How is World of Warcraft still going strong 11 years later?
Let’s talk about Blizzard’s biggest success.
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Blizzard shared some new details aboutWorld of Warcrafts next big expansion,Legion, at BlizzCon 2015.
The release date is set for Summer 2016.
But this does not overshadow its decade-long success.
After almost 11 years since its launch,WoWis still a game people care about and continue to play.
Folks are still hungering for the perfectWarcraftexperience.
It doesnt look likeWorld of Warcraftis going anywhere any time soon.
Why isWorld of Warcraftstill so popular after ten years?WoWs graphics arent anything spectacular.
Each expansion piles on more filler lore that takes away from what made theWoWuniverseWarcraft-y in the first place.
The communitys gone downhill, and so hasthe games degree of personal complexity/responsibility.
With all these negatives, why isWoWstill the undisputed king?
MMORPGs arent RPGs with a few multiplayer elements tossed in.
Theyre virtual worlds, essentially, where we can enjoy a bit of story and experience fun combat.
We become invested in these worlds, the progression of our characters, and our bonds with other players.
WoWsucceeds in creating this world because its been around for so long.
MMORPGs are designed this way, andWoWdoes it best simply because its been this way for years.
Theres a certain bit of safety and comfort associated with that product.
Were tempted to return.
WoWs developers also do a fantastic job of enticing us to feel proud of our achievements from eons ago.
And there are a shit ton of things to collect inWoWright now.
), but with Blizzards staff numbers, fixes are generally made swiftly and professionally.
Lets take TrionsArcheAge, for example.
A game with a ton of potential that received the unfortunate end of a whole lot of exploits.
Class balance inWoWisnt perfect, but its a lot better than in many other MMORPGs.
The game has a sense of stability that isnt found everywhere.
For players who wish to stick with a subscription model,WoWs a safe bet.
Along those same lines, theres also a big sense of innovation inWoW.
Its designed to satisfy both casual players and raiders with a bit of time investment.
Some players love itothers hate itbut theres no denying the fact that everythingWoWdoes, it does full-heartedly.
Its systems and features as fully thought out, fully developed, and high in quality.
WoWalso has some of the most enjoyable questing and cutscenes found in any MMORPG to this day.
The same can be said for its raid encounters.
Not all ofWoWs raids have been proportionately epic to one another, but for the ones that are?
Entirely worthwhile and extremely awesome.
And that really is the lifes blood of the genre in terms of gameplay, isnt it?
Giving players enough fun things to do whenever they want to sit down at their keyboard and mouse.
The memorable moments just arent there in the same way that Blizzard jam packs its flagship.
Speaking of raiding, that leads me to my final point.
Community was always and will always be the number one contributing factor when it comes to an MMORPGs longevity.
Ask anyone whos tried a few MMORPGs and has returned toWoWwhy they left those other games.
One of their answers will almost always be, All my friends left.
We play MMORPGs with our friends and for our friends.
We play to make new friends.
We play to stay close to friends we dont get to see in person often.
Without guilds and friendships,WoWwould be nothing.
A new expansion is also the best time to find a new guild, or make a new one.
Work the night shift yet still want to raid?
There are guilds for that.
Want to take part in world PvP and roleplay at the same time?
Yeptake your pick of PvP/RP servers.
The other trick is to get rid of trade chat completely.
Thats the only wayWoWcan avoid becoming dethroned at this point.
Until then, play what you want to play and have it your way.
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