j-e-f-f-e-r-s:

Fair play dude. I still stand by my statement that it is the most boring gaming experience I've ever had, but if it floats your boat... well, I'll just let you off with a funny look and a few negative respect points. Only a few.

Though that story from Blizzcon is awesome. Can't imagine EA doing that anytime soon.

Of course, that's well within your rights to. Like I said, it's not for everyone, nor is the Massive genre for everyone. I will point out, that in the ten-day trial, unless they've changed it, you don't even have access to a lot of the things that made the game for me.

Ah, the days where I teamed up with some other hapless lowbie to tackle our very first Elite enemy and then ran screaming once it utterly destroyed us... le sigh. The days of our virtual youth, gone like dust in the wind...

WoW bores me. It also annoys me because a friend of mine plays WoW so much we get like one chance to play some game together every two weeks or so. WoW players annoy me when they preach about it being a great game. Said friend is not mentally sound or something because he keeps playing and paying even though he says he hates it. It's apparently like smoking to him, he says he'll quit and then a month later he's playing again. I don't understand it at all.

o ya n chatspeek rly pises me of ya no wut im sayin?

I tried the 10 day trial, but it only took maybe 2 hours to make me realize that WoW isn't for me, my first hour of gameplay was: collect 10 wolf pelts here, collect 8 baskets of grapes there, and kill 20 kobolds in that cave over the hill, it just wasn't the right hook to reel me into buying the game.

Also I'd rather join an MMOG right when it gets started* so I and every other person will start at the same level, I get discouraged from playing MMOGs that have been out for a long time because I see other people running around at level 60 or higher telling me I suck just because I'm only level 5, that's why I keeping my hopes up for that KoTOR MMOG.

^{*I know most MMOGs have problem when they first start out but I'm willing to ride out the storm for a game I'm looking forward to.}

I played WoW for a short while to see what makes it attractive to many people, and I have to say it was terrible, in my opinion. I even went into the game with a mindset that it was going to be fun (I saw a friend play it, and it did look fun), and it did not impress me in any way whatsoever. It really did not set itself apart from any other MMORPG I have played, and I've played many, and have actually had fun with many. The problems I had with WoW were:

1) Endless grinding of quests which require you to perform extremely similar tasks
2) The interface isn't exactly the most user-friendly
3) It requires a monthly subscription (I've had way more fun with free MMOs)

Besides those things, there simply just isn't anything special about WoW other than it's huge subscriber list.

ok just for starters lets remember that 90% of everything is crap (certain that statistic is relevant somehow) and with people 90% is being very generous. In my group of friends one of us plays WOW, and he is the laughing stock of the group (well that and other reasons) but if you enjoy WOW, than by all means do it.

vid20:

bowser610:
I meant people dont like them because people who play them supposedly dont have lives.
obviously
but congrats on being an ass

Thats a load of bull btw, i play about 2 hours a day on weekdays, and about 6 hours at night on weekends
I have 2 max lvl characters
and what do you mean a bunch of mes?
wtf did i do to you

You have 2 max lvl characters? you know... your house.. it DOES have a door.. that.. leads.. outside?

The idea of getting max level charaters being to hard for anyone with a life is bull. I'm almost at max level- I got out every time that I get the chance, that's fairly often, and I have many loyal friends, some of which play WoW with me. Also, one of my cousins plays WoW and has MULTIPLE (at LEAST four) max level characters. He's married, has two children, and is going to be going on a business trip to Hawaii for his job at Apple. I'm pretty sure he goes out a lot.

EDIT: Obviously, with some people that DOES happen, the invest all of their life into it and they turn into brain-dead social morons. But there are other things that can cause people to be like that. I know someone that got hooked on Halo 2 back in the day, and it turned the guy into a complete ass. Well... more of one.

As for some of you (a certain non-jamaican troll especially) don't go saying "its a horible gam its stoopid". Just because you don't like it doesn't mean its not good at all. There are about 11 million people that disagree with you, after all (and none of that "well, the active account number is much less" because they've still reached that number, and that's a hell of a lot more than almost any other game can say).

ZeroMachine:

vid20:

bowser610:
I meant people dont like them because people who play them supposedly dont have lives.
obviously
but congrats on being an ass

Thats a load of bull btw, i play about 2 hours a day on weekdays, and about 6 hours at night on weekends
I have 2 max lvl characters
and what do you mean a bunch of mes?
wtf did i do to you

You have 2 max lvl characters? you know... your house.. it DOES have a door.. that.. leads.. outside?

The idea of getting max level charaters being to hard for anyone with a life is bull. I'm almost at max level- I got out every time that I get the chance, that's fairly often, and I have many loyal friends, some of which play WoW with me. Also, one of my cousins plays WoW and has MULTIPLE (at LEAST four) max level characters. He's married, has two children, and is going to be going on a business trip to Hawaii for his job at Apple. I'm pretty sure he goes out a lot.

