[Research] Why Do People Play Certain Roles?

[Dawkins]

Hello there MMO-Champion Community,

My name is Dawkins and I'll cut right to the chase. I'm conducting a comprehensive study to try and understand the player community of World of Warcraft and why people play certain roles and classes. There are three main roles in WoW (Tank, DPS, and Healing) which offer their own unique game play experience. In this study, I want to find out if there is something that leads us to choose a specific role or play a specific class.

With these few general questions, I hope to gain a better understanding of the World of Warcraft community. Please answer each question as honestly and with as much detail as you want. Be as expressive as possible and try to convey any emotional or personal reasons for playing your character. Please select the one character that you enjoy the most if you have multiple. Also try to pick a character/role that you enjoy playing the most, not something your guild wanted you to be.
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1) What race and class is your main character?

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?

5) Why did you choose that specific race?

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?

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TL;DR - Answer those questions ^^

Thanks a lot for any participation.

[Deleted]

1. Blood Elf Female Paladin.
2. Healer
3. I choose this role mainly cos at the end of wrath my new guild needed healers for Cata and as I was undergeared as DPS my DPS ended up being quite subpar. I then slipped into my Holy spec for the night of Cata and BANG! I was a holydin!
4. I only have one level 85. In fact, my next highest is a 62 druid. I hate levelling. Paladin is the class for me.
5. I wanted to play Horde. I'm not paying money to play as a cow instead of a sexually attractive block of pixels.
6. I'm a student atm, and I used to want to be a doctor, but atm, I'm sort of undecided. Thinking of going into physics research at a university.

[placeholdername]

1) What race and class is your main character?
Undead Rogue.

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Melee DPS

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
Well, I wanted to deal damage to my enemies. You know, be the bad ass champion fighting back an army surrounding him. I also didn't know what "tank" meant when I started playing this game. Later on, I didn't really like the idea of being "the distraction". Offensive characters have always been more appealing to me than defensive ones, so the same went for healers. I wanted to kill monsters, not defend other players.

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
Agile, fast paced action. I like that sort of thing. To me rogue meant "blades dancing around, leaping through shadows, attacking before they can react. I take martial arts too so that sort of adds to the appeal. Similar to my decision towards dps, I have a fondness for the "quick and agile" type characters.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Undead are awesome. Unfeeling, untiring, killing machines. Plus, immortality, to an extent. I guess I wanted to be the "bad guy" when I rolled my first toon, but I stuck with him for two reasons. 1, he's undead, and 2, the Warcraft's Forsaken have some of the best lore in this IP. I love sylvanas and everything about lordaeron's history, which I learned of later.
6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
I aspire to break into the gaming industry. I'm thinking either game design or doing creative work such as character design, conceptual art, environmental design etc. Just a student atm.

[Serane]

1. Blood Elf Female mage
2. I throw fireballs.
3. It was my first character I made when I came to WoW (I also have a pally healer, dps/healer shaman, warlock), and I've just found that fire is the most enjoyable class (living bomb ftw!).
4. Towards the end of Wrath my main was my pally, and when me and a few guildies were planning our new guild for cata I decided I wanted to focus on my mage first then work on my pally. Just wanted a different flavor I guess.
5. I liked the way the female blood elf casting was. Troll was in close second just cause trolls be awesome mon.
6. I'm a student, going to school to get my AA then transfer to get my degree in either Pscyhology focusing on criminal justice or photography.

[Shampox]

1) What race and class is your main character?
Worgen Mage
2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Ranged DPS
3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
I like the pace of it, and moving while scorching just won't ever get old.
4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
I wanted a ranged character, just never felt at home with warlocks or hunters etc etc
5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Was getting tired of staring at a gnome all the time and I thought it'd be cool to be a worgen mage
6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
Currently a student, want to go into music production/sound design

[TalonXephon]

Sure here you go
1) What race and class is your main character?
Human Priest.
2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Healer.
3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
I feel it give greater control of the success or failure of the group.
4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
The person who introduced me to WoW also played a priest and had fun with it so I followed suit.
5) Why did you choose that specific race?
I enjoy the fact as a human you have a choice between good and evil, and for someone who holds the lives of others in his hands, I sometimes like to drop them.
6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
Teacher

[Rilec]

1) Human Paladin.

