Do you not play WOW? Forked Thread: Wil Wheaton plays and reviews 4th.

[Evilhalfling]

A friend gave me guild wars MMO as a gift 2 years ago. I bought all 3 expansions myself. There have been weeks when I played 30 hrs. Thankfully None since my daughter was born.
Since then this friend moved nearby and joined my tabletop game. Two other players play WoW regularly, and bring up parallels at the table. (annoyingly)

now I'm addicted to Facebook games: Tiny Adventures, Knighthood, Mob wars, some tetris.

I'm just not big on subscription games, and will prolly continue to avoid them.

 

[Cryptos]

Back when I had a decently working desktop PC and a stable connection, there were MMOs that I did like, although I have a very strong dislike for WoW.

I mainly liked MMOs not for the "massively multiplayer" part, but for the chance to explore a changing world that is continually updated. I want to discover things for myself, see different parts of the world, see those parts of the world I frequently have to return to change over time or with the seasons, and so forth. To be honest, grouping with others in an MMO detracts from what usually interests me in them in the first place... I don't want to stand on a wall and blast the same thing repeatedly for hours on end with a bunch of twelve year olds just so they can grind to the next level. If I want to know what's on the other side of that hill in the distance, I don't want to feel obligated to keep standing on the wall because that's what the group wants.

Curiousity did get the better of me at one point, and I did the free one week trial at one point. It simply confirmed everything I had believed I wouldn't like about it.

WoW is crowded and cartoonish, and relatively 'boxed in' in a way that I haven't tolerated from most MMOs since a decade or more ago with EQ1. Even though many other MMOs still use zones, they're at least disguised as open and natural spaces... sort of like habitats at a zoo in comparison to bars and chainlink fences.

It disappoints me to no end that the entire genre is now defined by WoW. There's very little left to the imagination and little sophistication in it. No nuance. Least common denominator style entertainment, just a slight bump up from cartoon side scroller, which I guess is why it's so popular with ordinary people.

If you want to talk about MMOs, although I've been out of the loop for a year or two, I sincerely hope that there's still better out there than that.

 

[Mokona]

I have never played World of Warcraft. The only MMORPG I've played much, and not that much, is City of Heroes.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I just dont have the inclination to pay to play a game on a monthly basis. Plus it only takes so long for repetition to set in, then there are no new concepts or things to do.

I'd much rather by using my imagination than killing it.

 

[Asmo]

In the relatively modern era, I've found three video games that have held my interest: Magic: the Gathering (Duels of the Planeswalkers).

If you´re talking about this we need to talk:

What is Duels of the Planeswalkers? : Wizards of the Coast

Asmo

 

[nimisgod]

I stopped playing WoW about a few months ago, but not because I "hated" it. I like the game and the social aspect of it, especially since most of my players play it. In order for me to actually win at PvP (which is the only end-game activity that interests me), I needed a lot of time... time that I'd rather spend with D&D, my friends and my gf.

I dunno if the OP is a loner, but (anecdotally) a good number of my friends play WoW and play D&D but actually show up to sessions.

On a side note, it's interesting how much hate (not even dislike) there is for WoW in here... or for anything people deem "inferior". It's rare to see "I can see why people play it but it's not my thing." It's usually "hate bash hate WoW/MMOS/LARPS/3.X/4E". Kinda disheartening, really. But I digress.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I can see why people play it but it's not my thing.

Actually, to be completely honest, that sums it up quite well.

Basically, I don't think I'll ever play a MMO of any kind, have never even tried one, and haven't even been tempted to try any of them, in the slightest.

But I like some computer games, including the occasional CRPG, even if I quickly tire of them. And I kind of 'get' what MMOs offer, I'm pretty sure. To others, that is.

 

[dragonlordofpoondari]

So much of this thread rings true. It seems like a decent enough game, but not worth the risk of it taking over my life. I've seen what meth does to a person and it ain't pretty ... oops, I mean WoW.

I can also sympathize with the reports of wading through torrents of WoW shop talk and in-game references. No matter how excited or obsessed one is, I firmly feel it is common social courtesy to not exclude anyone in a given conversation for more than a few moments. Did I just allude to the distinction between nerd and geek? Yup, I think so.

What about the game itself?

Limited and almost completly static world?
Repetitive gameplay?
Grinds and farming?
A server full of whiny b*****s?
A world populated with hardcore and noob alike?

Sounds kind of lame. The only way to play would be with people I already enjoy and on voice chat.

As a matter of fact, I have some friends who play WoW regularly with actual acquaintences using voice chat. Although this seems infinitely better than playing with random strangers on the internets, (read: may include snotty teenagers who aren't very interesting to talk with) it still seems a far cry from the joy of a tabletop game to me.

I mean, given the choice would you rather have real sex or phone sex?

I'll take the real sex every time.

Come to think of it (no pun intended), if I couldn't have the real sex I'd rather just play Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Morrowind, ToEE, KOTOR, System Shock, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy this, or DragonQuest that. At least all the douches in those games have well written dialogue. Plus, they end eventually. This leaves me free to , you know, have some sex or pursue something equally engaging.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

What is this WOW of which you speak?

 

[Jack99]

I used to play WoW, but it never interfered with my D&D. Now Everquest on the other hand, that game took up a lot of time...

Hi, my name is Slander and I'm a warcrack addict. My last login date was October 16th, 2006.

I actually got my fill of WoW before I even hit 60; I think I was 52 when I stopped. Admittedly, I played the hell out of it up until that point. But even by the mid-thirties, my motivation had switched from enjoying the game, scenery, and challenge to simply getting the next level.

Calling yourself a warcrack addict and only making it to 52 do not really go well togethere

WoW is a life-sucking, soul-draining, money-pit that destroys lives.

At least it is if you're a hardcore raider or PVP'er.

If you just play casually, then it's just a freakin' game. Just like any other.

Money-pit? Do you ebay gold or what? Else it's pretty cheap for the 200+ hours hard-core raiders/pvp'ers play a month.