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  1. #1

    Warcraft and the Myth of King Sisyphus

    Anyone else heard of the Story of King Sisyphus?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus

    He was cursed to continually push an immense boulder to the top of giant hill, and whenever he neared the top, the boulder would roll back down to the bottom and he would have to start right from the begining again.

    This was a maddenning punishment from the Gods that causes a lot of philosophical talk even today.

    The thing is, this IS what Warcraft is, you constantly strive to get the best gear, the best mounts, and beat the best boss, then before you know it, the boulder falls down the hill, a new tier/expac is out and you have to start the whole process again and again and again forever.

    Maybe this is why people get upset about other people having mounts etc that they worked hard to get years ago, I myself find it depressing just visiting Icecrown and remembering all the hard work I put in there. Is it the nature of the game? disuss!
    BASIC CAMPFIRE for WARCHIEF UK Prime Minister!

  2. #2
    Sounds like the game of... life.

  3. #3
    Well, an obvious difference I see is that we all engage in this activity by choice. It is not a forced punishment from which we can never escape.

    The analogy certainly has merits, though. It is pretty funny to think about how we can work so hard when we know it will all be "undone" when the next expansion hits.

    The thing is, though, it's not really the gear or the achievements or the mounts that I value-- it's the time spent with my guild and my friends while trying to acquire those things that matter. And that's not something that is cheapened or invalidated by a new tier or new expansion.

  4. #4
    Dreadlord Dragore's Avatar
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    You should value the journey instead of the outcome. Look back and think of the memories, thats the most important. I like to look back on my "Sisyphus" curses (Vanilla, TBC, WOTLK, Cata) and remember the good times I had with my mates.

  5. #5
    I don't know, I strive to have fun, getting the best gear at the moment is just a side effect.
    "Remember that text is going to be how you make your first impression over the internet; if every third word you type is misspelled, people will automatically assume that you're a moron."- Cracked.com

  6. #6
    I think that's why WoW is fun: always something new to strive for eventually.
    Stormrage US | Aesryn

  7. #7
    Not quite sure about your post OP , thing is its not just warcraft its all mmo's and if it didnt have this boulder effect then it wouldnt be any different from a single player game out there.
    Also the boulder effect doesnt have anything to do with people getting pissed about mounts n shit...thats just those special snowflake morons kicking up a fuss.

  8. #8
    Would you prefer if you could just get the boulder to the top, then having nothing else to do? I think it's nice to have a new boulder to push up a different hill every so often..

  9. #9
    It is somewhat similar, though I think it is more fun than pushing a boulder up a mountain.

    Though, dailies do feel like pushing a boulder up a mountain. Many boulders, actually. Every day. And then after several days, you get a few more boulders to push with the initial ones. Except the new ones are box-shaped.

  10. #10
    Honestly it depends on how you view it. If you care about being better than everyone else, then yeah, it can seem a bit pointless...

    But if all you care about is having fun with friends, enjoying the game and playing it to relax/have fun, then the journey is what's important. Doesn't matter how many times the boulder rolls back down the hill if you keep enjoying pushing it back up again.

  11. #11
    Deleted
    How else would it work, though?

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Daetur View Post
    Well, an obvious difference I see is that we all engage in this activity by choice. It is not a forced punishment from which we can never escape.

    The analogy certainly has merits, though. It is pretty funny to think about how we can work so hard when we know it will all be "undone" when the next expansion hits.

    The thing is, though, it's not really the gear or the achievements or the mounts that I value-- it's the time spent with my guild and my friends while trying to acquire those things that matter. And that's not something that is cheapened or invalidated by a new tier or new expansion.
    And not only this, but blizzard is putting an immense amount of effort to make the goodies picked up along the way a tad more worth-while.

    Things like Mimiron's head, Invincible, Ashes (to a degree), and gear that works for transmogrification, would be good counterpoints to the boulder philosophy. You might start at the bottom of the hill every expansion pack, but you're looking damn good compared to when you started.

    On the other hand, things like legendaries are pretty boulder-push-a-riffic.

  13. #13
    Merely a Setback Trassk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dragore View Post
    You should value the journey instead of the outcome. Look back and think of the memories, thats the most important. I like to look back on my "Sisyphus" curses (Vanilla, TBC, WOTLK, Cata) and remember the good times I had with my mates.
    gotta agree here.

    Everyone who plays this game to rush to max level and get into raiding or arena are more then likely the kind of people that don't appreciate the small details, the things that make the adventure of the game appealing and don't care of the story along the way.

    I take a while to get my characters to max level when a new expansion comes out, because I read all the quest text, I walk with npcs when they walk, and just soak it all up. I still get to raid at max level and do whatever else there is, but it seems pointless to not take the time to appreciate all the small details and characters you meet along the way.
    #boycottchina

  14. #14
    Why do you have to collect a boomerang, bombs, hookshot, and the Master Sword for Link every damn incarnation of Hyrule? Somebody should put that shit in a box, or something.
    (Non-linear stuff aside: Close enough)
    Last edited by Confirm Deny; 2012-11-08 at 01:05 AM.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Dragore View Post
    You should value the journey instead of the outcome. Look back and think of the memories, thats the most important. I like to look back on my "Sisyphus" curses (Vanilla, TBC, WOTLK, Cata) and remember the good times I had with my mates.
    Sorry but this reminded me of this

  16. #16
    Journey before destination ;-) if you get the reference without google +1 to you

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Not really, unless you actually think playing wow is like pushing a boulder up a hill.

  18. #18
    Bloodsail Admiral Muraza's Avatar
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    I thought this guy was in Dantes inferno.

  19. #19
    The Undying Slowpoke is a Gamer's Avatar
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    It's the nature of MMOs to not have an ending point.

    Otherwise we'd just be a multiplayer-optional solo RPG.
    FFXIV - Maduin (Dynamis DC)

  20. #20
    Scarab Lord Arkenaw's Avatar
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    Except, unlike pushing a boulder, playing a video game is actually fun. WHOA mind = blown.


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