Come MoP will the player base continue to get worse or is there hope?

[mmowin]

Been playing WoW since the start of BC and I have noticed a disturbing trend among WoW players. Seems like every expansion the player base seems to get worse and worse and worse. The ultimate display of this is when you join a LFR (Looking for Retard), it just seems like there is almost no hope anymore for the player base. You think things will change in MoP and bring back some of the older WoW veterans to improve this game or will there be more and more of the same thing we saw in Cata dungeons and LFR?

[Soisoisoi]

LFR is there to let people see the content, if you don't want to be put with such players then don't do it. 5man HCs are a different story though, they should be a lot harder imo - Then again I guess that's what Challenge Modes are for, not read much into them yet.

[Fraza]

You think things will change in MoP and bring back some of the older WoW veterans..

With pandas? I really doubt that.

[ablib]

It will get worse. Like you wouldn't even believe!

[Gnomenommer]

With pandas? I really doubt that.

I will probably be infracted for this but it is true, this guy is the type of guy who says the WoW community is bad or childish then says possibley the most ignorant childish thing of all, acting like MoP sucks because of pandas, yeah they arent comming back just for pandas dude it is because it actually looks fun and content filled and some nice lore and raids and new battlegrounds and pet battles and challenge modes and even the monk. So keep ruining the community bro because you arent helping

[Pull My Finger]

Nah, sorry. The player base isn't becoming "worse and worse". And no one needs "old WoW veterans" - and I'm saying that being one of them - to "improve the game". How exactly are they supposed to do that anyway? Is that one of those self-appeasement delusions of "pro" gamers where they're making themselves believe that they're the backbone of the game and "important" for its quality and demographic structure?

Bad players have always been there and the majority of the player base isn't very good. The bigger part of it isn't even aware of the in-depth mechanics that are common standard for the ambitious and hardcore gamers. The only thing that has changed over the years is that the content has - rightfully so - become more and more accessible to a broader audience, due to tools like LFD and LFR. That's why you encounter bad players so much nowadays.

You'd be suprised how many people back then were reluctant to run dungeons and raids because they simply avoided the judgement and disapproval of the "good" players and didn't have the confidence. LFD took that away.

The bads were always there, you just didn't encounter them that often because they were kept out. If anything, LFD and LFR are only giving you a far more realistic sample of how things look like on a large scale. Fact is: it's more likely for a bad player to develop interest and improve with time than it is for anybody to gradually become worse and worse. The only way to improve the quality of your personal gameplay experience is to approach it the old-fashioned way: forming groups manually, running stuff with the guild etc.

[Imnick]

But as you're surely leaving surely it will get better?

[Maelle]

Wow the self-importance of some people is mind-blowing...

[Keoren]

I think that both gaming and gamers have changed a lot over the years. For some it might be for the worse and for some it might be for the better. WoW is also affected by the cultural shift and I don't see a reason for why the trend wouldn't be continuing.

I am slightly concerned by how the game is viewed by people who are not familiar with it. I have come across many of negative opinions regarding the incoming expansion in real life. It doesn't seem as well received as it could be, which might be driving away potential players. This is somewhat disappointing since to me the expansion seems like a big improvement over Cataclysm.

All that said, I also find that the bar of picking up WoW is somewhat high. It can come across as a big investment with all the expansions that people have to buy before getting access to the latest content. This also indirectly affects the community and might be slowing down external influences.

If there are any changes, they will be coming from within.

[Brooxi]

Wow the self-importance of some people is mind-blowing...

Its even funnier the number of people who insult and call people who preferred TBC times. Even though TBC had far more subs and did nothing other then increase all X-Pac and had a small burst at the start of WOTLK (because they were expecting another amazing X-Pac ... Boy were they disappointed). Compared to cata's numbers crashing all x-pac.

Maybe part of the reason Blizzard's World of Warcraft gained so many subs and kept they was because of the aspect of the game that pushed you to be better and you had to work to get higher up in the raiding environment as opposed to ever other game that had "easy" modes.

I use to carry people all day long in dungeons doing as much damage as everyone else combined and I won't ever be back to wow so long as the "looking for retard" aspect is still there.

I'd go back to TBC in a heartbeat or any game similar enough to it ... I quit at the start of cataclysm after they nerfed heroics and LFR got closer.

