I've played World of Warcraft (WoW) for about a year, and for the longest time I have found it strangely addicting. To this day, I wasn't even sure what really pulled me in. Was it that my SF buddies were playing this? Was it the hype on all the gamer sites? Was it because of the promise that a casual player can play this and stay competitive?
I'm not sure. But I do know this: when I did play, hours and hours would waste away. You want to get that something that makes you a little better than the next person. And what would the end result be? Something better is out there for you to get. Sure, Blizzard promised the casual gamer that they can get in and be competitive, but now, that's not so true. I've stopped playing due to that very reason. Now that I'm married, I find myself with a new sense of responsibility. With that responsibility comes with decreased free time.
I would easily waste 3-4 hours a night on WoW, easily thinking that I've accomplished something when I really haven't. I would run the same raid 2-3 times a night to get something that might not come. That's not really a game where you can pour 30 minutes into, and feel satisified. Pre-60 (the highest level in the game), you really do feel like you've done something. But after that? Not much can be done in 30 mins. It was sometime in October/November is when I realized that I could put my 3-4 hours elsewhere.
It also seems that I'm not alone, a lot of people are playing this game. Some have realized the same things I have, some have not. And that addictiveness will seem to get worse with the expansion that Blizzard is coming out with later this year...
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I know this is late (you just put up your blog link, after all), but I play WoW myself and felt I had to comment as I've been trying to narrow down the reasons for its pull as well.
I think the biggest part of its draw is the level of immersiveness and its ease of play. When you start the game, you're immediately thrust into this huge, fully-detailed new world, and the people you have to speak with to get started are standing directly in front of you so you don't spend your first few minutes wandering around in confusion. They teach you how to play the game and get used to your character, then point you to the next NPC when you've nothing more to learn from them. Quick learners can usually get to L10 within a handful of hours, if that.
And the quests! There are literally thousands of quests you can do in each region of the world, so even if you prefer soloing it, you'll always have something to do and someplace new to explore. Very often many of the quests are but single threads in the greater overall storyline, though some can be just for fun (like the dwarven beer delivery run). For those not as interested in questing, there are PvP areas like Warsong Gulch (capture the flag), Arathi Basin (defend the structures), and Gurubashi Arena. They're good ways to gain honor points and increase your reputation among even neutral-aligned areas of the game, though IMO it mostly just looks hella impressive to other players because it speaks highly of your combat skills.
Then there's the social aspect, which is a huge draw all on its own. You can interact with any of the players, no matter what part of the world they're from. Player-formed guilds that suit your purpose for playing can be great if they're run properly, whether that purpose is roleplay, PvP or a combination of both. Hell, even a server full of players positively inclined to what you want to do is great, though -- as with all avenues of communication -- there will always be a few dicks among them. Even if you're not in a guild, you can group with people and either run through an instance (areas marked 'dungeon') or raid an enemy camp/town. It's balanced so that, if your level is too high for the mobs in the area, you could solo it easily but not get exp for anything, plus most of the items you collect will usually be worthless to you.
The last bit is that WoW doesn't take itself seriously. There are many puns and references to other popular things within the game, such as the quest 'Road to Darnassus' (a pun on 'Road to Damascus'), the item 'The 1 Ring' (which adds +1 to everything and is tagged, 'Not As Good As The 2 Ring'), and the item 'Olaf's All-Purpose Shield' (which appears in Blizzard's classic title 'The Lost Vikings'). And that's not even touching how many more there are.
Overall, I've found it to be a very neat and interesting game, and all of these aspects have some part to play in holding my interest. From what different friends have told me, one's WoW experience varies a lot depending on what server you choose to play on: the RP servers are generally friendlier and RP is not a hard and fast rule; whereas PvP servers tend to have a lot more assholes. I'm glad I got a decent server on the first try.
All for the Horde. :)
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