Why is World of Warcraft so popular?!

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kirvinb

kirvinb

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Jan 2, 2009
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Ok im no gamer...I used to be a heavy ps2 gamer...but those days are long gone...

I have noticed a game called World of Warcraft has been out and it is driving me insane.. I have never played it..so idk anything about it..in fact i didnt know it existed until South Park release and episode about it. What I want to know is..what is so amazing and addictve about the game...I know people that grades have fallen because of the game...wassup wit that...

Also how does paying work...DO i like pay once for the cd and be done...or is it like a yearly charge like xbox live...or is it monthly...what??

ALL WOW players please tell me why you lose sleep over this game!!
 
With wow you pay for the cd to begin with AND a monthly fee (with slight discounts for paying for more than a month at a time)

WoW is popular for several reasons first of all it generally works, which at the time of release was still a rarity amongst mmorpgs which people just expected to be riddled with bugs,

secondly it runs on even very old computers well (although now its graphics are looking dated on high end pcs)

thirdly its the social side of the game thats far more addictive than the game play itself. I would be surprised if any of the hard core "addicted" players arent part of very active guilds. People are drawn to the game to play with their online friends to not log in for a night is to abandon their friends and probably fall behind in some group achievement or another - letting the team down.

The game hands you plenty of time consuming goals to complete, but what makes them worthwhile completeing isnt the "rewards" in game play terms its the rewards of working with your friends and chatting about the rewards after with your friends (bragging or complaining either way its social...).

MMORPG's have very much redefined gaming, at one time gaming was a solitary pursuit, wow and other mmorpgs turn it into a social activity and many players consider it a good alternative to meeting friends in the local pub.
 
Excellent social game, very little bugs and the ones that are are constantly fixed with ongoing patches (every month or so) alot of veriety, graphics are pretty good even for a game a few years old. New content added regulary (patches and expansions).

But as dtq said, the social side of the game is HUGE. It feel pretty good the first time your guild takes out a raid for the first time or whatever.

You just need to know that the game is addicting and to limit yourself to playing it. Set smaller goals so you don't need to spend hours on it. And make sure it's the last of your priorities lol.

 
I dont play it but my kid does all of the time and i think another
positive aspect is that they are continually putting out expansion packs
so the game doesnt get static thus maintaining interest.
 
It has alot to offer as entertainment, but can be come very addicting. For some its a fun game that has very few limits and is very entertaining. A fun way to talk to people from ALL over and socialize. Explore a vitual world and go in cool quests and what not. To other's it's like CRACK and consumes their entire lives, ruins relationships, family, and your entire existence.

I personally have a friend who divorced her husband because all he did was play WOW before work, after work, and into the nights and weekends. He did nothing, got fat, out of shape (well he was a shape ROUND), and ignored her, and his family. My buddy knows someone who failed out of school because it consumed his life. Another lost his job because he would not show up for work so that he could do his little quests.

Can you tell I'm a WOW fan? haha. I honestly have nothing against the game what so ever, it seems cool. But people let their entertainment get out of control and turn in an addiction. And yes there is a difference between playing alot because you are a gamer and mentally not being able to disconnect yourself from the game.

 


Ive heard the same tales about golf and fishing, and aquarium keeping. In fact I knew one guy who left his wife for another woman in another country that he met on a fish keeping forum on the internet... Ive heard the same stuff about tennis players cyclists, motorsport etc etc etc. Ive never met a hobby yet that mankind cant take to excess.
 


I am not talking about tales, I am talking about actual events. I do agree though that almost anything can be taken to extreme. I am sure you can find a story about almost anything being taken to the limit and becoming habits or addictions.

WOW has seemed to be the new extreme and some people need to get control back. I know some people are addicted to video games in general, but its interesting that when I ask some that plays WOW "what other games do you play?" and their answer is "No other". And they almost ALL say that. We used to have a monthly LAN party and lost half the guys to WOW, because that is ALL they played. A buddy of a friend of mine nearly lost his girlfriend because of it and sold his account and never played it again. He even admitted it will engulf your entire life and people will hate you for it.

I admit I have watched it being played and seems that it can be very interesting and very intense at times. Ever see the SouthPark episode with WOW in it? It is SO FUNNY!
 
*****A Word of Caution****


Wow is a way to "enter another reality and forget about your real life" I played WoW for about 2 years hardcore. By hardcore I mean being a member of a top 25 U.S. guild, raiding 5 nights a week for 4-5hours a night. I started playing after I graduated from college, was planning on working for a year and then applying to medical school. Basically I became addicted to the game and even postponed applying to medical school for a stupid video game. Its like I lost all interest in everything else, I would get home from work and play till I went to bed. I finely decided enough was enough and quit and im so glad that I did its like a burden was lifted off of my shoulders. But...the damage was already done and I had basically wasted 2 years of my life. Although the time spent in game was fun all I could think about was everything that I could have done in that time spent in the World of Warcraft. WoW is like a drug and if you start playing it I caution you that it really can become addictive and can take over your life if you let it. It almost becomes a chore, such as you have to get this done in game or have to spend time collecting this or that. Before you know it your day is gone. I still have my account but I will never log onto it again.

On a happier note...
I have gotten back on track with my studies and got accepted into school at least.
 


people who dreamed of being wizards as kids like WoW.
 
WOW is the type of game you either like and dive into, or you don't like and cannot see the attraction to, as for me I'm strictly a FPS gamer, and WOW just didn't do it for me, its more like a fantasy childs game tailored for adults also.

