Is there a "no turning back point" for WoW subscribers?

[Jaylock]

Ive seen so many threads about how good WoW is, and how terrible WoW is. Of course these are all a matter of opinion. That being said, do you think there is a no turning back point for a typical long time WoW player, where they will completely abandon the game for another game? Is there a point where a person has invested so much time into WoW, that it is impossible for them to accept the fact that there are better games, or that there could potentially be a better, more fun game? Is the addiction that great in some people that they would be unwilling to put WoW down for good (or even consider playing another MMO type game)?

I've often tried to understand why people defend a game as much as the WoW community seems to defend WoW. Even if there really are not any better games out there, just putting the game down to do other things in life, and completely not playing it anymore is something that many people quite possibly could never do simply because of the time sink they have already put into the game.

What do you think?

[Deleted]

Well, there have been reported 2 million lost subscriptions, so I guess there isn't a ''no turning back point''. More often than not, real life is the thing that dictates whether someone will continue playing or not. At least, in my opinion.

[Deleted]

I know its off topic, but REALLY like your sig, Action Hank ftw!

[Deleted]

I know its off topic, but REALLY like your sig, Action Hank ftw!

Hey Berioh!

I think some people just get emotionally attached to their characters and memories they've had. A lot of people have grown up with their characters, it's not easy to let that go.

[Jaylock]

Well, there have been reported 2 million lost subscriptions, so I guess there isn't a ''no turning back point''. More often than not, real life is the thing that dictates whether someone will continue playing or not. At least, in my opinion.

Well arguably the players who left will at some point come back, especially if they have been long time WoW players. Who knows, I may even come back at some point. There could also be a lot of players who just wanted to "try it out" who got sick of it and left. Lots of factors there.

[Deleted]

I don't know about other people but I still enjoy WoW after all these years and I manage to play other games just fine; just completed Darksiders 2 and playing GW2 and have Dark Souls for a rainy day. I could imagine playing any game for X amount of time to the exclusion of all other games and hobbies is gonna warp your thinking a bit. Addiction is far different from habitual. And the internet warps conversations or exchanges so what in the real world would be a conversation on the merits of different games becomes a clash between supporters of each game.

[Diabeetus]

Well..it's possible for someone to be addicted to a game to the point where they won't leave until the servers shut down. I don't see this happening to a large majority of players though, I'm talking about extreme out-there cases.

[TheWerebison]

Ive seen so many threads about how good WoW is, and how terrible WoW is. Of course these are all a matter of opinion. That being said, do you think there is a no turning back point for a typical long time WoW player, where they will completely abandon the game for another game? Is there a point where a person has invested so much time into WoW, that it is impossible for them to accept the fact that there are better games, or that there could potentially be a better, more fun game? Is the addiction that great in some people that they would be unwilling to put WoW down for good (or even consider playing another MMO type game)?

I've often tried to understand why people defend a game as much as the WoW community seems to defend WoW. Even if there really are not any better games out there, just putting the game down to do other things in life, and completely not playing it anymore is something that many people quite possibly could never do simply because of the time sink they have already put into the game.

What do you think?

Good, another Jaylock thread.

Yes, of course there's a no turning back point. It happens for everyone at some point, for different things, and for a vast amount of different reasons. That point has not happened for me.

The thing you don't get, Jaylock, as much as you say you've been trying to understand, is that, for some people, WoW is still a great game. There is nobody that has played the game for 7+ years that can honestly say that WoW hasn't changed from what it used to be, but for some people, and apparently still a great number of us, the game is still very much enjoyable. Some of us like the changes. Some of us don't like the changes, but still like the game, and have grown up with it, and have a large number of friends who still play. People leave for many reasons. But of course there is ALWAYS a point of no return. However, it's different for different people.

My question is, why is it that the people who no longer enjoy WoW have to basically come out and think the people who DO enjoy it are sheep, or delusional, or suckers, or morons?

