Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Sorry here's an old favourite of mine I am the youngest (14) of my 300+ guild.

Also OP and many of the new escapees in general, punctuation and grammar are your friends!

Not Good:
Endless amounts of grind in a never-ending game? I'm out.

I'm with Not Good on this one.

bowser610:

Thats a load of bull btw, i play about 2 hours a day on weekdays, and about 6 hours at night on weekends

Do you realise how much that is? i only spend about half an hour on my computer on weekdays as it is, and even then sometimes I just don't. But 6 hours on weekends? That's way too much. My opinion of WoW still stands, which is that it's not at all a bad game, just cripplingly addictive to many people, not to mention expensive.

I think the end of the South Park episode on WoW summed it up for me, at least in my interpretation. They were the most powerful players on the planet. After ages of grinding and leveling and defeating the scourge of the community, what could they finally do? "Play the game."
This is my problem with WoW. I don't want to invest so much time and money with the hope that I can actually start to have fun at level 80, months later, or more. A game is about the journey, not the destination. A game that is fraught with boredom until the very end would never stand up to to demands of the gaming community. Why does World of Warcraft get a free pass?

While I don't agree with people who just blandly bash a game without playing it, personally I have yet to find a person bashing WoW who isn't in some roundabout way... correct.

bowser610:
I would like to know why people bash wow, or mmos at all
I figure its because "people have no lives" or some stupid sh*t like that
I play wow, and i think it is awesome.
why all teh hate?

Cmon man, at least give a semi-intelligible "rant." I haven't seen any forums that really bash WoW in as much as you say they do. I used to play WoW for about two years, and i got totally addicted. People who played WoW have a life, and that life is WoW. You really shouldn't care what other people think if you like it, its an opinion. For example, i go to catholic school, and im a huge fucking metal head. Do you think i care what others think. FUCK NO. Get over it, not everyones going to sympathize with you.

WoW is a good game, and good value for the subscription fee. It's more expansive than say, 'Oblivion' and more customisable that games such as 'Champions of Norrath' (PS2/XBOX). Me and a few friends get together every so often and do a team instance, and it give us somehing to talk about when conversation runs dry. Its something social, and I think that the hilarious episode of South Park is to blame for its nerdy reputation.
Thanks.

I don't like them. That's why. You pay money to play a game that, if you want to get serious about it, you have to put in a lot of time. Add to that, the gameplay is never exactly as good as other games. I'd rather be playing a single player RPG, and I'm not huge RPG fan.

wow is far to cartoony for me thx

Yeah thats great.
What does 'teh' mean? Is it supposed to be a new spelling of 'the'?

Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Boy, would you be wrong.

As to the topic at hand, I think a lot of it is knee-jerk reaction, either from the idea of an MMO or from stereotypes that aren't entirely accurate most of the time. Are there people who are horribly addicted to WoW? Of course. Is it perfectly possible to play it, to see most of the content, and still maintain a life? Absolutely. Blizzard has made a game that you don't have to slave yourself to in order to get ahead - of course, some people do anyway.

That said, I truly believe that WoW is the pinnacle of modern MMORPG design (not that there aren't some great other games out there, but Blizzard is a developer on an entirely different level) and - particularly in its current WotLK incarnation - one of the best games ever made. Having met quite a few people on the WoW team this past October at Blizzcon (and visiting the Blizzard studios)... these people take incredible pride in what they do.

Does the game fall short at points? You bet - no game is perfect, and juggling 11.5 million players who all want something completely different out of the title is a feat for even a developer as talented and dedicated as Blizzard.

But there's so much excellence there it makes the shortcomings worth it.

I dislike the fact that people use the argument of WoW being "life-draining" as an excuse for calling it a bad game. It's not the game that deprives you of your social life, it's you. You chose to play the game to such an extent, the game doesn't force you to do it. As a matter of fact, I'm sure many people can testify that any "hobby" can be life-draining if you MAKE it life-draining. Personally, I've been locking myself inside, drawing, with a complete disregard of my social life - and I'm happy with that.

