How much of WoW's success is b/c basically any PC can run it?

[Deleted]

No idea. Personally even if I had the best gaming PC I'd still play WoW. I care more about gameplay than shiny graphics + I'm a fan of the Warcraft universe.

[RohanV]

I think it helps a great deal. WoW is still a good game, but I think that having low system specs allows it to pull in more people.

Also important is that the low specs means WoW can run on the second computer in the household. This is very important because it allows couples or multiple family members to play together. There are a lot of games which can only run on the first computer in the household, but that means that both people cannot play together.

[Caelia]

Probably a lot.

Its not about not being able to afford high end gaming PCs, its about not needing them for anything other than games. Teenagers buy computers for games, grownups don't. There are many grownups playing WoW on their home computers that aren't meant for gaming.

Also Mac angle that Adam mentioned above helps a lot. I wouldn't be playing WoW if it didn't run on Mac.

Hey now, I'm 34 and my computer is built for gaming

[Deleted]

Teenagers buy computers for games, grownups don't.

Oh please. The true gamers are in their 30s and 40s now. Some even older. They're the true professionals of the gaming world. Teenagers of today are just getting into the shit, they're the newbies.

While the newbies are - rightfully so - getting gaming PCs, what exactly is stopping the people, who have had gaming PCs for like 20 years now, from having gaming PCs today?

Yeah. Load of bollocks. Sorry.

[Darkis]

Oh please. The true gamers are in their 30s and 40s now. Some even older. They're the true professionals of the gaming world. Teenagers of today are just getting into the shit, they're the newbies.

While the newbies are - rightfully so - getting gaming PCs, what exactly is stopping the people, who have had gaming PCs for like 20 years now, from having gaming PCs today?

Yeah. Load of bollocks. Sorry.

This. My generation was gaming when current teenagers weren't even born yet :P

[Lilly32]

Does the answer change if I ask the question in a different way?

If WoW had required a high end PC to run would it have enjoyed as much success?

[Teebone]

Compatitablity is a good reason for its success but hardly a sole reason. SW:ToR is the perfect counter to your argument. EA was aiming directly at Blizzard releasing this game, yet was unsuccessful due to a lot of issues in the actual design. Not so much bugs mind you, but if you even quested to max level today you'd find how extremely painful and slow the experience was at only a fraction of its failure.

How I somehow sounded like the emporer when I say that.

- - - Updated - - -

This. My generation was gaming when current teenagers weren't even born yet :P

I couldn't begin to support this notion enough. Fuck Millennials. Gen-X is the gaming generation.

[Cyberowl]

Short answer: Yes and no.

I played little but WoW for many years because it was something my shitty PC could run, although progress raiding in 25 mans was fucking painful, I could have had 20% higher DPS (qq). But eventually playing WoW non stop made me quit the game out of boredom and I didn't play WoW in quite exactly a year. Now I have a PC that can run everything on highest settings, but now I don't have the time to raid anymore because of university. I'd love to progress raid now though.

[Deleted]

I've always thought this was a big reason for WoW's success. I have no desire to invest in a good computer, because I don't really play other games. I tried wildstar when it came out, it wouldn't run except on the very lowest settings and it was dreadful.

[Gimlix]

AHHAHAHAHA you cant afford a good pc for gw2 but can afford WoW, which is twice as expensive after a while?
Sorry but none, it's just gameplay, wow is far better then any MMORPG out there, proven years and years.

[Deadite]

Slick easy to play games that can run on a toaster is what Blizzard are all about. Accessibility is key. The more people that can play it the better.

[Deleted]

Nah, if other MMO's are unplayed, it's because they lack obvious features

[hablix]

Seems like a lot of people are missing the point that if WoW couldn't run on any PC, many of the people who started playing WoW never would have, because their computer couldn't run it. I mean people KEEP playing it because it's just that damn good of a game, forget the graphics... but untold numbers of players only ever got the chance to play it in the first place because of its low system requirements.

[Belloc]

The primary reason for WoW's success is because it's a well-designed game and players recruit their friends.

- - - Updated - - -

Seems like a lot of people are missing the point that if WoW couldn't run on any PC, many of the people who started playing WoW never would have, because their computer couldn't run it.

There are plenty of other MMOs out there that can run on almost any PC. The difference between them and WoW is that WoW is a good game.

[tratra]

Everyone likes to talk about how WoW is the best MMO because it has the most players. But how many people are playing WoW simply because they cant afford a PC that can run games like GW2, FF14, Tera, etc on ultra settings? Are there other games out there you would rather be playing but simply cant because your current PC would blow up?

what you talking about... a lot of people that playing wow prolly most of them can afford playing other games... its just that GW2, FF14 etc are not what they like exactly....

They are not ground breaking, and they are overly far progressed meaning if you havent catched up with them since the start it will take you a long long time to figure them out. Thats the fealing I got at least.

[ro9ue]

I have a macbook pro with a 256mb video card and its the only MMO my machine can run. Before I get swarmed by PC Gamer nerds, yes I realize Windows is a better platform for gaming, but I buy my computers based off my hobbies and career. If it happens to play games as well, great.

Blizzard is one of the few who support Mac and they get a lot of $ off me because of that.

[Tziva]

Very little, I'm sure.

People might pass on alternative games that their computer can't handle, but they're not going to play a game they don't actually enjoy and find interest in just because their computer can't handle other games in the same genre. If people play WoW, it's because they like WoW.

My game can run a lot of games that I choose not to play because I'm not interested in them.

[Bosen]

I heard about WoW from a friend. I was playing MU Online, which hardly needs a decent PC to run. I do think that WoW has many customers because of the quality and low barrier to entry. You put the disc in and it works the first time. Now, you can download it.

I've tried other MMOs, and they had bugs and graphics card incompatibilities that made instaling a game a pain in the ass. I had no such trouble with WoW, ever. It's a quality game and there was no other game that I would've wanted to play instead, although when I started WoW, I loved Katamari Damaci.

[Electryon]

It certainly doesn't hurt, we can say that much.

[Daethz]

Nah my pc plays everything well, i buy new games, burn them out quickly, return to WoW, its like a videogame home base.
Gave SWTOR, GW2 & ESO a chance to replace WoW for me, they failed.