Introduction

There are those who do not believe in the Holy Grail. They believe the stories about it are the things of legend, passed down by those who want to believe so badly that they ignore their own common sense. These skeptics can be extremely vocal, even fanatical, refuting the Grail's existence on the Internet.

The Grail I speak of is not the cup of Christ that bestows eternal life, but rather something sought after by young men the world over. I speak of the Attractive Female Gamer. A woman who not only possesses the desirable attributes necessary to attract members of the opposite sex, but who also shares the deep love that some of us have for videogames. (Okay, some would characterize it more as a sickness.) I have seen and spoken with such a creature, my friends. This is not the story of a UFO sighting or blurry video of Bigfoot. This is real.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, "well, my wife loves Bejeweled, so she counts." You, sir, are fooling yourself. Bejeweled, Solitaire, Hearts, Mine Sweeper, or any number of Shockwave games do not fit the category. This story is about a specific breed of game in a genre where even those who call themselves hardcore gamers sometimes fear to tread. This variety of game requires an initial monetary investment, followed by a lengthy time investment, and cycles through constant financial deductions while you play.

And as if a game that continues to take money is not a big enough turn-off for most women, this game features fantasy elements. You see, some women may play games if they are related to sports or puzzles or racing, but the closer the game gets to table-top Dungeons and Dragons the less interest a woman will have in it. The relationship is not linear, it's exponential, and most attractive women simply do not like D&D*. So just to be clear, we are now talking about a beautiful woman who loves to play a fantasy-themed massively-multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG). Truly, this is the Holy Grail.

"What's the big deal?" some of you may ask. Well, when you live with a woman, her needs can conflict with the needs of the game. We all know the game needs to be played. How else are we going to procure the "phat lewts"? So imagine a woman who not only understands the needs of the game, but is as much a slave to it as we are. She knows the reward that comes with countless hours at the keyboard. She understands that sometimes you just have to eat dinner at the computer because your party is counting on you to heal. She will burn a vacation day in order to play when the server is less crowded. In short, she gets it. Well, a friend of mine lives with such a woman, and this is the story of how she got into the beta for World of Warcraft.