[Manataurus]

Been playing WoW since the start of BC and I have noticed a disturbing trend among WoW players. Seems like every expansion the player base seems to get worse and worse and worse. The ultimate display of this is when you join a LFR (Looking for Retard), it just seems like there is almost no hope anymore for the player base. You think things will change in MoP and bring back some of the older WoW veterans to improve this game or will there be more and more of the same thing we saw in Cata dungeons and LFR?

I think the problem isn't that the player base is getting worse. What I think is the problem, is that when most people started playing WoW, they were younger, usually in their teens to early 20's; now you have an influx of younger people, teens and such, that for the most part act just the same as you used to. But the difference between you and them is that you outgrew it. They still think that t-bagging, and camping a lowby, and spamming thoridal and anal in chat is amusing, while the older gamers tend to find these things juvenile and annoying. I mean, who really thinks that the old "360 and walk away" line is funny anymore?

[Deleted]

Been playing WoW since the start of BC and I have noticed a disturbing trend among WoW players. Seems like every expansion the player base seems to get worse and worse and worse. The ultimate display of this is when you join a LFR (Looking for Retard), it just seems like there is almost no hope anymore for the player base. You think things will change in MoP and bring back some of the older WoW veterans to improve this game or will there be more and more of the same thing we saw in Cata dungeons and LFR?

I don't know, ask yourself: are you going to continue to be an ignorant, intolerant asshole like the gradually worsening community?

Sure, that attitude has always been there amongst the hardcore, but when any "I played in tbc I'm leet" prick comes along and insults the majority of the community for not playing to their standards, things are never going to improve.

[GarGar]

I've been playing since vanilla and am proud to say, I enjoy LFR. I like raiding, but with my school + job I don't have the time or inclination to make WoW a second job by going "hardcore". I have nothing against those that want to raid competitively, and encourage anyone that wants to, to do so.

I will continue to be thankful to Blizz for adding activities to the game that fit my lifestyle (what most would consider "casual" gaming). I think MoP does that very well, and I greatly look forward to it.

[Bluesftw]

I think it will continue to go downhill, but not cause of pandas or pokemanz. Just look what is happening in the interwebs, trolling and being retarded is "cool" , everyone tryes to talk in memes, and all of it is geting transfered to the game.

[Deleted]

and all of it is geting transfered to the game.

Where have you been for the past 8 years? It's on since day one. Barrens Chat anyone?

Heck, I was on one of the top guilds on my server during Vanilla and we had a Vent clown trolling the raids and we all loved him, we still manage to give our best.

What we need is for people to take their heads off their butts and simply enjoy the game for what it is, a game. Being whatever the playstyle of the gamer.

[Fhi]

To be honest, the only way I see the player base getting any better, is that 3-5 million more subscriptions leave. Those negative nancys threatening to leave every month, they need to permanently leave.

It's not desirable from a business standpoint, but I'd rather have a small game with nice people.

[Deleted]

I doubt that the player base is becoming less mature. While it is possible that the game is attracting a different demographic than it did 8 years ago - to the extent that there is a noticeable difference in the community's maturity - I don't think it is plausible. Like JimmyHellfire suggested, a more likely explanation might be that thanks to new features like LFD, you're simply teaming up with 'randoms' more often than you used to. Moreover, as you get older you might appreciate things like the trade channel's [Dirge] spam less than you used to.

If it bothers you, I suggest you raid with your friends/guildies. It is usually more rewarding in terms of enjoyment.

[Deleted]

As already mentioned in the thread, rude and respectless players have always been among us. They are just more 'visible' these days with the LFR and LFG tools.

[Dristereau]

I don't know whether it's possible to get worse. Did LFR this week on three of my Characters and all of the groups wiped on Morchok, one of the groups twice. Never seen a group wipe on him before, and he's simple. But yeah, this may be because people are returning to the game to try stuff out, but I don't see major differences from Cataclysm to Mists. Just that when it comes to about a month ago in 5.3 time Medium Population realms will feel fairly empty.

/PVP Rage On
Also did I mention the determination of Alliance players in PVE gear to get the flag in PVP Matches? Horde has strategy/ Stormscale Premades, Alliance is just plain daft at times.

[Daetur]

It's conceivable that it will get better, in terms of server community, because it will not be possible to queue for Challenge Modes. Groups for those dungeons will be formed with players from your realm, which means that it will actually matter what your realm thinks of you. Trolls, ninjas, and douchebags may find it harder to get good groups.

I see LFR improving as well, but only because there will be no more loot drama/ninjaing.