My wife and I were lucky enough to have our first daughter last year. We will be luckier still to have our second daughter later this year! The prospect of a second child has brought a lot of things into focus, including exactly how much time we're going to have to play World of Warcraft… which is virtually none, given how this first year of having one child has been.

We originally got into WoW because I had two computers (I'm a PC tinkerer), and we didn't have a lot of money. World of Warcraft, if you play it a decent amount and already have the computers, is a cost-effective hobby. $300/year for two people is great when you're playing almost every day.

But what happens when the parameters of your life change? How about logging on once a week? No raiding, instancing, or remaining competitive at pvp. We couldn't put the time together to finish a seasonal event before it ended. In such cases, the cost/value ratio comes out differently, and in our case, unfavorably.

We still love WoW. In fact, if we hadn't decided to become parents, we'd be playing tonight. My wife got teary-eyed during our conversation on whether to cancel or not. We've spent a lot of time playing this game together, had a lot of fun, and made real friends. I've learned so much about leadership from this game that I can't even begin to describe it. Participating in this experience has changed us, and we're going to miss it.

However, times change. I feel like part of the struggle of being a healthy person is letting go of what has passed and putting your attention into what is happening now. Right now, my wife is in her last trimester, and we have a little firecracker running around our apartment. For us, it's just not the right time for a hobby like WoW.

So, our WoW chapter has come to an end.

(…for now. Blizzard doesn't delete characters, after all.)