World of Warcraft, my perspective.

I know what you’re thinking. There I go again pretending to read minds. Just play along, okay? There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands of reviews and columns about World of Warcraft. I have read a good amount of them, and while they all have valid points (ok, so a few were just plain garbage), most only speak of actual game play mechanics. I wanted to write a little about why I still play the game, even though I am not happy with many of the changes Blizzard has made, especially recently. Like the dungeon finder. I know it can make it easy to find a group when none of your friends is on, but when a good portion of players don't actually know how to get to an instance because they have never had to find it, I become concerned.

WoW, for me, is first and foremost a social game. I do it because I like the people I play with. I have made and lost many friends over the course of the 3+ years I have played the game. People who don’t play MMOs can’t really understand what the fascination is with them. I think it’s probably different for everyone, but I know that for many of the people I game with it’s about the other people they play with.

I have made some really good friends in WoW. People that I IM with during the day, even when I’m not playing. People I text message or call on my phone. I even sent cookies I had baked to a few of these people this past Christmas. I consider these people my friends. We talk in vent on a daily basis. Sometimes even when we aren’t actually playing WoW.

Lately I have started to get a bit frustrated with the game. Mostly because of the pace most of the players seem to be going. Blizzard is catering to the instant gratification crowd that is MMO players these days. I realize that they are in the business of making money, so I don’t go on the forums and troll. I don’t send them hate mail. Er, I mean email. Like anyone actually uses snail mail anymore. Why would they? When it can be there RIGHT NOW with a click of a button. Okay, so it’s not just gamers who want instant gratification. Don’t want to drive to the store to buy a new, um…anything? Just type in what you want and choose from a long list of online merchants. Click the button and BAM! Whatever you desire is at your door the next day. And I do mean anything. Go see for yourself.

NOT NOW! Finish reading first. Sheesh! Talk about a short attention span.

Anyhow…back to what I was saying. What was I saying? Oh, yeah, right. World of Warcraft. Even though I am fed up with all the gamers in WoW who are rushing around, earning badges all day in heroics, trying to get good gear, so they can start raiding ICC and get even better gear. For what? So they can have ICC on farm until the expansion comes out. Sooo…hurry up and get to end-game so I can wait? Hmm, that sounds like fun.

Ok, people are right. We need a sarcasm font.

Regardless of the frustration I am feeling about the game right now, I still log on most nights. Why? The people. I log on in the hopes that my friends will be on too. In the hopes that maybe there will be enough of us to do a raid. Not necessarily ICC. Maybe Ulduar. Maybe even Blackwing Lair. Yes, I said BWL. Most of the people I have met in WoW over the past year or so have never even set foot in the classic raids. I enjoy going with them to experience it. Seems like they don’t make ‘em like they used to. I laughed my ass off when, after making our way through two suppression rooms (at a snail’s pace) to Broodlord Lashlayer, he knocked everyone all the way back across the room. As we were making our way back to the boss (again, at a snail’s pace), the tank was cussing like a sailor because he couldn’t get back and someone else had aggro. And this tank isn’t normally cusser. I have to admit, he had been drinking a little. Not as much as the time he tanked Mage-Lord Urom off his platform. Three times in a row. Ok, so you had to be there.

I have to admit that the changes made lately in WoW have caused me to play less. A lot less. And also to try other MMOs. A lot of them. Most of the other games I have tried have been much inferior to WoW in most aspects. A few have been decent, some even better in some ways. So far none have kept my attention for more than a short time. A few days ago I found one that looks very promising. I will let you know how that works out.

For those of you who don't play MMOs and have no idea what I am talking about...perhaps you should give them a try. Wait...on second thought don't. The last thing WoW needs is more impatient people.

More than likely I will keep playing WoW until everyone I know stops playing. Or until I convince them all to make the pilgrimage to another MMO. For some, it’s about how many lowbies they can gank. For me, it’s about making friends.