World of Warcraft

Most people who use the internet know what World of Warcraft is. Strangely, before its release in February 2005 (Europe) there would have been very few people who used the internet in general and knew what a MMORPG was (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game). Before WoW such games were hardcore and nerdy to the extreme, often requiring months and months of 'grinding' (repetitive and boring killing) to even reach the maximum levels. WoW changed all that by making it very accessible to any gamer and adopting a philosophy where the game really only began at the level cap (Level 60 then). To say it worked is an understatement, latest figures show WoW having around 11 million subscribes whereas all of its Western competitors are under 1 million. There maybe free-to-play games with more than that, or obscure Asian games, but I am not aware of those.

I have played WoW for around 3 years, since the original 'vanilla' release. I did take a break for over a year in March 2007 shortly after the games first expansion pack "The Burning Crusade" due to raiding burnout (and I was the most casual of raiders). My second child was born November 2006 and I decided I couldn't play WoW to the extent that I wanted. When I started playing again in April 2008 I came back with a different view of the game, to stop 'racing' or trying to compete against people who have much more free time than me. This has led to me enjoying the game more, but I still find its borderline too addictive.

I also have a strong case of 'alt-itus', that is playing a character to a certain extent then getting bored and wanting to try another. WoW is probably the easiest such game to do this in and no doubt it has been encouraged by Blizzard (the creators) as it certainly adds to longevity in interest. Currently I am interested in 2 characters, a Druid (level 65) and a Paladin (level 70 but sitting idle since before the latest expansion 'Wrath of the Lich King'). I also have a level 80 Warrior that is basically geared well enough for most of the current end-game content. I play on the Eu server Terenas on Horde side and am in a guild that was initially created for people like myself making a return to WoW after an absence. Since then the guild has become a general raiding guild much like any other with more emphasis on the casual side of gaming ie our members have a life outside the game.