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Confessions of a Closet WoW Addict

Oct 16, 2008
By Mike.
Culture, Gaming

It was two weeks ago that my normally reliable computer died. It was only three years old and I had no plans of upgrading any time soon — my futures were heavily invested in plastic instruments and the greatness that is Rock Band.

About fifteen minutes after I realized something was really wrong, I could actually feel the beginnings of true panic creeping in. Of course I’m no stranger to the total failure of a computer (I believe I’m now on #6 since 1994), so I’m well versed in the expected feelings of regret over data potentially lost or even the sudden frustration over a complete lack of Internet access.

But this time was different. Suddenly I was cut off from a game I’d previously held in contempt. Suddenly the tables were turned and the ugly face of addiction came into focus.

My name is Mike and I’m addicted to World of Warcraft.

Of course I know there are some that completely understand. And of course I know there are some that are completely disgusted — not at the idea that I could become addicted to an MMO but that it is WoW. And six months ago, I would have understood. I had originally tried WoW back in August of 2006 but it left unimpressed. It seemed too simplistic and watered down for my refined gaming tastes. I’ll admit it — I was an elitist, looking down on the poor slobs feeding at mediocrity that was Warcraft. At that point in my life I had a 6 month old child and an amazing amount of free time (all things considered) which colored my world view.

Fast forward two years and I found myself in between plastic instrument games and feeling the need to try something different. As luck would have it, Amazon was having a sale on the WoW BattleChest, and for $30 it was a tremendous deal.  Furthermore, since I had been really disappointed in my last few attempts at online games, particularly Vanguard (Horrific – and you can quote me on that), I figured for $30 I couldn’t go wrong.

Now I’m not the kind of guy that would type up a post to regale WoW — it’s been done to death.  But as someone with decidedly less free time (do the math), WoW delivers in spades. Why? It works. The quests work. The game balance works (though after yesterday’s patch I guess that’s up for discussion). But most of all, the experience works. Whether I want to log on for an hour or three, I can get something done and feel my token sense of accomplishment. As much as I hate to admit it, my tastes have changed to meet my new lifestyle. And it wasn’t until free time became more precious that I realized what a perfect match it was.

Special recognition goes to two people. First and foremost to Brian — who was goodly enough to loan me a computer while mine was dead and then help me build a new one. I would not have been able to last two weeks without his help. I have free 30 day trial codes if you need them.

The second is to a certain devleoper at Blizzard whom I shall call Tiny O. We had some discussions back in 2006 through e-mail about WoW and he was kind enough to entertain my questions as a concerned consumer. I just wanted to say — you were right. Thanks.

Now if you’ll excuse me…

Last 5 posts by Mike

9 Comments
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9 Comments

  1. PLW  •  Oct 16, 2008 @6:08 am

    It’s funny that you say that, because the reason I quit Warcraft was because I couldn’t just play it for a couple hours at a time. Once I started raiding, and it was like “schedule 5 hours a night 3 times a week,” The end.

  2. Mike  •  Oct 16, 2008 @7:44 am

    Oh, I totally can see how people can go crazy — particularly for that type of “end game” high level content. But for someone that wants to solo or find a PUG for some quick missions, I’ve yet to play an MMO that works as well. While I’m playing I can totally see the end-game – maxing out a character level. I have no desire to fight in PvP or join raids for special gear. But clearly it’s a huge factor for some.

    When I was playing Star Wars Galaxies it was reaching a point where it turned into a part time job. Managing harvesters. Completing special orders for the guild. It was too much.

  3. Ken  •  Oct 16, 2008 @9:19 am

    Yeah, SWG was just like a poorly paid job.

    I do get enjoyment from some of my time on MMORPGs. But it’s enjoyment from discovery and from fun grinding. It’s not lasting. I play a while, lose interest, and cancel. And my schedule just doesn’t let me hang out with people reliably.

  4. Derrick  •  Oct 16, 2008 @9:44 am

    Warhammer is even WORSE in that “play for an hour and get stuff done” aspect.

  5. Mike  •  Oct 16, 2008 @9:58 am

    I also find enjoyment in discovery and leveling — something that has been blocked from me as a primarily solo player. Until now. I also have a highly erratic gaming schedule and couldn’t possibly be relied upon for long-term scheduled group play. It’s easily the most solo-friendly MMO I’ve tried — and I’ve tried a bunch.

    Warhammer might be the greatest game ever created. But I won’t pay for another MMO until at least year after it has been out. That really is WoW’s biggest strength at this point (IMHO). The lineage associated with being in place for almost four years now. Nothing released can be as tight as that kind of product, I don’t care how great the first 20 hours are.

    And that’s why I can’t stop playing.

  6. Ezra  •  Oct 16, 2008 @12:17 pm

    I have never played any MMO for more than one day. My brother tries and tries to get me into them. Finally, Warhammer seems to have taken (at least until Fallout3…) I have played up to level 11, and am having a good time. I still have things that make me wish I was playing a “real” game (mostly other people.. heh..) and the constant fedex quests get a little old. Still, the Public Quests are a lot of fun, and I just love the Warhammer world. The art feels right, and the tone is perfect Warhammer. That is the best part of the game, without doubt.

  7. Patrick  •  Oct 17, 2008 @1:49 pm

    I find killing other people, and being killed by them, in Warhammer to be almost as much of a charge as anything I’ve done in computer gaming, and I’ve been gaming longer than Apple has existed. We’ll see whether that lasts, but I’ve had Sid Meier’s Colonization sitting on the hard drive for the better part of a month, and have played it for only about two hours.

    And I love Sid games.

  8. Mike  •  Oct 17, 2008 @3:03 pm

    From what I’ve read of Warhammer, it is very focused on PvP — which is to be expected given the source material. I can’t really compare that to WoW’s PvP aspect as I’m not interested in that type of gameplay, particularly in the time-sink that it seems to require with WoW (gearing up, practicing, tooling builds, etc…)

    It’s a whole sub-culture.

  9. Patrick  •  Oct 17, 2008 @3:15 pm

    It isn’t Mike. It’s MMO Team Fortress, with more classes and little MMO quests added.

    It’s a blast.

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