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The WoW = McDonalds analogy

PorfatPorfat Member Posts: 364

A big reason more eat at McDonald's than Outback's or comparable steakhouses is a meal in Outback's will set you back 3X or more dollars than a meal at McDonalds or comparable fast food places.

Another reason more people eat at McDonalds is that there are more McDonalds than other fast food chains and alot more than Outbacks.

 

Last time I checked  WoW's basic subscription price was $15/month.    This is about the top end of fees for a MMO.     WoW has gourmet prices not fast food prices.

Last time I checked everyone with access to a computer and internet could play all the released game on the MMORPG.com list.   (I'll give you that WoW has lower system requirement that some games  Esp the new ones)

If McDonalds, Wendys,  BurgerKing,  Outbacks and Texas Roadhouse were on the same block and charged the same price for a meal and one of the stores had 10X the sales of anyother store on the block.   An intelligent person could make a reasonable assumption that the quality of the dining experience in that store is better than the others.

 

Disclaimer:  I no longer play WoW anymore but get annoyed when people are dismissive of WoW's success.  It might not be your cup of tea but it is still quality tea.

Edit:  Minor changes for clarity

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Comments

  • ZindaihasZindaihas Member UncommonPosts: 3,662

    You know, I've noticed something...any thread with "WoW" in the title is bound to become a hot topic on this forum.  Not only can we not get enough playing WoW, we also can't get enough discussing it.  Well what the heck, might as well milk it for all its worth.

    WoW may be the fast food of MMOs, I don't know.  The only comparison I can make personally to this is that I don't eat fast food and I don't play WoW, so there may be something to this.

  • TatumTatum Member Posts: 1,153

    I think a better comparison would be a big budget, block buster movie.  Not the cheesy, summer flick, but the block buster movie with several big name actors and a solid script.  The downside being that these type of movies are some what predictable with that feeling that you've some how "seen this movie before", even when you haven't.

  • r0hnr0hn Member Posts: 185

    You are way off on your analogy.  Actually you spend more time comparing Mcdonald's and Outback than WoW to ???

    WoW is like Mcdonald's not because of the price.  WoW is like McDonald's because it's consistently mediocre and delivers the same thing over and over and over. 

    McDonalds equals Billions Served

    WoW equals Millions Served

  • inmysightsinmysights Member UncommonPosts: 441

    WoW is the real toontown online, we all know it!

    I am so good, I backstabbed your face!

  • VolkmarVolkmar Member UncommonPosts: 2,501

    Originally posted by r0hn


    You are way off on your analogy.  Actually you spend more time comparing Mcdonald's and Outback than WoW to ???
    WoW is like Mcdonald's not because of the price.  WoW is like McDonald's because it's consistently mediocre and delivers the same thing over and over and over. 
    McDonalds equals Billions Served
    WoW equals Millions Served
    No game would be able to survive offering "mediocre" stuff over and over. You should check your facts, get off that bandage from your eyes and realize that WoW content is quite high quality.

    You might not like the TYPE of content or even the TYPE of game, but insulting some of the best devs on the whole planet is short sighted, would be like saying that Sid Meyer is just a fool as he makes the same games (Civlization) over and over and over again!

    "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime"



  • CzzarreCzzarre Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 3,742

    The whole premise of the OP is that WoW is somehow lower quality that other MMOs currently released. I disagree. Love it or Hate it, WoW is currently the best overall PVE game currently released. Other games may moderatly surpass WoW is one or two areas, but taken as a whole, WoW rises above

  • GameloadingGameloading Member UncommonPosts: 14,182

    Originally posted by r0hn


    You are way off on your analogy.  Actually you spend more time comparing Mcdonald's and Outback than WoW to ???
    WoW is like Mcdonald's not because of the price.  WoW is like McDonald's because it's consistently mediocre and delivers the same thing over and over and over. 
    McDonalds equals Billions Served
    WoW equals Millions Served
    I'm afraid you're the one who is way off on your analogy.

    WoW is mediocre? Tons of reviewers, award givers and 10 million people are going to disagree with you.

    Delivers the same thing over and over and over? Congratulations, you have just described nearly every single mmorpg in existance.

  • gathgath Member Posts: 424

    You people should stop wasting time trying to look cool at the same time you are trying to take "the game" down.

