Understanding why you might be playing World of Warcraft

[Ikkarus]

Really nice post, I enjoyed the reading, you write very well sir.
Although there is nothing new in what you said because, first, WoW is a game and, second, it's managed by a company.
So by definition (just google it):

Game
a. A competitive activity or sport in which players contend with each other according to a set of rules.

Company
A business enterprise; a firm.

It's logical that both meanings are related to what you wrote.
Unfornately, I don't see any difference from what Blizzard does and other all other major companies do around the world to achieve profit from it's potencial costumers.
Is there a mind control appeal in WoW? Yes, there is.
Does is it different from any kind of business companies that surround us all day looking for profit? No, it's not.

[Sn00p]

I never really got to touch on the role model prospect, so I've gone back and added that in at the end in the form of 2 paragraphs.

[Azuredrake79]

This is one of the most useless, hubris filled, pseudo-intellectual rants I've ever read about .....a hobby. This entire entry = "I'm too dumb to realize that spending more time playing a game than anything else isn't healthy." The title says "Understanding why YOU might be playing World of Warcraft", however it takes a large amount of arrogance to speak for others. This sounds like the rant of someone who was "ok" at the game, but was frustrated that his "accomplishments" went largely unnoticed by either guild-mates or players on his server. The only course of action after not being able to cope with the fact that these accomplishments meant nothing to anyone in game or real life (something Blizzard never even attempted to make you think otherwise on, hence the "Button" illustration is largely moot") is to come to a forum and claim that others are "duped" by a company they pay money to for a service, in a miserable attempt at one-upmanship. ...one always has to question the motive.

[Sn00p]

You're very selective in your arguments Azuredrake; the title says "Why you MIGHT be playing World of Warcraft", rather than assuming arrogance it speaks of possibility. As for pseudo-intellectualism, I didn't claim it was done off of professional accord, study or ideology behind the psychology institutions situated across the world.

Looking at your join date & post account I find it easy to assume that you are a troll, and therefore are moot in validation in this argument; it may have not been the initial intention of Blizzard to use such tactics, but it sure as hell wouldn't stop them from employing them for profit margins.

There is no claim of deception, trickery, manipulation or ethical concern through my post; but you would know that seeing as you've 'studied' it so carefully - it presents the possibility towards addiction basing lightly around Mark Griffiths study on gambling. He theorized that aesthetics and a notion of skill involvement are suggestive towards somebody continuing with a habit that they may know is bad for them, but refuse to aptly acknowledge.

I suggest reading the entirety of the argument with a little more depth than troll mode, in future: but on your note of questioning the means, I think I'll take your response as a clear attempt to justify an action you know is negative towards you. Your frustration is illustrated through satirical attempts at ad hominem that have been moot from the posts origin.

[Rugiz]

TLDR migh eaad t,prrpow

[abhorsenjay]

TLDR migh eaad t,prrpow

For those of you who can't read gibberish, I believe this says:

Too long; didn't read. Might read it tomorrow.

[Nullroute]

TLDR migh eaad t,prrpow

Good lord did you type that with a mallet?

[Phygar]

I actually just retired my WOW account about 3 weeks ago. I realized the only thing keeping me playing the game was just my friends in the guild and on the server, and my pursuit of gold cap. But, day after day I logged in, I literally couldn't think of anything to do, other than more monotonous grinds.

So, I just liquidated my assets and deposited 600k gold into the guild bank, left a nice forum post for the guild and haven't logged back on since. I really feel like I was also caught in this psychological trap of which MMOs exist by.

WOW will probably be my first and my last MMO, unless they can somehow create a new formula for MMOs that doesn't just involve gear chasing.

Anyway + rep man

PS -- MANY people I know have quit WOW, many long term players. Cataclysm really has been the worst of the bunch of expansions imo... Half left for RIFT and half just stopped playing... I also hear many that left for RIFT stop playing rift too.

I left WoW a few weeks after cata. I felt that Cataclysm really ruined what I used to play WoW for. Even the most basic content for PvE as a healer became stressful, and I stopped bothering with PvE. I figured I'd try to PvP, but priests got raped up the butthole. I hear priests got fixed, but the reason I still stay away from WoW is that it really has nothing to offer other than ways to compare your epeen with other players. Hardly anybody plays WoW because the gameplay itself is exciting. Nobody goes out and kills random monsters for no reward just because it's "fun". I used to play my healer because I got a thrill from having the responsibility of carrying my teammates lives in my hands. I could use my powers to make up for the faults of others and be there to catch them when they fell. When cataclysm came, I no longer had the role of a guardian who could use his strength to keep others out of harm. I was now carrying the world on my shoulders: I had a role that was absolutely necessary for the well-being of my group, but I struggled to complete it, and was criticized for failure as anything below perfection was simply not enough. I couldn't make compensate for the faults of others, because I simply didn't have any excess power to do so. There's was no longer a way for me to go above and beyond what was expected out of me.

