Is the following "content" or not?

[Haven]

Yes. Blizzard wants to occupy players with something, because players want to be occupied. Hence, all this useless stupid shit. Reduce boss model a hundred times = a new and unique battle pet for you to farm for the next month.

[Yoshimiko]

Something like pet battles is content.
Hunting for a pet or achievement where you do something specific and extra in the game that would not otherwise be there if not for the associated reward, is content. (the Kael'thas boss fight for the raid is content, farming Kael'thas during MoP for the phoenix mount is not 'content')
Doing an achievement that consists of repeating other content is not[the achievement in question] content in and of itself.
Killing a boss or several mobs to farm a pet is not content. The boss and the killed mobs ARE content, but killing them for the pet is not. It's adding an incentive to old content to motivate people to do it, and as such occupy them, without having to actually develop anything.

It kinda depends what you're looking at as 'content' though. Are you talking about things blizzard actually develops for you to do, or are we talking about any incentivized action in the game? I typed the above considering 'content' to be things that blizzard actually develops for the player to do and often be rewarded by, not incentives added to already made content to squeeze extra use out of it.

Content is, boiled down, something to do in the game. Mining is content, traveling is, fishing is, farming is, etc. Content is literally "Things that are included". I simply don't understand posts saying that something in the game is not considered content, it's just simply not accurate. Even using your stricter definition, if killing something is content, than why is killing something for a particular reward not?

The entire achievement system is there to pad out the game without actually adding in any additional mechanics. Look at raid achievements for the prime example. Most of them require you to do something that is clearly going to make the fight harder for no practical reward, only for a piece of a puzzle that ultimately unlocks something that increases neither your power, nor your speed - but only your prestige. Sometimes not even that, their are more than one raid based achievements that upon completion do not provide you with anything beyond a few points into a tally that increases nothing other than your prestige, that isn't even considered highly in our fan base.

However, this is still content. Every achievement is a part of said content, as all parts of a game are 'content'.

This is what I was talking about.

What seems odd to me is that according to Blue posts, farming Mounts IS content or at least they use diction which does not separate the difference between the content of mount farming and the content of raiding beyond "Raiding" and "farming Mounts."

So what I'm left to assume, as I posted originally, is that there are "features" which are used as "content" only when they are seemingly being "dodgy" because it is Blizzard who is using it in the same context.

Simply because your made up definition of content isn't the one a professional gaming company uses.

[hakujinbakasama]

Simply because your made up definition of content isn't the one a professional gaming company uses.

You can keep being snarky all you like. You still haven't added anything yet to the discussion.

In short, what I take from your post is that it's all the same to Blizzard, but only some of it is worth their time to balance. So in other words, I and or others are paying for "content" they don't care to make sure you get to experience equally. Gotcha.

[Seezer]

This is what I was talking about.

What seems odd to me is that according to Blue posts, farming Mounts IS content or at least they use diction which does not separate the difference between the content of mount farming and the content of raiding beyond "Raiding" and "farming Mounts."

So what I'm left to assume, as I posted originally, is that there are "features" which are used as "content" only when they are seemingly being "dodgy" because it is Blizzard who is using it in the same context.

Content is anything you do in the game. Stop overthinking things in an attempt to get at blizzard because you're mad about something. Anyone can create content in a game. It isn't only something with "Features". I could organize a huge wpvp event, and that would be player created content. Dailies are content. Mandatory they are not. We have quite a few raiders in our guild doing just fine not touching dailies. Optional is totally optional. Whether that's convenient for you or not, that's the cold hard truth.

[Nekrosislol]

You can keep being snarky all you like. You still haven't added anything yet to the discussion.

In short, what I take from your post is that it's all the same to Blizzard, but only some of it is worth their time to balance. So in other words, I and or others are paying for "content" they don't care to make sure you get to experience equally. Gotcha.

Your being pretty snarky yourself, your attacking people left and right when they say their oppinions. If you want a real discussion expect people to disagree with you or dont asking something to be debated.

