A View From the Road: World Without Warcraft
- Thread starter John Funk
- Start date
You mean the part where I conclude that in the big picture, a world without WoW wouldn't be as different as, say, a world without Doom, GTA3, or even EverQuest?Jiki said:
Culturally, though, I don't think you have to be a fanboy at all to recognize that the game has had a gigantic impact upon the PC gaming landscape and how many gamers are perceived in the public eye. That's not a subjective opinion, that's just kind of an obvious fact.
That number comes from the interview with Rob Pardo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96113-Blizzards-Rob-Pardo-Talks-Five-Years-of-Warcraft], where he said that the overall lifetime subscriber base of WoW was "double, maybe closer to triple" the current subscriber base of 12m (and honestly, I would be incredibly surprised if more than a tiny percentage of those were multi-box accounts). So while you're right that right NOW there are only 12m, that's talking total subscribers over the past five years who might not be playing anymore.Doug said:
And that's also from WoW
Had there been no WOW there would have been something else, someone was bound to strike the gold eventually.
Ahhhhh, right - I see - I didn't catch the 'lifetime' subscribers bit; yeah, that makes sense. And you're probably right about the multi-boxer's.CantFaketheFunk said:That number comes from the interview with Rob Pardo [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96113-Blizzards-Rob-Pardo-Talks-Five-Years-of-Warcraft], where he said that the overall lifetime subscriber base of WoW was "double, maybe closer to triple" the current subscriber base of 12m (and honestly, I would be incredibly surprised if more than a tiny percentage of those were multi-box accounts). So while you're right that right NOW there are only 12m, that's talking total subscribers over the past five years who might not be playing anymore.Doug said:
And that's also from WoW
And interesting, it looked more...high detailed that I thought WoW was. But then again, I didn't run my trial account for long, so I didn't see much of the place.
Actually, the worst thing World of Warcraft has ever done is make developers obsessed with money. Blizzard themselves made me game for its sheer epic factor and it deserves its massive success, yet others attempted to create "WoW killers" in hopes of taking away its subscribers and make more money. What happened to making a fun game? It builds customer goodwill and more likely to become more profitable.
Unfortunately Conan, Lord of the Rings and Warhammer were franchises that would have been so much funner than Warcraft to immerse yourself into if it weren't for the developer's obsession to surpass the giant. At least Aion didn't try to, but I'm unsure of that game's success.
Unfortunately Conan, Lord of the Rings and Warhammer were franchises that would have been so much funner than Warcraft to immerse yourself into if it weren't for the developer's obsession to surpass the giant. At least Aion didn't try to, but I'm unsure of that game's success.
"Without Warcraft to show how popular a MMOG could be, would Star Wars: The Old Republic ever have gotten the green light".
God, don't make me think that, or I will single-handedly bring down WoW (some how!). The thought that we could of had a true sequel to actually finish off one of my favourite game series, and (mainly because of the first) with one of the most interesting stories I've come across is infuriating to say the least.
God, don't make me think that, or I will single-handedly bring down WoW (some how!). The thought that we could of had a true sequel to actually finish off one of my favourite game series, and (mainly because of the first) with one of the most interesting stories I've come across is infuriating to say the least.
While that is potentially unfortunately for the game developer (that potentially could have used the resources to something more successful), it's good for the genre. Enticing companies to become as successful or to beat the leader creates new features, ideas, and concepts. Not only have other companies "stolen" ideas from WoW, WoW has stolen the ideas that these companies created to take share away from WoW. Ignoring the stuff that was initially stolen from games like EQ, WoW has recently stolen concepts from the self-proclaimed WoW-killers. For example, WoW will be adding more /dances for their characters. Many other games have been recently adding and releasing with many pre-programmed dances for their characters. This is in itself interesting because WoW's dances showed user interest in such silliness, and they expanded beyond what WoW did, and now WoW has to play catchup in order to keep treading water in the feature-creep.Mordwyl said:
Ideas are all well and good; it's the intention that affects what a game will be like. Ultimately to truly "kill" World of Warcraft the proper mindset shouldn't be "I want to make more money Blizzard does" but rather "I want to make a better game than Blizzard have". Of the three franchises I've mentioned, has any one of them remained or even increased its subscriber base since their release? The last news I've heard was of WAR's abysmal support and improper balancing, losing more than half of its staff in the process. Hell, I quit the game before a month passed just because it felt like a blatant bootleg Korean copy of the giant MMO.Kuliani said:
Product innovation entails taking an already existing product and making it better. Blizzard did this magnificently and considering it took them five years for the original development it certainly shows. That of course was ten years ago and technologies are drastically improved, so wouldn't a similar time become the norm in order to make an equally good or better game? Sometimes you'd have to wonder if the creators of these failed attempts really do consider such things in mind instead of picking a good franchise from the IP lottery and rehash a WoW in 's clothing.
