Do WoW players intentionally deflect new games?

[Fiddlesnarf]

... because that means those four years I spent playing WoW were essentially USELESS.

If you actually think this way it means that you probably don't actually enjoy playing this game, you enjoy what you get after you're done playing. You should play a game because you enjoy actually playing it, not because you should feel like you've really gained anything, the enjoyment itself should be gain enough.
I relish the thought of new and better games than WoW, and I've been playing WoW for 5 years.

[zarbus]

I doubt most people are afraid of a new and better game coming out, but a WoW player has far greater standards for what a "better game" is than someone who hasn't played WoW. If there's anything in the new game that makes them think about how WoW did it better, they will be far more likely to quit playing and go back to WoW.

If you actually think this way it means that you probably don't actually enjoy playing this game, you enjoy what you get after you're done playing. You should play a game because you enjoy actually playing it, not because you should feel like you've really gained anything, the enjoyment itself should be gain enough.
I relish the thought of new and better games than WoW, and I've been playing WoW for 5 years.

Pretty much this. You don't play video games to gain anything. Video games are innately a waste of time. That's why it files under "leisure" and not "work."

[Tahkmaul]

I wouldn't say my time was useless if I went to another game. The time I have spent in WoW has been very fun. So its not like I stuck with something I hated then moved on.

I think WoW players want to try other MMOs as they release because we enjoy the genre. I tried Aion (learn to develop content and fix things, and you would have had me hooked), tried Allods (freemium model, ugh). These games had potential, but the truth is, they didn't do it as well as Blizzard. If a game comes out that does it well, I could leave Azeroth completely. Until then, I will always keep a hearth set in Azeroth.

[cyan421]

I love new games. I have downloaded about ten demos from various sites Steam, game informer, gamestop, over the last few months. Before the low point before cata came out and after getting to 85 and the game just feeling like a grind.

Rift looks ok. But its such a blatant wow copy. All of the default hotkeys are the same for quests, talents, social. They designed it to steal wow players plain and simple. If I'm not totally enamored by Rift on friday I will be buying Gothic 4.

Gothic 4 has the best looking graphics of the whole rpg genre right now.

[unholytestament]

The sad truth is the majority of WoW players have only played one MMO which is WoW. They dont know what its like to play an older MMO which might have had one or two things that made it better than WoW. When a new game comes out all the fanboys just start throwing hate out there because they feel that its gonna beat up their baby, which is WoW. Its like they think if they bash any new game, without ever even playing it for even 5 minutes, they feel that they can keep others from playing it. These people dont like change or anything that makes them feel threatened. They are probably the same people who are bad players in WoW and couldnt adapt to the new cata changes and cried until everything was nerfed to the ground. Good players look forward to new games because they are tired of the empty shell that WoW has become and are looking for something new. The only reason they still play WoW is because nothing worth playing has been released yet.

To be fair, for every WoW fanboy who won't give any other game a chance there is a kind of player who, for whatever reason, hates WoW yet continues to play it as well as latches on to each and every new release as if it will be the one to "kill" WoW.

Both of them are annoying as fuck, but I can at least understand the WoW fanboy because he really just doesn't know any better. The other guy is still playing a game he apparently hates, giving money to a company he doesn't want to, and for what? Because there's no better alternative? Sure there is! There's so many MMOs out there now, many of which have options to play for FREE, that there's really no reason to stick to a game you hate. I honestly think the people who hate WoW yet continue to play it due to a lack of an alternative just don't want to be bothered with actually finding an alternative.

[tifania]

I honestly think the people who hate WoW yet continue to play it due to a lack of an alternative just don't want to be bothered with actually finding an alternative.

There hasnt really been anything released since WoW that is worth playing. I did try Aion and FFXIV but quit both because Aion was just too grindy and FFXIV was laggy and buggy as hell. The games coming out this year are the first ones that look like they might actually be able to compete with WoW. Playing WoW is sort of like your job. You might hate your job but you still need to keep at it until you find something new that you enjoy.

[unholytestament]

There hasnt really been anything released since WoW that is worth playing. I did try Aion and FFXIV but quit both because Aion was just too grindy and FFXIV was laggy and buggy as hell. The games coming out this year are the first ones that look like they might actually be able to compete with WoW. Playing WoW is sort of like your job. You might hate your job but you still need to keep at it until you find something new that you enjoy.

