I dont play anymore, and sorta dislike what the company has become but I will say yes it is the best mmo ever (to this point in time) and here is why.
Greatest Hits, Hall of Famers, or "best" things tend to identify things that are widely accepted and credited with setting new records, or standards for their category .
That said, WoW blew the gates open for MMO acceptance from a more niche group of gamers to include a variety of gamers and even brought in non-gamers.
So by my understanding, WoW for better or worse is currently the best MMO in a holistic sense of the game and what its accomplished.
...
...
However, its not my current best MMO, I no longer get joy out of content gating or pvp balance being gated behind gear grinding.
I dont play anymore, and sorta dislike what the company has become but I will say yes it is the best mmo ever (to this point in time) and here is why.
Greatest Hits, Hall of Famers, or "best" things tend to identify things that are widely accepted and credited with setting new records, or standards for their category .
That said, WoW blew the gates open for MMO acceptance from a more niche group of gamers to include a variety of gamers and even brought in non-gamers.
So by my understanding, WoW for better or worse is currently the best MMO in a holistic sense of the game and what its accomplished.
...
...
However, its not my current best MMO, I no longer get joy out of content gating or pvp balance being gated behind gear grinding.
Some profound insight here I couldn't muster. Well put Krage!
(Played WoW for a few months and never really enjoyed it. Didn't hate it, and a few of my friends loved it.)
We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!! (repeat ad infinitum)
I'm not afraid to tell trolls what they [need] to hear, even if that means for me to have an forced absence afterwards.
P2P LOGIC = If it's P2P it means longevity, overall better game, and THE BEST SUPPORT EVER!!!!!(Which has been rinsed and repeated about a thousand times)
Common Sense Logic = P2P logic is no better than F2P Logic.
It is the worst MMO ever. It dumbed down the genre to a point where a brain is not required to play and everything is served on a silver platter without much effort.
Crafting is clicking a button and waiting, combat is spamming a few buttons, easy mode arrow pointing no brain required game-play, quests hubs and the graphics are vomit inducing even back when it released.
It introduced MMO gaming to the entitlement generation (Generation Y) and we all suffer for it.
just because a lot of people play it does not make it the best..
Thats like saying McDonalds food is the best out there because so many people eat it..
You make a good point.
To further the analogy, WoW slowly added various features for convenience. In order to open the game up to a wider audience. You won't have 7-12 million playing a game that requires account sharing and 24/7 login time to stay competitive for PvP or farm the fire resist gear to beat vanilla MC :P
It offers sweet choices that fit the needs of a grand audience. LFR lets people experience raids that normally dont have the time. At the same time you have HardMode's available to progression guilds. The same idea exists for BG's and Arena/RBG's.
I know people will debate the good times of world pvp and how superior it is, but frankly in a system without regulation, absolutely the only outcome is chaos. In the form of griefing, camping, etc. WoW attempts to create the guise of world pvp with larger BG's and PvP Zones. They exist to foster that grand feeling, without any one side in particular feeling weaker or being at a massive disadvantage. Again, in the interest in convenience.
Sure, TM/SS raids were cool back in vanilla, but a larger audience requires structure, time schedule adherence, a chance for all to be included.
It really is like McDonalds. It isn't the best food (basically the worst food a person could eat), but it's an all inclusive massive gaming system that has something for everyone.
Whilst WoW has a lot more content than many new releases (which is unsuprising as the game has been running for some time) there are MMOs out there with more content (EQ still has more content for example). I wouldn't be suprised if there were a lot more with comparable, or more content than WoW, however they wouldn't have the same level of polish.
Not sure where you get the idea that EQ has more content than WoW, as the reason WoW overtook EQ so quickly, and substantially, was because there is a real lack of content in EQ, levelling in the game was really down to finding mobs in the wilds and killing them, later on dungeons of norrath was added which added what was mostly just repeatable content, with very little in the way of variation, even now the game has very little in the way of 'in game content' and the focus really is on end game raiding, and its not really like there is as many choices there as there is in WoW after all, and the ones in WoW are far more polished. EQ was a good enough game in its time, but that time is long past, and it didnt have near as much investment made into it as WoW did, so the age of the game is really no real gauge of the amount of content in the game.
just because a lot of people play it does not make it the best..
