I think you missed one; Cash shop + Sub. That to me is a double dip on customers. I understand the 'just cosmetics' argument, but it does not fly with me because developer resources are taken up creating cash shop content. These developers could be working on things or content that you could earn in game.
Edit: Box Price + Sub + Cash Shop + Expansions... Just realized there is more to wow than just sub + cash shop.
"Increasingly we find ourselves preferring to go play Diablo 3 or some other game simply to escape the daily grind."
You find ur self leaving a grind game, for D3 a total grind game? really? huh? wtf!!!!
you just lost all credibility with that statement. what a moronic statement.
Haters gonna hate, right?
ya, we gonna hate, on shit blizzard north.
The game has been dumbed down, and in 10 years it will be more? how can it be, its already ez mode. they just going to give the boss gear for just entering a raid instance next?
Lol, wow still running strong, because of the fact it was so big in the first place, and so well known, not because its good still. Its like the entry into mmo world, thats super dumb down, so why wouldn't new players entering the market, try it out, its like the start of mmo era, beside the few that came before it and didn't reach it success. I think someone needs to learn what marketing is.......
I'm sorry author but this was a piss poor article and you should not even be writing for mmorpg. what a disgrace. i have plenty more i could say but why waste my time. kkthxbye
I puffyheart WoW. Ive been there throughout the changes and got myself used to every single one of them. When you have this serious loyalty towards a mmo like this one, you wouldn't walk away because even in real life, you go through your own trial and turbulations; this mmo faced so many and it's still surviving today. LIVE LONG WOW!
When I was playing SWG and DDO, I was told many times how awefull WoW was, turns out WoW was a a great product , well worth the time and money put into it and far superior than the competition.
It's bad now but still far superior than the competition!
This is the ONLY reason you listed that caused me to quit.
4) The Stupification of WoW Since Vanilla
But it wasn't Vanilla, The dumbing down started with patch 2.3
One of the more popular complaints when it comes to WoW is that it's gotten ridiculously stupified since the "good ol' vanilla days" of yore. Honestly, there is merit to this contention coming from the standpoint of someone who only recently began to play. Good times were had by all when it came to having to actually go out and achieve something.
"You would have loved the days when you had to go out questing for your first mount and then it was ridiculously expensive." my friend Shelassa has told me.
She's right too. World of Warcraft has been 'dumbed down' from that standpoint but that's not all bad. It's easy to look back on the good old days through the filtered vision of rose-colored glasses. There's no question that there were many complaints and many reasons why Blizzard has chosen the path it has when it comes to the current iteration of WoW. In another 10 years, we'll all look back on today's version with nostalgia as well.
The original formula steadily brought in 10M players in the 1st 3 years. and I seriously doubt I will be nostalgic about the last 2 expansions.
the reason that MMO gamers don't like WoW is that people who are NOT MMO gamers like WoW.
that is reason 1, 2, and 3 in my book.
beer snob syndrome if you will. look at eve. (for a long long time i played both wow and eve). Its pretty universally considered a good game, but its model of accessability is the opposite of wow's . you NEED to be the kind of person who will pre-research your decisions, read forums, and not give up after the first dozen or so hours of gameplay before eve really grows on you. in other words you need to e a gamer.
wow is also a good game but you can literally play it to some capacity even if all you have played in the past is bejeweled, learning as you go if you are so inclined to learn.
I'm a gamer - an old gamer. I like WoW just fine.
I played EQ the year of release - I hadn't even played bejeweled and I did just fine with it - by the end, you would even say I was 'uber'.
I played EVE and thought it was mind numbingly boring. I'm glad it turns people on - but not me. That doesn't mean I'm not a real gamer. I go to forums, research my decisions and don't give up after the first dozen hours or so of any game I play - even WoW. Some car enthusiasts get into classic muscle cars. Some get into antiques. Some get into car building kits. They are all car enthusiasts - the one's working on formula 1 racers aren't necessarily the 'real' ones.
I totally resent it when people act as if I'm not a 'real' gamer, because I like WoW. I don't think you have to be 'leet' to play EVE, but I think a lot of people who do think they are - but to the rest of us, you are still just playing a fantasy outer space video game - no need to be cocky about it.