[Faroth]

I played EverQuest from 1998 (I think) to 2001 or 2002. I never got to level 50, but I loved the guild I was with and still have fond memories of the experiences and fun times playing with others in that game.

I then went to FF XI and eventually spent more time spamming "Looking for group" than actually playing. When my friends (without jobs at the time) decided to outlevel me by 10 or more levels over a week, I had absolutely no options and quit playing. WoW offered the ability to solo for leveling, so I started it in 2005.

I've tried LotR: Online, but it didn't grab me. I liked some features, but the animation felt off to me. I hated the run animations.
I've tried Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, but it was already fairly low population (but dang if it wasn't the best concept MMO in decades)
Tried D&D Online, but didn't really care for it.
Tried FF XIV and....well, yeah.
Tried The Secret World and I really kinda like it, but it's not quite as polished as it could be. I expect it to be F2P within the year and if so, well worth more time exploring it.
I will now be trying GW2 while waiting for Mists of Pandaria.

Basically, I take breaks for console games, I'll take breaks for other MMOs. Eventually a game will come along that I will find engaging and worth exploring and it will draw me away from WoW for good. For now, though, I actually still enjoy WoW and I like a lot of the changes in Mists of Pandaria, so I'm looking forward to it.

Is it hard to walk away from an MMO you've invested time in? Yes, absolutely, but it's not that hard if you aren't genuinely having fun. Many WoW players defend WoW because they genuinely enjoy the game and those who have grown tired of it go heavily out of their way to venomously attack it.

I have no ill will for GW2 and plan to play it, but it will be second fiddle to MoP for me. I get tired of threads about how GW2 is the most amazing game ever released, the best MMO in history, etc on the offcial WoW forums, though.

I want Secret World, SWToR, LotRO, GW2, and more to be successful MMOs. I want Blizzard to steal from them and them to steal from Blizzard, each time improving on what they've stolen. I don't want to hear about how much the game I enjoy sucks for someone else (and won't stop talking about it), so I get irked and defend what I like and why I like it. I do not respond by attacking the other games I do not like.

[Diabeetus]

My question is, why is it that the people who no longer enjoy WoW have to basically come out and think the people who DO enjoy it are sheep, or delusional, or suckers, or morons?

I assume they want to repeatedly assure and/or reinforce in themselves that they are the "enlightened" individuals and have made the better decision. They want to believe that more WoW players agree with their way of thinking and such. When they come and see people still enjoying the game, they can't seem to comprehend that people vary in preference, and thus conclude that liking a game that they no longer like must make them "sheep".

[Rexxr]

I have played since 1.04 from causal to hardcore raiding. Simply put I have over a year of played time and MOP made me stop. The new talent system is AWFUL. All you have is every 15 levels a choice of A, B, or C. Holy cookie cutter time.

[Purenight]

Ive seen so many threads about how good WoW is, and how terrible WoW is. Of course these are all a matter of opinion. That being said, do you think there is a no turning back point for a typical long time WoW player, where they will completely abandon the game for another game? Is there a point where a person has invested so much time into WoW, that it is impossible for them to accept the fact that there are better games, or that there could potentially be a better, more fun game? Is the addiction that great in some people that they would be unwilling to put WoW down for good (or even consider playing another MMO type game)?

I've often tried to understand why people defend a game as much as the WoW community seems to defend WoW. Even if there really are not any better games out there, just putting the game down to do other things in life, and completely not playing it anymore is something that many people quite possibly could never do simply because of the time sink they have already put into the game.

What do you think?

IMHO it comes down to am I having fun with the game, if I am not I move on.......thats why I left EQ for WoW.......so untill WoW stops being fun for me well then I will stay put

[Deleted]

Not really. But I'l keep picking WoW over other MMO's untill other MMO's will provide me with something just as good or better...wich none has. Other MMO's I've tried were fun, but nothing special so I might aswell have the same amount of fun on a game where I already progressed a lot in.

Also, how many threads do you make??