Thats like saying McDonalds food is the best out there because so many people eat it..
You make a good point.
No, it's a terrible analogy. It always has been. People don't go to McDonalds because of food quality. They go because it's fast, ubiquitous, and inexpensive. When other fast food places had better food and meet those criteria people don't eat at McDonalds. WoW on the other hand is the best WoW gaming experience there is. Companies try to differentiate themselves from McDonalds and emulate WoW. WoW dominates it's market segment. McDonalds has slipped to number four mostly because it's food sucks.
Actually, it's not a terrible analogy. Fast and inexpensive. Think for a moment.
Inexpensive: I can run Wow on basically a 2004 computer. As opposed to other games. Like AoC or SWToR; at their release, many people didn't have a good enough computer to play these games. This fact adds immensely to it's availability to a wide audience.
Fast: A word synonymous with convenience. As you probably didn't read any of my post, I won't bother to explain this further than a few words. LFR, LFG, BG Queue, x-server Queueing, etc.
Your opinion on the taste of McDonald's is exactly how many people feel about WoW too, if you think about it. Not saying the quality of the product is analogous, because WoW is a very well made MMO. Though, there are many WoW haters. It's like saying McDonalds french fries taste terrible. No they don't. They are deep fried carbs with tons of fat and sodium. To any human they will taste fantastic. Still, people will swear up and down that they do, in fact, taste horrible. <- I.e. WoW haters :P
just because a lot of people play it does not make it the best..
Thats like saying McDonalds food is the best out there because so many people eat it..
You make a good point.
No, it's a terrible analogy. It always has been. People don't go to McDonalds because of food quality. They go because it's fast, ubiquitous, and inexpensive. When other fast food places had better food and meet those criteria people don't eat at McDonalds. WoW on the other hand is the best WoW gaming experience there is. Companies try to differentiate themselves from McDonalds and emulate WoW. WoW dominates it's market segment. McDonalds has slipped to number four mostly because it's food sucks.
No, this is a fact known for a very long time and it is true for everything we produce, be it service or goods. It's mostly known as the productivity or production triangle.
Pick 1, 2 or 3:
In the case of WoW we have to pick 3. It's low cost in both requirements and running cost and it's time requirements are low because everything is made as easy as possible. As a result the quality is extremely bad.
McDonalds is the same. It is fast, cheap but bad food.
You can apply this to anything. It is always true.
Secondly: Its been said 100 times already: Not even close
And finally: Its the biggest of its kind and it was the one that brought MMO's into the mainstream. But that doesnt mean its the best, not by a long shot. People that have been playing MMO's since they came out probably would not even put WoW in the top 10. I dont even think it makes the top 15 of some who play every MMO that comes out.
WoW did 3 things right that made it the success that it is. One, and this never seems to be talked about, it was the first major MMO of the broadband age. Us old schoolers played our MMO's on dial up! Two, the interface was simple and easy to learn, not as important to veteran gamers, but HUGE to new people to the genre. And third, it was the fist game to really have stylized graphics, everything was all cutesy and fuzzy. All this lead to a bunch of people who didnt play MMO's to play MMO's.
Is/Was Wow the best at:
Graphics - NO
Story/Lore - NO
Crafting - NO
Quest System - NO
Guilds - NO
Grouping/Social - NO
Map - NO
Loot System - NO
Interface - possible, at least very easy to learn
How can a game be the best if it doesnt do any one thing better than other games? It cant.
WoW was also not the first to do anything, it innovated nothing. Other than stylized graphics maybe. SWG introduced in game mail and an AH long before WoW did.
WoW is a game good for virgin MMO'ers with just enough to keep some veterans playing. It has its place but it is not anywhere near the top of the list.
Wow is the best MMO ever. It was not my first PC or RPG or MMO. It was the best; however, in every aspect. I still play it. It is
easier than it was in 2004-2006. It was easy then too. I agree there are a lot of things Blizz does that doesn't make sense, but
their job is harder than you think. The game is 9 years old and the graphics are still above avg. (for their style) Millions of
quests that aren't broken. Millions of pieces of loot. The game just got boring for a lot of people and those nimble minded kids
didn't know how to react to something that they used to love so much and yet they are bored of it. It made them angry and they
didn't know how to express that emotion, so they bashed the game. There is nothing major that is wrong with WoW. Great
Lore, Great UI and tons of mods out there for customization. The PvP is decent, even though it's nothing but a CC fest and
centered around gear and very little skill.