    Waste of time, waste of energy. We have seen more threads about how mutch WoW sucks, then the actual players that stopped playing it.

     

    If you think it's so bad quality, stop wasting your time doing nothing (i consider this thread, and similar threads, nothing) and DO SOMETHING productive, like help other games to become good, help programmers/developers to understand what "quality" is, hell!! make a game yourself!

     

    edit: btw, dont play it anymore, quitted some months back, but you dont see me posting how mutch it sucks, do you? Why? Because... there is no point in it.

    _________________

    Senhores da Guerra

  • PorfatPorfat Member Posts: 364

    I guess I wasn't clear I think WoW = McDonalds is a bad analogy.  

    I think a better analogy for WoW detractors would be WoW = a huge grossing movie that is not very good.  For example WoW = Independance Day.     

    Personally I think WoW = The first Lord of the RIngs movie.   Very sucessful yet very well crafted movie. 

     

    Reason I brought this thread up is because I see the McDonalds = WoW analogy a lot  and its not a good one.

    The reason billions eat at McDonalds is not because its mediocre its because its quality Fast Food.   Most McDonalds are clean,  have good service and good food for the class of restraut they are in.  

    McDonalds does not have  gourmet food or gourmet service.    But they are not charging gourmet prices.  They are not in that class of restrauts. 

    WoW,  EQ, EQ2, LOTRO,  Vanguard, and etc are all in the same class - MMORPGs yet one has an order of magintude of  more subscriptions than the others.    And it is not because its mediocre.  

    Please excuse my spelling.

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    I love the analogy, ive used the analogy, and i think the analogy works pretty well.

    People (me included) eat at McDonalds because it is fast and easy. You dont have to think alot going through a McDonalds drive through.

    WoW is also fast and easy.

    See, it works fine.

    Plus the analogy is primarily used when people spout off that 10 million people cant be wrong. Well, in fact, 10 million people CAN be wrong.

    Things that over 10 million people believed:

    The world is flat- Wrong

    The Sun revolves around the Earth- Wrong

    WoW is the greatest MMO ever made- Wrong

    I often hate on WoW but in reality i dont think WoW is all that bad. But i also dont think it is all that good.

  • coffeecoffee Member Posts: 2,007

    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet

    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet

    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.

    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.

    image

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    Originally posted by coffee


    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet
    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet
    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.
    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.
    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.

    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.

    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.

    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.

  • coffeecoffee Member Posts: 2,007

    Originally posted by safwd


     
    Originally posted by coffee


    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet
    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet
    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.
    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.
    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.

     

    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.

    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.

    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.

    Fast? in what regard?

    Easy? If you chose the easy road yes.. all mmos have an easy road

    Forgetable? personal opinion

    .... how is wow like macdonalds again?

    image

  • Demz2Demz2 Member Posts: 435

    Originally posted by safwd


     
    Originally posted by coffee


    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet
    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet
    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.
    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.
    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.

     

    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.

    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.

    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.

    Jesus the stupidity of people on this site is just astonishing.  You claim a multi award winning, critclly acclaimed game that is played by millions and the fastest selling pc game of all time mediocre? 

    Jesus you could give all mmos a mcdonalds analogy, all mmos have easy and hard parts.  Time to get out of your hate filled bubble and move on, unless there is nothing out there you even like or do you just jump from game to game?

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    Originally posted by coffee


     
    Originally posted by safwd


     
    Originally posted by coffee


    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet
    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet
    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.
    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.
    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.

     

    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.

    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.

    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.

    Fast? in what regard?

    Easy? If you chose the easy road yes.. all mmos have an easy road

    Forgetable? personal opinion

     

    .... how is wow like macdonalds again?

    Fast- As a very casual player it took me a hair over 2 months to reach max level (the last two weeks of that were me forcing myself to get on and play), that equals fast.

    Easy- You can go from 1 to 50 by following a never ending chain of quests. You never have to figure out anything for yourself because some NPC is always there to tell you where to go next. In the first 50 levels you have to try really hard to die. You can play the first 50 levels without ever interacting with another human, i.e. solo the intire way, with EVERY class. These things equate to easy.

    Forgetable- There is nothing memorable so that makes it forgetable. But yes, that is an opinion.

    How is it like McDonalds. Read my last post again.