I freaking loved Vanilla Wow. The challenge level in the end game content was decent and it actually took a little effort to get to that end game content. For me, that's what makes an MMO something I want to play long term rather than just for a couple of months--a sense that I actually have to put some effort into what I'm doing from the start of the game onward, every time I play it, for years on end.
I don't hate on WoW even now, but when I am critical of it, and the reason I no longer play it, is all about how stupidly easy the whole game got. I'm still bitter about it too. I think many old vanilla players are bitter in that regards. Something we really enjoyed got changed to the point we no longer enjoy it. So of course it comes across as "hate" sometimes. Bitterness and hate are hard to distinguish.
"In another 10 years, we'll all look back on today's version with nostalgia as well."
You couldn't be more wrong in that regards. I do not play today's version, I have never played today's version, and I will never play today's version. Try again.
Even as a retired hardcore raider I still go back once and a while to see what's happening.
This same amount of anger has been going on for like 6 years, at least some of you guys are persistent. Persistent and failing.
I think a lot of you guys should learn to live with the fact, that WoW is still the most popular MMO, even over F2P garbage. Some of you have been complaining about WoW for over 5 years, or ferociously defending your game to get people to try it. Amusing effort, nothing gained. You guys lost this fight years ago, live with it!
How many times does this have to be said; Popular does not always equal quality. Is McDonalds food high quality? Are garbage tv like Kardashians high quality?
Hell no! WoW may be popular but a high quality MMO, it is not. It is dumbed down POS, catering to the lazy, ignorant masses.
This article seems to forget the hate of kids too young (cause Blizzard doesnt care to enforce the 13 years or older policy and let 6 years old fuck around the dongeons) and the monthly fees and expensive expansions... WoW is a milking machine for the bank account. THAT is the reason why I quit after so long. Just doing the math (over 3000$ over 5 years) made me taste puke in my mouth. If only Blizzard could come with a better plan for the next game maybe I'll reconsider playing a monthly fee, but wow is never getting back on my computer anytime soon.
That is if you're gullible enough to believe they have 7 million subs.
When I left, my server was practically empty as well another server I had alts on and this was a month or two before that stupid dumb panda garbage came out. Since then even more players have abandoned that sinking ship.
So, to believe they have 7 million subs is to believe you'll get wings to fly.
It use to be good, but it's become SOOOO dumbed down and it just has no heart anymore... Plus I can't stand dps meters and spamming a rotation... feels like playing a calculator. And they have yet to offer balanced pvp.
Originally posted by neosparkk And they have yet to offer balanced pvp.
I don't believe this fabled chimera has ever walked the Earth.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
1) Love it or Hate it any mention of WoW, ANYWHERE on gaming sites, sparks conversation and debate. There is a reason for that
2) Like it or not, WoW introduced an entirely new player base to the genre. Which IMO would have died out by now if now for World of Warcraft
3) WoW was / is a very good game. Doesn't mean its for everyone but anyone who says a game that controlled, and still controls the MASSES, isn't good is just being biased and not looking at it objectively. No game has ever done what WoW has done in terms of online subscription gaming; there is a reason for that
4) Before you go off the deep end on me; I hate casuals
Even as a retired hardcore raider I still go back once and a while to see what's happening.
This same amount of anger has been going on for like 6 years, at least some of you guys are persistent. Persistent and failing.
I think a lot of you guys should learn to live with the fact, that WoW is still the most popular MMO, even over F2P garbage. Some of you have been complaining about WoW for over 5 years, or ferociously defending your game to get people to try it. Amusing effort, nothing gained. You guys lost this fight years ago, live with it!
I'm a retired hardcore raider myself...I still watch the progression races every single tier! I don't like what WoW is now so I don't play it anymore but that doesn't mean it still isn't a great game for millions of other players. All the hate this game gets is completely uncalled for.
The only thing I hate about WoW is that I can't go back in time and start fresh. The first time I went to Darnassus and saw someone riding a tiger blew my mind.
Blizzard has tried to keep up with the times. They steal almost every good idea that other games come up with and implement it into Warcraft. They did get lazy with the daily quest hubs, or that could be because they listened to the die-hard addicts that praise everything Blizzard does. "I can do unlimited dailies over and over? Thanks Blizz!" Sound familiar?