I try to look at it like a New-B would. If you came to this game for the first time tomorrow, would it be good? If you played
EQ1/2/Rift/Vanguard/WAR/SWTOR or any of the many AAA titles out since WoW launched. You couldn't deny this game is better
than all of those games.
You do make a good point that I agree with. After so many years of loving and playing WOW some people simply got bored. Instead of just accepting this and moving to a new game they have to find a reason. They have to vilify Blizzard for ruining their game. They have a hard time facing the loss of years put into the game. The fact is a lot simply got bored. I do not hold any mmo that precious, sure I love WOW but it is still entertainment to me despite the fact I raise the question is it the best ever. Sure some left because of game changes but in my opinion more left for boredom of years of play. If WOW was released as it is today people would have loved it and this idea of vanilla WOW would not exist. When you devote night after night year after year into one game you will get bored. That is not necessarily Blizzard's fault.
Just a reminder that the title of the post was "Could" WOW be the best ever. In my opening post I end it saying "yes it is", because of this feeling it gave me when I returned, this emotional connection I had to it. This was not trolling, it was raised as a question that many have talked about but more on an emotional level or connection not on simply game mechanics, something I have not seen (or missed) threads about WOW address before. This question I think is something unique to mmos people get a bit emotionally connected to them unlike other computer or video games. I wanted to clarify this because I was never trying to prove or convince anyone else that WOW was the best mmo ever.
Whilst WoW has a lot more content than many new releases (which is unsuprising as the game has been running for some time) there are MMOs out there with more content (EQ still has more content for example). I wouldn't be suprised if there were a lot more with comparable, or more content than WoW, however they wouldn't have the same level of polish.
Not sure where you get the idea that EQ has more content than WoW, as the reason WoW overtook EQ so quickly, and substantially, was because there is a real lack of content in EQ, levelling in the game was really down to finding mobs in the wilds and killing them, later on dungeons of norrath was added which added what was mostly just repeatable content, with very little in the way of variation, even now the game has very little in the way of 'in game content' and the focus really is on end game raiding, and its not really like there is as many choices there as there is in WoW after all, and the ones in WoW are far more polished. EQ was a good enough game in its time, but that time is long past, and it didnt have near as much investment made into it as WoW did, so the age of the game is really no real gauge of the amount of content in the game.
EQ didn't lose players to a lack of content. It's design (death penalties, forced grouping, raid centric at cap), customer support, performance (terrible performance for what was at the time of WoW a very aging game graphically), graphics all were reasons people left, yours is the first time I have ever heard someone say I ran out of things to see and do.
EQ may not have a great deal of varied content however it does have a huge amount of content and lore within the game. However WoW really doesn't have that much variation in much of it's content either, where you grind mobs in EQ you grind quests in WoW (of which there are painfully few types repeated throughout). Both games massively recycle assets (you would be hard pressed to find any game that doesn't of this genre).
EQ does simply have more content. That content may not appeal to you due to it's polish, or it's aging graphics or it's design but to dismiss it because it similar while forgiving WoW the same flaws does show bias.
I agree, EQs best days are long gone however my point still stands. WoW's content IS more polished and varied, has a great deal more investment behind it but even today it still isn't the largest game. Both are good games though they cater to different people (though far less so now than back at the launch of WoW).
To me it will probably always be original EQ but I have no issues at all with someone saying WoW. When you talk complete MMO's I generally think of EQ, WOW and now GW2 as possible titles to win this. I don't even like GW2 that much but it is just so much ahead of all the other MMOs that have come out the past few years.
I'd have to include special mentions to games like DAOC and SB but they weren't really complete MMOs. Someone will say UO but the mechanics behind the game were just too shoddy for me to rate it. EVE probably gets a special mention too but it is so different I don't really think of it as an MMORPG.
My hope for the future is EQ Next. Not so much because I think that game will be amazing but it is the one game coming out that actually is trying to revolutionize the genre and if future games build off of it things will get better.
