World of Warcraft, why is it so popular?

[Lordkeppington]

I used to be addicted to the game but i can't grasp why i liked it so much as the game did eventualy bore me off it as i played roughly till a week or so till the latest expansion came out. I think it was just easy to get the hang of and at a few points fun to play.

 

[BoxCutter]

There always something to do and someone to troll. Its as good as it gets for now when you want to go to "another world".

Because people hate their souls. And social lives. And personal hygiene. etc.

lool

 

[ShawnRiles]

I play this game time to time, mostly private servers, it's fun at first but then starts to bore me after a while, I just can't get into it.

 

[The Kangaroo]

It's popular because it gives people a sense of achievement and it does it without too many bumps in the road. You level up pretty steadily, get new equipment fairly easily, there are lots of people playing so it is pretty easy to fall into a group you enjoy, and when you are high level you get to take out bigger and badder nasties for cooler equipment.

I did my time in EQ with the spell book while meditating, hell levels, forced grouping to level up, and griefers/scammers/trainers galore so I can understand not getting into WoW but I do understand why people love it.

The game is easy to get into for anyone, that's why it's popular. The average person doesn't want to do hours of tutorials to learn how to play. WoW is so easy to get into that anyone with half a brain can play it.

Thank you.

Are you saying that it is in essence, a casual game, like Wii Fit or something?

It really spans the range of hardcore and casual games because it can be played however you want. The genius behind WoW is that it doesn't force you into playing it in any particular way, you can group, you can solo, you can play different classes and play each of those in different ways. You get to choose a faction, a race, and enough customization that you can feel a little unique.

I didn't play for very long because I was burnt out on MMO's but I recognized how dangerous the game was to my continuing education so I put a stop to it after a couple months. The things that made me love Everquest turned people off entirely so when they changed the game to be more appealing to a wider range of people I lost interest. WoW is that idea advanced to the next level in that it appeals to all kinds of players.

I used to know people in EQ1 who would spend untold hours working on tradeskills. They would get the skill to max, make the best stuff and then sell it for crazy amounts of money and then not use it. It was impossible for me to hold onto money in that game, the second I got some I went bartering in North Freeport and turned 5 plat into an item worth 10 plat and then spent the next month poor but satisfied with what I had. I couldn't even comprehend why you would spend so much time amassing vast amounts of fake money and not blow it on stuff you want but for them the act of making things and using that effort to create wealth was the reward.

A fine point but for a lot of later quests in the fourteen day trial, unless you grinded for like 5 hours you HAD to go as a group and as for the customisation, I already mentioned that everyone invariably ends up looking extremely similar as their is only a certain number of armours that any reasonable person would buy.

 

[John Funk]

*sigh*

Really, another one of these?

Thanks, Shamus [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/6110-The-Secret-of-WoW]!

A fine point but for a lot of later quests in the fourteen day trial, unless you grinded for like 5 hours you HAD to go as a group and as for the customisation, I already mentioned that everyone invariably ends up looking extremely similar as their is only a certain number of armours that any reasonable person would buy.

Uh, no. There are very, very few quests that you need to group up to do, especially at such a low level. Maybe one elite quest or two (need two or three people), or if you're running a dungeon.

 

[Gxas]

Very good points but the 14 day trial is supposed to sell the game to me. What they should have done is let you play at like level 75 in a dedicated server to get the real feel for the game.

The problem then arises in the fact that people on trials can't do hardly anything, and who would want to give epics to a character who is going to be deleted in 14 days anyway? If you want to experience endgame content, you have to level a character. If you didn't like leveling your character, WoW is not for you as it is the fundamental part of the game.

You could just buy a fully geared character if you want endgame content, but then you have no idea how to play your class and wasted a ton of extra money doing so. Leveling is a way to learn the pros and cons of your class, if you don't do it, you may as well be smashing your face against the keyboard while fighting something.

