Will WoW ever die?

[Combined]

It will never leave, it will never. ever leave.

Until Starcraft 2 comes along, I hope.

 

[Blank Verse]

If World of Starcraft ever comes out, maybe.

Maybe.

Seriously, though, it will. Just give it..uh..two (or three?) more years?

 

[seitori]

There are a few things that can lead to a downward turn in WoW's numbers:

1). The recession: With the global economy in a downward spiral, people are going to have less disposable income. With less disposable income, families are going to start cutting unnecessary or frivilous expenses...and nothing says "unnecessary or frivilous" like World of Warcraft. A lot of the younger players, those who do not pay for subscriptions with their own funds, will be dropping like flies.

This argument doesn't work. The video game market is unique in that it is a "recession proof" industry. Unless we see a total economic collapse, the market will continue to follow its own trends despite external factors. People still find money for their games, and WoW is especially convenient in that it is a low monthly cost. Entertainment in general tends to be important during a depression--as long as people are eating and aren't homeless.

Why is an FPS MMO a bad idea?

Lag and Latency make it impractical with today's technology. (Casting spells on a targeted object with no need for aiming or exactly knowing the location can get around the problem.) See Tabula Rasa for an attempt at the idea. Otherwise sounds good to me.

Planetside was released almost six years ago and is still active today, so people are playing it. Apparently it's been practical with "today's technology" for quite some time.