[Seezer]

You can keep being snarky all you like. You still haven't added anything yet to the discussion.

In short, what I take from your post is that it's all the same to Blizzard, but only some of it is worth their time to balance. So in other words, I and or others are paying for "content" they don't care to make sure you get to experience equally. Gotcha.

"So in other words" usually means "Whatever I want it to mean". You're paying for whatever you're participating in. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Silent Earth]

I absolutely *hated* Pokemon and all that. I tried it, I gave it a shot, and I hated it.

I fucking *LOVE* Pet Battles.

Not really hypocritical, just strange, as pet battles are basically Pokemon without any soul or charm.

[Nekrosislol]

Not really hypocritical, just strange, as pet battles are basically Pokemon without any soul or charm.

To be fair nurse joy was pretty soul-less asking if we wanted our pokemon healed or not. (one thing that has always annoyed me ofc i want them healedxD)

[Yig]

Of course it's content. I would argue that most of what made WOW so popular was the suggestion of what it could be, not what it was. Raiding and gear grinding was not what made this game popular with 12 million active players and over 20 million one time players. The idea of a persistent world with stuff to do in that world was what made it so fun, and Blizzard's polish is what made it so popular compared to other MMOs.

If anything at all, Blizzard desperately needs more content of this matter. More in world mini games, more things to do. Raid mechanics and gear treadmills will be the eventual death of this game which will take many years.

[Togarox]

This is what I was talking about.

What seems odd to me is that according to Blue posts, farming Mounts IS content or at least they use diction which does not separate the difference between the content of mount farming and the content of raiding beyond "Raiding" and "farming Mounts."

There is no difference between farming a mount, a pet, an achievement, an item or anything else. Farming is farming.

So what I'm left to assume, as I posted originally, is that there are "features" which are used as "content" only when they are seemingly being "dodgy" because it is Blizzard who is using it in the same context.

Features and content are not entirely seperate.

[Seezer]

Of course it's content. I would argue that most of what made WOW so popular was the suggestion of what it could be, not what it was. Raiding and gear grinding was not what made this game popular with 12 million active players and over 20 million one time players. The idea of a persistent world with stuff to do in that world was what made it so fun, and Blizzard's polish is what made it so popular compared to other MMOs.

If anything at all, Blizzard desperately needs more content of this matter. More in world mini games, more things to do. Raid mechanics and gear treadmills will be the eventual death of this game which will take many years.

A huge reversal on the foundation of the game will be the death of it. Mini games are just something people do in the meantime. Raid mechanics have nothing to do with it. And as nuts as people are over purples, that keeps people playing. Blizzard takes that out, and it definitely will be the nail in the coffin. People aren't looking for a completely different game in a game they're playing. They're looking for excitement in the things that we already do. And that's where blizzard has fallen the past couple of years.

[Griffter]

Everything in the game is content. That's what the word "content" means. All of the contents of the game are content. =P

[Togarox]

So in other words, I and or others are paying for "content" they don't care to make sure you get to experience equally. Gotcha.

Yes because he is paying as well.

[sprrw]

please don't take this as snarky :\ but if it is contained in the game, it is content. everything that you can do in wow is content, by definition. is it worthwhile content? well, we can all judge that individually. but whether or not it is content is pretty inarguable.

[ablib]

please don't take this as snarky :\ but if it is contained in the game, it is content. everything that you can do in wow is content, by definition. is it worthwhile content? well, we can all judge that individually. but whether or not it is content is pretty inarguable.

This. Everything you can do in the game, is content. It may not be new content, or content that is worthwhile doing, but it's still content. It's always baffling to me when people these days are so uneducated, they don't understand the definitions to simple words.

[MoanaLisa]

If I've learned anything, I've learned that everyone has a different definition of content. There are those that think anything that isn't a raid isn't content and it goes on from there.

