You play through the game once or twice and realize you want to know more. So you hop onto the internet… and there is plenty of information out there to find. Whether you are interested in finding a walkthrough for Ankh, drop ratios and tables for Diablo II or new runner builds for Guild Wars, the internet can help. Soon you learn all about monster hit points, damage equations, damage tables, death by traps, killer combo's and chances item A or B will drop, as well as ways to increase those chances and ways to increase the chance on getting a chance, Sounds stupid? Check out builds for the most efficient Mephisto Runner for example… its not just getting the gear, it is the speed that gets you there which makes the difference. Run once every three minutes at 500% mf or once per minute at 300% mf and do the math. At any rate, you slowly turn into a vast, vast vat of knowledge about everything the game has to offer. Endless are the libraries of your mind, filled with the properties of all items in the game (well, mine was. In 1.09 I knew every item DII had to offer, plus what the stats were, plus the best, second and third-best application of that item), the skills, the tricks, the bugs, the monsters, everything. You learn as much about the game as there is to offer.

            And one day you wake up and no longer do you feel the rush upon seeing an item drop. A golden axe? Well woopediedoo, you needed a new toothpick… but then again, you already have five of those on a mule/stash/whatever, so there is no need to lift it. Besides, its stats are +5-10 fire damage, 40% enhanced damage, 20% increased attack speed and a nice +40 poison resistance, it is two-handed and it stinks. Remember the first time you saw that axe drop? You used it for weeks on end, because it was new and strong. Now you ignore it, toss it to newbies, call them nooblars for liking the weapon and move on. Your knowledge has made you powerful beyond your wildest dreams, as you know the weakness of every critter, every player build and every combo out there, as well as their strengths. In short, you have mastered the game. The Internet, that nice and handy tool, has given you the knowledge to succeed in the game, the loopholes to find and abuse. Accumulation of that knowledge can not be accomplished by one person alone, but a group of people on say an internet forum can, working co-operatively, even perform statistical tests to find bugs, determine drop ratios and strip the files of the game with the help of powerful tools to get at Treasure Classes and hidden graphics. What one could not do on his own, many hands make light of, many minds reveal. Knowledge is power.

            But to you, this knowledge has ruined the game. You might play it once in a while, but all too soon you realize the game is just some numbers enhanced with pretty pictures. The suspension of disbelief is gone, and all that remains is an empty shell, number crunching and calculations. The illusion, the wonder, the feeling of awe is spirited away on clouds of "some 70-80 hp, 75% resistance to lighting and zero chance to drop me something nice… NEXT!" A game is a machine, nothing less, nothing more, and you have seen the gears. For some gears are interesting, but the vast majority of the players merely wants to play a game and have some fun. You know too much…. and now… your characters must die, and you must find a new thrill!