IU's top gamers

The Villain
Frederick Hesser
Character: George Chesterfield, Villain
Game: “DC Universe Online”

The devious George Chesterfield spends most of his time plotting ways to thwart the heroes of “DC Universe Online.” Outside, Frederick Hesser is a senior telecommunications major. Hesser, a self-proclaimed comic book nerd, was drawn to “DCUO” because of its story.

“At the beginning of the game you pick a mentor like Superman, Batman or the Joker,” Hesser said. “That was pretty cool for me.” Before “DCUO” Hesser played, and was very good at, the browser-based “Stargate Wars.” At one point he was part of a clan rated in the top 100 before a betrayal left it in shambles.

“They crushed us by leaps and bounds,” Hesser said. “They had the better strategy and better guys. It was absurd.”

After a brief foray into espionage and intelligence gathering within “Stargate Wars,” Hesser left the game. Now he guides the evil George Chesterfield on his quest for world domination.

The Non-Conformist
Jacob Henshaw
Character: Jaked Up, Level 20 Ranger/Monk
Game: “Guild Wars”

Jacob Henshaw has had to defend “Guild Wars” to his friends many times.
 
“I feel it is a really solid game,” Henshaw said. “I felt like it was a superior game to ‘WoW.’”
 
Even if his friends disagreed, Henshaw stuck with “Guild Wars” through all three campaigns and the game’s expansion pack. Part of the “Guild Wars” experience is farming; the act of repeatedly killing the same monsters looking for a specific item. The rarity of some drops makes finding them sweet, especially when the monster can kill many players instantly.

“When I first got a glob of ectoplasm to drop it was really exciting for me,” Henshaw said. “The monster that drops it can one-shot casters.”
 
While he doesn’t play as much anymore, Henshaw said he does still play occasionally and has racked up more than 1000 hours in game time during the five years he has played the game.

The Former All-Star
Jade Crain
Character: Jettv, Level 83 Night Elf Rogue
Game: “World of Warcraft”

Jade Crain is a lot like Michael Jordan: He left when he was at the top (the shot over Bryon Russell to win the 1998 NBA Finals) and when he came back (those two seasons with the Wizards) the game had completely changed. Crain originally started playing “WoW” at launch and was a member of the top Alliance guild on his server. He even nabbed a server first kill of Ragnaros, the boss of the Molten Core.

After a little over a year in the game, he decided to quit.

“I swore off ‘WoW’,” Crain said. “I was clean for four and a half years.”

A friend offered to buy him back into the game, a cost of more than $100, in order to play together. So almost five years, three expansion packs and one server change later, Crain has returned to “WoW.”

“It’s not the same game,” Crain said. Now he is working to climb back to the top of the game he used to own.

The Lifer
Griffin Burke
Character: Galicus, Level 85 Draenei Shaman
Game: “World of Warcraft”

There has only been one MMO that has been able to keep Griffin Burke around.

He started playing “WoW” when it launched in 2004 and has been playing, except for the occasional break, ever since.

He keeps coming back to “WoW” for the people.

“I consider them good friends even though I haven’t met them,” Burke said. “When you are with them nine to 10 hours a week you form bonds.”

Burke is a member of a raiding guild and raids a minimum of 10 hours a week with the same group of friends. Having played the game since launch, Burke has the ability to comment on the game in its entirety, comparing every expansion and patch to the others. He is pleased with the direction the game is headed after the “Wrath of the Lich King” expansion.

“‘Cataclysm’ is by far the best,” Burke said. “‘Wrath’ was a really bad period for raiding.”