Most of us don’t give a second thought to what it would be like to play our games if we were handicapped. Chances are that in your online escapades you’ve played with dozens of people that were handicapped. Thanks to perseverance, adaptation, and a little bit of technological engineering, these players are able to meld into a world where their physical disabilities no longer have value. –Krieg

Nerve damage; when it happens in your arms, hands, or wrists, the impact can be devastating to your gaming.

I have had surgery on both arms and I am still feeling it. My son and my friends all play World of Warcraft, so giving up the game is not an option. I know the pain will be an issue for a long time, so I am playing smarter to reduce the pain and soreness, have fun, and live my life playing and socializing the way I always did before my surgeries.

Having nerve damage or any other kind of crippling disability is not the end of your gaming experience. There are many tools and tips you can benefit from to allow for mostly normal play. Ergonomic mice and keyboards, in-game addons, and even simply taking frequent breaks can allow you to lead a less painful gaming lifestyle.

Here are a few pointers to those newly initiated into the, “OMFG my wrists and arms hurt” club:

1. Personally, I use a 3M EM550GPS Ergonomic Mouse at work and a Logitech Optical Trackman Trackball at home. These two mice are radically different and a little hard to get used to. I do notice that my speed and dps are slowed down a bit when using a trackball and having to use my thumb, but my well-being is a higher priority.
2. There are some relatively high end devices, such as one that you can wear on a baseball cap that will follow your head and let you use that target as your mouse pointer, while using your other appendages to click buttons; however, these devices seem impractical for gaming.
3. Utilize an ergonomic keyboard. Studies have shown time and time again that normal, flat keyboards just aren’t good for your wrists. Ergonomic keyboards can be expensive, but are often well worth the small investment.
4. Take care of yourself. Take frequent breaks and play smart–use flight paths so you can take your hands off the keyboard and massage them. Try to do less gathering since that can be hours of repetitive movements. Break up your playtime to give your body a break. Massage the area of soreness often. Monitor your pain levels and adjust your playtime accordingly. The goal is to put your health first and the game second, not the other way around.
5. If you are in a guild, Inform officers and/or raid leaders of your condition so if your dps slows or you need a break, they understand your issues. If they do not know why you are taking breaks or lower on the dps charts, they may misunderstand your issues. Do not use your disability as an excuse, but as an upfront explanation as to why these issues may occur.
6. Utilize addons. There are many addons out there to help disabled or players with reduced mobility. I use Squakandawe for my Moonkin, and a Pally Ret first come first serve addon that shows the icons of what to hit next in your rotation so using muscle memory and placing your buttons close will help you play and hopefully not irritate your nerve pain.

Above all, if you are getting pains in your wrist, arms, back, or anywhere else that may be the result of excessive gaming, you should go see a doctor and limit your time using your computer until your appointment. Once diagnosed be sure to take care of yourself . As long as you play smarter, you too will be able to continue having many enjoyable years gaming with your family and friends.

About the Author

Bloodragé is a single father of 2, a full time worker and a gamer–not necessarily in that order. He has been playing World of Warcraft since early Burning Crusade but has tried and failed many-a-MMO before that. He recently took a year break from the game, so no comments about his gear . He is sarcastic, witty and has a thing for cleft hoofed females. He is currently in the guild Illuminatus as a guildmate and on the guild council.

Would you like to write for irnub? Shoot us an email and you could have your article featured and the above bio would be yours!

Anyone that plays World of Warcraft has been asked, “What’s your gear score?” so many times they can’t see straight. any time you are looking for a raid, you will see, “Need 3 dps over 5500 gs only for ICC10” in trade chat.

Gear Score is ruining the game.

Gear Score is a World of Warcraft addon that checks your gear’s item level and assigns you a number–the higher the number the better your gear is.

Up front, Gear Score sounds great. But what if I have a lower Gear Score but my button smashing is so extreme that I out-dps (damage per second) people with a gear score higher than mine? What if I am at a 5200 Gear Score but use my innervate and battle rez’s so perfectly that I would be an asset to your group? In contrast, what if I have a 5800 gear score but what if I don’t really understand the mechanics of my class and perform poorly because of such?

