I have not left, though I am considering leaving.
WoW is a difficult game to play casually these days. I have only been playing for under a year (just before the release of Cata -when all of the expansions were less than $15 each), and I have noticed a few things that have made me want to keep the $15/month which I give to Blizzard.
I think WoW is a great game in concept: it is a potentially good social outlet, where anyone can escape to and easily learn the mechanics. A D&D inspired fantasy world with its own story, and you do not even have to know the story to enjoy the game. I can hang out with my friends, and play whatever way I want to. I can RP, PvP, do dungeons, run raids, and quest normally.
Sadly, with a lot of the promotions I have seen WoW produce, I have noticed a flood of players -new or not- who are a little more than annoying.
I have been in a few level 25 guilds, and I have been nothing short of deterred from playing the game. The social chat within most high level guilds pertains to the core clique (which seems to be about 20 out of 600+ players). The worst part is, the core group seems to enjoy nothing more than drama. They seem to come on WoW, and continue the same crap which they complain about constantly -for everyone else to see- in guild chat. That is what whispering is for.
Yes, I know that I can shut off guild chat, but if I do that, how will I know when someone else in the guild wants to do a run? It is a double-edged sword.
I think that the guild leveling system is a cool idea, it definitely spices up the experience with all of the perks which it offers. However, I have noticed many guilds recruit hundreds upon hundreds of people to get their guilds to level 25, then kick them out. I know that WoW is not responsible for this, but it has made me play less.
My friend and I have started our own guild, and because we are the lowest level, no one wants to join us. Why? Because there is no incentive to join. It is much easier and more beneficial for any player to join a higher level guild. Seriously, what player is going to sacrifice all kinds of bonuses to be a part of some stranger's no-name guild?
I also don't like the recruit-a-friend system which blizzard has. I mean, yes, it is cool to introduce a friend to the game... But the collective focus between the two people becomes 'get as many characters to level 80 as we can before it expires'. Yes, let's breeze through the game, learn nothing about it -because they are probably following every order of their friend- and enjoy little of the experience because everyone is in a rush.
Not to mention, it tends to alienate the social groups inside and outside of WoW, while creating tension between the two players. Seriously, as a new player who barely understands the appeal of the game, what kind of enjoyment would they retain from pushing character after character to level 80?
Once again, it is not Blizzard's fault for this, but they had to know that was what was going to happen.
Blizzard had it right at the beginning of Cata. Make all of the expansions cheap for new players who are interested in WoW, keep the recruit-a-friend cap at 60 (there was still an obsession amongst newly recruited players and their friends -I was one of the recruits), but after level 60, I still had enough time to explore WoW for myself before being thrown into the Cata zones. Not to mention, I do not know a lot of new players who want to spend all of their free time on WoW, power-leveling. People have lives, and most hardcore players need to realize it.
I don't know, maybe its just me ranting, but those are my reasons.
I feel like I am in an mmo which is solely obsessed with social stature, with little elegance or respect for what the game offers. This new breed of players really sucks the fun out of the whole game. Sure, you could switch servers, but it wont be much different anywhere else. A game shouldn't be about rushing to get the highest level attainable -whether it be a character or a guild. It should be about enjoying the experience which you pay for.
My enjoyment is running low, and that is why I am seriously considering quitting.
