Alice in Wonderland

The latest patches we activated for Fairyland was the Mermaid Princess and Alice in Wonderland. These were launched with some controversy since the release was later than expected.

Players clamored for it, spewed curses, begged and begged. But eventually they cooled down as the gates were finally opened and the new worlds of Mermaid and Alice more than met expectations.

New quests were undertaken, new lands were explored. For me, the Mermaid patch was charming but Alice simply blew my mind away.

My memory of fairy tales was a bit rusty so a fellow gamer had to reintroduce me to the golden-haired girl who fell asleep and plunged down the rabbit hole.

I guess what makes Alice appealing for me is that I relate well to her adventures, or shall we say "misadventures".

I remember a few months back how it felt getting aboard the Fairyland train -- it's akin to plunging down that rabbit hole. I recall the times I felt like shrinking in the presence of veteran players in this gaming industry and then the times I felt relatively bloated with collected know-how, and learning experiences as I pushed ahead. And then, along the way of promoting this one-of-a-kind game, I've landed in the most intriguing and unusual places around the Philippines and I've met people like the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and more. It was exhausting yet awesome at the same time.

I've bitched a few times, true. It wasn't always easy. But I also realize I loved every crazy moment of it all. And just as I was getting used to this eccentric world and prepping myself for the next phase or adventure, like Alice, I find myself waking up and facing the inevitable reality of the dream fading away.

I wanted to stay in my Wonderland a bit longer. For me, the adventure has barely even begun yet. I wanted to make that dream come true, damn it. But Harry Potter just didn't believe in it any longer and without his magic, it was all pointless. In his haste, he's already called on the sun to shine on our faces and now, it's too hot to sleep again.

Yesterday, we got the call from Hong Kong. Fairyland Philippines won't be entering its Pay-2-Play phase and will, instead, officially close in a week's time. The game is not just performing as well as that in Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, or US. What do they know? We haven't even tested it yet. Things take time to grow in this country, true. But with time and passion, we are learning and we are getting there. At least I hoped.

Having to let go of Fairyland is a bitter pill to swallow. But I guess, I just had to accept that the dream wasn't mine in the first place so it wasn't for me to fulfill it. Still, I would have fought and died to keep it alive. Being unable to do that is what hurts the most.

As Fairyland screeched to a halt, Harry Potter invited me to hop on another train... another adventure. But I thought... nah. How could he ask that so soon? I still wanna curl up on the train station bench and sing the Beetlerock Team's national anthem:

"Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when november (september) ends

like my fathers come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when november (september) ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when november (september) ends

summer has come and passed
the innocent can never last
wake me up when november (september) ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when november (september) ends