I can't say I understand WoW-players who let the so-called "bashing" get to them - if they enjoy the game, why let things like that get to you? I don't.

There's three kinds of hate that WoW gets - from people who've never or hardly played it, from people who've played it and currently don't, and from its current players. Which one are you referring to?

People who've never or hardly played it - that's been hashed out pretty well in the thread. There's the stereotyping, the "no life" labeling, the hate of the pervasiveness of it into gaming culture, and the like. Whether or not that is legitimate or informed, it's there, and will always be there.

People who've played it and currently don't are another breed. I'm the "Number One" role (minus the beard and hand wringing Riker usually does) at a Warhammer Online fansite, and we deal every day with people who mindlessly bash on WoW rather than have a good discussion about the differences. I'm an ex-WoW player, having gone all the way to Naxxramas pre-TBC, and I dislike the game for my own reasons. Others do as well. That kind of hate is also rational or irrational depending on the argument.

Then there's the people who currently play it. I honestly think the WoW-bashing that occurs from people who don't play the game pales in comparison to the angst, ranting, and rage that happens daily on WoW's own forums from people who currently play the game. The amount of things that upset a player can range from something as small as a bonus item or chance encounter all the way to the highest-end gear and class balance issues. For all the attacking people do on WoW from outside its halls, its current players sometimes seem to hate the game more than they do (but unfortunately can't tear themselves away from it).

For me, my main gripe with WoW extends to my main gripe with a lot of Blizzard titles - they're "McDonaldized" content, geared towards the lowest common denominator, worship the great subscriber number over unique and meaningful game design, and make things terribly generic so that anyone can pick up and play the game. The kind of widespread appeal that Blizzard creates may be seen as a positive to some, but to me, it's a negative, because Frankensteining the best of mechanics from other titles into a package meant for everyone to play doesn't always translate to innovative, interesting design, just recycled. And that's especially apparent in WoW, where the design is geared towards keeping someone who is an addict hooked and forcing them to play constantly to get ahead of the curve. I'm sure this isn't laziness and Blizzard is dedicated to high-quality content. They are to be commended for creating an MMO with such immense appeal. It's just not really a translation into a good game in my opinion.

In essence, WoW and Blizzard don't deserve some of the hate they get, but the design of the game as it stands doesn't discourage that kind of burning hatred, either.

I don't hate or bash WoW I just don't like it. I tried it and it just isn't for me.

It's probably the controls. I don't like the W,A,S,D control of WoW.

megapenguinx:
Personally I don't like MMORPGs because I believe you should only have to pay once to play a game...but that's just me

Interestingly, I found any argument complaining about the price faulty, because I look at it like this.

I buy the game, and play it for a month. That's 65 dollars. That's about the price of a PS3 or XBox360 game.

I play for two months. That's 80 dollars for two months. That's less than the price of two games for any system. Even if you buy a new game only once every three months, you still can't beat the price, and if you go for the long subscription you pay 12 dollars a month. Assuming you are still accessing new content (and there is always more to see) you are fine, and honestly, if you are willing to play a different game multiple times, this is even better.

Additionally, I still don't see how people continue to complain about the grind when there are endless variety of things that allow you to level up without grinding, and it is these areas where World of Warcraft shines. The reason it appeals to a mass amount of people is not because it dumbs everything down, but is because it allows you to make your own way of playing through the game. If you can't find any other way to get through it than just killing monsters but don't like the grind, fine, skip it. What kept me going was the quests and all the little stories that went along with them. Despite the basic fantasy setting (with some exceptions) the plotlines are generally well written and entertaining and usually there's a reason they want you to kill those monsters.

Additionally, there are a few really original and fun boss fights in the dungeons that I can't help but suggest are the best part of the game. Missing these is like playing Final Fantasy 7 and (somehow) not fighting Sephiroth.

