Dear Gamer Santa: My single Christmas wish

Dear Gamer Santa

I have just one wish for Christmas this year. I wish that The Elder Scrolls Online will not turn out to be a big pile of dragon poop.

As always, I’ve been a very good gamer girl. I’ve run events, written articles and invested countless hours of time playing various titles. I’ve managed to keep a good work/life/gaming balance without forgetting to go to work and I didn’t bankrupt myself in the Steam sale. I’ve even started teaching my own child the finer points of Zoo Tycoon and The Sims, so that she might one day grow up to love gaming just as much as her Mummy does.

But Santa, there still remains a gaping hole in my life. I need TES Online, and I need it to be amazing.

I confess that as the years roll by I am becoming less enchanted with my hobby and something of a gaming “Outlander”. Do not hate me for this Santa, for I used to be a dedicated gamer, but then I took one too many pre-release fables to the knee.

In the past I followed the hype train on many new titles, such as Age of Conan, Lord of The Rings Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic, to name a few, and I’ve given most of the big names a shot. I tried to love them Gamer Santa, I really did, but every time my little gamer hopes and dreams were dashed against pixel rocks.

For underneath the marketing and shiny graphics I found only emptiness surrounded by broken promises and unfinished products, often leading me to think that M’aiq the Liar must be on the development team. Oh the times I’ve sat in release day log-in queues, hoping, waiting, wishing, that this would finally be the title that would enable me to cancel the therapy sessions I’ve been attending ever since Star Wars Galaxies went down the toilet.

Now Santa, it was you who brought me Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim and you did not let me down with these gifts. They were incredible gaming experiences that kept my love of dark rooms, 3am bed times and pizza dinners alive. Surely this year my Christmas wish is not too much to ask?

I’m not asking for the latest consoles or a new expensive gaming rig. I don’t want an overpowered weapon or a unique mount. I’m not asking for super powers that will stop me getting smack-talked by 12 year olds every time I try to play an FPS.

I just want 2014 to be the year of that one amazing MMORPG, the one with enchanting environments, great community, balanced classes, team work, player dependency, crafting that is more than some naff after-thought, a wealth of background lore, mini-games, open world PvP, content rich lands just waiting to be explored and, above all, developers who want my love and not just my money.

C’mon now Gamer Santa. I know you can do this for me and by Azura I deserve it.

As Emperor Uriel Septim VII once said; “Men are but flesh and blood. They know their doom, but not the hour… so they should find and play only the most awesome computer games, until that hour arrives”.