Originally Posted by
Wingspan
If they could have, they would have... if for no other reason to stop the competition. Because competing games should have fairly similar data (just smaller sample sizes) and they would have used it to crush WoW if it were at all possible to do so. It supports my theory of "too many variables", so I guess I have developed a new leap of faith during this conversation.
Fundamentally, I agree with the "There is too much business in my game" stance. But I am not sure that fear is really affecting people all that much. Honestly, catch up mechanics usually have the opposite affect, reassuring people that it is always possible to return and continue. This was not the case (not easily anyway) back in the days of attunements and linear raid progression... which was why those practices were dropped in the first place I would imagine.
True but, as they say, times change. 15 years ago, console gamers were seen as a blight in the world of gaming (by many PC gamers) but one gaming generation faded and the next accepted the changes, so here we are now... watching the exact same thing. Now, dual console/PC gamers are extremely common and often look down on the mobile market as trash gaming. This too, will pass. And the mobile market will fold into the next iteration (I will probably be dead by then, so who knows what that will be).
I agree with this. Keep in mind though that a ton of PC/Console gaming is already taking steps towards this, so it may ease the transition. PvP games are designed more and more as shorter encounters... Questing games requires tons less time to complete objectives... everything is moving towards a faster experience for gamers in general.
This is not really a bad thing as much as it is a natural progression. A huge part of the lure of gaming over other types of entertainment is the speed and ease to which it could be done. Little to no travel involved, minimal physical requirements, minimal/relatively cheap special equipment (a computer or console costs a bit but nothing compared to decent golf gear). And you could usually be doing it within minutes of deciding to do so. As gamers, we were heading down the path of convenience on day one.
I agree here too.
It is entirely possible that they have determined that WoW is a lost cause, so milk-mode is the most logical option. Maybe that is what the data strongly suggested... and it might even be true. We will still never know for sure though because we just don't have enough data to go on.