What's the appeal of WoW?

[Tulip1123]

So, as you can see from the title, I just don't understand the appeal of World of Warcraft. I mean, I know it's not a new game, but why is it still so popular? I tried the free version, and was almost immediately bored. I think I got to level three. I understand that it could get addictive, (maybe?) but is it really considered a good game? Why?
(This is my first post and first topic all in one, yay! )

 

[Vern5]

The people who start playing and keep playing are generally the ones who make friends while they play and get inducted into a questing/raiding group. The gameplay perpetuates itself using the players demand that their friends also be playing when they play.

Beware making any friends or obligations within an MMO. That shit WILL ruin you.

 

[Limecake]

as far as MMO's go WoW is still amazing when you take into account how much content and balancing they have put into the game. after playing WoW for a few years and experiencing all the content it has to offer it's really hard to get excited about any other MMO because it just feels like a more boring version of WoW.

It really comes from putting more time into the game, as someone who has leveled countless characters I can assure you that spending less than an hour to get a character to level 3 doesn't even give you the slightest idea of what WoW is really about.

not that I'm saying you need to hit level 85 and start raiding to understand the appeal of WoW (although raiding does have a certain appeal) but around level 30 you'll have done at least a few dungeons, started to experience the more powerful abilities your class has to offer and can actually see how much progress your character has made from the beginning.

But the biggest reason it has appeal is the 'multiplayer' aspect. You wouldn't believe how close knit a raiding guild can become just from simply playing a game together and relying on each other. I have made some very real relationships over the years and although I've quit quite a while ago I can tell you that when someone in your guild quits the game it feels like one of your friends is moving out of town, sure you can still call them but you won't get to hang out anymore.

 

[darlarosa]

I think I'm like you.

I only played WoW to play with my boyfriend.

I would say the mechanics are pretty accessible when you start playing, and the word does not feel so self contained. As compared to DDO and even Guild Wars, WoW feels like a huge enviroment and you tend to feel like your character is getting better over time even if they keep using the same crappy armor.

That said I get bored of it easily. I prefer narrative to help keep me interested, or the feeling of being important within a world to really enjoy a game

 

[Tulip1123]

as far as MMO's go WoW is still amazing when you take into account how much content and balancing they have put into the game. after playing WoW for a few years and experiencing all the content it has to offer it's really hard to get excited about any other MMO because it just feels like a more boring version of WoW.

It really comes from putting more time into the game, as someone who has leveled countless characters I can assure you that spending less than an hour to get a character to level 3 doesn't even give you the slightest idea of what WoW is really about.

not that I'm saying you need to hit level 85 and start raiding to understand the appeal of WoW (although raiding does have a certain appeal) but around level 30 you'll have done at least a few dungeons, started to experience the more powerful abilities your class has to offer and can actually see how much progress your character has made from the beginning.

But the biggest reason it has appeal is the 'multiplayer' aspect. You wouldn't believe how close knit a raiding guild can become just from simply playing a game together and relying on each other. I have made some very real relationships over the years and although I've quit quite a while ago I can tell you that when someone in your guild quits the game it feels like one of your friends is moving out of town, sure you can still call them but you won't get to hang out anymore.

That makes sense, though the for most games (even multi-player ones) I usually play solo. Maybe one day I'll give it another shot and actually get to a decent level, though I doubt it will be soon with GW2 coming out.

 

[cerealnmuffin]

I was heavily into a sprite based mmo with a really archaic design, Nexus years and years ago. Even when I got bored of the game play, I would want to always be on due to it being the only place where I had friends that really wanted to talk to me. It was escapism from my real life where I hated how I looked and I had only a couple friends that always let me down. So I'm sure it is similar to WOW in that need for a community and ignore real world problems. I tried WoW but couldn't get into it due to finding it very solo orientated and I saw it for the time sink that it is, having learned from playing Nexus for years.

I don't really feel the need to play mmos since I'm doing much better in life, but I feel any time I get a desire to play one coincides when I'm feeling alone and miserable.

 

[The Madman]

I played WOW all the way back in the late Beta era and pretty much regularly till around Wrath of the Lich King, during which time I played a bit but not often till when Cataclysm was released and I stopped playing entirely. No dramatic story or anything, I was never addicted, I didn't lose friends or health. If anything during those years were some of the best times of my life. I travelled a lot and enjoyed myself. After Cataclysm however I just wasn't enjoying the game nearly as much especially with my interest already fading so I simply stopped playing.

So with all that said what was the allure of World of Warcraft? For me at least it was a combination of a setting I loved, a massive world I very much enjoyed exploring, friends that also played the game, and extremely tight gameplay mechanics.

The original Warcraft rts was actually my first strategy game and I to say I liked it a lot at the time would be an understatement of epic proportions, same with Warcraft 2 when that was released and the Tides of Darkness expansion pack. I remember the manuals for those games contained all these stories and character details for the setting as well as the basic game mechanic stuff, must have read those manuals a dozen times each if not more. Then Warcraft 3 came along and that was a blast as well, quickly establishing Azeroth as one of my favourite fantasy settings in gaming.

So when World of Warcraft was released the first reason I wanted to play it and one of the main things that kept me playing was the novelty of seeing all these locations from the games and interacting with them in a way the rts never allowed, and in that respect World of Warcraft was brilliant. Stepping foot into Stormwind for the first time? Breathtaking. Or my first trip into Ashenvale? Stunning. To this day I still think the games art style is amazingly well done and WOW contains some of my favourite game locations to date. Great music too!