  • GishgeronGishgeron Member Posts: 1,287

    Originally posted by safwd


    I love the analogy, ive used the analogy, and i think the analogy works pretty well.
    People (me included) eat at McDonalds because it is fast and easy. You dont have to think alot going through a McDonalds drive through.
    WoW is also fast and easy.
    See, it works fine.
    Plus the analogy is primarily used when people spout off that 10 million people cant be wrong. Well, in fact, 10 million people CAN be wrong.
    Things that over 10 million people believed:
    The world is flat- Wrong
    The Sun revolves around the Earth- Wrong
    WoW is the greatest MMO ever made- Wrong
    I often hate on WoW but in reality i dont think WoW is all that bad. But i also dont think it is all that good.

      I would say it WAS that good...but that they chose a very safe and very dull direction.  They could have chosen to focus on its awesome aspects and advance those, but did not.  Instead they have favored heavily into instancing and timesinks.  WoW in its first 2 years was pretty dang awesome...and I remember each moment of it fondly.  More fondly than I recall any other MMO I have ever played.

      Right about the time they released their 7th raid...I realized what it was.  They shot down PvP, and most of it was knee-jerk reactions to what happened when Honor released.  All told, its still probably the most enjoyable PvP game right now.  Not because the PvP is that good, no...not on its best day.  But because it has the playerbase to BACK it, and there are still other things to do when you just don't feel like PvP.  I have to give them props for being a game with kinda bad PvP mechanics which still manages to get massive amounts of players PvPing ANYWAY.  I mean, DAoC had a much better system for it....and it couldn't even come close to the amount of PvP players WoW has on its worst day.  Thats gotta say something...and might have a lot to do with WAR's current direction as we speak.

    image

  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 3,852

    Originally posted by safwd


     


    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.
     
    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.
    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.
    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.
    Obviously WoW is in no way "forgettable". People feel compelled to talk about WoW on a daily basis after they have quit the game or never even having actually played it.

    The WoW/McDonald's analogy is not a good one but I doubt anyone that makes that analogy cares.

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    Originally posted by Demz2


     
    Originally posted by safwd


     
    Originally posted by coffee


    Mac'donaolds = 1 of the lowest rated food on the planet
    WoW = the highest rated MMO on the planet
    ...how is wow like macdonalds again? you certainly cannot compare the 2 on quality.
    But we will always have people spouting this analogy becuase they think they are being clever when most of us know they are far from that if they believe WoW is Macdonalds.
    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.

     

    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.

    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.

    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.

     

    Jesus the stupidity of people on this site is just astonishing.  You claim a multi award winning, critclly acclaimed game that is played by millions and the fastest selling pc game of all time mediocre? 

    Jesus you could give all mmos a mcdonalds analogy, all mmos have easy and hard parts.  Time to get out of your hate filled bubble and move on, unless there is nothing out there you even like or do you just jump from game to game?

    Look, you may like WoW, but yes, i think WoW is mediocre.

    WoW did nothing for the genre except make it easier.

    WoW is vastly popular i give you that. It was created from a very popular IP which brought in a huge crowd that had never actually played a MMO before. It was the first western MMO with graphics that appealed to the asian market. It can be played on a computer that you build out of legos. It has a very simple learning curve and pre end game really does not require much skill to be able to play well.

    These are all great things for making a popular game.

    What WoW has also done is completely kill original thought in the MMO genre. Granted that isnt their fault but it is fact. The genre used to be diverse and now it is everyone trying to make a WoW clone. Again not WoWs fault but some of us really dont want a WoW clone because we dont think WoW brought anything to the table other then ease.

    Like it if you want. Think it is the greatest if you want. Hang up pictures of all the awards its won if you want.

    Yes, i think it is mediocre.

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    Originally posted by Xiaoki


     
    Originally posted by safwd


     


    Of course WoW is not McDonalds.
     
    McDonalds is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in fast food.
    WoW is a fast, easy and a forgetable choice in MMOs.
    They are not the same thing, they just have similar qualities.
    Obviously WoW is in no way "forgettable". People feel compelled to talk about WoW on a daily basis after they have quit the game or never even having actually played it.

     

    The WoW/McDonald's analogy is not a good one but I doubt anyone that makes that analogy cares.

    Your right, WoW obviously isnt forgettable (sorry about missing that T) because i still talk about it after i quit playing it.

