I can’t believe I’m about to open this can of worms but here we go. I read an article today called WoW Is Not Killing Itself which was a response to the article MMO Weekly 14/07/09. If you’re not in the mood to read both articles I can sum them both up for you quickly.
The MMO Weekly 14/07/09 article talks about how WoW developers are making the same mistakes that all other MMO devs make. They’re only putting out content for “hardcore” people who put in countless hours to see end game content. He goes on to state that only 5% of WoW players ever see the hardest end game content. Max level characters only have raiding and “gear grinding” to look forward to.
WoW Is Not Killing Itself responds by picking apart almost every argument he puts up and says, “You’re wrong”. The author goes on to explain that all of the content in WoW is meant for all types of players. That being 80 isn’t just a gear grind and even “casual” players have something to do. Wasn’t that much easier than reading massive amounts of text?
I hate to be the one to tell both of these authors this, but this topic has been debated for years now. The cold hard facts are that WoW has the biggest player base subscription. Sporting over 11 million players worldwide, World of Warcraft is appealing to players for whatever personal reason they have.
End game content can only go so far. If you bundle everything up into one big package you’ll have to label all of the content “grinding”. You grind your levels, you grind for gear, you grind for items, and you grind for money. This isn’t just WoW either; this is every single MMORPG that’s out there. There isn’t anything else to do at the end of a massively huge questing game.
Most players, I said most, don’t care about the story line of a MMORPG. They just want to have their “shiny” new gear and hang out with a few friends. There’s nothing wrong with that and Blizzard is a master at creating content to accommodate just that. Until some game developer comes up with something completely new and revolutionary that will change the way MMORPG’s are played and put together, we will continue to see the same kind of end game content from all MMO’s.
Don’t get all down in the dumps about it; there is plenty of hope in the future. The next few years look to bring out new MMORPG’s that just might be something fresh enough to catch the attention of people who are looking for a new game. History always repeats itself, and WoW redefined MMORPG’s. Another game will come along that will do the same, we just have to wait.
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August 5, 2009 at 10:42 am
Reaperwolf
I see your point, and you have valid reasons for stating that WoW ‘isn’t killing itself’. The fact that there is such a large subscription base (I hesitate to believe that Blizzard, as most for-profit companies, hasn’t exaggerated their numbers) proves they are ‘making money’.
With that said, let me say why ‘making money’ is the key at this juncture.
I played WoW since 2005. I enjoyed it and was immediately addicted to it. What is happening now is NOT, I repleat NOT a matter of game mechanics. What Blizzard is doing is ‘dumbing down’ the game to the point that you may as well get a mount, some epic gear, and a bag of 2k gold from your starting village.
Take this into account. A year or so ago WoW began making it MUCH easier to level from 1-40. I didn’t care much for that as I pretty much play one character and remember all the strife to get to the top of the food chain. Now, you may be thinking ‘you elitist jerk you’. Well, if you want to think that and discount my arguments, then you may as well stop reading now.
The easy-leveling was something that I could get over. Now let’s just get to the point of how the game is kililng itself.
* Easy leveling to 60. Not easy enough? Get the refer-a-friend deal which lets you accumulate xp AS THE OTHER PEOPLE LEVEL. Yes, this stops at 60. I have witnessed people standing outside of the bank leveling from 20 to 53. Very inspiring… makes you feel like levels are worth something.
* Mounts now at level 20. Again, an accomplishment killer.
* Last, but certainly not least, now you can switch factions. Tired of being a gnome mage? Go be a bloodelf. If you’ve pissed off one faction, simply switch to the other.
I’m not going to dwell on name changes, sex changes, pet changes, and all the other things I think distract from the individual player experience. The game has become a challenge only for Blizzard as to how to keep bringing in new dollars. These aren’t changes that reward accomplishment or force you to strive for a goal, they are candy treats to keep you hopping around as long as possible for $15.00 a month. I don’t blame Blizzard for trying to make as much money as possible, but I do blame them for turning a great MMO into a steamy pile of crap.
August 5, 2009 at 3:23 pm
liti4
Thank you very much for your feedback :) We like to see what players think.