It appears that the players trying to find groups are relying too much on this specific addon. This Gear Score oriented system of finding groups is flawed and should not be used as the sole requirement for assessing a player. Gear Score does give you a good basis to see what that toon has accomplished, such as noting that a toon with a 5200 Gear Score is not a new level 80 for example. However, as I mentioned before, the Gear Score of a player speaks nothing of his/her ability to perform and using it as the sole criteria can lead to detrimental effects on your group during pressing encounters.

Furthermore, it is quite easy to falsify a Gear Score reading for a toon. I have heard of people using a combo of mismatched gear to raise gear score, then once in the raid, swap to their actual gear which has a much lower score. You can also buy PvP gear with honor points that has an item level of 264, which is equal to top-tier raiding gear. Obviously PVP gear may not be ideal to raid with, but it will sure show a higher gear score number when quickly inspected.

Luckily, Gear Score attempting to improve its service to the WoW community. The addon now has a new feature where you can type “/gs” when selecting a person and see how far they have gone in certain raids, which is a better overall view of how people play. One issue is they have to be near you to be inspected, in addition to the possibility that they could have been carried through the encounters they are listed as completing.

I am not saying Gear Score is a bad addon, just one that is so strongly relied on that you undoubtedly are losing quality players because they need to break through that initial Gear Score barrier that may not even be a true verification of skill . So, use Gear Score as a tool to determine how a player may work in your group but do not use it as the sole basis for accepting or rejection!

About the Author

Bloodragé is a single father of 2, a full time worker and a gamer–not necessarily in that order. He has been playing World of Warcraft since early Burning Crusade but has tried and failed many-a-MMO before that. He recently took a year break from the game, so no comments about his gear . He is sarcastic, witty and has a thing for cleft hoofed females. He is currently in the guild Illuminatus as a guildmate and on the guild council.

As we all know, several aspects of MMO Games are reliant on people working together in a group to accomplish a goal. However, how and to what intensity you play the game is dependent on your lifestyle and “real life” obligations. Many people make the mistake of picking a play style that doesn’t mesh with their “real life”, causing issues anywhere from “burnout” to being a perpetual “noob.”

Solo Player

You play when you can and if you have a max-level character you do a true pick-up-group (PUG), craft items or run aimlessly around the major cities. If you are in a guild it may be your bank alt’s guild just so you do not have to deal with random invites. You usually only have gear from the mediocre dungeons, making you an asset to pugs but not worthy of high level raids. If you do raid, it is always with a PUG when you see one in a public chat channel, considering your time online is often sporadic.

Family Guild

This option lets you be more social and allow you to run PUGs with friends and possibly even embark on some half-way organized raids. The advantage is you will have more opportunities to raid with out the pressure of having to commit to a certain day or amount of time. A family style guild also is a lot more understanding on last minute drop outs and contingencies.

Casual Guild

This option requires time commitments but is usually flexible with your schedule as long as you post on the guild site or tell an officer/raid leader ahead of time. This option works well if you know or can arrange a few hours all together to play one to two days a week and is flexible enough that if you need to cancel you can. These guilds usually use a non-DKP point system to make sure loot is spread out to help all guildies.

Progression Guild

Much like the casual guild this option will have specific raids set up, time commitments, and will allow for cancellations as long as you give ample notice. The difference here and with casual guilds is that you often need to be able to commit to multiple days of raiding, not just a sporadic one or two. This type of guild will also have a minimum gear requirement to ensure you have the potential to perform at a certain level. These guilds usually use a non-DKP point system, but DKP systems are also possible.

Raiding (Hardcore) Guild

This option requires you to arrange your real life happenings around your non-raid days. This guild will have three to five set raiding nights with mandatory attendance. Loot is usually determined with a DKP point system that encourages attendance and allows for adjustments to be made for performance as well. Missing a certain amount of raids or not staying the full duration often comes with a penalty attached. While this option can be worked around, it usually does not match well with a person who does have fairly demanding real life commitments or poor organizational and time management skills.

Honesty is the best policy; take a good look at what you are able to do based on your real life happenings and look for a style and guild that best suits you. Your decision as to how you play the game can be life altering, so take it seriously!

So how do real life commitments affect your playstyle?

About the Author

Bloodragé is a single father of 2, a full time worker and a gamer–not necessarily in that order. He has been playing World of Warcraft since early Burning Crusade but has tried and failed many-a-MMO before that. He recently took a year break from the game, so no comments about his gear . He is sarcastic, witty and has a thing for cleft hoofed females. He is currently in the guild Illuminatus as a guildmate and on the guild council.