World of Warcraft. Warcraft. WoW. It's known by many names. It is revered by many and reviled by even more. And I fall into both camps.
These past few weeks, with the reveal of the LOLPANDAS expansion and the drop in subscriber numbers, I've seen an increase in the amount of World of Warcraft content all over the internet scene. And that's really annoying, partly because I hate WoW, and partly because I love it.
As anyone who's glanced through my blog knows, I have a real love-hate relation with the biggest massively multiplayer online role-playing game of all time. I play it for periods of time; maybe a few months, usually during holidays when I have little else to do. And then I go off it for a few months. And whenever I get back into it, it's the fault of someone else.
This summer, it was down to someone on the Ventrilo channel I inhabit during the holidays. He was playing the same class as me (except he was playing Alliance scum) and his chatter to me about the game brought me straight back into it. As it always does. And I played the game for a few more months, downed a few bosses and kicked a few arses. And then I fell back out of love with it again. Part of it was lack of time (university has really impacted my writing, never mind my gaming), and with Skyrim just aroud the corner for me (I doubt my girlfriend will give me the copy she bought me until my birthday - the 15th of November) I just don't have enough time to grind, no matter how much I yearn for it.
And I hate that. I hate the fact that it always finds a way to bring me back in. Usually it's my cousin who reminds me, but now it's always something else. I do love to keep an eye on the games scene, and it's hard to avoid WoW news, especially when you're a recovering Mage junkie.
I try not to use that term lightly. I'm certainly not addicted, but I do feel the lust to go back to playing it again. I even looked up the requirements to see whether my little netbook could run it (and it can't - but I'm tempted to try anyway). So you see the tricky spot I'm in? I could save so much money by not subscribing to it... but I know I'll be back. I always will be. I've tried transferring to other MMOs, I really have. I've been in the first few days of many MMOs until I gave up. Champions Online, Warhammer Online, Fallen Earth, Age of Conan... I've been there at the start of loads of them, but none bit me like WoW did, and has ever since.
Article comments
1 - ChrisLJ
I've considered WOW on a couple of occasions for myself and my son. However I decided to stick to the much maligned and ridiculed Runescape. Which i must add in it's new Bot Busting and much improved game all round has made the experience a whole lot better. Now back to WOW, what swung me away from this life consuming game was not the game itself but wittnesing a WOW junkie sat in a hotel foyer in Florida stuck to her laptop for hours. Did I want to become a blizzard zombie? My answer was no and forever will be. RS is flexible enough got me to come and go at my leisure. WOW in my opinion wouldn't allow me that luxury!