I hope they stop listening to the addicts and make the game a little more fun with the next expansion. Don't let WoW addicts beta test. The response will always be the same: "Great job Blizz!"
Comments
This site never got over the frustration that the MMO scene was dominated for all these years by just ONE game.
That was not the game's fault, but the complete failure of this industry to offer an alternative in the fantasy based sector.
It is typical that the only game that thought "outside of the box" stayed around as the only subscription based game besides WOW and that's EVE.
ALL the rest are and were just bad copycats of the Blizzard elephant in the room.
Looking back it is no wonder all these hyped "wannabees" failed utterly in keeping up subscriptions.
9 years already and the laugh is ... it is still going strong.
I think you missed one; Cash shop + Sub. That to me is a double dip on customers. I understand the 'just cosmetics' argument, but it does not fly with me because developer resources are taken up creating cash shop content. These developers could be working on things or content that you could earn in game.
Edit: Box Price + Sub + Cash Shop + Expansions... Just realized there is more to wow than just sub + cash shop.
Often lurking, rarely posting
So true... and sad.
"Increasingly we find ourselves preferring to go play Diablo 3 or some other game simply to escape the daily grind."
You find ur self leaving a grind game, for D3 a total grind game? really? huh? wtf!!!!
you just lost all credibility with that statement. what a moronic statement.
Haters gonna hate, right?
ya, we gonna hate, on shit blizzard north.
The game has been dumbed down, and in 10 years it will be more? how can it be, its already ez mode. they just going to give the boss gear for just entering a raid instance next?
Lol, wow still running strong, because of the fact it was so big in the first place, and so well known, not because its good still. Its like the entry into mmo world, thats super dumb down, so why wouldn't new players entering the market, try it out, its like the start of mmo era, beside the few that came before it and didn't reach it success. I think someone needs to learn what marketing is.......
I'm sorry author but this was a piss poor article and you should not even be writing for mmorpg. what a disgrace. i have plenty more i could say but why waste my time. kkthxbye
When I was playing SWG and DDO, I was told many times how awefull WoW was, turns out WoW was a a great product , well worth the time and money put into it and far superior than the competition.
It's bad now but still far superior than the competition!
This is the ONLY reason you listed that caused me to quit.
4) The Stupification of WoW Since Vanilla
But it wasn't Vanilla, The dumbing down started with patch 2.3
One of the more popular complaints when it comes to WoW is that it's gotten ridiculously stupified since the "good ol' vanilla days" of yore. Honestly, there is merit to this contention coming from the standpoint of someone who only recently began to play. Good times were had by all when it came to having to actually go out and achieve something.
"You would have loved the days when you had to go out questing for your first mount and then it was ridiculously expensive." my friend Shelassa has told me.
She's right too. World of Warcraft has been 'dumbed down' from that standpoint but that's not all bad. It's easy to look back on the good old days through the filtered vision of rose-colored glasses. There's no question that there were many complaints and many reasons why Blizzard has chosen the path it has when it comes to the current iteration of WoW. In another 10 years, we'll all look back on today's version with nostalgia as well.
The original formula steadily brought in 10M players in the 1st 3 years. and I seriously doubt I will be nostalgic about the last 2 expansions.
I'm a gamer - an old gamer. I like WoW just fine.
I played EQ the year of release - I hadn't even played bejeweled and I did just fine with it - by the end, you would even say I was 'uber'.
I played EVE and thought it was mind numbingly boring. I'm glad it turns people on - but not me. That doesn't mean I'm not a real gamer. I go to forums, research my decisions and don't give up after the first dozen hours or so of any game I play - even WoW. Some car enthusiasts get into classic muscle cars. Some get into antiques. Some get into car building kits. They are all car enthusiasts - the one's working on formula 1 racers aren't necessarily the 'real' ones.
I totally resent it when people act as if I'm not a 'real' gamer, because I like WoW. I don't think you have to be 'leet' to play EVE, but I think a lot of people who do think they are - but to the rest of us, you are still just playing a fantasy outer space video game - no need to be cocky about it.
