WoW....What keeps me coming back.
Posted 05-13-2009 at 11:37 AM by Karaja
What is it about WoW that keeps bringing me back time after time? Ive been playing MMO's since my early 20's everything from Asheron's Call to Star Wars Galaxies, but what baffles me is what keeps pulling me back to WoW. Its not the graphics, they could be classified as cartoony at best(I think LOTR, has done very well with the fantasy graphics). Its not the crafting, so many other games do this so much better(EQ2 and AC2 come to mind). Its not PvP they've pretty much killed the World PvP I use to love.
So I find myself as a player who has been playing since beta, and has never cancelled his account. Looking at the above, it makes me think...Why am I still logging in? The conclusion I have come too, is that WoW has become entertainment on a social level for me. In previous games I played with real life friends or people from work, but never really made anything I would call a friendship from them.
As I get older an friends move off, get married, have children, and lose touch I find myself logging in some nites just for the pure reason to chat with old "WoW"friends. They know about my job, my house, hell some of them even know about my family. I know the same about these individuals, and know them by something other than 1337GaM3r. The fact that I consider people that I have never even met before a true friend is somewhat scary for me to think of.
I think this is why Blizzard has made a wonderful move in moving toward a more casual environment. Two years ago I would of classified myself as a hardcore raider, 3-4 nites a week at 4-5 hours a night. With optional raids that I usually attended on the weekends also. Now I raid 2 nights a week, 7-11 and may log in 2 or 3 times other than those nights just to talk to people.
I think the reason Blizzard will be around for a while has nothing to do with the content they release or the changes they make. Its because similar to EQ they have reached a point where people log into the game with their priority not being the game itself. Some may read this an think Im completely off my rocker, but in the back of their mind I guarantee they can think of a time when they logged in to do nothing but chat.
Deep Thoughts by Karaja
So I find myself as a player who has been playing since beta, and has never cancelled his account. Looking at the above, it makes me think...Why am I still logging in? The conclusion I have come too, is that WoW has become entertainment on a social level for me. In previous games I played with real life friends or people from work, but never really made anything I would call a friendship from them.
As I get older an friends move off, get married, have children, and lose touch I find myself logging in some nites just for the pure reason to chat with old "WoW"friends. They know about my job, my house, hell some of them even know about my family. I know the same about these individuals, and know them by something other than 1337GaM3r. The fact that I consider people that I have never even met before a true friend is somewhat scary for me to think of.
I think this is why Blizzard has made a wonderful move in moving toward a more casual environment. Two years ago I would of classified myself as a hardcore raider, 3-4 nites a week at 4-5 hours a night. With optional raids that I usually attended on the weekends also. Now I raid 2 nights a week, 7-11 and may log in 2 or 3 times other than those nights just to talk to people.
I think the reason Blizzard will be around for a while has nothing to do with the content they release or the changes they make. Its because similar to EQ they have reached a point where people log into the game with their priority not being the game itself. Some may read this an think Im completely off my rocker, but in the back of their mind I guarantee they can think of a time when they logged in to do nothing but chat.
Deep Thoughts by Karaja
Total Comments 7
Comments
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agreed, last night i logged on and played peggle for 3 hours while talkin to my buddies. exciting non raid nights!Posted 05-13-2009 at 11:48 AM by Swam 
- I agree as well. Most of my friends "In Game" know me better than my RL friends. and I have been known to spend a whole saturday just standing in Dalaran, chatting with my "Wow friends" now to get them to move closer
Posted 05-13-2009 at 03:07 PM by Todar - I have not been playing WoW very long.. but many nights I also find myself sitting in Dal just talking with people for hours. I dont get out too much these days since I work late, this is really the only time I get to chat with people. My RL friends and I dont talk nearly as much. One reason WoW is great though I guess >.<
Posted 05-13-2009 at 04:27 PM by Missnowflake -
What you describe is the reason I end up staying up three hours after our raids finish, running circles around Dalaran. Its social networking and I spend more time on vent with the people I play with than I do with my RL friends.Posted 05-13-2009 at 09:26 PM by Rhyseh - Totaly agree, none of my RL friends play wow but through wow (and vent) i have made a host o fnew friends. More than that i feel that the way i interact with people in RL aswell, for the beter ofc.
Posted 05-14-2009 at 07:30 AM by Gordonoth - /agree with all of the above!
Posted 05-18-2009 at 05:48 AM by Ferim - Oh man, you nailed it on the head. Id say that honestly, 80% of my time nowadays is spent in Dalaran or Org under the influence of a Elixir of Giant Growth, riding around on my mammoth. (Im a Tauren with mixology, so i get preeeety big) Either that or I put on my fire festival set and dance on fire as a jubotauren. Idk why, it just kills the time I suppose...
Posted 06-11-2009 at 09:56 AM by Insom