That's a large part of what kept me playing anyway. The other two aspects were friends and the gameplay, which while not exactly the most innovative is nevertheless extremely well done. Add to that some extremely tight boss fight mechanics and an entertaining group of companions to fight those boss with and you've a winning combination. Karazhan for example remains probably my favourite 'instance' of any MMO I've played to date, that place was just brilliantly designed with not only fun gameplay mechanics and a clever visual style, but a nice story behind it as well. It's a location that dates all the way back to Warcraft 1 so to finally see it and have it so fun to enjoy, well, that was a treat!

Still not everything can last forever so I did eventually get bored of WOW and stop playing, I very much doubt the next expansion will bring be back either because I genuinely don't give a shit about kung-fu panda. But hey, good times! That's why I played WOW!

 

[BloatedGuppy]

It was, and still is, an excellent game, and a benchmark for the genre in many respects.

That said, it's like 8 fucking years old now. It's heyday has come and gone and it's quietly playing out the string.

 

[Mirroga]

Some games' appeal is its addictive nature, which is pretty much considered for me not to be fun. Let's just say that WoW is the epitomy of addictive MMORPGs. That is if you ignore the PvP which will make you rage.

 

[madwarper]

The appeal? I'd say it's because WoW has become the Apple of MMO's.

They took what was around, improved upon it, really put marketing behind the brand, became a household name and has remained relatively stagnant since.

 

[TheLizardKing]

Because it is an insane amount of fun when you have friends that play. When you don't, it's pretty average. To each their own i guess.

I always laugh at these threads when the bandwagon says things like "its addicting!" and "it will ruin your life!". No, it won't. I've played WoW for 4 years and my life is just fine. I have no F's at school, i still have disposable income and i still socialize. I still play 6+ hours on a usual day. You people must have no self control.

 

[The Madman]

and its designed specifically to exploit human nature with skinner boxes

Every game is to one degree or another. Why do you think there are all those flashy numbers that pop up after every kill in nearly every modern fps? Why do you think so many games are adding rpg elements to genre that otherwise don't need them? Unlockables? Leaderboards?

Games are designed to be entertaining and, ideally, keep the player playing as long as possible. It's the nature of this genre of entertainment... hell, just about any form of entertainment really, what do you think the whole 'To be Continued!' and filler episodes are about? Indeed if you think somehow WOW is the only offender in this regard or that only MMO or even 'big budget' games do it you're sadly mistaken, if anything it's even more important for small budget games to try and hook their audience.

Doesn't make the game any better or worse either. The 'skinners box' approach (As used in games anyway.) is not going to force people to play a game, it's not a drug nor does it hold a gun to anyone's head. At worst with the way it's implemented into gaming (Do action/Receive reward, which by the way is how just about everything works anyway.) gives people reason to keep playing, it's up to the game itself to make it so that they want to keep playing.

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh by the way, it's not personal. I'm just getting annoyed at every topic that involves WOW having at least one person saying 'skinners box skinners box'. Yes, I read that Cracked article too, it was funny. It also isn't the end all of everything, especially with something as loosely defined as skinner's box.

I think a people just heard the term and decided to use it as their own personal excuse to try and do away with the reality that they simply lack self control. Easier to blame the game and the developers than yourself after all!

 

[Zeema]

i actually really enjoyed the stories of each NPC i talked to.

Also i enjoyed playing the game with friends having generally ideal chats, its kinda like Steam chat except constant and you can do a load of different stuff while doing it.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Compulsion, social circle, comfort.
First they get you on the old skinner box trick, for every ever so stupid action they give you a little reward that will tickle you and have you come back for more, then they progressively put the next reward further out of reach so you are wasting more and more time.

Now as you grind away for those rewards thousands upon thousands of hours with one part of your mind screaming "moar rewards!" and the other "oh god oh god please kill me and let this horror end!" you sooner or later resort to finding comfort in others who share your suffering.
And as the social circle builds they can become the replacement for those inconvenient real social interactions, which compels you to the game even further, because that is where the people who understand you are at.

Finally as you spent an unimaginable ammount of time in the game it becomes your comfort place, there is always shit to do, the shit is seemingly meaningful, there are friends who share your addiction, ... just feels right to keep it going.

 

[sinterklaas]

Compulsion, social circle, comfort.
First they get you on the old skinner box trick, for every ever so stupid action they give you a little reward that will tickle you and have you come back for more, then they progressively put the next reward further out of reach so you are wasting more and more time.

Now as you grind away for those rewards thousands upon thousands of hours with one part of your mind screaming "moar rewards!" and the other "oh god oh god please kill me and let this horror end!" you sooner or later resort to finding comfort in others who share your suffering.
And as the social circle builds they can become the replacement for those inconvenient real social interactions, which compels you to the game even further, because that is where the people who understand you are at.

Finally as you spent an unimaginable ammount of time in the game it becomes your comfort place, there is always shit to do, the shit is seemingly meaningful, there are friends who share your addiction, ... just feels right to keep it going.

Complete and utter bullshit.

WoW is simply one of the best MMO's out there. As with all MMO's, the first three levels will never captivate you. Higher levels is where the fun stuff is. The truth is, some people are just not made to enjoy MMO's. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

You are kind of asking this question 7 years too late... I loved WOW but now I am bored to all hell with it and stopped playing about a year ago

The reasons why I liked it were

- The community, I met some of my best friends on WOW.
- The gameplay, At the end of Vanilla and in TBC especially, the raids were challenging and fun. Downing Cthun server first is one of my fondest memories.
- PVP I found Arena and Battlegrounds to be mad fun.
- Backup MMO. I like to have a backup MMO. I play all sorts of games but it's nice to have a constant where everybody knows your name *cue Cheers music*

snip

Spoiler: This is what you sound like

Any game can be broken down into seemingly pointless activity.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

It is entirely gone now. You're about five years too late. Stay away from WoW, if you must try an MMO go for EvE, it's the only game that is not a wholesale supermarket simulation.

Guild Wars 2 looks pretty spiffy especially the jump in and play pvp.