Well sure, its going to be a crash of generations when the game has been out for 8 years and many players(like me) has been around since classic. Keep in mind that the whole gaming community has changed alot during the past 10 years. Hell, 8-10 years ago most people did not play mmos at all. Back then mmos was looked upon something "nerds" did and not everyone, like alot of people has always played FPS games(Like counter strike). 10 years ago almost all of my friends and guys I knew a little play counter strike or some other shooter(some more than other) and some played games like SC and Warcraft. I knew just a few people playing mmos. I also tried some mmos then and I hated it.
When wow came me and many friends tested it and most of us loved it. Still, it was a stigma about mmo gamers back then. As the years went by it got more and more common spending time on mmos and not just on general games. It got streamlined and very popular. Millions of gamers came to check this "new" aspect of gaming.
With the huge variation of games today with stellar graphics and gameplay its hard to compete. Having wow be as classic in todays gaming world would just not work.
Sure, Blizzard has done theyre faults over the years with wow but you cant ignore the fact that they have really managed well in keeping the game "up to date". It's much more accesible for everyone playing the game, no matter what you want out of it and your playtime. The amount of things to do ingame is on alltime high right now. Heroics, scenarios, challenge modes, pet battles, LFR easy raiding, normal/Hc raiding, questing++. If you want challenge, its right there. If you dont want it for whatever reason(AND thats OK) you can still get nice gear and experience the lore.
Personally, I feel that im a "older" gamer now. Back when I started I often had a "gogoogog" mentality and stuff like that but now im way more patient, calm and relaxed with it all. Im not stressed out if I miss a few days of raiding/dailys for rep. I dont mind long grinds anymore since I know i'll finish it sooner or later. I treasure the journey much more now than I did. I take my time enjoying the land, the quests, dungeons and raids. Now I even go back to the old world(s) and do some odd quests on my main for a long wanted goal: Loremaster title.