When I was a kid, I watched the ending of Digimon Adventure 02 and noticed that every chosen child eventually grew up into a life of their own, while their Digimon still remained by their side.
What never occurred to me then—maybe never even to the people who made it—was that once those chosen children grew up, they were no longer really “children” anymore.
And if they were no longer chosen children, did the bond with their partners still remain?
Years ago, sitting in front of the television, I imagined over and over that I might have a Digimon of my own. I even did what a protagonist in one installment once did: I drew my own partner with a paintbrush, gave it a name, designed its abilities, and made it feel real.
Reality, of course, is still reality. We were never going to be chosen children.
But we did have our own adventures. Mine happened in Azeroth.
I came to that world a little later than I came to Digimon. My adventure in World of Warcraft began in middle school. Every character I made was male. If I could choose human, I chose human; if not, then night elf.
A lot of the time, it never felt like I was simply playing a game. I was living as another version of myself in that world.
Or maybe not even another version. Maybe it was just me.
When I was young and hot-blooded, full of reckless energy, I was a warrior.
When I first entered working life and became cautious in everything, I was a rogue.
When loneliness closed in and I needed company, I was a hunter.
When I felt lost and helpless and needed something like hope, I was a druid.
If all you chase is gear, then your class will always be whichever one is strongest. But if what you are doing is inhabiting yourself, then your class has everything to do with the state of your life.
More than a decade has passed. There were long stretches when I did not log in at all. But when I returned last month, I realized something very clearly: World of Warcraft has already become a habit for me.
My characters may only be data, but they existed. They were there. They grew up with me and stayed with me while I was growing up too.
In Digimon, the connection between the chosen children and their partners weakens once they become adults.
Isn’t it much the same for us and the characters we left behind in Azeroth?
Life gets busy. Other things take over. We no longer live the way we did as students, when the happiest part of the day was simply venturing through Azeroth.
Little by little, the bond between us and our characters fades as well.
I may leave Azeroth for a very, very long time. But every time I come back, it feels like seeing an old friend again. I can greet the Dreamer Vijeel, or Vigilius, and say: I’m back.
Even if the adventure ahead may not be one you accompany me through.
The pandemic and the wildfires in California only made things harder for Blizzard. I am not optimistic about Shadowlands, and maybe it really will be the last expansion.
If that happens, then maybe it will be just like Digimon: Last Evolution.
Azeroth: disconnected from the server.