[Kesandri]

Wow players play wow because quite simply, there has not been a game made better than it in their eyes. Even for an old game it has developed over the years into a game people are comfortable with and most importantly that in a lot of cases their friends play.
Unless a good game comes along that they and their friends consider worth playing well no, they wont leave wow.

It is not about being addicted, its about comfort and quite simply the competition not being good enough. If you wade through all the crap that people speak about the game fact remains, world of warcraft is still one of if not the best mmo in the genre.

[Maelle]

Good, another Jaylock thread.

Yes, of course there's a no turning back point. It happens for everyone at some point, for different things, and for a vast amount of different reasons. That point has not happened for me.

The thing you don't get, Jaylock, as much as you say you've been trying to understand, is that, for some people, WoW is still a great game. There is nobody that has played the game for 7+ years that can honestly say that WoW hasn't changed from what it used to be, but for some people, and apparently still a great number of us, the game is still very much enjoyable. Some of us like the changes. Some of us don't like the changes, but still like the game, and have grown up with it, and have a large number of friends who still play. People leave for many reasons. But of course there is ALWAYS a point of no return. However, it's different for different people.

My question is, why is it that the people who no longer enjoy WoW have to basically come out and think the people who DO enjoy it are sheep, or delusional, or suckers, or morons?

Jaylock has been spending the last "few years" on MMOC trying to "understand" why wow players play wow with thinly veiled flamebait threads.

Tell me, is there a point at which you have invested so much time into asking the same questions that you feel you just can't stop?

[PBitt]

People come and go for various reasons...I've seen people that swore they would never come back and even go as far as to delete toons and go away for as much as a year and then they are back with a brand new toon ready to go again. Most of the people I know/know of that left and will never return is due to RL, being kids, job, or just wanting to do something else. Then again, I'm also in for the raiding, and really WoW's only rival in terms of raiding endgame content is Rift. Generally speaking, however, new expansions will bring a lot of renewed interests, I won't be the least bit surprised to see 11 millions subs again, at least while the expansion is new.

[Velestro]

there is a turning back point. right now its just in the middle of waiting for a new expansion so no one wants to pay the 15 bucks a month just to b waiting for sumthing, so ppl freeze there accounts and wait 4 the new expansion to unfreeze so they can come back and enjoy the game again. Atleast thats wat i am doing =)

[Somebodyelse]

I don't know if there's a "no turning back point" as you say...But I know I stopped playing wow when swtor came out...stopped swtor a couple of months later...resubbed to wow for a month...realized that there absolutely ZERO new content after an 8 month break and not very excited about kung fu panda coming out soon...so wow's over for me for good...

[TheWerebison]

I have played since 1.04 from causal to hardcore raiding. Simply put I have over a year of played time and MOP made me stop. The new talent system is AWFUL. All you have is every 15 levels a choice of A, B, or C. Holy cookie cutter time.

Just want to point out, there have ALWAYS been cookie cutter specs. They've been posted on Elitist Jerks for ages, and almost everybody used them, because to not use them meant that you were called out as a noob.

Hopefully the new talent trees will actually give us the choice we've been wanting, because, I reiterate, we've never had it before.

[KCguy]

The game 8 years old. A lot of people have just moved on from it. Blizzard is trying hard to mix things up and have over the years, but the reality is people are going to leave no matter what. People cry for things to be like Burning Crusade, but think about it. If they made every expansion like BC, how successful would WoW be then? It's hard to say, but IMO it would have been even worse. BC was at a time when next to no MMO's existed. Since Wrath we've seen an explosion of MMO's on the market. Blizzard has had to mix things up so as to keep the game interesting. Keeping the game like BC would mean other MMO's would be the same as well. That's why you change things up. In the video game world, especially MMO's, times have changed. You can't release a game like BC and charge a monthly fee. It just doesn't work that way anymore. People demand more features and more content than ever before. And if a game doesn't have all that, make it free. Which is what GW 2 did.

I love all the features Blizzard has added over the years. It sets the game apart from every other MMO.