Probably designed to capture mentalities leaning more toward the addictive tendencies to escape reality and dwell in a fantasy world leaving daily cares behind.

Its definitely a game you'll have to try for yourself to discover if you like it or not, personally I do not have the time to invest in a game that takes months on months and can even be played for years if you're so inclined to invest that kind of time, as some have done.

However if I had liked the game from the beginning I would have stuck with it, its just not my type of game and thats all there is to it, you can get fully functional trial game disks to see if its your type of game, at least you have that option.

However you have to hand it to the WOW game designers, they successfully developed a true cult following game, that constantly brings money into the company, they accomplished their goals way beyond their expectations.
 
I started to play as a fun way to interact with my family all at once over many miles in many different places at once. I also play with my teens when everything else is done and it is scheduled in ( i have honor students in high school) I feel it is a harmless escape.

It plays very well on dial-up (not talking about patches on dial-up), works on older computers, and cost no more then a cheap dinner out or a few drinks at the bar.

You can stop playing and paying at anytime you need a break or are too busy and pick back up your subscription later and everything is all there, except what was in mail box.

Those saying that this game is addicting are blaming the wrong thing. The person playing may have addictive behavior to begin with.
 
I, Myself, played alot to this game without being addicted. I stopped recently with the new expension, but the game is really good. I can tell that because the END-GAME content is vast and never ending, I raided in Sunwell plateau at 70 and been in 2K rated arena team, been LOT of fun. It also helped me learning english(I am now in advanced class in college) Everyone that will tell you that WoW is a fishing hook like crack, it is not. People who are easily addicted will be, people who are capable of self-control wont.
 
I played WoW on and off for about two years. I agree with jayhawk5, it consumes you. As much as it fairly unique in the sense of its vast content and continuing expansion, at times is also one of the most stupid and unimaginative games out there.

As Lyper was saying, the end game content is vast, never ending and basically what everyone, at some point, strives towards, but getting to the level to engage in this content takes weeks for some, and that is actual playing time. The low level quests are SO **** its beyond comprehension and infinitely lack imagination and originality. Killing a certain number of apes or tigers is as boring as it sounds but could easily take you 30 minutes.

I do not play anymore because I think what Blizzard requires of it's gamers, in terms of time and money, is too much. Paying up to £9 a month for a game, if you think about it, is quite scandalous, especially when you see how much things like XBOX live cost and what they can offer in comparison.

At the moment I am playing things like CoD4. I like the online element of games, so I think that's what attracted me to WoW in the beginning. I started playing with a few mates who lived quite far away from me, so it was pretty cool to do quests and stuff with them, but the novelty runs out pretty quick, or until somebody logs out(or servers go offline and don't come back on at stated times).

In my opinion WoW gameplay is too centred on character level. I like CoD4 because even though you have a level it does not necessarily restrict you from playing against other higher level characters, therefore there is more focus on player skill than anything.

I don't know exactly how many people play it now, something like 11 million, but with it receiving more media attention than ever, it could be huge among all types of people and not just those who enjoy PC gaming. If this is the case, keep your eyes peeled for increased divorce and obesity rates.
 
It depends.

Lowest was a £40 jobby that just hit 60. Highest was a T6 / S4 monster account with 80k gold and 2 70's that went for £650. That was my main account, took about 8 months to build all that up. A 60 can be done in a few days casual play.

Has kinda died off, i got a 80 rogue atm and cant shift it for love nor money 🙁
 

Ya Blizzard accelerated leveling a few months back and that really killed the market for selling accounts. You're lucky to get back what you paid for the software (game plus two expansions) never mind a few months of subscription fees for a single level 80. Last year I got $200 for a 70 Hunter with nothing else of any value (gear, gold, mounts, etc). Now I would only get a fraction of that for a comparable level 80.
 
I have had a long history with MMOs...

Everquest, Dark Ages of Camelot, Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, D&D Online, and World of Warcraft.

My wife has a different track, including several non-US "big production" free MMOs that she beta tested, played for a bit, and would eventually quit.

However, the most fun we had in DaoC, SWG, and WoW was simply the two of us doing things ("duoing" instead of "soloing") in the game. In DAoC, we played a Midgard warrior and warlock; in D&D Online, a warrior and a rogue; in SWG, a pair of entertainers; and in WoW, a feral druid and rogue.

For us, playing the game was quality time spent together for a rather low price. (Setup fee of $100 for 2 copies of each game, plus ~$24 a month.) We averaged playing each game about a year. In short, we spent just about the same amount of money as a typical couple would spend "going out to a movie monthly, etc."

Further, our group of friends would go in and out of playing the games as well. As a result, we would end up playing as a large group in the game instead of "going out partying, etc."

In short, games like this have their draw because of their social aspect, and it doesn't even have to be the "large guild, raiding, hours spent" type. Sometimes, it is closer to home. In WoW, our "low/mid instance running guild" had several people that all were part of the same family. (A father, mother, teenage son, teenage daughter, ...)

What is better? Everyone sitting in the living room watching expensive (subscription) cable tv/TIVO/etc. for family time....or all playing a game together on computers (also used for work, shopping, etc.)? I believe it is the computer game.
----------------------------------------------
With all of this said, my wife and I actually miss playing anything now, due to a combination of the economy (no money for anything but necessities, including subscription fees) and time (extended family problems on my side).

With a portion of my income tax (even though shouldn't), we'll probably end up buying Guild Wars simply because it has the setup cost, but no subscription fees.

MMO's are cheap, interactive entertainment for the family. Versus tv which is non-interactive. (And, costs nearly the same if you buy the "right" package.)
 
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