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Why is WoW so successful
Mitara
Member UncommonPosts: 755
Why have WoW seen such big success? Now passing 10 million this is the exact question all us game-developers wants to know. Whats your take?
Comments
A combination of first 3..
But serioulsy, after you tried out WoW, it's hard to get past the first 10 hours of other MMO even if they have better end game content.
Cause it's good.
What is it thats so good in the first 10 hours?
There was a lot of things that went into making WoW a great game. In my opinion here are some that stand out to me!
The land is wide open with no loading screens.
Ever class/race has a purpose were they fit into the game.
The ability to solo on your own or quest with others and lvl at about the same pace.
Being able to go pvp even at extremely low lvls.
The ability to take a character and customize it to your playing style.
These are just a few of the things that stand out in WoW to me!
BTW learn to make an unbiased poll!
Option # 11 : Because it's simply the best MMORPG out there
Its the combination of good gameplay and good marketing. They brought in a LOT of first timers into the game. First time players are more loyal and less likely to complain about the game ..thus it keeps theym playing
Torrential
Torrential: DAOC (Pendragon)
Awned: World of Warcraft (Lothar)
Torren: Warhammer Online (Praag)
All of the above. And I'm not totally discounting the whole selling their souls to the devil theory either.
Why is there no "Shallow and generic gameplay appeals to the sea of MMO noobs" option?
Bans a perma, but so are sigs in necro posts.
EAT ME MMORPG.com!
One of the important factors early on that contributed to WoWs success is that it was fun and easily accessible to everyone.
Most other MMOs take pride in making all aspects of the gameplay an arduous, mind numbing chore that feels more like being punched in the nuts than getting something accomplished.
Couldn't vote as it was a weighted pole!
The answer is easy for all to see, it is just that some have different angles on it, but the main word that jumps out is;
Accessible
It is truely a game that the whole family can play together as i do along with my father, brother and sons. Easy to use and customise interface along with a steady learning curve means that anyone from the new MMO player to the most hardcore can get along together.
The other aspect is that the lower technical requirements leave it open for pretty much anyone other than those with the oldest of equipment to play the game. Functionality will always win over glitz in gaming, it always has done as it doesn't matter how good something looks if very few people can play it and this is especially true with MMO's.
Yes WoW gets accused of 'stealing' idea from other games, but that happens in gaming all the time, but it is knowing what bits to take and how to improve on them that makes them successful (and if we were honest, all fantasy MMO's owe it all to D&D at the end of the day). Also knowing when your product is in need of updating is important and that is another thing that Blizzard does well, they look at what players want and what is happening in the market and react to it.
WoW isnt the best of everything, but it is very polished and does what it does very well.
It must be Thursday, i never could get the hang of Thursdays.
World of Warcaft is a polished and well done game that introduced many new gamers to the market. New gamers tend to be very unbiased and loyal as they don't have much to compare with. Also:
WoW is an MMO for the masses. As has been stated before people who would never have played a computer game or at least not an MMO play WoW. Grannys to banking executives to house wives to hardcore gamers play WoW. When WoW came out, and this is still pretty much the case, anyone could take an off the shelf machine from Walmart and get WoW to run. Hell I played it when it first came out because the other MMOs that were scheduled needed a much heavier machine and I couldn't afford to upgrade then. WoW is an enigma, an once in a lifetime event. Thus it is a mutation and its success will probably never be repeated on this scale.
""But Coyote, you could learn! You only prefer keyboard and mouse because that's all you've ever known!" You might say right before you hug a rainforest and walk in sandals to your drum circle where you're trying to raise group consciousness of ladybugs or whatever it is you dirty goddamn hippies do when you're not busy smoking pot and smelling bad."
Coyote's Howling: Death of the Computer
There's so many good answers to this question and yet none of your poll's options explain the REAL reasons behind its success. I could sit here and write huge paragraphs for each of the reasons for WoW's success but due to time limit on my part I will do us both a favor and just mention them as clearly as I can with as little detail as possible. These are in no particular order of importance.
Background lore/story. WoW had almost 10 years of history behind it by the time it came out therefore the developers had clear ideas on which direction they were going with the continuation of the history, the quest arcs offered in the game, and most importantly the land of azeroth and major raid encounters. These things has been thought of, for the most part, way before the MMO came to mind. A clear example of what I mean is the world of Azeroth itself. Because of the previous titles, Blizzard already had a clear idea of how the world would look...the map was already drawn for previous WarCraft titles. The zones were already designed to them, how they'd look etc.
