WoW attracting players it never should have

[Zaqwert]

WoW got so big and popular it began attracting a large number of players who totally hated many of its core gameplay elements. I hear it over and over again "I HATE leveling. I HATE questing. I HATE exploration. I HATE having to interact. I HATE having scheduled raids."

How does someone with those gaming preferences ever find a game like WoW?

Over the past few years the game has evolved to cater to this crowd and as such WoW is basically morphed into a different genre game than it was 4-5 years ago.

This would be like me joining a motorcyclists club even though I hate motorcycles and actually like dunebuggies, so I do everything I can to convince everyone to convert all the motorcycles to dunebuggies.

I mean, wouldn't everyone be better off if I just never joined to begin with?

Quite the irony that WoW's greatness and popularity are also what ultimately led to it being in the state it's in today.

[ElmoMcBeastly]

If the game is going to grow, and be profitable, it must attract diverse interests. It must be, literally, all games to all people.

[Zaqwert]

That makes for the best business sense, but not for the best game possible.

Generally things that try to be all things to all people are very generic and unspectacular.

Think McDonalds and Wal-Mart.

[Deleted]

While I agree with you, and the game is infested with scum of the earth...from a business point of view I'd have done the same as Blizz.

[ReleaseDay]

You can easily spot who is a new player (arrived in Cata or later) and who has been playing for a longer period, like started in vanilla-tbc, wotlk even, or even some mmo before wow.

Those who recently started wow, are those people who happily welcome the idea of buying lvl 90 characters at real money store etc.

[MoanaLisa]

World of Warcraft is a big game and supports a lot of different playstyles. There's no wrong way to play if you enjoy it. I see a lot of people playing that say they hate this and that as well. It's a mystery to me why they play or if they have stopped playing why they bother with forums. I think you're too worried about what other people are doing and saying.

[Holifax]

I agree with you 100%.

The WoW we used to know and love is gone. Azeroth is very much in the same state as Earth in my opinion.

[Schwert]

If the game is going to grow, and be profitable, it must attract diverse interests. It must be, literally, all games to all people.

But why cater to the people who completely dislike most portions of the genre itself.

Wouldn't it be smarter to invest in the long term subscribers than the guys who quit and complain over absolutely everything?

[FenrisUy]

WoW got so big and popular it began attracting a large number of players who totally hated many of its core gameplay elements. I hear it over and over again "I HATE leveling. I HATE questing. I HATE exploration. I HATE having to interact. I HATE having scheduled raids."

How does someone with those gaming preferences ever find a game like WoW?

Over the past few years the game has evolved to cater to this crowd and as such WoW is basically morphed into a different genre game than it was 4-5 years ago.

This would be like me joining a motorcyclists club even though I hate motorcycles and actually like dunebuggies, so I do everything I can to convince everyone to convert all the motorcycles to dunebuggies.

I mean, wouldn't everyone be better off if I just never joined to begin with?

Quite the irony that WoW's greatness and popularity are also what ultimately led to it being in the state it's in today.

The game evolved to allow those kind of players to play, but you can still have fun leveling, you still can explore, and you still can have scheduled raids.

[Thunderball]

You're right. But that wont change anything, unfortunately. The game is in the money making mode ever since GC has been put in charge. This basically means that they've been (and will be) putting exactly as much effort as is sufficient to keep it turning them profits. Right know they are obviously nervous about the state of the game and are going to put a little bit more effort, but I dont think it's gonna work.

[Ratboy]

You can easily spot who is a new player (arrived in Cata or later) and who has been playing for a longer period, like started in vanilla-tbc, wotlk even, or even some mmo before wow.

Those who recently started wow, are those people who happily welcome the idea of buying lvl 90 characters at real money store etc.

Really? I've been around since Vanilla and I would love to be able to buy a lvl 90 so I can skip the quests I've done 10 times already.

[Sprinky]

You can easily spot who is a new player (arrived in Cata or later) and who has been playing for a longer period, like started in vanilla-tbc, wotlk even, or even some mmo before wow.

Those who recently started wow, are those people who happily welcome the idea of buying lvl 90 characters at real money store etc.