What? NO! How does someone who does not like WoW insist on playing it because it's "like a job"? That should be more incentive NOT to play.

I just don't get it.

Need help finding an alternative? Start reading.

[justandulas]

People fear change. I'll grant that the MMO market hasn't had real good competition for WoW over this last decade, but the same could be said for EQ1 last decade and it was dethroned by a game it's fans basically blew off because "bliz had no experience in MMO's". This year alone we will see many new MMO's release that are quality, polished, and really pose a bigger threat to steal some players from WOW then any of the so called competition in the past.

I have played Rift's beta, it is more polished in beta than cata was at launch. I am currently playing DCUO, it is a blast. GW2 is a follow up to a game that was very successful in it's own right and will learn from it's prior mistakes. And SWTOR is being made with unlimited funding by the single best RPG company over the last decade that has made genre defining RPG's, there is no reason to think SWTOR won't be a smash hit. I believe all of these games will break the mold of failures and WoW clones and all bring something fantastic to the table. SWTOR will redefine story and charecter in an MMO, Rift will redefine classes and what they can be, GW2 will be an overall great product that has a changing world, and DCUO has combat that is infinitely more fun and in depth then WoW's. The winds of change are blowing, and some people fear change.

[georgevonfranken]

There hasnt really been anything released since WoW that is worth playing. I did try Aion and FFXIV but quit both because Aion was just too grindy and FFXIV was laggy and buggy as hell. The games coming out this year are the first ones that look like they might actually be able to compete with WoW. Playing WoW is sort of like your job. You might hate your job but you still need to keep at it until you find something new that you enjoy.

Disagree once i realized wow is like a job to me i quit and started playing other free mmo's, or my games on steam to occupy some time untill the new ones come out

[Master Guns]

I could possibly fit under this category.

I really don't want to see a new game capable of rivaling WoW, because that means those four years I spent playing WoW were essentially USELESS. By that, I mean I've got a couple toons that have hundreds of hours of playing time... but I could care less about them, because this new game has come out!

It's also probably why I cringe every time I see the word "WoW-killer." Not just because it's highly irritating and mostly untrue (another game completely DESTROYING another? Good luck.), but because it's often a chance I may have to check it out =/

I'm sorry but I don't understand nor agree with that mindset. The time you spent playing WoW isn't useless. You do realize this is just a video game right? And you wont be playing it for the rest of your life? If you realize that, and if you really hold true to that philosophy, wouldn't you realize that anything you do in this game is useless?
You enjoy the time you spend on the game because you like playing it, it's as simple as that.

[Vutar]

I was pondering and a thought came to me.. are long time WoW players AFRAID of a new game? By that I mean, afraid that a better game will come out, not out of any fealty to wow or blizzard, but for fear of what it would mean. For example, if a truly good game came out, that lead them down the road of temptation to quit wow, they'd be giving up long time associations, status, guild etc.

It seems to parallel with real life, where people are equally nervous about such huge changes: IE: taking a new job in a totally different part of the country or different country, essentially having to start your life over.

So I thought, is it similiar with people's "gaming life"? Do people get nervous about this to the point where they will crap on any new game, not because they think its crap, but as a sort of psychological defense mechanism to shield themselves from the temptation, and the thought of having to start all over?

While this may be a small part of it, I think the main reason is the new games just aren't new enough. EQ1 was the dominate game until WoW. WoW changed how MMO's operate. Until a new game comes out that does the same, most will just stick with WoW. Why play a watered down WoW when you can play the real one?

[sinfulpotato]

When everything is a clone of WoW. You are better off playing the original.

The one thing that I think has helped wow the most is the fact the game engine is aging amazingly. The art style doesn't make the game look terribly dated.

[Chadwixx]

When everything is a clone of WoW. You are better off playing the original.

Everquest? Thats what wow cloned

[sinfulpotato]

Everquest? Thats what wow cloned

I knew this was coming. There is ALWAYS an exception to the rule.

WoW is a everquest clone, yet it did everything better. Every new MMO in the last couple of years are clones that do the same or worse.

[The Jackal]

I'm not sure what it is but in my experience when a new MMO comes out, some wow players are quick to jump to their feet and shout "That's not going kill Wow!" then they list a string of games Aion, Warhammer etc saying they all flopped. All of these games are still existing and even though some are free to play, some people still do play them and have fun. Also no one said anything was going kill wow in the first place.

