Gamer World

Why World Of Warcraft Is So Popular

World Of Warcraft is popular for a number of reasons. There. I said it. Now hire me as a consultant, Blizzard! Of course everyone knows that it’s famous in multiple ways. If it wasn’t then all the market competitors would have replicated the one feature that made WoW good and draw in huge numbers of players. Unfortunately for EverQuest 2, Lord Of The Rings Online, Warhammer: Age Of Reckoning and many others, it’s not that simple.

Or is it? WoW‘s success rests on two key elements. The first is the fact that other people play. I began in 2005 after being introduced to Azeroth by a friend. Then I went and told all my pals about it, most of whom consequently started playing. The vast playerbase is also why end-game works so effectively. Titles like Runes Of Magic actually have genuinely impressive dungeons for folks hitting the level cap. There’s simply not enough people around to experience them properly. With WoW, the average competent gamer is spoilt for choice when it comes to picking what guild or raid to join. This allows for huge degrees of flexibility; so what if you can’t make one group’s boss run? There’s always tens more people who will be happy to accommodate your schedule.

Moreover, having someone there makes all the difference. Whether you need a tour around the world from your mate or just a stranger to talk to in the zone’s general chat, having the opportunity to socialise makes it worth playing. WoW‘s popularity causes it to be the ultimate self-perpetuating machine, as people join MMOs to play with other people. When it comes to online games, there’s no such thing as a ‘good’ solo experience. MMOs allow individuals to craft their own, unique tales of heroism, based on who they end up interacting with. If no one else is around to make what you do different or novel to the next guy, then you might as well be on a single-player RPG. Imagine that you were only allowed to play Team Fortress 2 with nothing but bots. It would be pointless, right? Well some MMOs actually unintentionally provide this feeling because there’s not enough other players around. WoW‘s 9 million subscribers prevent anyone from being alone for too long which, in turn, brings more guys to the game.

Secondly, recall that WoW was released in 2004 at a time where a great deal of gamers had even tried an MMO. Suddenly there’s a wave of dedicated Blizzard fanatics recommending this one title to everyone they know – as mentioned above. Unlike the majority, WoW wasn’t my first MMO. I’d played Conquer Online and Ragnarok religiously beforehand alongside dabbling in the space epic EVE. However, none of these titles really grabbed me in the same way WoW did. Specifically, I remember the exact moment I fell in love with the game. My level 40 friend thought it would be a good idea to take me from the Elven starting zone all the way to the other side of the world, so I could roam about in more populated districts. As we flew across the sea from the opening areas to the mainland I began to think, ‘Wow, this is awesome’. When we landed in Auberdine, we found the Alliance port to be completely overridden with members of the opposing faction. An impressive battle had broken out and the spark of awe that I’d felt moments earlier ignited into a roaring fire. As we were ushered onto the boat bound for the Eastern Kingdoms, I fell in love with WoW. That passion was kept alight by battles at Tarren Mill and increasingly interesting instance runs.

That’s the thing. WoW is full of awe-inspiring scenes that don’t exist in other games. Everything from Lord Of The Rings Online to Lineage 2 have sweeping vistas and beautiful soundtracks, but WoW provided both of these and a lot more years ago. Many players doesn’t even feel impassioned until endgame when they raid side-by-side with their fellow man (or woman). But without other players around, such experiences would never happen – as mentioned in my first point.

In truth, there’s an orgy of explanations as to WoW‘s popularity. Heck, some of you will argue that it comes down to the cute graphics or Blizzard’s brand power. Conversely, I believe the points I raised are pretty indisputable – although I imagine the other factors do come into it, just not as drastically.

About the Author

Scott Constantine is a writer from the UK.

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