World of Timecraft
World of Warcraft is one of the most successful video games ever made in my opinion. The model of the game is something that had been done by many games before but not on such a large or successful scale. They came along right has computers were really starting to become as useful as they are now. Computers were becoming more integrated into peoples lives and becoming more powerful by the month. The number of people in WoW has created an interesting society of like interested people and Blizzard entertainment is loving every moment of it with each of the over 11 million current players paying them $15 a month. This, way more than covers their sever costs. With the world there are many things to do and when you integrate in the interaction between people the amount of "game" that is available for people is never ending, no defined end and even if you view an end to any part of the game you still want to push your ego upon the others of the game to which you either become well known and famous because you really are that good or more likely you are cut down and sent back to play more much as someone in the real world would be successful or unsuccessful. World of Warcraft is so successful because it mirrors life in a fantasy way with goats and choices to determine where you end up in the end of it all.
World of Warcraft was a well timed, well advertised, well developed, and well supported place for people to spend time interacting with people in a fantasy world with interesting powers and ways to always move forwards in the world. It really gives people a place to have a measure of success no matter what and enjoy it in some capacity as they do it.
World of Warcraft was a well timed, well advertised, well developed, and well supported place for people to spend time interacting with people in a fantasy world with interesting powers and ways to always move forwards in the world. It really gives people a place to have a measure of success no matter what and enjoy it in some capacity as they do it.
Comments
However my major critique of the MMO format as a form of interactive story is the level grind. To reach the "end game" one must invest exponentially more time and effort into "leveling" leaving more casual players out of the loop as far as experiencing end game content. When I read a book or watch a movie I do not want it to get harder to read or more time consuming as I reach the climax of the story.
There is a paradox with games and story in that games, by their very nature require some test of skill. So in essence to further the story you must master the skills of the game, if you do not have the time or desire to master the game skills you will never reach the climax of the story.
But i guess the more I think about this the more this could also be applied to books and movies as well. Some people never make it past "Twilight" while others will read "Ulysses" in a weekend.