The only game that has me beat for value for the money is Rock Band.

I have never played WoW, and as far as that goes, I probably never will. It's not that it may or may not be a bad game, or that I dislike the community around it. For one, the Warcraft series never really drew me in. Oh sure, the games were fun, I won't deny that. But something about them just never seemed to draw me in deep enough to want to pay monthly to play a game about it.

CantFaketheFunk:

Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Boy, would you be wrong.

As to the topic at hand, I think a lot of it is knee-jerk reaction, either from the idea of an MMO or from stereotypes that aren't entirely accurate most of the time. Are there people who are horribly addicted to WoW? Of course. Is it perfectly possible to play it, to see most of the content, and still maintain a life? Absolutely. Blizzard has made a game that you don't have to slave yourself to in order to get ahead - of course, some people do anyway.

That said, I truly believe that WoW is the pinnacle of modern MMORPG design (not that there aren't some great other games out there, but Blizzard is a developer on an entirely different level) and - particularly in its current WotLK incarnation - one of the best games ever made. Having met quite a few people on the WoW team this past October at Blizzcon (and visiting the Blizzard studios)... these people take incredible pride in what they do.

Does the game fall short at points? You bet - no game is perfect, and juggling 11.5 million players who all want something completely different out of the title is a feat for even a developer as talented and dedicated as Blizzard.

But there's so much excellence there it makes the shortcomings worth it.

Of course a WoW lover has to come to defend the game for an honest opinion of mine.

The game sucks flat out. Like I said the player base is mainly children or people who dont know what a good game is. The only reason wow does good is because it appeals to people with the hard on for elves, orcs, and dwarfs. Now I'm sorry but that stuff is completly stupid. WoW is NOT the pinacle of MMO design, if it was I WOULD BE PLAYING IT. The game is completly stupid. The combat system is stupid, the loot system is stupid, the environment is stupid. The crafting system is stupid. I think I would rather shove railroad spikes through my ears, dip my feet in acid, and listen to Mr Rodgers telling me about his special friend all day then play WoW ever again. Enjoy your World of Failcraft.

Not Good:
Endless amounts of grind in a never-ending game? I'm out.

What are you talking about?
I played this game up to level 65 and the quest's kept me occupied the whole of the time playing it.

All the people that say online game are for people with no life are idiots, most people play online games with their friends and use teamspeak.

Good game to play with your friends but on your own, its boring.

Pudgyboi:
Well.. you kinda answered your question. A good majority of people who play WoW.. play it for roughly 30+ a week so it really cuts in their social lives. I recently stopped playing WoW because of the community.. a bunch of yous.

Funny you mention that. When I used to play, I would intentionally avoid personal attachement to my peers in order to retain anonymity and a sense of control over my time management. This allowed me to unplug my ethernet, go out to eat, come back, blaim my internet and complete the dungeon. If they were all close personal friends I couldn't leave them hanging like that.

Needless to say, I really got nowhere with the end game content since my social interactions were all superficial at best.

I play WoW. I like it.
It's not for instant gratification gamers, that's for sure. It's for people who like a long term commitment to something. It's for people who like being rewarded frequently for what they do. That's my 2.5 cents(Inflation)

Darkside360:

CantFaketheFunk:

Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Boy, would you be wrong.

As to the topic at hand, I think a lot of it is knee-jerk reaction, either from the idea of an MMO or from stereotypes that aren't entirely accurate most of the time. Are there people who are horribly addicted to WoW? Of course. Is it perfectly possible to play it, to see most of the content, and still maintain a life? Absolutely. Blizzard has made a game that you don't have to slave yourself to in order to get ahead - of course, some people do anyway.

That said, I truly believe that WoW is the pinnacle of modern MMORPG design (not that there aren't some great other games out there, but Blizzard is a developer on an entirely different level) and - particularly in its current WotLK incarnation - one of the best games ever made. Having met quite a few people on the WoW team this past October at Blizzcon (and visiting the Blizzard studios)... these people take incredible pride in what they do.