EDIT: Obviously, with some people that DOES happen, the invest all of their life into it and they turn into brain-dead social morons. But there are other things that can cause people to be like that. I know someone that got hooked on Halo 2 back in the day, and it turned the guy into a complete ass. Well... more of one.

As for some of you (a certain non-jamaican troll especially) don't go saying "its a horible gam its stoopid". Just because you don't like it doesn't mean its not good at all. There are about 11 million people that disagree with you, after all (and none of that "well, the active account number is much less" because they've still reached that number, and that's a hell of a lot more than almost any other game can say).

Heh, I agree with you Zero, even if I don't like the game all that much myself. After the umpteenth time of seeing the "How I Mine for Fish" joke, I stopped playing.

You called?

Sorry I couldn't help myself. I personally just find MMO's to be a waste of time. I don't know why I just find grinding in MMO's to be horrifically boring. Putting RPG at the end also is a dead give away that it will be one of the least immersive RP experiences of all time. Nobody even tries so I don't know why they stick RPG at the end.

*end rant*

If WOW did not turn some people into mindless zombies and make people think that they can hold their bodily functions for weeks everything would be fine.

WoW is great when you first play it but then it just becomes a grind-fest. Now Darkfall, that's the future. Then Darkfall will die because WoW fans will say it sucks because it doesn't get one million subscribers on day one.

I hate it because it lowered the benchmark of all MMOs. It's been proven that 'games designed for noobs' are really very successful. Now, because noobs far outweigh the 'real gamers', it's much more financially beneficial to make games that appeal to this much larger audience. Counter-Strike filled it for the FPS market, World of Warcraft filled it for the MMO market.

Both games are widely successful even though they are terrible, laughing in the face of anyone who prefers a game that rewards them for skill.

Although they're quickly dismissed by people with a clue, you're still left with ~12 million people currently still subscribing to WoW. The amount of money this equates to is enough for ANYONE to want to be a part of, but that's where the problems begin.

Instead of making completely innovative games, the temptation to replicate these titles that are so successful money-wise is surely just too great. You would think that to conquer such a massive playerbase you would expect new games to be have some fresh ideas, enough to get people to realise how bad the game they are currently playing is, but unfortunately it doesn't look like this is the way it's going to be.

In the end we are left with games that COULD or SHOULD have been good but were let-down by decisions you can't help but feel were made to appeal to this mass audience of WoWers. What they don't realise is these people wouldn't know what a good game is anyway, so they should just be ignored.(They probably only play/played WoW because of it's name in the first place)

Success will come on it's own when we are provided with a game worth playing. Trying to purposely crack the WoW playerbase by copying completely unoriginal ideas, but then unsuccessfully implementing/utilising them any better, is instant-fail.

I love MMOs, and that's why I hate WoW.

I half agree with heeeysa, in that what made WoW a real challenge in the End game content is dissipating with the ideology most people shouldhave a chance to see the game. This is both a good and bad philosophy. Much of the fun for many players in an MMO comes from striving to get things many can not obtain, so they see the awarding of high powered gear for proportionally less effort as offensive. I'm all for their latest idea of making content coexist at two levels and even if the current endgame is arguably lacking in this, they're aware their fanbase wants a challenge.

I like WoW because it feels like a world. So many games fail to capture the aspect of humour, the little touches and the things which bring a world to life. Yes, the gameplay is repetitive, but I'm hardpressed to think of a computer game where on some level, that's not the case. For me, WoW evoked the joy of discovery and it did so without the usual three scoops of morality by making sides in a war that weren't cut and dried Good and Evil. Yes, I know the Orcs used to be the epitome of blood-crazed monsters, but the idea the Alliance are dogmatic and unable to see the change in their former enemies while the Horde fight to establish an identity for themselves as a band of disparate groups welded together to keep from being annihilated is an interesting one. Having splinter groups off each faction which are hated by both sides and neutral traders happy to deal with both parties only adds to this idea of a very real set of politics about the nature of grievances and people's inability to let others live in peace.

Sure, the graphics won't grind my PC into the dust, but I play games for fun and I still think Adventure games are the most fun I've had in my history as a gamer. WoW offers a gaming experience where many people can log in and do the sort of things they want to do. You don't feel like beating things up today, go fishing. It even encourages people to get interested in these side aspects of the world. That people become addicted to an experience which offers so much is no great surprise to anyone who's seen the success of Second Life. It's just that this is also a standard Fantasy RPG in a Rich World.