    Perhaps i meant to say that the game itself is forgettable but my disagreement that it is a great game is not forgettable.

  • mrdoublerrmrdoublerr Member Posts: 269

    lol that last guy always has a excuse for why wow suck,

    like this one lol funny, Perhaps i meant to say that the game itself is forgettable but my disagreement that it is a great game is not forgettable.

    lol ----|>: I often hate on WoW but in reality i dont think WoW is all that bad. But i also dont think it is all that good.

    wow = britney spears

  • safwdsafwd Member Posts: 879

    Originally posted by mrdoublerr


    lol that last guy always has a excuse for why wow suck,
    like this one lol funny, Perhaps i meant to say that the game itself is forgettable but my disagreement that it is a great game is not forgettable.
    lol ----|>: I often hate on WoW but in reality i dont think WoW is all that bad. But i also dont think it is all that good.
    wow = britney spears
    I dont make excuses why WoW sucks. Why would i, i didnt create the game.

    I just try to point out reasons why i dont think it's that good.

    And those two quotes were great!!!!

    And ya, your right about the WoW=Britney Spears

    It was kind of fun to look at for awhile but it doesnt take long to figure out that there is no depth inside the pretty package.

  • RekindleRekindle Member UncommonPosts: 1,206

    Wow is a success of game client quality, marketing and mass appeal.  The comparison between Macdonalds is accurate. One may question the quality of Macdonalds food but a cheeseburger in Southern Florida is gonna taste very similar to one made at a Macdonalds in Northern Alberta.  Similarly, people can now talk about their Raids around the water cooler.

    People who judge things because they are popular are just as bad as the people who use things because tehy are popular. 

    Marketing, quality of teh game and mass appeal has made wow what it is.  I don't like WoW for me, i think its the perfect standard for MMORPGs and for taht reason alone I am sort of anti -wow, but no one can detract from the fact Blizzard did a lot of things right.

  • bestiacorpusbestiacorpus Member Posts: 114

    WoW is considered by most as the McDonalds of mmo because:

    1. it's for the masses

    >young or old, casual or hardcore, PvEr or PvPer, noob or vet--- you'll find something in the game that will keep you hooked for a loooooong time

    I know an 8 year old who farms Arena pts. My old raiding guild leader is 54 years old and he plays with his son and his son's son annnnnd the raid warning announcer wife.

    2. it's one the cheapest of all quality products out there

    >you still pay for sub but you don't have to buy a new computer to play this game

    i still play this game from time to time to check on my online friends using a 6year old Dell computer. :)

    3. almost fast food

    >you can do quick PvE mob grinds, PvP via BG or WorldPvP (if you know where to find people  ie, farm spots)

    It took me less than an hour to complete all the new Daily Quests with my main and alt. 300g easy. Don't forget the 200+honor I got from killing the other faction on the way to the quest spots.

    So, buy new / upgrade computer to meet new untested game's ridiculous requirements or save $ and play an award winning almost-bigger-than-country game? TY for dining. 

  • HvymetalHvymetal Member Posts: 355
    Originally posted by bestiacorpus



     
    So, buy new / upgrade computer to meet new untested game's ridiculous requirements or save $ and play an award winning almost-bigger-than-country game? TY for dining. 



    Just had to respond to this part, well in part because I am going to upgrade my computer to play other types of games that are coming out that also have those ridiculous requirements as well. I prefer a more varied diet..........

  • MaeEyeMaeEye Member UncommonPosts: 1,106

    If WoW is McDonalds, then what the hell are games like D&D Online and Dark & Light?

     

    I think it's safe to say that WoW is more like Red Lobster.  You get great service (depending where you live), you can sit down and enjoy a nice seafood dinner (WoW is fun, we all can admit that).  And when your done, your freaking FULL (WoW will fill you a bit, make you wonder WHY did I play all that, hence...why did I eat all that food.)

     

    I would compare McDonalds more to Tabula Rasa or some other not so great game.  It looks good on paper, or for food sakes....commercials, but when you get in your remembered why you don't go to that restaurant anymore.

    /played-mmorpgs

    Total time played: 9125 Days, 21 Hours, 29 Minutes, 27 Seconds
    Time played this level: 39 Days, 1 Hour, 24 Minutes, 5 Seconds

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