[biorpg]

To the OP: Grats, you described why video games are recreational, and how these recreational qualities triggered a state of paranoid redundant analysis.

To the quitters: 4.2 will be making all current cataclysm raid content trivial so you can once again be 'successful' in the current level cap content, and they will systematically do the same in every content patch as a new one is released. Simply tell yourself that the latest patch does not exist, and you will once again have the illusion of skill you required to have fun.

[fatality3]

I must say that is an amazing post. I read through the whole post. I do agree with you're idea. The post was well organized and well thought out.
+ Rep man

[Kek]

Your comment on "ethics" makes the rest of your argument flawed. It may be "ethical" for someone to get what they consider entertainment for the monetary costs they pay. I wouldn't be so quick to assume that the businesses are creating a false incentive; what people who purchase games are looking for is entertainment, and if they continue to spend money on the game, they must be finding entertainment in it. Even if it's an addiction, they're still getting what they're paying for, and in the case of addiction, it's definitely not the business' fault that someone happens to be addicted to their specific reward system above all others.

pretty much this

[Sklug]

To the OP: Grats, you described why video games are recreational, and how these recreational qualities triggered a state of paranoid redundant analysis.

To the quitters: 4.2 will be making all current cataclysm raid content trivial so you can once again be 'successful' in the current level cap content, and they will systematically do the same in every content patch as a new one is released. Simply tell yourself that the latest patch does not exist, and you will once again have the illusion of skill you required to have fun.

So, what you are saying is to the quitters that patch 4.2 is going to be so awesome that it is going to be worth paying 15 bucks a month all over again for? After being away from the game over a month now, it's made me realize how little content blizz has had for end-game Cata. Seriously, it's been almost 8 months since Cata came out and all they have released was 2 re-made dungeons on top of the already limited end-game content (In comparison to previous expansions). When WOTLK was only 6 months out the first patch brought us Ulduar on top of the already larger gaming world. There were more new zones in WOTLK than we have in Cata btw...

Look, I think WOW is a great game, but you are missing the point here. What keeps people going is not the idea of "I am the best person on the server and am so skilled," as you seem to think, it's the continuous new content. Cata has been SOOO slow releasing new content in an already limited content world. I don't know why, but before I always felt I could log on and there would be something to do. I haven't felt that in Cata.

When are we all going to just realize(*SPECULATION*) that what's really happening here is that Blizz is taking it's first stealthily steps towards TITAN. If Blizz really wanted to release more content they could, they could recruit more people to the team. But, they don't. I am guessing they already pulled their best people over to Titan, left a few key people and big names to keep WOW functioning and keep us thinking they are still so focused on it, and the rest of the WOW developers are just the grunt employees keeping it maintained. Even the latest patch 4.2 was supposed to have 2 RAIDS originally, but Blizz got rid of the underwater one in favor of only focusing on Firelands bacause they "Didn't have enough resources and FIRELANDS was just cooler." Acti-Blizz, the richest game company on the planet complaining about not having enough resources and over the last 8 months of development all they could do was 1 raid? I'm sorry but THAT is why WOW died for me...

[[Z]em]

I tottally agree with everything you have said. I have even realised this myself in the past and quit WoW because of it.
Later i realised that even when i had quit i would do my daily routine, still go to the gym, go out with friends etc.
Then when i got home there would be nothing to do? Thats when i realised that basicly every game is pointless and that you have to find your own fun within it to truely make it a good game.
I have WoW back now due to the Fun im having playing with my Real Life friends on the game and i think this is what makes it for me!

[Confucius]

I still like WoW, killing things is fun, as for raids being hard they aren't that really, I went into bh with no clue how fight went or even how boss looked and the mt had no clue either, then some dps accidently pulled boss and we just winged it and won

[Jorbyrules]

This is basically why I quit as well. It was becoming a repetitive and constant struggle to compete with people my own level in end-game content, in order to feel equal or higher satisfaction. Even then so with more patches and updates it was easy to fall behind from your peers. In the end I was gaining nothing.

Thank you for posting this, giving us a deeper look into what this game portrays.