A Chilean woman coping with the devastation wrought by last weekās earthquake has looked to games to provide some comfort and normalcy, and a fragile World of Warcraft collectible that somehow managed to survive is her symbol of hope.
Karen, the gamer, was not near the worst of the shaking ā sheās in Santiago, some 200 miles north of ConcepcĆon, the epicenter. It was still bad enough to toss fragile keepsakes and glasses and shatter them on the floor of her home. Except for that stein, a World of Warcraft āBlood of the Hordeā collectible that only suffered some light damage to its flip top.
Karen figured, if that piece of ceramic was tough enough to make it through, then perhaps her friends and family further to the south also hung in there and pulled through.
āOnly the top is a little mess up but everything its fine,ā Karen said (in broken English) in a cathartic thank-you email to the steinās maker, Taverncraft āI know its stupid but it was like ā¦ a little breath for me ā¦ we joke about it and the stein help us to relax in that moment ā¦ā
She continued:
All i wanna say that you made a good product and little stein give me hope, and have family in Concepcion and the other region that are the most affected for the earthquake and when I see the stein without a scratch for me was like ā¦ yeah maybe my family made it tooā¦ that day I couldnāt sleepā¦ and only yesterday i have news all my family from the south are alive š
The MMO site ZAM contacted Karen and found she was playing Guitar Hero: Metallica with friends when the quake hit past 3 a.m. local time. In addition to her Warcraft gaming (sheās an Orc enhancement shaman, name of Taoren) she also plays Starcraft, and has organized FIFA 10 and Left 4 Dead gaming nights for her friends this weekend, to help keep everyoneās mind off the disaster, if only for a couple of hours.
World of Warcraft Player Digs Out of Chilean Quake [ZAM. Image via ZAM.]
