The World of Online Gaming – Is it Bad? by DS Johnson #guest

The World of Online Gaming – Is it Bad?

By DS Johnson

As a mother of  PC gamer boys (and a hubby) I often hear the remarks of other mothers that shame me for allowing them to play online video games instead of playing some kind of sport or reading or playing a musical instrument. Even in the world of reading there is a stigma that playing online video games or console gaming is a demoralizing activity and that reading, sports or musical instruments are equated with higher educated status. I don’t argue that there is great value in these activities, I only wish they didn’t have to suggest that those who love the gaming world are somehow less than those who spend their time elsewhere. We also love to read and play outdoors, with rc trucks and hike and camp and other things.

As someone who grew up telling stories at the earliest ages I can remember, I decided it was time to fix the disparity I felt there was between the world of online gaming and reading. An interesting thing to me is, most, if not all, online gamers read fantasy, Tolkien, Jordan etc, but it would seem that a good lot of readers don’t share the love of fantasy in the online gaming community, and that’s ok.

I’m not here to argue point of view, I just felt there was a huge chasm of opportunity to take advantage of and hopefully bring a bit of the online gaming experience into a real-life reading adventure by bringing  to life the characters of the game I and my husband used to play.

I have been blessed to have many wonderfully descriptive adaptations of every genre of fantasy and adventure there is. Years ago, after marrying my husband who loves to play online games on the pc (computer) and now consoles, our family favorite is the Play Station, I was sucked into the exciting world of MMORPG games. For those of you who don’t know the jargon, that’s Massive Multi-Online Role-Playing Games. The first game we played together was a game with characters that were elemental in nature using wind magic, healing with water magic etc., mixed with skill sets and structures of hand to hand combat, long rang fighting styles such as archers, in addition to races of humans, orc, elves, and dwarves. The world was vast, and the adventures were quest driven as well as individual play while grinding the mob kills, (killing monsters) in order to gain experience points and skill points in order to level.

The game was very fun and addicting, but soon came a little one and play time changed from mob killing to diapering and floor time. As the years passed, the lives of Shaz and Serin, the main characters from the game, became the main characters in the stories that were made up and told to the kids. Their characters adapted to include aspects of my son and my husband and Shaz started to experience the trials that a young person of today might have but only in their world of the game.

I started the book series Teorran Belt Series, Realms of Edenocht as way to help tell a story but also be an instrument to talk about life lessons and how to overcome issues that my children, and all children, could relate to. There are many books planned and a vast world created and much, much more to come, I hope you stick with me and enjoy the adventure!

About the Author

As a little girl, DS Johnson thought she was dumb. In the first, second, and third grades she was in the ‘Resource’ program or ‘Chapter 8’ as it is also called. Even though she was then put in the regular class, and she was such a young age when she had caught up with the other students, she knew within herself all too well by then, she was not a smart child. All the way through high school this girl struggled. She graduated with a glorious 2.9. Yes, it was heart breaking for those little numbers to reflect the great struggle and all the efforts she had put forth.

She went on to start beauty school, figuring she wasn’t college material. Suddenly, she learned that she wasn’t dumb after all. She was what is called a kinesthetic learner or ‘hands on’ learner. She LOVED it. She went on to do very well, for many years. Until, life got complicated. She had five children, a husband, and a disabled mother who now required constant care. While contemplating how to earn a little bit of extra income, now that doing hair wasn’t an option, a thought came to her.

‘Write a book’ it said.

She replied by looking around and with her finger pointing at herself, and said,
“Who me? I graduated high school with a 2.9 remember?”

The little thought came again, “Yes, you. Write a book.”

It so happened, that she told her younger sister a bedtime story almost every night as a child and had been telling her children nighttime stories for most of their lives, so she did. It took five years to learn from the internet, a few writing classes, some great blogs, a lot of practice, one very good editor and the awesome support of her family. But she did it. DS has a wonderful adaption of the intricately detailed structure of role playing games mixed with the vivid descriptions of the fantasy genre to create a unique world of elemental magic, wizards, sorcery and quest filled adventure unlike any adventure you have seen before.

Her latest book is the action adventure fantasy, Realms of Edenocht Descendants and Heirs.

Website: www.dsjohnsonbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSJohnsonBooks

About the Book:

Title: REALMS OF EDENOCHT DESCENDANTS AND HEIRS
Author: DS Johnson
Publisher: Rosecrest Publishing
Pages: 312
Genre: Action Adventure Fantasy

BOOK BLURB:

Shaz, Edenocht's forbidden War Wizard, his elemental mage Serin and, miniature warriors, the Minca begin their unsurmountable task of securing the ancient artifacts, the Sev-Rin-Ac-Lava. Their first task of finding the sheath to the sword Shaz already has, takes them to the realm of their friends the Minca. The companions find themselves in a world torn open by earthquakes and melted earth as the evil Necromancer Semias Trevelis re-incarnates an ancient Runecaster to remake one of the ancient artifacts. The only hope in closing the torn and scorched realm is with the help of the two remaining descendants of the original mages of old, but Shaz doesn't even know about them, to begin with, let alone who they are or how to find them. Riddick, the Earth Sage, is deep in his own dilemma of figuring out his powers and the appearance of new Islands in the Turbulent Reef, is thrust from one realm to another until he meets back up with Shaz and the others. Can Shaz and his friends outsmart the cosmic powers at play and bring together the elements once again or will there be a ripple of desolation across the planet?

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