Blizzard advertisement was, and now is even moreso, stronger then most gaming companies. Alongside this fact, they have insanely strong ties with the Eastern world/Asian market due simply because of the StarCraft title. And lets face it, recent news show that 5.5 million WoW players are from the Eastern globe therefore that right there is 50% of their success.
Timing was perfect. Despite the fact that the release of EQ2 was almost alongside it, WoW has a perfect release time. For the most part, EQ players were worn out of the game and thus needed something DIFFERENT...not more of the same with number 2 next to it so they went after WoW as opposed to EQ2. Another reason was because EQ2 was not created by McQuaid (ignore the image of Vanguard for a minute) it drove them right into WoW...so any chance of the MMO players being split between the 2 games was destroyed right there. From there on, it pretty much snowballed into the giant it is today.
The game itself was clean, open, few bugs when compared to previous and recently released titles and therefore the playerbase enjoyed that part of the game. After all no one really wants to fight a mob and deal with multiple unavoidable variety of bugs.
The fact that the game was cartoony was new the MMO population...interesting and refreshing to say the least (at the time of course). Because of t his, most computers could handle it and the game itself wasnt pushing for state of t he art graphics and therefore MORE options for people to play. There was no need to think about that new videocard u wanted to buy JUST to play 1 game...you could just install and play with you 2-3 even 4 year old computer.
As someone previously mentioned in one of the above replies, WoW introduced the MMO world to alot of first timers who are often so excited about it they love no matter what. WoW made them not only believe in MMO's but love Blizzard for it and theres little that can be done to drive them away (in search for different games).
Luck! Believe it or not luck had something to do with their success. An anomaly that cannot be explained happened. Nothing like this will ever happen again. The fact that WoW reached 10 million players recently is NOT all due to the above reasons I mentioned. Obviously they had alot to do with it, but as I said, luck was involved alongside it and thats why what has happened--has happened. Most games coming out soon or in the future are trying...or at the very least (will) attempt to create games to match WoW, but that will not happened in the near future. Simply not possible. If Blizzard itself tried to do this again, they could not. Like I said, anomaly...cannot be explained; no reason. IT--JUST--HAPPENED.
Obviously these reasons are not all. The game developers love for the game, the people behind the storyline, their artists, skills etc have had so much to do with the success just they're usually KNOWN for all games. I mean honestly...what kind of developer would make a game they done like? These reasons are usually like common kowledge.
Looks like the post became long regardless of what I initially said. Oh well, enjoy! =P
I didn't vote in your poll since none of the answers seemed right.
Personally playing WoW is fun for me.
Playing EQ or AO ... the other 2 games I put a fair amount of time into was like pushing a pile of sand with a toothpick. I honestly regret the amount of time I spent in those 2 games.
I am extremely dissappointed with SoE and Funcom. I feel let down by them. So much so I doubt I will ever play any of thier games for any significant amount of time ever again.
Though to be completely honest, if WoW was not available I probably would be subscribed to another game. Subscribed but not really very happy.
As it is I am quite happy with WoW.
Couple of reasons stand out.
1) Casual friendly. I can't emphasize this enough. I *had to* quit EQ because I have a wife, kids and a job and I just don't have 6 hours to camp something that may or may not drop. Blizzard understands this and don't gimp us who can only play a little a day.
2) Polish and problem free. All the little things count. Blizzard's attention to detail is unparalleled. Everything looks fluid. New users are given simple quests so that they can learn the game. Newbie zones are very well design.
3) Good reviews + awards help. The game basically markets itself.
4) Awareness. A Southpark episode did more for the game than all the commercials they could buy. Now WOW is in the pop culture and will be people's first stop on trying a MMORPG.
One of the aspects of this game is that is truly relaxing to play. The phenomenon that occured here the large and ever-growing number of professional adults that play the game. IN my guild alone I have 2 lawyers, 2 doctors, several architects, many folks that own their own businesses, teachers, (me included here), nurses, and various other white collar types.
I really don't mind if the game is rather simplistic and neither do the vast legion of adult gamers out there. It's the escapism, the ability to go to fantasy places and leave the stress behind. Most of us are NOT "hard-core" gamers but "hard core" professionals and family members. Our jobs and family responsibilities come first!
I have over 206 members in my guild and less that 15 are below the age of 18. Average in my guild is about 30. Many have families the tend to before coming into game.
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
Because most intelligent people like to look beyond the stereotype.
Its the first MMO specialy made for children, that makes it successful
Couldn't vote, not really a valid poll.
Simple answer, they introduced a quest driven game play model which the average player found more interesting than being thrown out into the wild to go find camps of mobs to grind up on.
They also made it far more solo friendly than most of its predecessors, and the gaming community has proven this was a change they welcomed.