I started in vanilla and I have no problem with people buying level 90 characters. It doesnt have any effect on my gameplay experience and if there is even a tiny chance that Blizzard uses some of that money to develop other features (That I might actually be interested in) then it can only benefit me. Leveling a character is not exactly hard but it does take a while and can be boring if you have already done it multiple times. Not everyone wants the same things from this game and im guessing that the OP thinks that wow should be all the way he wants it and screw everyone else.

There is plenty of space for all kinds of players in the game, and even though there are a ton of features developed that I have 0 interest in Im glad that wow has grown to this size and continues to atleast provide some entertainment to me after all these years.

[stigz]

I agree with you 100%.

The WoW we used to know and love is gone. Azeroth is very much in the same state as Earth in my opinion.

I have been noticing eerily similar correlations as well.. more specifically with the Blizzard dev team and the American government.

[hyphnos]

That makes for the best business sense, but not for the best game possible.

Generally things that try to be all things to all people are very generic and unspectacular.

Think McDonalds and Wal-Mart.

You left off very very profitable. Blizzard is a business, not the keeper of the flame for a long standing sport/hobby and to expect them to act like they are is foolish.

[Kalcheus]

Really? I've been around since Vanilla and I would love to be able to buy a lvl 90 so I can skip the quests I've done 10 times already.

Ditto (well, pre-Cata, at least). It's amazing how people immediately assume that what they believe is true of everybody.

[Saurus]

WoW got so big and popular it began attracting a large number of players who totally hated many of its core gameplay elements. I hear it over and over again "I HATE leveling. I HATE questing. I HATE exploration. I HATE having to interact. I HATE having scheduled raids."

How does someone with those gaming preferences ever find a game like WoW?

Over the past few years the game has evolved to cater to this crowd and as such WoW is basically morphed into a different genre game than it was 4-5 years ago.

This would be like me joining a motorcyclists club even though I hate motorcycles and actually like dunebuggies, so I do everything I can to convince everyone to convert all the motorcycles to dunebuggies.

I mean, wouldn't everyone be better off if I just never joined to begin with?

Quite the irony that WoW's greatness and popularity are also what ultimately led to it being in the state it's in today.

You have to remember 3 very important things:

1. Blizzard is a business, limiting the audience scope makes 0 business sense.
   
2. Eventually the player base grows up, and the vanilla generation come from a time when people used to play Ultima Online, Everyquest, Diablo 2, etc => GRINDfest games. There's an expiration date for players who play these games. Eventually you can no longer devote time like you used to, for one reason or another. Expiration date on players = expiration date on playerbase = expiration date on revenue = expiration date on business.
   
3. People forget just how negative the publicity was for WoW during vanilla times. There was a lot of sensationalist media coverage about kids failing school, or even dying because of wow (killing themselves or dying of exhaustion - srsly), gaming addiction all this nonsense. Remember: There was even an in-game tip that said "Take everything in moderation, including WoW". That's what made the South Park episode so funny, it catered exactly to the "oh you play wow, so you must have no life right?". Why would a company want that as an image of its franchise? Play this game and lose at life.

[Thunderball]

The game evolved to allow those kind of players to play, but you can still have fun leveling, you still can explore, and you still can have scheduled raids.

Dude, you can play every game you can afford. It's just that you wont play a game that doesnt fit you. Like the game that's too hard for you, requires too much time, where you dont like the gameplay, all of that is determined by the areas where the game excels. It's usually determined by the genre and developers area of expertise. Even a great game cant be good at everything, as much as you want to fix your low points it will only make the game mediocre as a whole. It's what happened.

[yjmark]

But why cater to the people who completely dislike most portions of the genre itself.

Wouldn't it be smarter to invest in the long term subscribers than the guys who quit and complain over absolutely everything?

How are they catering to people who completely dislike most portions of the genre?

[Muezick]

I have been noticing eerily similar correlations as well.. more specifically with the Blizzard dev team and the American government.

Really? Can you name even ten things?

Even five? That have verifiable proof? Things that aren't like "They're a group of people" and "They're human beings"

I mean I get the context, but I think you're seriously projecting some serious paranoia.

[Kagecamia]

But why cater to the people who completely dislike most portions of the genre itself.

Wouldn't it be smarter to invest in the long term subscribers than the guys who quit and complain over absolutely everything?

Their money is as green as the next guy's.