Originally Posted by
Jibjabber
Best game ever. Hands down.
Here's why:
1. Story- despite what many people view as bad narrative in many places, the WoW story and lore associated with it is rich and varied. It's complexity and detail are hard to compete with in a game setting. Sometimes the story is confusing or convoluted, a problem made worse by the way it must be delivered through the MMO, but Blizzard tends to do a very good job in telling the story anyway. You can literally lose yourself for days studying up and learning about all the lore WoW has to offer.
2. Azeroth (and other lands associated)- Azeroth is huge. You travel across all of it on your character, but there is ALWAYS more to see- little nooks and crannies you never knew existed. It's beautiful artwork. Zones are obviously created with a high attention to visual detail, and we as players reap the intrinsic rewards of this. Creating a WORLD is hard work, and if you don't believe that, try it yourself.
3. Your character is whatever you want him/her to be- You're not playing some pre-designed character whose story has already been written. You have so many choices for customization between faction/race/gender/class/transmog/gameplay style that you're character really is unique, and plays a unique part in the story of WoW. You can be the heroic raider smashing down world firsts, or that guy/girl with 10,000 alts, or the lone wolf manipulating the auction house and accumulating a vast fortune. In the end, you do whatever interests you.
4. In game economy- I think a game which can generate a real, and viable in-game world economy speaks for itself.
5. Staying power- Perhaps its no longer at it's height in terms of subscription numbers, but a this game still draws MILLIONS of people in to play it, and it has been for a decade. The best part is that it's still actively evolving. Even the early RTS games are considered some of the giants of the video game industry, and the MMO is of course the giant all other MMO's are measured by. I've played for years, and even if my game play has evolved to much more casual, I'll still play until the end.
6. WoW makes you smarter- you may wonder at this. Think about it. Games in general (but WoW especially) challenge players, most of whom are young, to sharpen their reflexes and speed up critical thinking skills. Play the AH and learn the basics of economics. Raid and learn how to process lots of information with lightning speed and reflexes. PVP and learn how to critically plan out each and every move you make, and do so while drawing on whatever knowledge you possess about the class you're fighting. Study the lore and learn things about how to tell/write stories what makes a story good vs. bad. Customize your own UI and learn about graphic design. All these things and more are in this game, and it really does make you smarter.
Everything listed above can be found in other games, but only WoW brings all these things together in one overwhelmingly awesome package. And no matter how many times the devs wave the nerf stick at my particular class, or change the mechanics on raiding, or take away flying for a patch, or change how my alts interact with my main, or "dumb down the game," I still come back. I still get that itch. And you know what? That's perfectly fine with me.