Why do I still play World of Warcraft?

[Terran77]

Why am I still playing WoW after more than 4 years? I really don't know anymore.

I've been through brief periods where I needed to take a break from WoW, but after leaving a guild I've been a part of for several years I'm kinda thinking about stopping completely.

I've seen some serious weirdness in my time: people lying, others cybering, even morons running through town doing nothing but spouting racism and vulgarities. But it feels like it's gotten so bad that those are the only people who are left on my server.

And the game itself feels... broken. Like if you don't have the best equipment in each slot on the DAY it's newly available, or if your "spec" and glyphs don't match up perfectly with the powergaming advice at Elitist Jerks, then you're just a horrible, horrible noob. And god forbid if you don't use the right button mashing 100% of the time, or a particular ability on a certain mob.

I feel like the game has spun out of control in an appeal to an "elite" that has no social skills whatsoever.

So I think I'm quitting. I just wish there was another MMO out there that hasn't been infected by the elitist spreadsheeters who must have perfect dps 100% of the time.

 

[shavedape]

Forget about WOW. Look into "Fallout 3" and/or "Fallout New Vegas". I'm not sure of the online world but the games are insanely good! (scary and weird too)

 

[Gatefan1976]

I never got into WOW, I find the whole concept of online RPG's pretty sad really. It's also why I don't like 4th ed D&D, it's just cookie cutter crap made for the min/maxing online crowd. Give me actual roleplaying games and systems, a bunch of mates at bags o dice any day of the week.

 

[shavedape]

I never got into WOW, I find the whole concept of online RPG's pretty sad really. It's also why I don't like 4th ed D&D, it's just cookie cutter crap made for the min/maxing online crowd. Give me actual roleplaying games and systems, a bunch of mates at bags o dice any day of the week.

I knew a kid who was into "real life" RPG's where he was a vampire and had a clan and all this weird stuff. It seemed like another version of D&D to be honest, just with the en vogue theme of vampires.

As for online RPGs, I don't bother with them much. There are too many kids online and/or adults who act like kids and they pretty much ruin the game. I'm also kind of creeped out by the way people devote all their waking lives to online RPGs. A friend of mine actually put her marriage in jeopardy because one summer all she did was sit inside with the shades drawn, playing WOW every single day from morning to night. It was very unhealthy.

I do like to play my PS3 but that's only at certain times, like when the day is done and before I go to bed instead of watching crap TV I'll just play a game for awhile. The trick is to not stay up all night playing. The game will always be there to return to at a later date. Plus games last longer that way.

 

[Terran77]

Oh yeah... I just left my guild of 3 yrs because this woman (at least, I'm pretty sure she was a she, we had ventrilo) all the way across the country wanted to be friends (which was fine), then wanted to flirt (also fine, it wasn't cyberz), but THEN started saying stuff like she wanted to meet me. She made up a huge story about coming out for a convention in my home town, a convention that didn't exist... NOT NORMAL. Come to find out, she actually did this with many guild members. Promised one guy plane tickets to her town, which never materialized.

I've had some previous bad experiences with guilds, but this one took the cake.

 

[Gatefan1976]

I knew a kid who was into "real life" RPG's where he was a vampire and had a clan and all this weird stuff. It seemed like another version of D&D to be honest, just with the en vogue theme of vampires.

As for online RPGs, I don't bother with them much. There are too many kids online and/or adults who act like kids and they pretty much ruin the game. I'm also kind of creeped out by the way people devote all their waking lives to online RPGs. A friend of mine actually put her marriage in jeopardy because one summer all she did was sit inside with the shades drawn, playing WOW every single day from morning to night. It was very unhealthy.

I do like to play my PS3 but that's only at certain times, like when the day is done and before I go to bed instead of watching crap TV I'll just play a game for awhile. The trick is to not stay up all night playing. The game will always be there to return to at a later date. Plus games last longer that way.

That would be Vampire: the masqurade, and from your description, it was a LARP'er

 

[Red Mage]

Oh yeah... I just left my guild of 3 yrs because this woman (at least, I'm pretty sure she was a she, we had ventrilo) all the way across the country wanted to be friends (which was fine), then wanted to flirt (also fine, it wasn't cyberz), but THEN started saying stuff like she wanted to meet me. She made up a huge story about coming out for a convention in my home town, a convention that didn't exist... NOT NORMAL. Come to find out, she actually did this with many guild members. Promised one guy plane tickets to her town, which never materialized.

I've had some previous bad experiences with guilds, but this one took the cake.

Meeting people that you met online is something I don't recommend. I'm okay with meeting someone at a neutral public place like a convention (one that actually exists) like Comic Con or something. Never give out too much personal info to people online like your address because there are some real weirdos out there. This girl was probably harmless. She probably does this "I want to meet you but never actually go through with it" because of insecurity issues. She is looking for positive responses that someone actually wants to meet her in order to build up her self-esteem.

 

[Illiterati]

I've played World of Warcraft since it went live, and got my daughter to play, as well. I've even been a GM for Blizzard. MAN but there are an awful lot of whiny players out there!

I've got some very good friends (one of whom is my best friend) who I met online, two of whom run the guild (Hordeside Frostwolf) that I'm in now.

 

[Terran77]

Meeting people that you met online is something I don't recommend. I'm okay with meeting someone at a neutral public place like a convention (one that actually exists) like Comic Con or something. Never give out too much personal info to people online like your address because there are some real weirdos out there. This girl was probably harmless. She probably does this "I want to meet you but never actually go through with it" because of insecurity issues. She is looking for positive responses that someone actually wants to meet her in order to build up her self-esteem.

I'm definitely inclined to agree. I don't think she's dangerous by any means, but her behavior really wasn't harmless. By lying to others, she damaged the online friendships she had (others, not me, actually had fights with her when they found out). When she lied to me, even though they rather innocuous, it did effectively destroy any trust and real friendship I could have developed for her. If I felt a little "used" by the experience, I can only imagine how the others felt because they were actually talking "relationship" potential with her.

Totally agree it was about her self-esteem, but after effectively pushing people away in this manner I can't imagine her self-esteem is boosted by what she does.