Does the game fall short at points? You bet - no game is perfect, and juggling 11.5 million players who all want something completely different out of the title is a feat for even a developer as talented and dedicated as Blizzard.

But there's so much excellence there it makes the shortcomings worth it.

Of course a WoW lover has to come to defend the game for an honest opinion of mine.

Woah, insulting a staffer on your second day and posting a gif? Let's not be hasty here, rookie.

My only problem is people message me on STEAM with WoW hate when I am playing WoW (I have it in my games menus so the chat function is intergrated)and give me crap for it.

coldfrog:

megapenguinx:
Personally I don't like MMORPGs because I believe you should only have to pay once to play a game...but that's just me

Interestingly, I found any argument complaining about the price faulty, because I look at it like this.

I buy the game, and play it for a month. That's 65 dollars. That's about the price of a PS3 or XBox360 game.

I play for two months. That's 80 dollars for two months. That's less than the price of two games for any system. Even if you buy a new game only once every three months, you still can't beat the price, and if you go for the long subscription you pay 12 dollars a month. Assuming you are still accessing new content (and there is always more to see) you are fine, and honestly, if you are willing to play a different game multiple times, this is even better.

That's an interesting thought when u break the #s down like that vs. console games. I always thought the expense was high, but really it comes out to 1 console game every 4 months (15 X 4), or roughly 3 games a year. Not bad when you compare it like that.

Darkside360:

CantFaketheFunk:

Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Boy, would you be wrong.

As to the topic at hand, I think a lot of it is knee-jerk reaction, either from the idea of an MMO or from stereotypes that aren't entirely accurate most of the time. Are there people who are horribly addicted to WoW? Of course. Is it perfectly possible to play it, to see most of the content, and still maintain a life? Absolutely. Blizzard has made a game that you don't have to slave yourself to in order to get ahead - of course, some people do anyway.

That said, I truly believe that WoW is the pinnacle of modern MMORPG design (not that there aren't some great other games out there, but Blizzard is a developer on an entirely different level) and - particularly in its current WotLK incarnation - one of the best games ever made. Having met quite a few people on the WoW team this past October at Blizzcon (and visiting the Blizzard studios)... these people take incredible pride in what they do.

Does the game fall short at points? You bet - no game is perfect, and juggling 11.5 million players who all want something completely different out of the title is a feat for even a developer as talented and dedicated as Blizzard.

But there's so much excellence there it makes the shortcomings worth it.

Of course a WoW lover has to come to defend the game for an honest opinion of mine.

The game sucks flat out. Like I said the player base is mainly children or people who dont know what a good game is. The only reason wow does good is because it appeals to people with the hard on for elves, orcs, and dwarfs. Now I'm sorry but that stuff is completly stupid. WoW is NOT the pinacle of MMO design, if it was I WOULD BE PLAYING IT. The game is completly stupid. The combat system is stupid, the loot system is stupid, the environment is stupid. The crafting system is stupid. I think I would rather shove railroad spikes through my ears, dip my feet in acid, and listen to Mr Rodgers telling me about his special friend all day then play WoW ever again. Enjoy your World of Failcraft.

Your level...I'm not going to stoop to it.

The game sucks flat out? That's it no explanation? if you want to have an opinion that you want to share with people then provide evidence or examples.

As I already told you I'm the youngest (or very close by months) of a very large guild. "The hard" for elves, orcs and dwarves you say? I'm pretty sure dwarves have it hard for themselves (Stoneform!) but apart from stupidity are you saying that anyone that has enjoyed any tolkien-esque fantasy has it "hard" for the fantastical and mythical races involved?

WoW may not be the pinnacle of MMO design but it certainly set a high standard for others to attempt to achieve and thus far not many have even come close. Have you considered WoW is may be just not your "thing"?

