World of Warcraft: An Epiphany About a Failing MMORPG

I used to be called a fan of World of Warcraft (WoW). I've been subscribed via online for a good year and a half now. I used to see the huge diversity in the game, coming from Action RPG's, FPS and Street Fighter, it was certainly a step up that combined specific elements of all three genres. Lately, however, I've been finding that there are certain flaws, an absolute behemoth of a problem that will certainly be the downfall to the game itself.

What I liked specifically about the game was that it was the most open game I had experienced up until this point. I could go wherever I wanted, assuming I had the level to do so, I could do any quest I wanted, I wasn't forced to do a quest line unless I wanted to experience a certain thing. Then I started looking deeper into the game, after playing the game for no more than four months I quit for the summer. I had to ask myself why I quit. Was it the environment? The character? The fact my friends quit for the summer and I was being a conformist? All in all I came to the conclusion that it was the game.

It took me a year later to realize... after returning in September that, outside of the character I'm making (which I adore), I hate everything about the game. WoW is the epitome of time-wastage. Period. There are hobbies, and there is WoW. There is a term in WoW that is "grinding." Grinding is the equivalent to scrubbing a giant ship deck with a little brush and bucket. WoW is grinding; your character is the brush, and the quests are bucket. You grind to 70, which for the average player, takes about two months. You have to instance grind for gear. For the average player, that process takes a good month to be totally effective (depending on whether or not you want PvP or PvE [Person versus Person/Environment]). Then, if you wish to do "end-game" content, meaning; to tackle a difficult PvE opponent/dungeon/instance with the help from 25-40 people. In other words, 25 people as a collective entity grinding to experience content. Well then... what is the big deal about WoW then? From my explanation, it appears as though WoW is not that great, right? It's not. People are attached to their characters more than content. Since WoW is such a grind, people become attached to their characters and therefore feel that after grinding so much for what they have, that it's too hard to give up. That's the addiction. Anything else and you're just fooling yourself.

Do you remember the rush of playing an arcade game, or better yet; a fighting game dojo style (Street Fighter)? Do you remember how intense it was when you're on a really hard level, or when you're fighting an opponent that is really tough that it gives you pins and needles in your hands, and makes you shake and quiver with intensity? WoW gives no such effect. Group instances are a system. A tank tanks, a healer heals, damage classes do damage. Sounds like a pretty system, right? Wrong. That's fucking boring. Where's the challenge? In 25 man raids, the boss encounters follow patterns. What's the point if they follow a goddamn pattern? Once you learn it it's FINISHED. You've beaten it, NEVER again unless you have people join who don't know what to do. What's the point of that? Does anyone feel a rush? I bet you feel accomplishment you beat the boss as a collective unit, but after a while there is no fervor to continue. With an arcade game (like Missile Defense), there isn't a specific pattern path. In dojo games, if you're doing a PvP, the matches can be INTENSE. It's always different and it's always mind numbing goodness!

We live in a Democratic society (knock on wood), with that, we know that a leader who attempts to please everyone will please no one. WoW is a system. A 1.5 second, cooldown system that fails. Blizzard has become obsessed with class "balancing" that they aren't seeing is making their characters numb. They submit to the masses of complainers. Shamans want crowd control... pallies want to be better, warriors don't want to be crowd controlled. People take their class weakness and complain to HELL about it. Those people that complain, are people that we, in the Fighting Game community, call Scrubs. People who complain about a character's weakness that they accept and then decline when they lose. That's exactly what's happening though. The forums are filled with slander, with people attempting to strut their non-existent "stuff," people complaining, people posting key logger virus' to steal your account. People berate, belittle and attack other players for their own experiences of play, saying that what they experience is wrong... reread that statement. That's like saying that you just turned four years old, but someone says that because they turned eight years old, it means you didn't turn four. It's literally that narrow-minded and stupid.

