Not to mention that it was hard enough for me to keep up with the conversation as it was - I'm only used to talking about the game in English, and switching to German isn't easy with a subject like that, as some terms don't get translated while others do, and then there are some which are different but not in a way that you would expect. (For example it amuses me to this day how DPS players tend to be referred to as "DDs" in German MMO slang - an abbreviation for the English word "damage dealer" that I've rarely seen any English native speakers use.)

My dear brother spent quite some time telling me about the problems he has with his Powertech's reduced tanking stats, bag pug groups, and how to tank giant lobels, and we got so engrossed in conversation that he even accompanied me to a shop after lunch to help me pick out a new handbag (what girliest of girly endeavours). Needless to say, this sort of easy companionship and friendly support is not a common expression of brotherly love between us and my mind was thoroughly blown by the whole experience.

I do have to say, I did miss the game when I got home that afternoon, partly because I kind of wanted to work on my one-upmanship anyway, but also because I wondered whether I shouldn't take the time to roll an alt on the German server on which he plays after all.

MMOs - bringing siblings on opposite sides of the Force together since 2011?