I came into Warcraft a few months before the BC expansion, leveled myself up a Prot Warrior. I also played everquest 1 back in the day before Warcraft. People tend to forget that Warcraft came into the picture in 2004. While Everquest was made in 1999. My point is even though Warcraft has gained more subscribers then everquest. Some of the community of Warcraft is often hostile to new games and call anything similar a "rip off of wow"

If you want to throw that into the picture Everquest had tank classes, dps classes and healers long before warcraft existed and people can say wow ripped them off. Though I'm getting off topic for some reason that is unknown to me most warcraft players, not all will dismiss a game before even playing it, mock who created it and generally troll their trade channels. Maybe they feel some sort of threat to Warcraft, they will lose all the work put into it.

Though no game alone can stand at the top forever. It's true Warcraft learned from everquest and developed a more polished and appealing game. For example there was no penalty for dying in the game expect to repair. While in Everquest you had to find your body and loot all your armor from it. But that's comparing apples and oranges. Yes I believe wow players deflect new games.

Reason is unknown to me though.

[unholytestament]

Also no one said anything was going kill wow in the first place.

Yes. Yes they did. Most MMOs to have come out since WoW did have had plenty of people come to WOW forums and declare them a WoW killer.

Rift being the most recent example. Hell, the makers of the game damn near did it themselves with that "you're not in Azeroth anymore" trailer.

[moaradin]

I want Star Wars to COMPETE with WoW, not kill it. Otherwise Bioware will just slack off like Blizzard has been the last 3 years. If both companies competed, they would both produce better content quicker.

[Yooya]

I'm afraid this might devolve into a . . . clone war.

Seriously though, I love new games - whenever I see a new title I get excited not because of what they are doing the same or better, but by what they are doing different. If a game came out and said, "We're World of Warcraft but better" I probably wouldn't be interested. On the other hand if a company came out, and told me their game has similarities but lists defining differences: voice acting, involved story, personal story, shooter, action based, etc... I get excited. Like really excited.

That said I'm not hard to hook. I like a lot of games that most people (who didn't play the game) will tell you are bad - APB being a prime example. I also usually play simultaneously between two MMOs and sometimes I'll even get up to three or more, but not for long. Usually I'm taking one game seriously and the other is just to break the routine which is namely why I like differences as I don't want to play two of the same game.

SW:TOR might be the only time I actually take a break from Warcraft to try a new game, and get that new MMO feel. I'll likely play APB on the side with it and only time will tell if I play Warcraft again.

[Scigodomega]

If you actually think this way it means that you probably don't actually enjoy playing this game, you enjoy what you get after you're done playing. You should play a game because you enjoy actually playing it, not because you should feel like you've really gained anything, the enjoyment itself should be gain enough.
I relish the thought of new and better games than WoW, and I've been playing WoW for 5 years.

Yes, but in the event of such a game, would you find it hard to give up WoW? Especially if your guild didn't go to the new game?
Also, wouldn't it be harder if you were one of the more elite players, and by that I mean server known?

For example every wow server has those players that everyone knows, that are considered bad ass, and that when you have them in a group you think SWEET.

If you were a badass in WoW and then you go to another game, your nobody again.
Isn't that also a factor?

---------- Post added 2011-01-26 at 11:52 PM ----------

An honest answer that probably fits the largest percentage of people. To counter that, know that when you leave wow (7 months clean now) that all your work is still there.

This is true, and blizzard makes it relatively easy in subsequent patches to catch up in gear level. At first in WOTLK I remember players complaining, but it made sense: Blizzard didnt want new players having to spend so much time catching up that they didn't get to run current content because they lagged behind.

[Draqn]

I'm not afraid. To take a chance. Everybody, come take my hand. We'll try this game together, through the wipes, whatever gamma.

Ok but really, I try new games all the time.

Since starting playing WoW, I've also actively played Spellforce, Fallout 3, New Vegas, Aion, Starcraft. Now that I also tried RIFT beta, i think the game is really cool, so I will be playing that (already pre-ordered my copy).

Imo, rift seems like a very good game (it wont kill wow, i did not say this), ive been playing almost nonstop aside from work/sleep since it opened the beta this tuesday. I really like the invasion etc concept ^^

OT: I think people are waiting for a new game, atleast I am, I have been playing since vanilla and it just doesnt have the same appeal for me, sure i logon now and then but im not excited to logon as i once was