Where are the GMs (Game Masters) in all this? They allow a lot of this crap to happen. Moderation of the forums? My ass! Children browse that website and forums. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but where does that free speech end? What line is drawn in the sand? In society, there is Freedom with Responsibility. Anyone who believes they have absolute freedom is kidding themselves and living under a rock. Free speech should be no different. You should be responsible for what you say. Forum moderation is not just deleting topics of politics (because 9/10 people cannot handle a political topic for their lives), or a language filter for cursive words (which people just find alternate ways of expressing it anyway). Forum moderation is punishing people who create an environment that is uncomfortable for people. People who belittle others for the sake of their own empowerment. That is the WoW forums, and for the parents reading this who allow their children to play this game? Yeah, right. You might as well give them an Encyclopedia on Immorality while you're at it. You have no idea how many uneducated buffoons that exist in your society until you play World of Warcraft.

But let's forget the forums, because let's be frank, the forums do not represent the majority of the people that play WoW. People will complain when something is wrong, but they will not send messages of delight when it is working as intended and they are satisfied. No one is entirely satisfied in WoW. I stopped checking the WoW forums when I was attacked about what gear I decided to use. When a collective entity attacks you on no purpose other than to bring you down for stating your opinion, that's really deafening. My character had nothing to do with the discussion, in fact, there is nothing wrong with my character and what I choose to put him in. Others see it differently. Napoleon once said, "Those that are often against oppression are they, themselves, who like to oppress." Boy, do I ever agree. Ever since that, my gaming environment was bitter. I began to dislike my character, felt all that time scrubbing the deck was wasted. I kind of felt that I used the wrong soap to scrub the deck.

No, that's not it. I used the soap I wanted to use. That's my prerogative. I choose what I want to put on my character. I choose what I want to do with my time, and then it hit me. Why the hell do I choose to waste my life on this horrible game? This game is horrible. This gaming experience is horrible, this social environment is horrible. You call this a social environment? WoW is the epitome of society's materialism. The two things that come to mind when typical people play WoW is gear, gold, and friends. In that order, in that hierarchy. If someone is a really good person, but a total moron at understanding the game mechanics, if the "expert" doesn't have anything to gain other than the friendship, in most cases (in what I've seen), they leave and find something or someone to get what they want. Very few guilds are made on the premise of fun and good character, even fewer survive.

In realizing this epiphany I entered a "state of meditation"... by making a new character (okay, so I can be dense at times!). I felt that I needed to fully convince myself, to test my idea. To make sure that this epiphany was real, and these ideas of mine had real merit.

Surely enough... yes they did.

I made a new Priest. At level 35, I met a group of people whom I thought had really good characters. They invited me to their guild, full of new ones to the game. I have no issues with that. People began asking me questions, since I've been playing the game for a year and a half. People began to rely on me. I began to feel uncomfortable. The guild had many rambunctious immature tweens that made guild chat excruciatingly painful. Needless to say, I told the few "friends" I had there that the environment is just not my thing. I'm used to a more mature player base in my guilds, and I said I don't think I'd be happy there.

One of my friends, we'll call him Adam, recreated a guild. I believe it was because of my leaving and you will too in a minute. He invited people from the "old" guild into the new one. He promised me that he took the most "mature" people from the old guild. He promoted "officers," whom his character choices were people who kissed some heavy ass for power and whom of which I've seen abused administration powers from the last guild. I joined and he promoted me to the highest rank, same with another friend of mine whom of which I had grown quite fond of. We'll call him Laura. He was always nice to me and I to him. The reason why I was promoted was because I had good "knowledge" of the game. In other words, Adam wanted to play with me because I had knowledge of leading and playing the game, so he promoted me and labeled me his "sword" in order to lead and assume order. Whenever someone spoke out and expressed an opinion they didn't agree with they would whisper me and say "kick him," to which I wouldn't. You gave me a job to define. I define it my own way. No criteria equals no comprendé.

There was a guild meeting... the simpletons couldn't even keep quiet. The "guild officer introduction;" biggest waste of time ever. I can't even recall what happened it was such a waste of time. The next day I see the same shit in guild chat I did the previous day. An ol' too-familiar-feeling washed over me. The same kids acting up, the same immature player base, except, now I was in a position of "power" that I never asked for, and I'm tasked with "keeping order" and "leading" everyone with my "extensive knowledge." In other words, I'm the unofficial Guild Master.