 

[The Kangaroo]

Very good points but the 14 day trial is supposed to sell the game to me. What they should have done is let you play at like level 75 in a dedicated server to get the real feel for the game.

The problem then arises in the fact that people on trials can't do hardly anything, and who would want to give epics to a character who is going to be deleted in 14 days anyway? If you want to experience endgame content, you have to level a character. If you didn't like leveling your character, WoW is not for you as it is the fundamental part of the game.

You could just buy a fully geared character if you want endgame content, but then you have no idea how to play your class and wasted a ton of extra money doing so. Leveling is a way to learn the pros and cons of your class, if you don't do it, you may as well be smashing your face against the keyboard while fighting something.

Alright maybe not level 75 but certainly level 60 besides I'm not saying that you give them any more story than a level 1 character would get, just the experience.

 

[The Kangaroo]

*sigh*

Really, another one of these?

Thanks, Shamus [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/6110-The-Secret-of-WoW]!

A fine point but for a lot of later quests in the fourteen day trial, unless you grinded for like 5 hours you HAD to go as a group and as for the customisation, I already mentioned that everyone invariably ends up looking extremely similar as their is only a certain number of armours that any reasonable person would buy.

Uh, no. There are very, very few quests that you need to group up to do, especially at such a low level. Maybe one elite quest or two (need two or three people), or if you're running a dungeon.

I found 3 before I it level 10.

 

[John Funk]

I found 3 before I it level 10.

Then, no offense, you're not very good at the game.

What race were you? Every starting zone has one beginner "elite" quest, i.e. Hogger. But no more that require groups.

Alright maybe not level 75 but certainly level 60 besides I'm not saying that you give them any more story than a level 1 character would get, just the experience.

But there WOULD be more story. There'd be tons of different zones to choose from, you wouldn't have any of the context, you'd have so many more skills that you wouldn't how to use... it'd completely defeat the purpose of teaching you how to play your class. There's a reason people who buy characters are avoided; they haven't gone through 60+ levels of learning how their class functions in a group.

 

[Gxas]

Alright maybe not level 75 but certainly level 60 besides I'm not saying that you give them any more story than a level 1 character would get, just the experience.

The experience is leveling, as I said before. If you can't take the grind to 80, don't play.

 

[Destal]

The game is popular due to things you can't see in the 14 day trial. The grind to 60, 70, and now 80 is an entirely different game than once you hit the max level. The combat system can become does get better as you get higher up in level with more skills and such. The reason it is so popular is because it appeals to many different types of players. If you are a pvp junkie you can go arena for really good gear, if you like hanging out with friends and beating the game you go do PVE, if you're into an online chat program that allows you to upgrade your charactor for the two afformentioned items...that is there too. It gives a sense of "rewarding" to people who have nothing better to do with their free time. I think a lot of the alliance vs horde thing is a carry over from people who played WAR3. Probably the biggest reason it is so popular is that it is easy to pick up and play with relative success even if it is your first MMO. A brand new player can be one of the "epic" players within the space of a 2-3 months without even trying.

Very good points but the 14 day trial is supposed to sell the game to me. What they should have done is let you play at like level 75 in a dedicated server to get the real feel for the game.

The 14 day trial is supposed to be combined with that "Come on you know you want to play with us, look at how much fun you can have once you're a higher level" from your friends and you're stuck. If you don't really have any friends that play wow, it won't be as addictive.

 

[AwesomeNinjaPowers]

I had the same experiance as you, played the 14 day trial and while slightly amusing I really couldn't see the point in paying for the full game.

Oh, for christ's sake, another one of these...

BECAUSE THEY FIND IT FUN.

Well obviously not everyone finds it fun or we wouldn't be having this conversation. cause I certainly didn't.

