How can I have such a strong attatchment to WOW after not playing it for nearly two years.

[Laurie Barnes]

So a little back story is needed here, I used to be into World of Warcraft, or WOW like in the title, but I hope anyone reading this already knew that. Any how I was never hardcore, maybe in the several years and three expansions I ran a handful of end game instances, rarely PVPed, and only got two characters to level caps.

In spite of what might seem like a dismal record, I loved the game, and only stopped playing because I could no longer ignore that the entire game was just a grinder to suck up my money, of which I had precious little. Little has changed, I can't really afford the game as far as money and time go right now.

However I have a playlist on youtube that I haven't listened to since the last time I played, and only recently did I play it all back again. I was nearly in tears, I felt a knot in my throat, and my vision blurred as a song featuring an elven choir ended to be followed by the Horde theme. I could only ask, WHAT THE FUCK MAN?

I mean I haven't played the game in almost two years, I am what I like to think is a relatively logical guy, certainly not some sissy crying at make believe music, I know the game just wants to keep me playing in order to get at my wallet, I would like to emphasize at this point that I realize completely that it is just a freaking video game, and yet there I was, all gooey eyed like Bambi watching his mother get shot.

How the fuck does that work? Someone help me out here, this really bothers me, any input from actually WOW players would be nice too.

TLDR
I nearly cried after listening to some soundtracks from Warcraft, How can a grown man like me be so attached to a video game?

 

[default]

Nostalgia is a wonderful, blinding drug buddy

 

[isometry]

I mean I haven't played the game in almost two years, I am what I like to think is a relatively logical guy, certainly not some sissy crying at make believe music, I know the game just wants to keep me playing in order to get at my wallet, I would like to emphasize at this point that I realize completely that it is just a freaking video game, and yet there I was, all gooey eyed like Bambi watching his mother get shot.

"Sissy crying at make-believe music?" You're too hard on yourself. Orchestra/Choir music is powerful stuff. It's been perfected over centuries to make people feel emotions and passion. It's not that you care about the "make-believe" game world, but playing the game made you familiar with the piece of music. Just like any complicated form of music you have to listen to it many times to fully appreciate it.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

While Youtube hopping I ended up listening to the Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation theme music the other week, haven't played that game in about a decade. My body basically went numb as all the long-lost memories of that time came flooding back, not just related to the game either, but general childhood stuff, lost in the mists of time, resurfacing like the Titanic in ghostbusters 2.

Ah, sitting in the front room playing it while my sisters practiced piano, watching the zoomy menu video, getting stuck in that stupid room with the fire coming through the floor on the third blooming level and having to buy a strategy guide to get any further. Amazing.

 

[Laurie Barnes]

Thank you to everyone who replied, I feel a tone better now. Assuming no one has anything else to say, a mod can lock this thread... Do they do that hereÉ

 

[IamQ]

It's like riding a bike. You never quite forget it.


This here's a video of our guild The Silver Hand (TSH) vs Run You Fools (RYF) in the arena in Strangelthorn Vale all the way back in 2007. I still remember the fond memories of that day.

The character I had back then, I continued to play all the way up until Febuary last year, when I stopped. I had 124 days played total on that character. You don't forget a game in which you spent nearly half a year on a single character.

 

[Aetera]

I haven't played for over a year and I can still get really worked up over the current political climate in Orgrimaar. Or, at least, what was current when I left. I hate you so much, Garrosh.

I had several level capped characters, all Horde.

Dammit, now I want to play again. You're going to make me fall off of the wagon, Escapist!

 

[Rinshan Kaihou]

I actually just restarted my subscription and started playing again, levelling my Mage from 67. It's fun to play again. I still fondly remember my first questing experience in the barrens. lol.

 

[MrTub]

I still feel like the game is a part of my life even though I quit over 3 years ago a month into Wrath of the Lich King. I often just wish TBC would come again, I would log in and start my own guild and have a go at all those great raid instances. I felt like TBC was the perfect blend of old-school raiding and modern raiding standards. The fights were difficult, but still reasonably well polished.

Wrath of the Lich King sacrificed difficulty for bringing in more of the playerbase to the raiding scene so everybody could see everything. I know they introduced hard mode encounters and such that would actually challenge a player, but you sort of have to go out of your way to do the hard mode first. The gameplay method in WoW is that your raid progression rises in an efficient manner, meaning it would make much more sense to farm an instance on easy mode before attempting normal mode. Play any game on easy mode, then play it again on regular mode, you're not really going to gain any sense of satisfaction playing that way, and it's not any different in an MMO.

I'll just always remember fondly the screams of joy in vent whenever we downed a big boss for the first time, like Vashj, Kael or Illidan.

I got to agree with you. I still remember the "rush" when you finally killed a boss you had tried to kill for 4-5 weeks. I really freaking miss tbc :<

 

[GoaThief]

WoW utilises some nifty psychological techniques that keeps people playing, it's a part of why other MMOs fall by the wayside. These include things like anchors and repetitive rewards. Another company attempting it in a big way is Zynga, that should set plenty of alarms bells ringing. Anyway, there's plenty of information out there for all to discover - I recall one study in particular that identified fifteen different techniques and designs that featured in successful games. One game in particular had more than any other, twelve if memory serves, no prizes offered for guessing the correct title! Knowing how this website goes some will be thinking this is just in the realm of tin foil hattery, so I should give them a nudge in the right direction; operant conditioning [http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/975/operant_conditioning_in_.php], compulsion loop and flow [http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/0/43/39530650.pdf] (scroll down).