The game is the game. Either you enjoy playing it or you don't. If you don't play PVP at all, then it's fair to surmise that for you, battlegrounds and arenas aren't content; or at least content that you have any interest in. People either find enough to do that interests them to continue to subscribe or they don't. Arcane discussions over semantics and definitions doesn't change that in any way at all.

---------- Post added 2012-12-25 at 11:20 PM ----------

please don't take this as snarky :\ but if it is contained in the game, it is content. everything that you can do in wow is content, by definition. is it worthwhile content? well, we can all judge that individually. but whether or not it is content is pretty inarguable.

I totally agree with this. I know of one player, a friend and former guildmate, who does nothing except play the Auction House and build up enormous piles of gold. For him, the Auction House is content and he's pretty hardcore about it.

[Yoshimiko]

You can keep being snarky all you like. You still haven't added anything yet to the discussion.

In short, what I take from your post is that it's all the same to Blizzard, but only some of it is worth their time to balance. So in other words, I and or others are paying for "content" they don't care to make sure you get to experience equally. Gotcha.

Do you go to Busch Gardens and demand they shut down a roller coaster, because you don't want to pay for content you want to experience? Would you go to Adventure Island and demand they shut off the water because you don't want to get wet?

Yes, some of the money you pay towards your monthly fee does go back into the game. No, You will not like every. single. piece. of the game. No, You are not going to enjoy every thing that comes your way. Yes, ultimately - some of your money is going to go into something you will never experience.

I kind of laugh at that equally tidbit. No, you will NEVER experience raiding like vodka does. I'm sorry, but it just won't happen. And no, Blizzard does not care for every single player to experience a raid like Vodka does, in fact I don't even think they want Vodka to experience raids like Vodka does. You will never experience pvp the way another player does - be they Gladiator, Rank 1, Challenger, or actually having trouble making it over 1,000 rating - these players are all going to experience something different than you.

So yes, I know you were trying to poke fun at me, but you actually summed up my stance pretty accurately.

[Otimus]

I've read several responses to threads on the mothership about how Pet battles, Transmog, Pet farming, Achievement farming, general collecting, and the likes are "other things to do" in the game beyond dailies and doing the newest BiS grind. Yet, it also seems to be that if there are arguments towards how decisions are made which make the achievement of some of those goals either too difficult to do or impossible, there really is zero fucks given from Blizzard.

This sort of leads me to believe that this isn't really "content" and really just "features" used as place holders to be used as quick distractions on complainers.

So I'm honestly curious, do you think these things are content or not? Should changes in the game have consideration taken to these things or not?

Pet battles are absolutely content. That isn't disputable.. unless you've got brain issues. The other stuff is also content, but not to the same degree. Achievements, for one, are lazy ways to define extra content, and the other stuff is just side stuff, which is still content... . But pet battles are as much of content as leveling or battlegrounds or whatever is. I'd love to see the logic that they aren't.

[Deleted]

This will annoy people a bit but

Dungeons - Content
Heroic Dungeons - Reused content
Raids - Content
Raids (LFR / Heroic) - Reused content
Quests - Content
Daily Quests - Reused content
Pet battles - Content
Pet battles (after the first fight) - Reused content
PVP Battle Grounds - Content
PVP Rated Battlegrounds - Reused Content
Arena (2v2*) - Content * Pick one size 2v2, 3v3, 5v5
Arena (all other sizes) - Reused content.

Content is anything you see or interact with. when you start looking at other difficulties of dungeons / raids other than any one specific difficulty (I chose normal, as the normal progression route is to clear normal first then move on to heroics) once you clear normal mode and move onto heroic, your essentially experiencing the same content on a higher difficulty. this to me is not content.

However, WOW is a Big MMO and one that has quality. For blizzard (and this is not fanboyizim) to continue the trend of providing quality then there has to be re-used content to allow them development time to create new content. If there was not re-used content people would also burn through the content even faster than what they do now, meaning that people would unsub soon removing funds from blizzard to develop new and more importantly quality content.

[yjmark]

Not all content is equal, thus they will not all get equal attention. There are a million factors that go into their decision on how many resources to apply to each one.