2) Melee DPS.

3) I have excellent tank and healer friends, but most of the DPS I know are mediocre at best.

4) I chose the Paladin class because I could perform adequate dps while offering a variety of utility options and off-healing. (Though I actually started my first Paladin back in Vanilla because I liked underdog specs, but buff-botting was getting to me. This one is from BC.)

5) I chose Human because Dwarf had funny animations and looked weird on the paladin-only charger mount. Draenei looked even worse on it.

6) I co-run a landscaping and home care business and volunteer time to help orphaned children here in the US and in Thailand.

[Agallochh]

1) What race and class is your main character?

Goblin Warlock

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?

Ranged DPS. With a Tank and Healer alt.

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?

I chose the roll because the class appealed to me the most. I enjoy seeing big numbers, being the only class capable of summoning other players anywhere, as well as being the only class to provide healthstones.

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?

I choose my warlock for raiding because i'm positive about my performance in raids as a ranged DPS. I also lend my healer to raids, because I originally played a healer from Vanilla > TBC > Ulduar Era WoTLK.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?

I was originally an Orc. I only went Goblin because my brother bought me a race change for one of my characters for Christmas and I wanted it to be used on the character I would be using the most rather than one I keep on the backburner. (looking at my undead priest, which I want to make a moocow)

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?

I manage a cafe and go to school majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Psychology.

[r3nd]

Here we go.
1) What race and class is your main character?
Human Warrior
2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Melee DPS
3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
Um...I like hitting stuff I suppose.
4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
Well I have about a million alts. So it's not like I only have one class to play.
5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Just seemed to make the most sense. Didn't want to play Horde either.
6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
Purchasing manager at an internet sales office.

[Aethias]

1) BE pally
2) Healer atm...tank and dps when i get bored with healing
3) It has meaning in the group...makes me feel useful. And you need to make quick decisions etc so it takes skill
4) First time i played WoW my friend made me a pally so once i got the game i remembered that and rolled one
5) Only horde class that could be a pally...and i don't like holly cows. just a personal opinion
6) Student atm

[Potatofever]

1) What race and class is your main character?
druid, NE
2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
ranged dps, boomkin
3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
I chose it mostly because mookin look really funny, and I like staying back, away from the action so i can turret.
4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
I enjoy the versatility and maneuverability of druids.
5) Why did you choose that specific race?
no other choice at the time, I needed to be alliance.
6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
meteorologist

[monkeyelf]

1) What race and class is your main character?

Human Paladin

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?

Melee DPS

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?

I chose it because I enjoy it more than tanking and I got bored of healing after doing it for ~3 years

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?

I've always had this innate hatred of playing the feral spec and my paladin was my only lv80 other than my druid at the time I decided to change which char was my main.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?

Why originally? Idk, but now I like it for EMFH, both for pve and pvp.

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?

I'm in high school so no occupation but I aspire to be a video game designer, although all I've made so far are some games in Adobe Flash

[crazysmacker]

1. Human Mage
2. ranged dps
3. I did melee in wrath so i tried a mage; it allows me to see more of the area in which we're fighting in
4. One word: FIRE. Another word: BOOM!!!!
5. B/C i just coudn't get into the other races (story wise)
6. Now: Warehouse order selector. Aspire: history teacher/historian.

[Waynhim]

1) What race and class is your main character?

Troll Priest

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?

Healing

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?

Hard to put into words. Played Hunter as raid main in classic and wanted a change. Like healers because even though it may be stressfull on progress encounters, it's pretty laidback on farm content.

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?

Holy with dual spec disc is IMO the most versatile healer that can fill most of the tasks pending on raid's need.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?

