Why are people in denial about the state of the game?

[Nnyco]

Metacritic for a mmo.

[SirBeef]

If people like the game, then they like the game. You don't have to like it, but that's all there is to it. It's not being in denial, it's enjoying a high-quality product that isn't quite as good as previous years, but still plenty good.

Exactly. Many of the aspects of the game I may have enjoyed in the past are no longer enjoyable, but the main draw, raiding with friends, is still very enjoyable. Until this is no longer fun, Blizzard will get my money. That is not to say other areas are not beyond reproach, and should be addressed. For me WoW is still an very entertaining product well worth the pittance it asks for.

[Icechaosss]

Let's look at Metacritic scores:

TBC - 8.0 user score - generally favorable reviews - subs rise
WotLK - 7.7 user score - generally favorable reviews - subs rise
Cataclysm - 5.6 user score - mixed or average reviews - subs decline
MoP - 5.0 user score - mixed or average reviews - subs stagnate
WoD - 5.9 user score - mixed or average reviews - subs decline
Legion - 7.3 user score - mixed or average reviews - subs rise
BfA - 3.1 user score - generally unfavorable reviews - subs decline

You could make an argument that Legion does not fit the pattern since it had mixed or average reviews, but 7.3 is a lot closer to TBC's 8.0 and WotLK's 7.7 than any other expansion.

The fact is that these reviews are broadly representative of the state of the game. Thousands of people can't all be wrong about something. MoP had good gameplay but unappealing story / design direction so subs stagnated. Cataclysm, WoD and BfA were all badly received and coincided with a rapid drop in sub numbers. Legion was generally seen as a return to form for the game and although we didn't get exact sub numbers, it was pretty evident that they were on the rise just judging by increased activity across all endgame content.

All of these people can't be wrong.

"Thousands of people can't be wrong about something"

Yes. Yes they can. Anti-vax, global warming, the holocaust, slavery etc. And for games - the people that say RDR2 is trash, GoW is trash, that "gaming is dying" when it's clearly fucking not, it's really just EA and Activision.

My guy, I dislike WoW in its current state, but what was the purpose of this post? To get more people on the bandwagon of hate for WoW? There's plenty. The people who hate the game are gone/are on MMO-C yelling about how bad it is. The people who like the game are still playing, still enjoying their time with their friends, and still enjoying what they pay for.

Also Metacritic? Really? That's what we've come to? Comparing subs to metacritic reviews?

[gushDH]

Have you been on the internet the past, like, 6+ months? Literally every facebook post from WoW has 95% negative comments. Youtube is getting more and more filled with "wow is bad" and "why I quit wow" videos.

Where's the denial? If anything, there's an outburst of mad players who love a game and see it become something unfamiliar and bland.

[klogaroth]

The people rating BFA as if it were The Slaughtering Grounds are just as much in denial as those who think it's perfect. The first camp seems to have a lot more people right now, and they're a lot louder. Maybe people should take a look at themselves before claiming denial in others.

Not everything has to be brilliant or terrible. Some things are just alright. Not great, not terrible, just alright. They have both positive aspects and negative aspects. Not always 1:1, but not 1:0 or 0:1 either.

[Newname1234567890]

People disagree with me?! They MUST be delusional!

I've never seen anyone claim the BFA is growing subs or anything but just that they personally like it

[Charge me Doctor]

People holding different opinion doesn't always mean denial on their side.

[Kumorii]

Oh, I admit it isn't going as it should or could but why are people in denial that some might still enjoy the game?

It's not the "right" opinion according to his links.

[Charge me Doctor]

Thousands of people can't all be wrong about something..

Yes, they can.

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All you said here is basically, your opinion is different from the majority. No one can take your opinion or change it, but there will always be a consensus. Which any creator should and does take into account.

People who vote on metacritic are hardly majority tho. Especially considering that people are more likely to downvote stuff than upvote. Disgruntled consumer is more likely to leave negative review than satisfied consumer to leave a positive review

[Thelxi]

There is much less denial these days than there used to be. Like much, much less. It's sad that Blizzard had to crash and burn for people to open their eyes and see their own interests, but here we are.

[schwarzkopf]

I don't know OP, the game is just fine - but like you I find it bizarre that so many people think it is dead.

[George Costanza]

Because they are sub 80-IQ inbred apes.

[Lochton]

It's not the "right" opinion according to his links.

Well, fuck his links.

I've played for over 14 years and I still find enjoyment within the game. Haha.

I can see that things aren't 100% good but they aren't 100% bad either.

[tru]

You can't really review a WoW expansion fully and fairly before it's at its end. It's not a 50-100 hour independent game, like Fallout 4 vs Fallout 3. Generally people are getting tired of the game, and they need bigger and bigger dose to get high, Legion was huge, Bfa can't compete and at this stage of the game, so the fall is really high.

Its been shit enough so far and we already know they arent going to rework classes and nothing more than bandaids to their systems... yea bfa is shit and will continue to be shit for its life cycle.

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I don't know OP, the game is just fine - but like you I find it bizarre that so many people think it is dead.

If it wasnt for their cash shop services the game would be dead.

[Tolbybolton]

The 3.1 score for BfA is probably because of the large echo-chamber that is the internet right now. BfA isn't great, but it's def not as bad as Cata or WoD was

False. Cata and even WoD classes were much better, fuller and just made more sense. And since your class design is like 70% of your total gameplay its just stupid to even compare anything before Legion to BFA. No matter how much content you have, if your class design sucks = the game sucks.

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Idgaf about critics. Same with Assmangoof and the rest of the YouTubers. Play or don't

Ye, people that have been decade-long lovers of the game shouldnt voice their concerns about the current state!!11!!

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The game is getting old.

Not even old, but rather bad. I wish we had a "stagnation" problem even among the 3 biggest ones.

[Shiny212]

Yes, they can.

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People who vote on metacritic are hardly majority tho. Especially considering that people are more likely to downvote stuff than upvote. Disgruntled consumer is more likely to leave negative review than satisfied consumer to leave a positive review

Sure thing, but just judging my sub counts and sub retention it's not up for debate that MoP/wod/cataclysm are the "worst" expansions in the eyes of most players.

[KaPe]

The only people in denial are those who keep shouting "stop enjoying the game" at others. They bought into their own narrative that WoW is the game in existence so it's completely impossible for anyone to like even a single aspect. Instead of "I like X, but I don't like Y(say, raiding vs azerite)", they only see the former, foam at their mouth and furiously call the other side fanboys or white knights.

It's basically "why don't you hate the same thing I hate?!"

[schwarzkopf]

If it wasnt for their cash shop services the game would be dead.

Are you sure you've updated your graphics drivers, because the game works quite well for me.

[Frolk]

Not hating on the people who enjoy the game, id love to know what content they partake in.
pvp? tmog farm? lfr/norm? HC/mythic raiding? M+ ?

When ever i ask ppl what content they do when they are defending the game, i get no replies.

[Tolbybolton]

Funnily, it seems more like the people who still LIKE the game are not allowed to say that, without being yelled at.

You know why? Because the game is shit, and to change that the whole community needs to send a clear "FUCK YOU" signal to blizzard, maybe then they'll return to the old roots and find different paths of progress. The whole "huh you just dont like changes" crowd is braindead tho, its not about the changes themselves, rather about their quality.

There are still people defending LFR and loot boxes