Zero Punctuation: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Heh, this was as expected as his mock-review on Duke Nukem Forever. And that just scared the daylights out of me alone as it was.
He just described why I hate WOW. But I have to add that WoW is like drugs. It's fun at first but then you get addicted and you have to play. It becomes a necessity and that kills the actual fun part.
Yeah, the number part is essentialy true in the end-game stuff. But you might call exploring and completing things as a goal of the game. To me the fun part was level up, untill I got between 40-60 that's when it got repetitive to me as hell. Finally got to 60 and had it all unlocked so to say and it had some things to do again. But after a while that got boring too.
But well I do have to agree with the numbers part, it's like a vicious circle. Raid to raid, pvp to pvp.
Boring dull, repetitive aka grinding. It definitely is like a drug, because you keep playing untill you finally figure out what there is left to play for. This struck me when I wasted an hour waiting for something useless and just walking around town like the washed up warrior I could have been seen like. Game Over.
Thanks Yathzee, I am glad you stated my feelings for WoW again and smacked it right in my face. Because I almost had a moment of going back, after being clean for 4 years. Yay
yeah I almost see it as a drug.
But well I do have to agree with the numbers part, it's like a vicious circle. Raid to raid, pvp to pvp.
Boring dull, repetitive aka grinding. It definitely is like a drug, because you keep playing untill you finally figure out what there is left to play for. This struck me when I wasted an hour waiting for something useless and just walking around town like the washed up warrior I could have been seen like. Game Over.
Thanks Yathzee, I am glad you stated my feelings for WoW again and smacked it right in my face. Because I almost had a moment of going back, after being clean for 4 years. Yay
yeah I almost see it as a drug.
I really get the conclusions he drew here. I have been playing the game for a while now and find it really does get fruitless unless you fully buy into its always getting better philosophy.
No. They aren't. Horde players are kind of bigoted when it comes to factional pride due to whatever reason. (underdogs, misunderstood, angsty teenage-like reason #13, etc)LittleWings said:
Play where your friends are or where you're comfortable. I would recommend playing both sides though, especially since Blizzard puts more effort in Horde questing zones these days.
Pretty sure Horde had Tauren first.Crazy_Dude said:
you get to choices when you learn how to use a computer.
1 to have a life
2 to have World of Warcraft
you cant have both
1 to have a life
2 to have World of Warcraft
you cant have both
I have to show this to my friend before he gets back into playing WoW! I must hurry, before it's too late!
I think this review warrants a more philosophical analysis:
Short Version:
The way I see it, what makes WoW evil according to Yahtzee and others is that people keep playing it because they're obsessed with slightly improving their character through better equipment. This only becomes a problem when better equipment is considered an intrinsic good, while the actual gameplay becomes a chore. At this point the player is no longer having fun or participating in recreation: they have established something within a video game as a legitimate life goal.
Long Version:
It's one thing to have the desire to prestige in CoD as a game dependent goal (i.e. a goal that one only acts in order to achieve once they have turned on their console), but it is quite another to have the same desire as a life goal (i.e. a goal ranked among professional success and personal relationships). The difference is that a game dependent goal is a goal one has when one is already in a gaming mindset, most people rarely get online because they want to get to that next level; they get online to blow off some steam and getting to the next level is a part of that. There's nothing in the game itself that makes it an intrinsic goal; it's played for enjoyment. But many WoW players have set something WITHIN THE GAME ITSELF as their goal and this goal transcends the realm of the game and intercedes with other goals that most people would consider a much higher priority (e.g. sleep, studying, work, relationships, etc.).
Another word for something that is given unnatural priority is an 'Obsession'. The psychological definition thereof focuses on anxiety, but I'm using the word in its more common sense. Just because these people wouldn't be committed, it doesn't mean that they're perfectly healthy. The way I see it there are two major symptomatic signs of obsession:
1) When something starts to hold such a high priority that it begins to take up an undue amount of the person's resources and the sacrifice of other major goals that would normally be balanced out(e.g. when someone starts losing sleep and meals over something.)The more of the other goals one is willing to sacrifice for something, the more obsessed one is with it.
2) When one loses sight of why one had the goal in the first place (e.g. if someone keeps playing a game for some reason even though it is no longer fun).
When these two things happen, a hobby turns into a perverse obsession.
1 without 2:
If the player still finds the game fun and can't stop playing it this would be a much lesser form of obsession in which the player is at least still getting something out of the game. In fact, this can be even more destructive because in the perverse case where the player is no longer enjoying the experience, this can be pointed out to them and become a strong reason for them to quit. 1 without 2 might be considered a mild form of obsession, but it isn't perverse so much as simply one needing to get one's priorities straight.
2 without 1:
This is really just a mindless habit. 2 is a relatively common occurrence, we lose sight of why we do things all the time. It is worth mentioning in the case of obsession because when combined with 1 it means that a person's motives don't quite match up with their commitment, which, I believe, is the quintessential distinguishing mark of obsession that most people will point to.
So... does this apply to WoW players? More than a few I think. What I think makes WoW prone to cause obsessive behavior is the online community in combination with gameplay that is centered around constantly improving the stats of one's character in small increments. Or numbers if you will.