Looks and the ability of burst when needed.

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?

Teacher, (13-16 year olds).

[Crackleslap]

1)Female Tauren Shaman
2) Enhancement, Melee dps.
3) Always wanted a Mdps, because i mostly play ranged and fell in love with it and how fun it was.
4) My friend made this toon and told me to level it and i did and fell in love with now its my main.
5) Answer to Question 4. Friend made it.
6) Police Force or Actor/"Hollywood" Movie writer, already started on one.

@ Question 6 its going to take me a couple of years but its going to be a scary one and hopefully... it actualy gets accepted. Im only 16 so i got awhile. ALSO SOME 1 GIVE ME A NAME FOR A HIGHSCHOOL

[Eloona]

1) What race and class is your main character?
I play a Troll Fire Mage.

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Ranged DPS

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
The guild already had a hunter which was my main before and I was having fun on this character so I decided to make it my main

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
I enjoy the rotation, it's not too complicated but it's not exactly faceroll. I also like it because unlike my hunter there is no stupid hit box to stand out of in order to cast.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Berserking (haste cooldown)

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
I work at a Library 34 hours a week

[dotOrion]

1) What race and class is your main character?
Female Draenei Death Knight

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Tank

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
Having played rogue as a main in between my TBC tanking druid --> WOTLK tanking DK switch, I was looking for the answer to this myself.
I found that, in a way, I don't want to wait for the tank to grab aggro before I start DPSing or stuff like that.
In this regard I found I'm not that mild in my attitude towards other tanks. There's only a few of them of which I can say: that guy knows his stuff.
So for random dungeons and such, it's mostly a "what you do yourself, you do better" type of feeling.
In (guild) raids, I like the responsibility and challenge in positioning and tanking a boss / adds correctly and making sure my DPS can do their thing in safety.
I like big numbers, but what I'm hitting for as a rogue stands in pale comparison to what I'm being hit for as a tank.
I like how tanking isn't "competition against" but "cooperation with" others of the tanking team.

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
I thought the resource system was interesting, the "tanking with a 2hander" style too.
I like having "a cooldown for every situation".

5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Boobs, tail, and hooves.

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
I am an IT student.

[rzy]

1) What race and class is your main character? Undead Warlock

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)? Tank ofc :P nah Rdps ofc.

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much? Warlock for pvp = win amirite?

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options? PvP, warlock goes with most comps.

5) Why did you choose that specific race? Undead racial + hair = GG

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be? Working in Tesco At the moment, i cant quite decide what i want as a career though :S

[Riboe]

1) What race and class is your main character?
Night Elf Druid.

2) What role do you perform (Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, Ranged DPS)?
Tank as mainspec, healer as offspec.

3) Why did you choose this role and what causes you to enjoy it so much?
I originally started tanking, because no one in my group of friends wanted to do it, so I took on the challenge.
Healing, on the other hand, was because it is so different from tanking - the opposite, actually - so I thought it would be fun.

4) Why did you choose your specific class over the other viable options?
The shapeshifting just appealed (and still do) to me. Later on I found out about the extreme versatility of the Druid class, which is another reason for me to play that class.

5) Why did you choose that specific race?
Well, I have always liked Night Elves. Not just in World of Warcraft, but also in movies and other games. Humans, gnomes and dwarfs just seem too human-like compared to Night Elves. Also, being the 'bad guys' have never appealed to me, which is why I quickly ruled out the Horde.

6) What is your RL occupation or what do you aspire to be?
Currently I'm studying. Once that's over I would like to become a programmer, desktop publisher, or an IT-security consultant.

[Geekbustarz]

1. Orc Death Knight.
2. Tank.
3. I like being a tank because it puts me in somewhat control of the group, especially in dungeons(non-raids).
Also, the fast HC - queue's. ^.^
4. I've tried almost every class, and the only one that've really stuck on me is DK.
5. It's the best for DK's, and looks quite good as a DK too!
6. 15 years atm, so NO idea. studying for a while, still not decided.