Before you even read this

Im not saying the people who play WoW have no life

Im not calling people judging WoW overly judgemental

I play wow, sometimes 30 minutes over a few days log on, do something, go off, then on a weekend after a hard week, i might kick back, and play for like 3 hours. Unfourtunitly for the stereotype WoW player, 3 hours is cutting back, yes some WoW players, most actually are kinda...addicted. I've seen kids just as easily get addicted to Halo, Assasins Creed, or Gears of War, hell even The Sims. So on ether side, MMORPGs, shooters, Sim games, or even weird classic arcade game remakes...>.> its just as easy to get addicted.

Revernd Awesome:

bowser610:

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

so you're saying that you have a a big social life, but you play for 6 hours a nigh on weekend, do you not go out?

There are more ways to be social than going out to clubs and parties. Many people just don't like that kind of thing. Much like people don't like video games or WoW in particular.

I used to play WoW. I realized i was developing an addiction and had to quit. It's almost been a year now since i stopped. With LK out, i was really tempted to get back into it, but i stopped myself. I do miss WoW though... I dont know why though.
Im glad it didnt hurt my social life though. Thank God i stopped before that happened.

Because all the other MMOs out there are more fun.

People who hate wow generally fall into 2 groups.

1) People who think that wow players are losers, so hating wow (and its players) makes them think they are a better person by proxy. Can also be bandwagon people who think that hating something everyone else hates makes them cool

2) People who hate it do to the effect it has had on the MMO genre. Prior to WoW, MMOs would try to make virtual worlds ware death was to be avoided and rewards required work. After wow took the world by storm many existing MMOs as well as MMOs that came after tried to cash in on the wow success by cloning many of wows elements like its difficulty, UI or quest system. At this point there is very little reason to play any other MMO besides wow as most of them are so much like it only with less players.

I don't hate wow, I find it boring. What I hate is how new MMOs are so afraid to make something that's not a clone of it. If I wanted a wow clone with more pve (lotro) I would just play wow and not pvp, If I wanted one with more pvp (WAR) I would just play wow and pvp more

The biggest thing to understanding people who love or hate MMO's is simply understanding that they are social games. If the community you play with is full of fun and supportive people it is easy to get into playing 30ish hours a week, especially coupled with virtual success that gives a sense of accomplishment. If it is full of bitter, selfish people it is a horrid experience.

It is also a game, and personal preference enters into that.

It also requires time to be competitive with other people, if you are a competitive person with time this is a good thing. If you are not you get resentful and like to say mean things about those people who are. Such as they have no lives.

At least that is my opinion. I was much more sucked into the game when I had people I liked to play with. When I lost the time to play I couldn't raid with them anymore, and I found the community doing lesser content to be full of rather mean people. So I quit.

My biggest problem with WoW is the same problem I have with most MMO's in general: I refuse to keep paying for a game month after month. However, I did try a free MMO once (it was called Anarchy Online, I believe), and I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I guess they're just not my kind of games anyway.
And then there's the stories of people completely losing themselves in WoW, but that might be more a problem with those people than with the game..

To All Those Who Are Being Cocks:

It seems to me that this thread is bringing out the wanks by the truckload. This is "The Escapist", right? Not "The Elitist"? Look, I dislike WoW, but I can tell people that without being an utter pantaloon. Mercy...

For everyone who responded to this post with a shred of maturity, you get a pat on the back.

Zethos64:
Other people hate it because it offers no real story and believe it destroyed what story the Warcraft series had.

This.
What other games have blizzard released since WoW expansions since WoW came out?
To a lot of gamers WoW represents one of oldest and most respected game developers selling out, they have stopped producing new games and seem to be content to charge people top dollar for, what is now, a very dated game. Whether the game is enjoyable or not is irelevant to my point, don't take that as me bashing the actual game. I'm just saying that it makes a company that was/is much loved seem evil and greedy as they keep charing full price for new expansions, keep charing $30 odd (I'm in australia, I'd expect this to be different elsewhere) for a recharge card (I have no Idea how long they last). WoW is also partially responsible for the microtransactions in games, with people paying real money for ingame items and gold, a trend that most gamers despize.

I think It's more of a social thing, I have a lot of friends who play W.O.W and if you can't moderate it yourself it can get...disgusting.
Also, I don't understand why people love it so much - I played it until level 15 and gave up, the map is interesting but it's not that fun unless you're really into it.
I would rather bathe regularly.

Col.Gentlemen:
I think It's more of a social thing, I have a lot of friends who play W.O.W and if you can't moderate it yourself it can get...disgusting.
Also, I don't understand why people love it so much - I played it until level 15 and gave up, the map is interesting but it's not that fun unless you're really into it.
I would rather bathe regularly.

THis ladies and gentlemen is an example of an epic first post...

I tried WOW...didn't like it. I prefer my EVE

They interviewed some dude a few years a go..12 hours straight, playing WoW without taking a piss or shit or eating or drinking. wtf. No life much? And maybe not all MMO's but WoW yes. Pathetic how fast people get addicted to that piece of shit. The fact that they play 24 hours straight astounds me it's nothing special.