The combat system is stupid? different strokes on this one I like it because I don't have to be pre-occupied with attacking each time and having to make sure I'm using abilities potions/whatever. The loot system works very well and with the Need/greed makes it easy to decide qho wants what for what reason, the only general flaw in this is peopl ruining the system ex: Ninjas, or in my case I accidentally gave an item to the wrong person. Crafting in WoW creates a good mix of Gatherer/Maker professions and balances out the economy with Materials and Products. The environment escpecially in Wrath of the Lich King is brilliantly made for what is now an aging engine and balances out it's lack of raw graphical power with beatiful art direction (the amount of times I've died by just letting my eyes wonder around patrol creatures).

If you really would rather doing that, then by all means I wish you luck.

stormcaller:

Darkside360:

CantFaketheFunk:

Darkside360:
Why do people hate WoW you ask?

Well IMHO, because it sucks. You will probably say "well look at all the subscriptions" and I say 80% of the player base is 13 and under and that sort of crap appeals to children and some adults. WoW is just crap.

Boy, would you be wrong.

As to the topic at hand, I think a lot of it is knee-jerk reaction, either from the idea of an MMO or from stereotypes that aren't entirely accurate most of the time. Are there people who are horribly addicted to WoW? Of course. Is it perfectly possible to play it, to see most of the content, and still maintain a life? Absolutely. Blizzard has made a game that you don't have to slave yourself to in order to get ahead - of course, some people do anyway.

That said, I truly believe that WoW is the pinnacle of modern MMORPG design (not that there aren't some great other games out there, but Blizzard is a developer on an entirely different level) and - particularly in its current WotLK incarnation - one of the best games ever made. Having met quite a few people on the WoW team this past October at Blizzcon (and visiting the Blizzard studios)... these people take incredible pride in what they do.

Does the game fall short at points? You bet - no game is perfect, and juggling 11.5 million players who all want something completely different out of the title is a feat for even a developer as talented and dedicated as Blizzard.

But there's so much excellence there it makes the shortcomings worth it.

Of course a WoW lover has to come to defend the game for an honest opinion of mine.

The game sucks flat out. Like I said the player base is mainly children or people who dont know what a good game is. The only reason wow does good is because it appeals to people with the hard on for elves, orcs, and dwarfs. Now I'm sorry but that stuff is completly stupid. WoW is NOT the pinacle of MMO design, if it was I WOULD BE PLAYING IT. The game is completly stupid. The combat system is stupid, the loot system is stupid, the environment is stupid. The crafting system is stupid. I think I would rather shove railroad spikes through my ears, dip my feet in acid, and listen to Mr Rodgers telling me about his special friend all day then play WoW ever again. Enjoy your World of Failcraft.

Your level...I'm not going to stoop to it.

The game sucks flat out? That's it no explanation? if you want to have an opinion that you want to share with people then provide evidence or examples.

As I already told you I'm the youngest (or very close by months) of a very large guild. "The hard" for elves, orcs and dwarves you say? I'm pretty sure dwarves have it hard for themselves (Stoneform!) but apart from stupidity are you saying that anyone that has enjoyed any tolkien-esque fantasy has it "hard" for the fantastical and mythical races involved?

WoW may not be the pinnacle of MMO design but it certainly set a high standard for others to attempt to achieve and thus far not many have even come close. Have you considered WoW is may be just not your "thing"?

The combat system is stupid? different strokes on this one I like it because I don't have to be pre-occupied with attacking each time and having to make sure I'm using abilities potions/whatever. The loot system works very well and with the Need/greed makes it easy to decide qho wants what for what reason, the only general flaw in this is peopl ruining the system ex: Ninjas, or in my case I accidentally gave an item to the wrong person. Crafting in WoW creates a good mix of Gatherer/Maker professions and balances out the economy with Materials and Products. The environment escpecially in Wrath of the Lich King is brilliantly made for what is now an aging engine and balances out it's lack of raw graphical power with beatiful art direction (the amount of times I've died by just letting my eyes wonder around patrol creatures).