For me, it is all about:
I freaking loved Vanilla Wow. The challenge level in the end game content was decent and it actually took a little effort to get to that end game content. For me, that's what makes an MMO something I want to play long term rather than just for a couple of months--a sense that I actually have to put some effort into what I'm doing from the start of the game onward, every time I play it, for years on end.I don't hate on WoW even now, but when I am critical of it, and the reason I no longer play it, is all about how stupidly easy the whole game got. I'm still bitter about it too. I think many old vanilla players are bitter in that regards. Something we really enjoyed got changed to the point we no longer enjoy it. So of course it comes across as "hate" sometimes. Bitterness and hate are hard to distinguish.
You couldn't be more wrong in that regards. I do not play today's version, I have never played today's version, and I will never play today's version. Try again.Even as a retired hardcore raider I still go back once and a while to see what's happening.
This same amount of anger has been going on for like 6 years, at least some of you guys are persistent. Persistent and failing.
I think a lot of you guys should learn to live with the fact, that WoW is still the most popular MMO, even over F2P garbage. Some of you have been complaining about WoW for over 5 years, or ferociously defending your game to get people to try it. Amusing effort, nothing gained. You guys lost this fight years ago, live with it!
I enjoyed WoW through the first 2 expansions. But for some reason, when Cata launched, I felt it was time to go.
How many times does this have to be said; Popular does not always equal quality. Is McDonalds food high quality? Are garbage tv like Kardashians high quality?
Hell no! WoW may be popular but a high quality MMO, it is not. It is dumbed down POS, catering to the lazy, ignorant masses.
My gaming blog
This article seems to forget the hate of kids too young (cause Blizzard doesnt care to enforce the 13 years or older policy and let 6 years old fuck around the dongeons) and the monthly fees and expensive expansions... WoW is a milking machine for the bank account. THAT is the reason why I quit after so long. Just doing the math (over 3000$ over 5 years) made me taste puke in my mouth. If only Blizzard could come with a better plan for the next game maybe I'll reconsider playing a monthly fee, but wow is never getting back on my computer anytime soon.
That is if you're gullible enough to believe they have 7 million subs.
When I left, my server was practically empty as well another server I had alts on and this was a month or two before that stupid dumb panda garbage came out. Since then even more players have abandoned that sinking ship.
So, to believe they have 7 million subs is to believe you'll get wings to fly.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
There are a couple of things I would like to add:
1) Love it or Hate it any mention of WoW, ANYWHERE on gaming sites, sparks conversation and debate. There is a reason for that
2) Like it or not, WoW introduced an entirely new player base to the genre. Which IMO would have died out by now if now for World of Warcraft
3) WoW was / is a very good game. Doesn't mean its for everyone but anyone who says a game that controlled, and still controls the MASSES, isn't good is just being biased and not looking at it objectively. No game has ever done what WoW has done in terms of online subscription gaming; there is a reason for that
4) Before you go off the deep end on me; I hate casuals
I'm a retired hardcore raider myself...I still watch the progression races every single tier! I don't like what WoW is now so I don't play it anymore but that doesn't mean it still isn't a great game for millions of other players. All the hate this game gets is completely uncalled for.
Guild Wars 1 came pretty damn close
EQ2 fan sites
i remember that patch
http://www.wowwiki.com/Patch_2.3.0
Many elite creatures and quests in the level 1-60 experience have been changed to accommodate solo play.
EQ2 fan sites
"Increasingly we find ourselves preferring to go play Diablo 3 or some other game simply to escape the daily grind."
LOL. Let me stop you right there. That was funny.
The only thing I hate about WoW is that I can't go back in time and start fresh. The first time I went to Darnassus and saw someone riding a tiger blew my mind.
Blizzard has tried to keep up with the times. They steal almost every good idea that other games come up with and implement it into Warcraft. They did get lazy with the daily quest hubs, or that could be because they listened to the die-hard addicts that praise everything Blizzard does. "I can do unlimited dailies over and over? Thanks Blizz!" Sound familiar?
I hope they stop listening to the addicts and make the game a little more fun with the next expansion. Don't let WoW addicts beta test. The response will always be the same: "Great job Blizz!"
7 Million subscribers pay 15/month? Lies!
Too bad China doesn't have a monthly fee model.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldofwarcraft#Regional_variations