So I leave... again. This time saying that nothing has changed. The very same people who made this uncomfortable for me were in the guild and it's not right for me to use power to get rid of people I don't like. I said that "I feel uncomfortable having a position of power and having everyone rely on my sole decision when I'm not even Guild Master. I didn't ask for what you gave me, and unfortunately the 'new player attitude' is still not making me feel that this is an environment I will enjoy." A day later, Adam disbands the guild entirely. Laura doesn't talk to me and I'm glad I'm free of those impending chains that would've strangled me in guilt if I had stayed any longer. I even invited my real life friends to the guild, that, because they weren't online at the time, I booted out of the guild because they were only there for me. Then I left. I was accused of "booting people and leaving." After explaining the situation, I don't feel it computed. After a while of repeating myself, I just put the people who asked on my ignore list.

I then get to level 63. Laura whispers me, very kindly, if I would heal for them in an instance that gives me no experience, gives me no loot, is too low for me, and I hate with a bloody passion. He, at the time is 51, and he could use many things from this instance. Adam is near the same level and he, too can benefit from this. In other words, this is a favor I'm doing for them. I, in no way benefit from this, but I'm willing to sacrifice my time to help a friend out. I do the instance, which was very horrible, by the way. I hate the instance and I hate when it's not done right. I considered them my friends, so I was willing to endure that retarded entourage for them.

We're nearing the end of a typical run (There are three floors, typically, we only do two). A Paladin asks us if we could do a specific boss. I say sure, because it's along the way. We do that boss and apparently it's not the right one. Alright... but you said it was this boss, and all of a sudden he loses all memory and says he didn't say anything. Okay. Laura, without asking me or anything, says "We'll clear the entire thing for you," at this point, I realize that clearing the bottom floor means being in this instance for an hour. I don't have an hour left in me to play. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, why the hell would I want to be online? My girlfriend will be on my doorstep in 15 minutes, I'm in my fucking pyjamas, there's no god-forsaken way for me to complete this run. I just have time for the last boss and that's that.

I interject, and state that I signed up for a typical run, not a full run (yes, in WoW, it is tradition that, for bosses that are not typically done, you state specifically what bosses you need before the run begins so everyone knows. If this is the first time doing the instance you tell the group. Especially if you're a tank). I tell them simply, "I'm sorry but I just don't have the time for a full run." "Oh," says the Paladin. He teleports to a city, and leaves the party, right before the last boss. Alright... so I say "I'm guessing you don't want the last boss then. I'm logging now then." No one replies to me after a good two minutes of silence, so I teleport to my main city and get ready to logout.

I suddenly get a rather left-field message from Laura stating how much of an "asshole" I am, and how he gave me a "second chance" and how I'm the "worst WoW player ever," and like a real chump, puts me on an ignore list right after. Not even allowing me the decency of a rebuttal. Of course, I did later anyway with another character... because that hurt coming from a person I believed was a friend, and who acted like one. I was at a loss as to why it was my fault.

So... wait... recap: My first chance was blown because I left a guild where I was meant to play baby sitter, and my second chance was blown because I did them a favor that I learned mid-run I couldn't complete. I see how I'm the culprit in this bubblegum mystery. Adam put me on ignore at the same time as well.

I found out that they both are gossipers. They talk shit behind people's backs. They act nice, but stab you in the back when you do something they don't agree with. I asked myself; "how could these two people, both five years older than me, be so narrow-minded and so belittling to another person without even considering their feelings?" and then.... it hit me.

Everything that I deemed needed proving a second time, was just proven. And thus, on the moment of reading this message, I have successfully vented my frustration, and have unsubscribed and freed myself of the clutches of the regime that is known as WoW. I repeat, I have unsubscribed, and I have never felt better about myself in a long while. My last day is October 18th and I can't wait to be free from that psychically vampirical game we all know as World of Warcraft.

Damn that fucking felt GOOD!