- Email (Work): The sound of a man smashing his fist through a plate-glass window followed by a series of epithets making it entirely clear that he is in significant amounts of pain.
- Email (Personal): Ducks angrily quacking at one another in a zoo after getting out of their enclosure
- Slack: A Cadillac Escalade rolling over on an airport tarmac in the background while a woman from Italy reads off a list of common vegetable names
- Discord: Untitled Goose Game honking (Skrillex remix)
- Twitter: “All Star” by Smash Mouth but every third word is replaced by the sound of tearing fabric
- Text messages: The Wilhelm scream (Skrillex remix)
- Ringtone: 400 bees angrily buzzing as an airplane takes off.
- What Are You Playing comment notifications: The compiled works of Skrillex (Lawrence Welk remix)
Bonus Question: What irrational fear do you have that you’re aware of, notwithstanding that being aware of it likely doesn’t help much?
Andy McAdams: Well, as I’ve cancelled my World of Warcraft subscription because, well… reasons, I’m not really sure. I might re-try ArcheAge because I haven’t touched it in a long time.
Irrational fear: Bears. My older brother played a prank on me when I was younger involving bears and it’s become the only animal I’m actually scared of. I mean, I’ve swam with sharks and loved every minute of it, but my blood pressure still goes up walking by bear enclosures at the zoo.
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): I need to stop working and get out of this house, fam. But I’ll probably play some more City of Heroes and Guild Wars 2.
Many bugs, but especially roaches, centipedes, and anything that flies. I’m also super paranoid about choking, but that’s not an irrational fear!
Carlo Lacsina (@UltraMudkipEX): I’m going to play some Black Desert Online this weekend. I took about a month-long break, but now I’m back and learning about lifeskilling. I’m not really a crafter or gatherer type, but I gotta learn it one day.
I have a fear of accidently deleting my mains on my favorite MMO. It’s not so much a problem these days, since you have to retype the name and in some cases wait 24 hours to get it fully deleted. The same goes for hard-to-obtain gear I get. There’s always that troll part of my brain that goes, “I wonder what would happen if you just destroyed it?” But yeah. Irrational fear!
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes, blog): Now that alpha 3.7 is out, I’ll be taking a spin in Star Citizen to nibble on some rocks and really see if this whole FPS mining thing will get me closer to my beloved Caterpillar space truck… assuming the patcher works, anyway. Otherwise it’s another weekend of Behemoth slaying in Dauntless and alt class leveling in Final Fantasy XIV.
I think I might have a mild case of trypophobia; I’ve seen some images of things with holes in them that just absolutely skeev me out. It’s not a paralyzing sort of severe terror, but it definitely makes me halt and go “guh.”
Colin Henry (@ChaosConstant): I’ve been sick all week, so I’ll probably take it easy this weekend. Probably some Lord of the Rings Online, maybe some console gaming. I’m also planning to log into The Elder Scrolls Online for the free stuff and XP boost thing they’re doing this weekend.
I’m irrationally afraid of having a heart attack. I don’t have any particular risk factors, it just bothers me that this very important organ is a single point of failure for my entire body.
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): It seems that Code Vein was finally what I needed to move into the space of actually enjoying a Souls-like game! Who knew that I needed anime vampires and a job system? Apparently, this studio. Aside from that I’ve been really liking The Sims 4 lately (might be time to get some expansions) and, of course, doing my thing in FFXIV. I was getting an urge to go back to Azeroth again, but whoops.
I’ve got a deep and abiding fear of sharp things. You might be thinking that sounds like a totally normal fear, and you’d technically be right (sharp things can hurt you), but this extends to me just sitting and trying to really think about sharp things breaking the skin. It also makes me horribly averse to needles of any kind, which makes donating blood real fun.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): Now that I’m stepping away from World of Warcraft, it’s time to explore some other gaming options. I’m probably going to be poking my head into Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Guild Wars 2 over the weekend, but Lord of the Rings Online definitely will get most of my time as I march through Rise of Isengard’s zones.
Mia DeSanzo (@neschria): I will probably be in ArcheAge. And Skyrim. (I am trying to wrap up the main story and Dark Brotherhood quest lines in my current playthrough.) Otherwise, I will be playing the carpet shampooing game, which is less a game and more a chore.
I am irrationally afraid of horses. They are terrifying beasts.
Samon Kashani (@thesamkash): Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse is on the menu right now. ArcheAge Unchained is on my radar, so I’ll probably buy in soon so I can enjoy that action when it launches.
All my fears are totally rational. Why didn’t you call me back yet? It’s been nearly 30 minutes. You must have flipped your car over and you’re dead in a ditch. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Why is this tub of ice cream upside down in the aisle? Someone must have opened it and spit in it. Not this time Chad.
Tina Lauro Pollock (@purpletinabeans): I’ll be playing Guild Wars 2, happy that it’s the last weekend before my husband and I make some boozy butterbeer and crack the Mad King’s Clock Tower once again. It’s definitely the most wonderful time of the year in Tyria… I love seeing all the super-creative costumes and the event theme is always so well done.
My irrational fear is wasps. I hate the word. I hate how they move their horrific little bodies. I hate, more than anything, the sound they make. They are literally the most sinister thing I can imagine. Yikes! I was a sobbing wreck fairly recently because one got in my room at night and flew onto my phone screen, then ended up in my hair buzzing in my ear. In the dark, people. I have never been more terrified… Pennywise from IT would have had a field day!
Tyler Edwards: Possibly more Mass Effect: Andromeda. I was on a big StarCraft II kick earlier in the week. Was.
Bonus question: I’m on the spectrum, and I have anxiety disorders. It would be quicker to list all of the things I’m not irrationally afraid of.
Joseph, patron: I’m in a bit of a lull gaming-wise right now, as I eagerly await the release of ArcheAge: Unchained this week, so I’ve actually been bouncing around between games when not working on remix production. (Speaking of which, I just finished a fab new club remix for Hailee Steinfeld’s latest song “Afterlife” that can be found here.)
My nostalgia trip through WoW Classic got boring and tedious a helluva lot faster than I anticipated, so I’ve instead been firing up some Guild Wars 2 (still working through LS4 chapters) and Final Fantasy XIV (still working through the interim quests between Stormblood and Shadowbringers) to help pass the time. I also recently dabbled a bit in Warframe, and am really feeling the whole ninja robot fantasy, so I’m happily adding it to my revolving stable of MMOs and MMO-adjacents.
I also became a sudden parent this week to my partner’s two teenage kids, who just immigrated to the U.S. to be with their dad. I never thought I’d ever become a family man, so it’ll definitely take some getting used to… but once they’re situated and I can get back into gaming, I’m hoping to rope them along for some great MMO adventures!
Every Saturday, join the Massively OP community and staff for What Are You Playing, our roundup of what MMORPGs and other games we’re hoping to play this weekend (with a bonus question or two for our amusement). Tell us what you’re up to! Go off-topic! And don’t forget to have fun!