To me it's a tie between WoW and GW2, but "best" is a personal thing. As for overall attention that a game drew towards the genre, and overall impact, WoW is probably the most influential game, yes.
People that have been playing MMO's since they came out probably would not even put WoW in the top 10. I dont even think it makes the top 15 of some who play every MMO that comes out.
WOW has it's flaws but i would easily put in my top 10 even tho i dislike WOW after WOTLK
naming the best MMO ever is like naming the best food ever.
To me, Pizza from Lombardi's is the best food ever. hundreds of thousands of my fellow new yorkers think grimaldi's is the best food ever, and another half a million think John's of bleecker is the best food ever. And so on, and so on.
Wow is a successful MMO and for many people it's the best MMO ever.
for me it's good, but eve is the best MMO ever.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
In sports, "best" is often a term given to very successful teams. WoW has been, and still is, very successful. More successful than any other MMO to ever release. In this case, I think you can apply the tag of "best" as long as no other MMO surpasses that mark. I hate to break it to you haters, but those are the facts and facts don't lie.
World of Warcraft will be the first single game in the world that will break the 10 billion dollar revenue bracket.
That's more than ALL time best 6 blockbusters in the history of the movie industry combined.
That's 10 times more than GTA5.
Anyone comparing it with Justin Bieber or Mac Donalds is really the laughing stock in town these days.... as all the rest of the terrible fantasy MMO bunch went free to play.
It is NOT because WOW is that awesome.
It is because the rest is simply so pathetically bad.
Anyone even wanting to discuss WOW and its top number one position simply falls flat on his face. Imagine trying to count from 1 dollar to 10.000.000.000...
And all those dollars came from men and women who paid to play the game. Nothing more nothing less.
most early mmos were fairly difficult. i honestly never understood why wow hit home with so many as i thought the game was incredibly below average on all fronts, but it did 'lower the bar' if you will.
Comments
I dont play anymore, and sorta dislike what the company has become but I will say yes it is the best mmo ever (to this point in time) and here is why.
Greatest Hits, Hall of Famers, or "best" things tend to identify things that are widely accepted and credited with setting new records, or standards for their category .
That said, WoW blew the gates open for MMO acceptance from a more niche group of gamers to include a variety of gamers and even brought in non-gamers.
So by my understanding, WoW for better or worse is currently the best MMO in a holistic sense of the game and what its accomplished.
...
...
However, its not my current best MMO, I no longer get joy out of content gating or pvp balance being gated behind gear grinding.
Aloha Mr Hand !
Some profound insight here I couldn't muster. Well put Krage!
(Played WoW for a few months and never really enjoyed it. Didn't hate it, and a few of my friends loved it.)
We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
(repeat ad infinitum)
Nope.
I might get banned for this. - Rizel Star.
I'm not afraid to tell trolls what they [need] to hear, even if that means for me to have an forced absence afterwards.
P2P LOGIC = If it's P2P it means longevity, overall better game, and THE BEST SUPPORT EVER!!!!!(Which has been rinsed and repeated about a thousand times)
Common Sense Logic = P2P logic is no better than F2P Logic.
It is the worst MMO ever. It dumbed down the genre to a point where a brain is not required to play and everything is served on a silver platter without much effort.
Crafting is clicking a button and waiting, combat is spamming a few buttons, easy mode arrow pointing no brain required game-play, quests hubs and the graphics are vomit inducing even back when it released.
It introduced MMO gaming to the entitlement generation (Generation Y) and we all suffer for it.
Wow is the best MMO ever. It was not my first PC or RPG or MMO. It was the best; however, in every aspect. I still play it. It is
easier than it was in 2004-2006. It was easy then too. I agree there are a lot of things Blizz does that doesn't make sense, but
their job is harder than you think. The game is 9 years old and the graphics are still above avg. (for their style) Millions of
quests that aren't broken. Millions of pieces of loot. The game just got boring for a lot of people and those nimble minded kids
didn't know how to react to something that they used to love so much and yet they are bored of it. It made them angry and they
didn't know how to express that emotion, so they bashed the game. There is nothing major that is wrong with WoW. Great
Lore, Great UI and tons of mods out there for customization. The PvP is decent, even though it's nothing but a CC fest and
centered around gear and very little skill.
