[BLOG] My WoW experience - Day 10 and conclusion
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
So that's it. I've finished what I started out to do. I dipped my toes into the World of Warcraft and now feel that I have a basic grasp of the culture, terminology, and gameplay of this phenomenon.
If I had been reviewing World of Warcraft, I would say that 2 of the 10 days were negative experiences, due to severe lag and downtime. My timing was off (not that I knew it at the time) because the big 3.0.2 patch came out right in the middle of my trial, during which the entire game was offline for an entire working day. I was told by paying players that they usually credit your account for a day when that happens. On day 9, I experienced severe lag - so much so that the game became unplayable. Spells and commands would take up to 10 seconds to launch, during which time my character was standing there doing nothing, and getting killed. One second I'd be standing there and the next second I'd be dead without any enemy even being visible. Things were happening "in the world" but I wasn't receiving updates fast enough to see them occur. I read yesterday that they were doing emergency maintenance to correct the lag issues, but still - that would have been a major mark against them in a regular review.
My goal, however, was not to review this game as a game, per se. It was to relay my experiences as a complete and utter newbie. I figured that four years into the game, people like me are rare creatures - avid PC and console gamers who have had absolutely no exposure to WoW. I did this for you, dear readers and friends, for you. A noble sacrifice, you will no doubt agree.
I'll just out myself: I like World of Warcraft. If I could, I'd buy it. I'd subscribe. There is enough content there to justify $15/month. I spend way more than $15 a month on coffee. I spend more than $15 a month on Thai food. I know some of you will be surprised to hear me say this.
However, the thought of jeers and pans from my coworkers, roommate, and friends is enough to put me off of the game. I know that if I caved and got a subscription, I would never hear the end of it. There is a dark, secret part of me that says "thank you, dear friends - because without your discouragement, I would get addicted to this game."
I always knew that I had it in me. My beta FFXI experience taught me that much. That said, I could see myself tiring of WoW after a while - no amount of content can hold my interest that long, for I suffer from Game Lovers Syndrome. No matter what, there will be something that pulls me away from the game, whether it be the upcoming stars like Fallout 3 or Fable II, or my old standby Team Fortress 2 (which I have put more hours into than any other game in my life, and still am not even remotely close to being tired of), or some future episode of Half Life - eventually I would tire of WoW to the point where $15 didn't seem worth it based on the fact that I only played the game for a total of 3 days during the previous month.
Still though - Kaitolainen and I had a good run. It was with a pang of regret, though momentary, that I typed "DELETE" into that box to confirm the death sentence conferred upon my noble Tauren friend. A life cut short, a tragedy to be sure, as his work to restore the balance of Azeroth had really only just begun.
Perhaps one day we shall meet again, Azeroth.
If I had been reviewing World of Warcraft, I would say that 2 of the 10 days were negative experiences, due to severe lag and downtime. My timing was off (not that I knew it at the time) because the big 3.0.2 patch came out right in the middle of my trial, during which the entire game was offline for an entire working day. I was told by paying players that they usually credit your account for a day when that happens. On day 9, I experienced severe lag - so much so that the game became unplayable. Spells and commands would take up to 10 seconds to launch, during which time my character was standing there doing nothing, and getting killed. One second I'd be standing there and the next second I'd be dead without any enemy even being visible. Things were happening "in the world" but I wasn't receiving updates fast enough to see them occur. I read yesterday that they were doing emergency maintenance to correct the lag issues, but still - that would have been a major mark against them in a regular review.
My goal, however, was not to review this game as a game, per se. It was to relay my experiences as a complete and utter newbie. I figured that four years into the game, people like me are rare creatures - avid PC and console gamers who have had absolutely no exposure to WoW. I did this for you, dear readers and friends, for you. A noble sacrifice, you will no doubt agree.
I'll just out myself: I like World of Warcraft. If I could, I'd buy it. I'd subscribe. There is enough content there to justify $15/month. I spend way more than $15 a month on coffee. I spend more than $15 a month on Thai food. I know some of you will be surprised to hear me say this.
However, the thought of jeers and pans from my coworkers, roommate, and friends is enough to put me off of the game. I know that if I caved and got a subscription, I would never hear the end of it. There is a dark, secret part of me that says "thank you, dear friends - because without your discouragement, I would get addicted to this game."
I always knew that I had it in me. My beta FFXI experience taught me that much. That said, I could see myself tiring of WoW after a while - no amount of content can hold my interest that long, for I suffer from Game Lovers Syndrome. No matter what, there will be something that pulls me away from the game, whether it be the upcoming stars like Fallout 3 or Fable II, or my old standby Team Fortress 2 (which I have put more hours into than any other game in my life, and still am not even remotely close to being tired of), or some future episode of Half Life - eventually I would tire of WoW to the point where $15 didn't seem worth it based on the fact that I only played the game for a total of 3 days during the previous month.
Still though - Kaitolainen and I had a good run. It was with a pang of regret, though momentary, that I typed "DELETE" into that box to confirm the death sentence conferred upon my noble Tauren friend. A life cut short, a tragedy to be sure, as his work to restore the balance of Azeroth had really only just begun.
Perhaps one day we shall meet again, Azeroth.
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Comments
You are stronger than most.
All is not lost, though. If you call Blizzard, they can probably restore him for you. That way, if you do return, you don't have to start over at level 1.
Perhaps you missed your own point, mirite?