Hope it makes for interesting reading OP and it may explain the emotional attachment. I'm not a psychologist though so I could well be wrong, I'm sure there's bound to be some experts here on the Escapist who can say more.

 

[ChildishLegacy]

snip

I find myself still caring about any new announcements to WoW, e.g. tweaks to PvP and classes, and what new raids/battlegrounds they are making, even though I haven't played since cataclysm's release (it really was that bad).

WoW is like a language, once you've learnt it you can speak fluently in it at any time, no matter how long it is you've not been playing it for. I still get annoyed if I hear about any unbalances in pvp (because I used to love arena) and still get quite patriotic over the whole 'Alliance vs Horde' thing, it still means something to me even though I don't play it.

And theres the obvious nostalgia you get from looking at the lands you were virtually running across for a long portion of your spare time xP, I get nostalgic when I look at somewhere like STV, Feralas or Tanaris, because of the multiple times me and my friends leveled there.

 

[Nimcha]

I still feel like the game is a part of my life even though I quit over 3 years ago a month into Wrath of the Lich King. I often just wish TBC would come again, I would log in and start my own guild and have a go at all those great raid instances. I felt like TBC was the perfect blend of old-school raiding and modern raiding standards. The fights were difficult, but still reasonably well polished.

Wrath of the Lich King sacrificed difficulty for bringing in more of the playerbase to the raiding scene so everybody could see everything. I know they introduced hard mode encounters and such that would actually challenge a player, but you sort of have to go out of your way to do the hard mode first. The gameplay method in WoW is that your raid progression rises in an efficient manner, meaning it would make much more sense to farm an instance on easy mode before attempting normal mode. Play any game on easy mode, then play it again on regular mode, you're not really going to gain any sense of satisfaction playing that way, and it's not any different in an MMO.

I'll just always remember fondly the screams of joy in vent whenever we downed a big boss for the first time, like Vashj, Kael or Illidan.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Although I did enjoy myself during WotLK just messing about a bit with good friends, but when those people stopped there wasn't really any incentive at all anymore to continue playin.

 

[Loop Stricken]

snip

Oh man, Titan panel! That brings back memories.

 

[Loop Stricken]

I haven't played for over a year and I can still get really worked up over the current political climate in Orgrimaar. Or, at least, what was current when I left. I hate you so much, Garrosh.

Then if you read this, maybe you'll feel better. Spoiled, but better.
The blues already announced it, but still.

Spoiler: Mists of Pandaria ending spoiler!

Garrosh is the final raidboss, it seems; he's been up to some nastiness underneath Orgrimmar and we all have to lay siege to the city to stop him!

 

[Aetera]

I haven't played for over a year and I can still get really worked up over the current political climate in Orgrimaar. Or, at least, what was current when I left. I hate you so much, Garrosh.

Then if you read this, maybe you'll feel better. Spoiled, but better.
The blues already announced it, but still.

Spoiler: Mists of Pandaria ending spoiler!

Garrosh is the final raidboss, it seems; he's been up to some nastiness underneath Orgrimmar and we all have to lay siege to the city to stop him!

Okay, you have just forced me to start playing again once that hits.

I WILL BE THE ONE TO END HIM

 

[Muspelheim]

First of all, don't confuse absense of strong emotion with maturity. Maturity is simply handling strong emotions well.
And I can really see why the WoW-soundtrack could strike an emotional cord. I mean, I often feel the same effect when I listen to it. Some songs on that soundtrack are just really flippin' good.

Hell, even the filler-music makes me a bit emotional. That soundtrack that used to play in Mulgore, for instance, does bring back lots of nostalgia. Even more enhanced when I think back how things used to be before Cataclysm.

And honestly, I don't think being a WoW-thrall or not factures in to it. Some of that soundtrack is just really good. Even if you only see WoW as electronic crack evidently designed by the villain from Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, you have to acknowledge that some honest work has been put into a lot of the music.

<youtube=D4AoXMh0Di4>

 

[Laurie Barnes]

First of all, don't confuse absense of strong emotion with maturity. Maturity is simply handling strong emotions well.
And I can really see why the WoW-soundtrack could strike an emotional cord. I mean, I often feel the same effect when I listen to it. Some songs on that soundtrack are just really flippin' good.

Hell, even the filler-music makes me a bit emotional. That soundtrack that used to play in Mulgore, for instance, does bring back lots of nostalgia. Even more enhanced when I think back how things used to be before Cataclysm.

And honestly, I don't think being a WoW-thrall or not factures in to it. Some of that soundtrack is just really good. Even if you only see WoW as electronic crack evidently designed by the villain from Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, you have to acknowledge that some honest work has been put into a lot of the music.

<youtube=D4AoXMh0Di4>

This is the exact track I was talking about BTW, listen to that.