Short Version:
The way I see it, what makes WoW evil according to Yahtzee and others is that people keep playing it because they're obsessed with slightly improving their character through better equipment. This only becomes a problem when better equipment is considered an intrinsic good, while the actual gameplay becomes a chore. At this point the player is no longer having fun or participating in recreation: they have established something within a video game as a legitimate life goal.
Long Version:
It's one thing to have the desire to prestige in CoD as a game dependent goal (i.e. a goal that one only acts in order to achieve once they have turned on their console), but it is quite another to have the same desire as a life goal (i.e. a goal ranked among professional success and personal relationships). The difference is that a game dependent goal is a goal one has when one is already in a gaming mindset, most people rarely get online because they want to get to that next level; they get online to blow off some steam and getting to the next level is a part of that. There's nothing in the game itself that makes it an intrinsic goal; it's played for enjoyment. But many WoW players have set something WITHIN THE GAME ITSELF as their goal and this goal transcends the realm of the game and intercedes with other goals that most people would consider a much higher priority (e.g. sleep, studying, work, relationships, etc.).
Another word for something that is given unnatural priority is an 'Obsession'. The psychological definition thereof focuses on anxiety, but I'm using the word in its more common sense. Just because these people wouldn't be committed, it doesn't mean that they're perfectly healthy. The way I see it there are two major symptomatic signs of obsession:
1) When something starts to hold such a high priority that it begins to take up an undue amount of the person's resources and the sacrifice of other major goals that would normally be balanced out(e.g. when someone starts losing sleep and meals over something.)The more of the other goals one is willing to sacrifice for something, the more obsessed one is with it.
2) When one loses sight of why one had the goal in the first place (e.g. if someone keeps playing a game for some reason even though it is no longer fun).
When these two things happen, a hobby turns into a perverse obsession.
1 without 2:
If the player still finds the game fun and can't stop playing it this would be a much lesser form of obsession in which the player is at least still getting something out of the game. In fact, this can be even more destructive because in the perverse case where the player is no longer enjoying the experience, this can be pointed out to them and become a strong reason for them to quit. 1 without 2 might be considered a mild form of obsession, but it isn't perverse so much as simply one needing to get one's priorities straight.
2 without 1:
This is really just a mindless habit. 2 is a relatively common occurrence, we lose sight of why we do things all the time. It is worth mentioning in the case of obsession because when combined with 1 it means that a person's motives don't quite match up with their commitment, which, I believe, is the quintessential distinguishing mark of obsession that most people will point to.
So... does this apply to WoW players? More than a few I think. What I think makes WoW prone to cause obsessive behavior is the online community in combination with gameplay that is centered around constantly improving the stats of one's character in small increments. Or numbers if you will.
The only playable WoW was the original. After a few years of that when the expansions came out, I let WoW drop dead in my mind, it wasn't the same nor worth it anymore to me. Glad to see I'm not missing anything on Cata.
PS: I also find it amusing how the only people who really love the expansions came when they came out, and most of the users who were there from the original game say all the expansions are awful. Really shows where Blizzard's heart lays, with cash over fan base happiness. (Edit: Actually that's not really new, my apologies)
PS: I also find it amusing how the only people who really love the expansions came when they came out, and most of the users who were there from the original game say all the expansions are awful. Really shows where Blizzard's heart lays, with cash over fan base happiness. (Edit: Actually that's not really new, my apologies)
To be more honest, if you raid just to raid, you missed the boat.
I raided because I enjoyed spending time with my guild mates, and in some cases, raiding was actually fun. But eventually our Maniacal Turdbucket Guild Leader made it insufferable with his megalomanical obsession with being the best raiding guild, regardless of fun, or what other people felt like would be fun to do.
Luckily once I got back into the game there was a reborn guild of all the awesome members from before.
That's my story.
I raided because I enjoyed spending time with my guild mates, and in some cases, raiding was actually fun. But eventually our Maniacal Turdbucket Guild Leader made it insufferable with his megalomanical obsession with being the best raiding guild, regardless of fun, or what other people felt like would be fun to do.
Luckily once I got back into the game there was a reborn guild of all the awesome members from before.
That's my story.
I think he hates the players of the game more than the players themselves. At least that is what I got from it. You know the players who only care about the NUMBERS!
I only care about the ACHIEVEMENT!
I only care about the ACHIEVEMENT!
So let me get this straight, people go on raids to get better items to use in raids? ...okay the. o_0
Also dig The NeverEnding Story reference.
Also dig The NeverEnding Story reference.
i'm sad you had a twat to tel lyou why raiding is fun so let me explain to you how it goes: you get the best gears possible to be able to enter PVP tournaments or you can even get sponsorised for doing 25 man heroic raids, or even in some hidden place known by some people you can enter there all night, place a bet on a guild and see witch one of them win, the winners get to double the money and the ones that lose pay the 30-75 mans present for the raids, it divided equaly between them, those are incredibly hard to do and only a few is able to. take a good example of my hero (not you, you're the third) Athene, he earned over 2000$ in 1 houre by behing sponsorised for reaching the world first level 85, yes you have really low luck to reach that point of your life where GAMING gets you CHICKS but hey, in the meantime until i reach that hight it teached me advanced logic and history, its an enjoyable story and its dosen't cost too much, so now that i told that to you i hope that you will try to see all the sides of something before mocking it, or perhaps get an incredibly optimist and logical person has I rather that someone playing for fun
