My first experience playing one of the world's most popular games, World of Warcraft, was surprisingly for class. Considering how popular this game is and how many games I play, this was a bit surprising! I set off on my journey as a lone Night Elf Rogue, determined not only to be able to better understand this week's readings, but to finally understand the obsession that is World of Warcraft.
The game itself is fascinatingly different from anything I have played. Upon entering the world, I saw dozens of other players, all in my immediate area. Everyone jostled for space, for quests and for creatures to vanquish! Players spoke to each other in chat in some weird modified version of English so filled with abbreviations that I gave up trying to understand it. Some players did not seem to even be on quests, but simply walking around the environment.
What people weren't fighting for, however, was companionship. It seemed that there was no one trying to greet newbs like myself. In his work "Never Playing Alone," Bart Simon discusses the myth of the lonely gamer in relation to WoW. All gamers know the stereotype-the recluse hiding in their parents' basement, never seeing the light of day except when they want to purchase a new title or console. WoW is one of those games that can really work against this stereotype. The exception to this rule seems to be found, however, if you begin a character not knowing others playing the game who are willing to play with you. The beginnings of WoW are quite lonely as you work tirelessly to grind and level your character up to a point where other players want to play with you.
My experience playing, as I've said, was quite lonely. The graphics in WoW are also quite outdated and the quest lines are incredibly generic, generally boiling down to "kill n of x and bring back y in return for z". Compared to a non MMOG game with similar themes and style, such as Dragon Age or its sequel there are other games far more sophisticated than WoW. Yet WoW remains incredibly popular. What is it, then that creates such a strong appeal for gamers?
Arguably, one aspect that makes WoW so popular is the way it is designed in terms of reward/incentive for a player. One always feels as if they have just leveled up or are very close to reaching another level. Even in the short time I played, I managed to level up a few times, and near the end was tempted to keep going, just to reach the next level, even though I wasn't really having that much fun! The carrot at the end of the stick in this case seems always just within reach.
WoW is also, for many players, a way of socializing. Guilds form around those who know each other "irl" and total strangers. Simon discusses the ways in which players apply to guilds, making them unique gated groups that select for specific criteria they value. The note to make your guild application "personal" found in Simon's example is a testament to how guild members often become more than just avatars working together. They are a mini-community unlike any other I can think of. I for one know at least one marriage in which the parties met on WoW.
In addition to allowing for the creation of guilds, WoW also supports the development of other types of communities. Game mods, for example, bring people together who both use the mods (as discussed in Simon's article) but also those who develop them. However, it is also notable that the use of mods can be exclusionary for those who are not technically capable enough to use them. This is similar to how the mores and language unique to WoW can often be daunting for a new player, as they certainly were for me.
Overall, playing WoW proved a valuable experience in learning about a unique sector of the gaming world, but also about one of the most successful examples of game design currently out there.
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