I try to look at it like a New-B would. If you came to this game for the first time tomorrow, would it be good? If you played
EQ1/2/Rift/Vanguard/WAR/SWTOR or any of the many AAA titles out since WoW launched. You couldn't deny this game is better
than all of those games.
just because a lot of people play it does not make it the best..
Thats like saying McDonalds food is the best out there because so many people eat it..
You make a good point.
To further the analogy, WoW slowly added various features for convenience. In order to open the game up to a wider audience. You won't have 7-12 million playing a game that requires account sharing and 24/7 login time to stay competitive for PvP or farm the fire resist gear to beat vanilla MC :P
It offers sweet choices that fit the needs of a grand audience. LFR lets people experience raids that normally dont have the time. At the same time you have HardMode's available to progression guilds. The same idea exists for BG's and Arena/RBG's.
I know people will debate the good times of world pvp and how superior it is, but frankly in a system without regulation, absolutely the only outcome is chaos. In the form of griefing, camping, etc. WoW attempts to create the guise of world pvp with larger BG's and PvP Zones. They exist to foster that grand feeling, without any one side in particular feeling weaker or being at a massive disadvantage. Again, in the interest in convenience.
Sure, TM/SS raids were cool back in vanilla, but a larger audience requires structure, time schedule adherence, a chance for all to be included.
It really is like McDonalds. It isn't the best food (basically the worst food a person could eat), but it's an all inclusive massive gaming system that has something for everyone.
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
Not sure where you get the idea that EQ has more content than WoW, as the reason WoW overtook EQ so quickly, and substantially, was because there is a real lack of content in EQ, levelling in the game was really down to finding mobs in the wilds and killing them, later on dungeons of norrath was added which added what was mostly just repeatable content, with very little in the way of variation, even now the game has very little in the way of 'in game content' and the focus really is on end game raiding, and its not really like there is as many choices there as there is in WoW after all, and the ones in WoW are far more polished. EQ was a good enough game in its time, but that time is long past, and it didnt have near as much investment made into it as WoW did, so the age of the game is really no real gauge of the amount of content in the game.
Actually, it's not a terrible analogy. Fast and inexpensive. Think for a moment.
Inexpensive: I can run Wow on basically a 2004 computer. As opposed to other games. Like AoC or SWToR; at their release, many people didn't have a good enough computer to play these games. This fact adds immensely to it's availability to a wide audience.
Fast: A word synonymous with convenience. As you probably didn't read any of my post, I won't bother to explain this further than a few words. LFR, LFG, BG Queue, x-server Queueing, etc.
Your opinion on the taste of McDonald's is exactly how many people feel about WoW too, if you think about it. Not saying the quality of the product is analogous, because WoW is a very well made MMO. Though, there are many WoW haters. It's like saying McDonalds french fries taste terrible. No they don't. They are deep fried carbs with tons of fat and sodium. To any human they will taste fantastic. Still, people will swear up and down that they do, in fact, taste horrible. <- I.e. WoW haters :P
Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.
No, this is a fact known for a very long time and it is true for everything we produce, be it service or goods. It's mostly known as the productivity or production triangle.
Pick 1, 2 or 3:
In the case of WoW we have to pick 3. It's low cost in both requirements and running cost and it's time requirements are low because everything is made as easy as possible. As a result the quality is extremely bad.
McDonalds is the same. It is fast, cheap but bad food.
You can apply this to anything. It is always true.
"could WoW be the best MMO ever?"
First up: [mod edit]
Secondly: Its been said 100 times already: Not even close
And finally: Its the biggest of its kind and it was the one that brought MMO's into the mainstream. But that doesnt mean its the best, not by a long shot. People that have been playing MMO's since they came out probably would not even put WoW in the top 10. I dont even think it makes the top 15 of some who play every MMO that comes out.
WoW did 3 things right that made it the success that it is. One, and this never seems to be talked about, it was the first major MMO of the broadband age. Us old schoolers played our MMO's on dial up! Two, the interface was simple and easy to learn, not as important to veteran gamers, but HUGE to new people to the genre. And third, it was the fist game to really have stylized graphics, everything was all cutesy and fuzzy. All this lead to a bunch of people who didnt play MMO's to play MMO's.