It removed many of the timesinks that its predecessors had and released a polished, smoothly operating game (yes, I remember the lag of the first month or so)
Finally, it was not coded to the latest high end rigs, it ran on everyone's PC, something few games (outside of Asian ones) had bothered to do in recent times.
Who the hell are you, and why should I care?
Congrats! You are a victim of Trollstar!
Wasted hours on Starcraft? HOURS WASTED ON STARCRAFT?!?!
Option #11: The OP is confused why so many people hate the greatest game of all time, Daikatana.
In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own.
-Thomas Jefferson
Low graphical requirements should be on the poll, which is the main reason along with marketing.
You could also throw in an extra choice, "Cuz of da phat lewtz."
Can't forget what I'll call (for lack of an official term I'm aware of) "The Phenomenon Effect". When ever something is popular and gets attention, many people don't want to feel "left out" and so jump on the bandwagon so they can say they were "there".
Cabbage Patch Dolls, Furbies, Tickle Me Elmo and, no doubt many other examples can come to mind... Those are all things that most people had never even heard of before, and would likely have never given a second thought had they not become so wildly popular/in-demand. But they got them... why? So they could be part of that phenomenon and show all their friends "look, I got one!"
Someone I used to work with doesn't play games, has never owned a console in his life... He made sure to get a Wii - which sat in his living room as a show-piece that he never used. Why? Because of all the hoopla around it, he *had* to make sure he had one. Nothing more than bragging rights. I wouldn't be surprised if he's sold it by now.
On that note, I've met so many people who never heard the word "Blizzard" before, didn't know what WarCraft was, knew nothing of the lore and, heck, didn't even know what a MMO was. All they knew is that there was this wildly popular game out that everyone seemed to be playing, and they wanted to be in on it. That is the entire reason they started playing - a polished game, low learning curve, high production values and all that didn't factor into it at all for them. They wanted to "be part of something big".
Outside of that, I think it's a mix of Blizzard being an established name and Warcraft being an established IP with a built-in audience. I also think it's undeniable that the game's very deliberately simplified playstyle (aka "accessibility") is a contributing factor.
One thing that bugs me is the people who feel they need to bash any game that isn't "accessible enough" for them or, more specifically, isn't WoW. Why? Some people actually do enjoy playing other MMOs that are slower-paced or not as "accessible". Believe it or not, not *everyone* likes WoW. To correct someone's comment in an earlier post, WoW is not *everyone's* first stop in MMOs. I know of many people who got into MMOs recently, but have never touched WoW and have no interest in it, for whatever reason. I've asked a few of them why they didn't give WoW a try and they were like "I looked at it. Just didn't look interesting to me".
But back on point, personally, WoW bores me. I'm not knocking it. I think it's a well-designed, polished game and that it's consistent with Blizzard's products. However, the gameplay just isn't my style. I play for maybe a month and find myself getting really bored with it. That said, seriously, just because WoW is "the holy grail" for some, doesn't mean every other game not modeled after it sucks or is flawed. It simply means that it's not for you. Just like WoW isn't for me or the others who don't play it. Some people like Pepsi, some like Coke... Some don't like either and prefer Sprite. To each their own.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Why is WoW so successful:
1. Free open world you go anywhere and do anything you want there. No loading screens to take you out of the fun.
2. Choices. Classes are different and offer a wide variety of what to do and who to be.
3. Polish. It works. It is stylistically polished as well - like the toon look or not it is polished.
4. Easy to get into and with depth you can delve into if you wish at end-game.
As usual on these boards this post will bring many detractors but that's why ti is successful.
WoW has not free open world. It's pretty zoned crap. Each zone has its level range 10-19, 20-29, and one two three exits to other zones. Pretty linear world.
2) Classes are different but there is nothing between. You can't mix them. YOu have some cookie cutter builds. Classes and customization is obviously one of the worst features of WoW.
3) Polish after 3 and half years should be there, but still isnt. My friends that play WoW still bitch about many bugs in classes (rogue vanish thing, hunter's pet etc) that are not getting fixed yet even after 3 and half years. And if you recall the wow beginnings, server char wipe out, server maintance extended for 2-3 days, lots and lots of quests bugged etc.
4) Easy to get into with no depth yeh. The mechanics are very simple (that's what depth means). You have 5 attributes, then critical chance, to hit chance, bonus to varius spell schools, healing bonus and that's it. You have mounts either 60% speed or 100% speed, nothing between. You can't make horseshoes as a blacksmith you can't make saddlebags as leatherworker. That's what depth means. This game has none. It's item centric crap.
REALITY CHECK