 

[Riyka]

i believe it has something to do with 'interacting with other people, who are real' and 'raids'
i dislike interacting with other people so i dont really get that XD
i pretty much turn off when my friends start talking about WOW, and when i was informed 'i have to be home by 10 for a raid' by a 26 yr old mate of mine i declined to comment in case i fell on the floor laughing...

i guess it's the same reason anyone likes any game, i think i would enjoy WOW if it wasn't for the monthly payment and the fact i have to interact with real people while playing...

but then the 'real people' aspect of an MMO is what people like...

i tried guildwars (because it's freeXD) and i have to say i enjoyed playing the game...i didn't enjoy the knowledge that large amounts of the people i had to interact with weren't NPC's, the stupid usernames pissed me off as well...
But then i enjoy that kind of game...if i could get over the 'people' aspect of it and the fact it take forever to level up and get to the 'good part' i probably would have continued with guildwars...

i know lots of my mates play together...so i suppose that probably makes it more fun..

 

[Roflpotamus]

Please don't reply any more, this will turn into a 14 page flame war...


Sometimes, people have fun playing games, oddly enough.

Use search in future

 

[shaltir]

i personally enjoyed WoW for a long time. i don't play it now because i simply don't have the time or energy to raid. the main reason i stuck with it for as long as i did is because i used it as a social outlet (living in the middle of nowhere gets lonely...) and was actively searching for groups to join or people to play the game with. after years of playing it however, i realized that i actually was only playing the game as something to do while i talked on vent. i still sorta had fun with it, but i couldn't do anything solo or i would get bored to quickly...maybe thats why you couldn't get into it.

 

[The Kangaroo]

I just finished my WOW 14 day free trial and I found myself wondering, why is it so damn popular, the fighting is boring and slow, the non stop grinding in unbearable, the character creation is a joke because after you hit level 10 everyone looks the exact same and while the story and the whole "Alliance vs Horde" thing is good in theory they are implemented in such a bad way that the story is told through long pages of text and the Alliance vs Horde ting is just mindless PvP.

In spite of those reasons, the game is more popular than food and I need to know...why?

Before you spam and troll please keep in mind that while I only played it for 14 days the trial period is supposed to sell the game to me and it failed spectacularly.

I understand that certain people like it just because of the fact that they do but I'm posting this thread to ask people who would like many of the same games that I would (L4D, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Mass Effect ect.).

let me start by saying nice profile pic.

Not everyone likes the same games, some people don't feel that a game is all about combat, but instead feel it should be about atmosphere, and strategy. World of Warcraft is a good game, it's just not YOUR game.

Thanks

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

The game is easy to get into for anyone, that's why it's popular. The average person doesn't want to do hours of tutorials to learn how to play. WoW is so easy to get into that anyone with half a brain can play it.

It's so easy to get into in fact that the vast majority of people who reach the level cap are in fact terrible, awful players who I honest to God have no idea how they feed themselves or keep from drooling on their keyboard. Go to any PUG raid and you'll find at least 3 or 4 people who should be required by law to wear a helmet when they leave their homes.

 

[olee12343]

I played WoW for a few years and the fact that SO many people play it does help people enjoy it more. Also, a trial account really does no justice for the game as you can't even trade or whisper to people. A poor choice for trial accounts, but I think Blizzard could care less with their 10+ million subscribers.

It's so easy to get into in fact that the vast majority of people who reach the level cap are in fact terrible, awful players who I honest to God have no idea how they feed themselves or keep from drooling on their keyboard. Go to any PUG raid and you'll find at least 3 or 4 people who should be required by law to wear a helmet when they leave their homes.

Believe me, you don't even have to look at a PUG to see how easy it is to reach max level. Many people want to "raid", but most don't know the finer points of their class, even with 80 levels of "experience". Probably, and unfortunatly, because most of the WoW universe are sub-14 years old.

 

[El Poncho]

Well I did find levels 10-30 pretty boring but he need to achieve the highest level, level 30+ got me addicted to the game the mindless ganking then gettig revenge on the people you pass by in stranglethornvale which can end up as a game long nemesis which it had a few times for me.