Is/Was Wow the best at:
Graphics - NO
Story/Lore - NO
Crafting - NO
Quest System - NO
Guilds - NO
Grouping/Social - NO
Map - NO
Loot System - NO
Interface - possible, at least very easy to learn
How can a game be the best if it doesnt do any one thing better than other games? It cant.
WoW was also not the first to do anything, it innovated nothing. Other than stylized graphics maybe. SWG introduced in game mail and an AH long before WoW did.
WoW is a game good for virgin MMO'ers with just enough to keep some veterans playing. It has its place but it is not anywhere near the top of the list.
[mod edit]You do make a good point that I agree with. After so many years of loving and playing WOW some people simply got bored. Instead of just accepting this and moving to a new game they have to find a reason. They have to vilify Blizzard for ruining their game. They have a hard time facing the loss of years put into the game. The fact is a lot simply got bored. I do not hold any mmo that precious, sure I love WOW but it is still entertainment to me despite the fact I raise the question is it the best ever. Sure some left because of game changes but in my opinion more left for boredom of years of play. If WOW was released as it is today people would have loved it and this idea of vanilla WOW would not exist. When you devote night after night year after year into one game you will get bored. That is not necessarily Blizzard's fault.
EQ didn't lose players to a lack of content. It's design (death penalties, forced grouping, raid centric at cap), customer support, performance (terrible performance for what was at the time of WoW a very aging game graphically), graphics all were reasons people left, yours is the first time I have ever heard someone say I ran out of things to see and do.
EQ may not have a great deal of varied content however it does have a huge amount of content and lore within the game. However WoW really doesn't have that much variation in much of it's content either, where you grind mobs in EQ you grind quests in WoW (of which there are painfully few types repeated throughout). Both games massively recycle assets (you would be hard pressed to find any game that doesn't of this genre).
EQ does simply have more content. That content may not appeal to you due to it's polish, or it's aging graphics or it's design but to dismiss it because it similar while forgiving WoW the same flaws does show bias.
I agree, EQs best days are long gone however my point still stands. WoW's content IS more polished and varied, has a great deal more investment behind it but even today it still isn't the largest game. Both are good games though they cater to different people (though far less so now than back at the launch of WoW).
To me it will probably always be original EQ but I have no issues at all with someone saying WoW. When you talk complete MMO's I generally think of EQ, WOW and now GW2 as possible titles to win this. I don't even like GW2 that much but it is just so much ahead of all the other MMOs that have come out the past few years.
I'd have to include special mentions to games like DAOC and SB but they weren't really complete MMOs. Someone will say UO but the mechanics behind the game were just too shoddy for me to rate it. EVE probably gets a special mention too but it is so different I don't really think of it as an MMORPG.
My hope for the future is EQ Next. Not so much because I think that game will be amazing but it is the one game coming out that actually is trying to revolutionize the genre and if future games build off of it things will get better.
WOW has it's flaws but i would easily put in my top 10 even tho i dislike WOW after WOTLK
EQ2 fan sites
naming the best MMO ever is like naming the best food ever.
To me, Pizza from Lombardi's is the best food ever. hundreds of thousands of my fellow new yorkers think grimaldi's is the best food ever, and another half a million think John's of bleecker is the best food ever. And so on, and so on.
Wow is a successful MMO and for many people it's the best MMO ever.
for me it's good, but eve is the best MMO ever.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
World of Warcraft will be the first single game in the world that will break the 10 billion dollar revenue bracket.
That's more than ALL time best 6 blockbusters in the history of the movie industry combined.
That's 10 times more than GTA5.
Anyone comparing it with Justin Bieber or Mac Donalds is really the laughing stock in town these days.... as all the rest of the terrible fantasy MMO bunch went free to play.
It is NOT because WOW is that awesome.
It is because the rest is simply so pathetically bad.
Anyone even wanting to discuss WOW and its top number one position simply falls flat on his face. Imagine trying to count from 1 dollar to 10.000.000.000...
And all those dollars came from men and women who paid to play the game. Nothing more nothing less.