Well, a couple points of note: MMOs do not normally gain users as a constant line post-release. It shoots up for about the first month, then begins it's decline in subscriber numbers. There are many things that can influence this crucial line, like expansions, patches, support, creativity, marketing, etc, but unless it redefines a part of the genre, it will continue the downward path into oblivion.Mordwyl said:
Ignoring pure numbers, there are several example of games breaking through the mold that have escaped this death-line. WoW is the obvious example as it's popularity is unrivaled in NA. But also are the less noticed, like Second Life and Wizard101. Second Life is arguably an MMORPG, but it's virtual world created by the users is what makes it stand out as something unique and thus it broke free of the death-line. Wizard101 grabbed the very young demographic with it's familial values and protection while still proving to be fun. It succeeded in creating an entry-level MMO game for the very young that is addictive and completely protective of the children that play (it's also free, so parents don't have to shell out cash if the child hardly plays). It also broke from the death-line.
I do agree that product innovation comes from making an existing product better. But, when it comes to entire genres, improving on a single product may not be the route to success. I would argue that WoW did not improve on the master MMO at the time (EQ), but rather made it work for a completely different set of people: people that wanted to play online, but didn't want the complexity or devotion needed for EQ or similar MMOs. Casual gamers were the target, and they gobbled them up like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos with only one hippo.
Let's not forget Runescape, which started off as a guy's hobby game project and turned into the biggest and most played free online game. Eight years since its creation and the game now enjoys a healthy two million subscriber mark; that of course excluding the free players. One wouldn't think much from a Java MMO though its creator and eventual staff put a lot of heart into it, making in-game updates as early as a week apart as well as taking into consideration what the players say. The other main factor that helped it jump in popularity was accessibility, albeit in a different manner: players are not rooted to a single server and being a browser game it can be played almost anywhere.Kuliani said:
If World of Warcraft didn't exist eh? We wouldn't have such major dedication to the game.
Like how people would do if people have a unfortunate passing: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/03/16/if-you-die-who-will-tell-your-wow-guild-friends
Of course, World of Warcraft gamers are often the target of saying "Game addiction?"
Like how people would do if people have a unfortunate passing: http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/03/16/if-you-die-who-will-tell-your-wow-guild-friends
Of course, World of Warcraft gamers are often the target of saying "Game addiction?"
WoW was pretty much inevitable. CoH did everything WoW did, and more, and first.It was only a matter of time before someone did the same thing with a popular license, the only stumbling block would have been if they tried to use cutting edge graphics rather than a stylised art form. If they had then pretty soon we'd be wondering what life would be like if XMMO hadn't happened.
A world without WOW would look the same as it does today. I'm always amazed at how much credit people heap on Blizzard for WOW. WOW, didn't do anything different from what other MMOs had been doing up to its release. It just took a lot of the good elements and made them better, if Blizzard hadn't of done it, another MMO company would of put the pieces together and done it then.
Of course now, WOW is a shell of what it once was, it's changed for the worse but that's an entirely different discussion.
Of course now, WOW is a shell of what it once was, it's changed for the worse but that's an entirely different discussion.
I would be unaffected for the most part,I would have lost out on some humour and parodies. For the the most part though no skin off my back.
I'm a month late to this party but I find it weird that it took three pages of comments for Tharticus to mention the elephant in the room.
Game Addiction
Without WoW every discussion on that particular topic probably never would have happened. Can you imagine it? All those newspaper articles that were full of non-sense? Gone. Jack Thompson? Probably still had a normal career instead of the hatred of a couple million gamers around the globe. The few Starcraft and Counter-Strike guys that died at their keyboards would be freak incidents instead of being cited as indicators for a greater problem.
On the other hand that's the price of success. WoW did bring the masses to pc gaming. And among those masses are people who can't seem to handle themselves properly.
Without WoW gaming wouldn't have become what the TV, Hippies and Rock music have been before. That thing the young people do that the older generation doesn't understand and/or absolutely hates.
Game Addiction
Without WoW every discussion on that particular topic probably never would have happened. Can you imagine it? All those newspaper articles that were full of non-sense? Gone. Jack Thompson? Probably still had a normal career instead of the hatred of a couple million gamers around the globe. The few Starcraft and Counter-Strike guys that died at their keyboards would be freak incidents instead of being cited as indicators for a greater problem.
On the other hand that's the price of success. WoW did bring the masses to pc gaming. And among those masses are people who can't seem to handle themselves properly.
Without WoW gaming wouldn't have become what the TV, Hippies and Rock music have been before. That thing the young people do that the older generation doesn't understand and/or absolutely hates.