Dys:

Zethos64:
Other people hate it because it offers no real story and believe it destroyed what story the Warcraft series had.

This.
What other games have blizzard released since WoW expansions since WoW came out?
To a lot of gamers WoW represents one of oldest and most respected game developers selling out, they have stopped producing new games and seem to be content to charge people top dollar for, what is now, a very dated game.

Don't say they've stopped producing games when both the new Diablo and Starcraft games are under development.

Personally, I'm a WoW-player, but I'm still looking forward more to the new Diablo than I did to Wrath of the Lich King.

Azaradel:

Dys:

Zethos64:
Other people hate it because it offers no real story and believe it destroyed what story the Warcraft series had.

This.
What other games have blizzard released since WoW expansions since WoW came out?
To a lot of gamers WoW represents one of oldest and most respected game developers selling out, they have stopped producing new games and seem to be content to charge people top dollar for, what is now, a very dated game.

Don't say they've stopped producing games when both the new Diablo and Starcraft games are under development.

Personally, I'm a WoW-player, but I'm still looking forward more to the new Diablo than I did to Wrath of the Lich King.

They announced both in 2008. There was a good 4 years when there was no non-WoW related project announced.

I play WoW, but only for 2 hours a day max. If I had more real world things to do, though, I would likely play even less. Anytime something more important (read: anything in the real world) comes up, I just drop what Im doing in there and go live life.

I play wow and i still have friends i just dont mention it much.

Personally I don't really hate WoW, I find it very "jack of all trades, master of none", you can do endless quest but any developer can make that game, or you can do PvP but they've done a brilliant job at making that boring.
For MMO's WAR and EVE really are much better.

WAR has a very good RvR and PvP system especially Tier 4 where it becomes a struggle and masses of players have to band together and organize.

EVE is just a beautiful spectacle when you get large fleet engagements and makes for a good social game because while you will fail because you need an economy.

However amongst all that all these games do have a lot of grind but when you look at it all games that work on a level up system are grindtastic, be it killing lots of players or boars.

the only thing WoW is good for is endless and repetitive questing.

I play WoW. Have for about 8 months now. I play a few hours a day. Sometimes, it is all I do in a day, sometimes I don't touch it for weeks on end. It is hardly the most addicting thing I have encountered. I have never had a rollicking social life, so that doesn't bother me, but I do go out with my friends when we feel like it. Being unemployed gives me a lot of free time to play WoW at the moment, but that will soon be taken up by TAFE homework.
I enjoy it. It's entertaining, and while the seemingly endless grind does get annoying, thats where you either stop your questing and go do a battleground and take out your frustrations on the opposing faction, or you just turn the damn thing off.
Personally, I use WoW as a temporary escape from the crap I have to put up with in my life, and killing the rabbits and deer and sheep and other critters, while it gives no rewards, it makes me feel vaguely superior. Completely illogical. Same logic applies to the grinding and killing for quests. Bashing some creatures head in can be very therapeutic when all I want to do is throttle the next person to ask 'are you alright' or 'whats the matter?'.
I'm neither defending or bashing WoW. It has its good points and its bad points. If you enjoy the game, forget what other people think and just enjoy it for what it is. If you hate the game, leave those who do enjoy it alone. They aren't hurting you by playing it, chances are you don't even know them. This doesn't have to be like world war 3. You don't have to fight with each other ALL the time. It doesn't solve anything. If you don't like it don't play it. If you do like it, then get back in your cage and level your damn warlock.

NOTE: Just don't play it too much. While I agree that sunlight is evil, it's supposed to be good for you, so go outside and ride your bike, or play with kittens or play golf with cane toads or fling snails into your neighbours yard. Trust me, half an hour of sunlight probably won't kill you...Although I do recommend a pair of industrial strength sunglasses because all that time spent in front of the computer will have made you rather photosensitive.

Now I don't play WoW, but I have played it and its not a bad game...just the people who play the game suck and is why people bash it. Or atleast thats what I think.

I think a lot of gamers who hate WoW do so because they have one or more friend who spends all of his or her time in game. I think the gamers who like actual social interaction have something against reclusive gamers who do spend much of their time logged into WoW.
I don't hate the game because I've never played it. However, I can't stand the conversations that some of my acquaintances have about the game. They'll just talk for hours about game mechanics, and it's so boring to me.
I even know people who pay for multiple accounts in months when money is tight and they should be saving it for rent. Those people have come up short for rent on many occasions as a result of WoW and their awful nicotine addiction.

MMO's are in general extremely boring. Plus, paying $180 a year to play one game? No game is good enough to warrant $15 a month. I got no beef with anyone who plays it, but damn does it perplex me how they find it to be fun.