If you really would rather doing that, then by all means I wish you luck.

No you WoW lovers already lost once this thread was created.

People bash WoW because it is the largest, best known MMO, and more importantly it is the "generic" MMO. Making fun of something popular is seen as any easy way to be seen as "cool".

Sometimes people do it because they support a different MMO. I personally really enjoyed Eve, because in spite of what some say it IS a bit different than the other offerings - but at the same time I know that it clearly isn't for everyone (Eve's 250,000 subscribers are but a drop in the bucket compared to WoW's 11,500,000 or so subscribers).

If I were to bash WoW, it would be mostly a rant against the player stereotypes. Often WoW player seem to be fairly young and immature, and when I did play I found most of them to be irritating. But, by the same token I've known jerkbags in almost every game I've ever played so there isn't anything radical about pointing out there presence in one of the most popular games of all time.

Darkside360:
*snipity snip*

No you WoW lovers already lost once this thread was created.

Look, that you don't like a game doesn't mean anyone who plays it is an idiot. Have you ever played it? And if not, how do you know anything about the loot system, combat and other things? Or do you have some sort of telepathic extrasensory organ?

Darkside360:

Of course a WoW lover has to come to defend the game for an honest opinion of mine.

The game sucks flat out. Like I said the player base is mainly children or people who dont know what a good game is. The only reason wow does good is because it appeals to people with the hard on for elves, orcs, and dwarfs. Now I'm sorry but that stuff is completly stupid. WoW is NOT the pinacle of MMO design, if it was I WOULD BE PLAYING IT. The game is completly stupid. The combat system is stupid, the loot system is stupid, the environment is stupid. The crafting system is stupid. I think I would rather shove railroad spikes through my ears, dip my feet in acid, and listen to Mr Rodgers telling me about his special friend all day then play WoW ever again. Enjoy your World of Failcraft.

I think you're misunderstanding what exactly I was responding to in your post - the claim that 80% of the playerbase is under 13, to be precise. In four years of playing WoW, I've met one 13-year-old, and that's it. I've also met librarians, state prosecutors, FBI agents, et al. Of course, anecdotal evidence =/= actual fact, but I'd be very surprised if the median age for WoW weren't college-age or older.

Also, my, we have a tendency to confuse one's own tastes (whether or not you like fantasy settings with elves, orcs, and dwarves is completely up to you) with fact, don't we? Then again, given that your argument essentially boils down to calling everything "stupid" repeatedly...

At any rate, you're perfectly free to not like the game. I play MMOs and write about them for a living, and WoW happens to be, I believe, as good as they get right now. There are other fantastic MMOs out there - LotRO, WAR, EVE, just to name a few - but WoW is a triumph of game design.

I will caution you, however - at The Escapist, while we welcome disagreement, we stress respectful disagreement. If you can't argue without resulting to flaming, then it won't be long before you won't be arguing at all.

Also, Mr. Rogers was an amazing man. Just for the record.

I WILL enjoy my World of Failcraft, thanks for asking :)

I play WoW too and I don't see any reason to hate it

Darkside360:
*snipity snip*

No you WoW lovers already lost once this thread was created.

Amazing your replies decrease in intelligence with each post, let me guess you didn't bother reading it did you? or if you did you got to the point where you realised I'm not on your side and must of said to yourself "O RELLY? tis noob is wrong I dun giv a crp what he thinks he iz just so wroooong and I am right and teh uber leetzorz! :) happy face" and in then case I am going to deny your existence.

So farewell I shall see you again, never.

Also thanks to Excelcior for snipping that down, cheers.

According to a survey (anecdotal evidence, take with a pinch of salt) A significant majority of WoW players are around the age of 20 (18-22ish).

bobby1361:
WoW is extremly social really though, your communicating and spending time with other people, sure it's over the internet, but your still doing it.

MMO's can be social, but it doesn't mean your average person is social while playing them.