World Of Warcraft
My nephew plays the World of Warcraft online game for hours at a time. I've watched a little bit, but don't really understand the game, or its appeal. Can you explain what the World of Warcraft game is all about, who plays it, and why? |
What is World of Warcraft?
Once mere tools of fun and frolic for kids online, internet games have developed into major industries where people from all age groups and social strata are hooked to the internet to play their favorite games. There are a number of online virtual reality and role-playing games on the internet, which have captured the imagination of gamers all over the world.
World Of Warcraft is one such game which has attracted the fancy of innumerable gamers all around the world. It's a pay-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), introduced as Blizzard Entertainment's fourth offering in the fantasy Warcraft Universe. Since its released in November 2004, the World of Warcraft (WoW) game has attracted many users from all across the world and has become the world's largest MMORPG in terms of monthly subscribers. As of January 2007, total number of WoW players was estimated at 8.5 million users all over the world.
As in most MMORPGs, WoW players assume an identity and an avatar which represents them in the game world. Players explore the virtual world, fight monsters, perform quests, or join others to form raiding parties that do battle with enemy factions. Some portions of the game can be enjoyed by solo players, while others are designed to encourage the formation of guilds which can work together for hours, days or weeks to succeed with a raid. Success in the game is rewarded with virtual possessions, gold, experience points and skill levels.
Who Plays World Of Warcraft?
The simple answer: all types of people. Many people incorrectly assume that online gaming is something that appeals only to teenage boys, but only 25 percent of MMORPG players are teenagers. According to some demographic surveys of WoW Players, the average player age is 28. Not too surprisingly, 84 percent of players are male and 16 percent are female. But female players tend to be older, with an average age of 32.
On average, both males and females spend 2-3 hours per day playing WoW, but some people report playing for 8, 10 or 12 hours at a time. Perhaps that explains why only 50 percent of MMORPG players work full-time jobs.
The Daedalus Project catalogs Nick Yee's eight years of research into online games, and the people that play them. He discusses the psychology of online gaming, the motivations of players involved, how relationships are formed among players, game addiction, and even making a living by playing MMORPGs. He offers 25 brief profiles of online gamers, which include:
- Claire, a 35-year-old PC technician from Idaho, was unable to work for 15 years due to lupus, and online games offered her a chance to socialize.
- Peter, a 54-year-old auto mechanic in Devon (UK), says his interest in online gaming was a natural progression from playing the Dungeons & Dragons board game, popular in the 1980s.
- Diane, a 33-year-old professional and mother from New Jersey, got into online gaming after a conversation with a fellow Lord of the Rings fan at a laundromat.
- Dan, a 25-year-old mortgage broker in California, plays because killing dragons isn’t something he can do in real life.
World Of Warcraft has a thriving community of players, and some of them have formed close ties with each other. WoW observes events in real world, such as New Year's Eve, and allows the players to meet (virtually) and celebrate these events in the game's world of Azeroth. Interest in the game has increased by leaps and bounds over the years and has surpassed the expectations of even its creators. The game has many international subscribers and is a massive hit in Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe. One of the major reasons for the game's phenomenal success is its simplicity. Many online games have a steep learning curve, but since World Of Warcraft offers simple user interfaces, both novices and experts can play this game and enjoy it equally.
World Of Warcraft Add-ons
The popularity of the World Of Warcraft has given rise to a legion of external websites which supply add-ons, interface modifications (mods), downloads and cheating tips for the game. Some of these tools enhance the gaming experience, while others are designed to give players an advantage by automating repetitive operations, making certain tasks easier, or adding functionality that is not part of the WoW interface.
Here are some sites you can explore if you're intested in addons, mods, downloads or cheats for World of Warcraft:
- Wow Mods - http://wow-en.curse-gaming.com/downloads/addons and http://worldofwarcraft.filefront.com
- WoW Addons - http://wowui.incgamers.com
- Wow Downloads - http://www.3dgamers.com/games/worldofwarcraft/downloads
- WoW Cheats - http://www.taultunleashed.com/
Do you play World of Warcraft? How much time do you spend in the game? Share your tips with others by adding a comment to this article.
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This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 12 Jul 2007
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- World Of Warcraft (Posted: 12 Jul 2007)
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Most recent comments on "World Of Warcraft"
Posted by:
Dave in Indy
17 Jul 2007
$15 per month X 8.5 million players. Hey, Bob, we are in the wrong business!
EDITOR'S NOTE: I heard that Bill Gates will send you $243 for every email you forward. I'm gonna buy one of those "1 Million Email Addresses for $49" CDroms and I'll be set for life! :-)
Posted by:
Jen
27 Jul 2007
I am one of those rare types (well, maybe they're not so rare anymore); the "female gamer"! I play with my husband and it also lets us keep in touch with friends we left behind when we moved. (Actually, that was one of the big reasons we got it...)
At first I didn't want to play it because, as you mentioned, a lot of these type games have a steep learning curve and I hadn't liked other computer RPGs that I'd tried (I love console RPG's though!). But because it was easy to pick up (and has lovely graphics & music), I got hooked! :) My only gripe is about the stupid people that think it's cute to act like jerks. :(
Posted by:
PZA
30 Jul 2007
I'm also one of those rare types, i'm a teenage female gamer.
I started to play WoW after a friend let me play it at his house. Since then i play maybe an Hour a day. Even though it turns out a little expensive (it's one of the only game you have to pay monthly to play) it's one of the best games ever. The game does help socialising, since i started I've made at least 10 IRL friends (In real Life). You should start playing ;)
Posted by:
Mark
16 Aug 2007
Just wanted to point out that of the 8.5 million subscribers, only about 2 million are from the U.S. and we are the only ones that are paying $15 a month. The last break down that I saw was that Asia had 3 million subscribers and they only paid an average of $5 US a month. ...Even at that, it is still a pretty good source of income!! If I can find the source of my information again, I will provide it. BTW, Love the BUS!! Keep it rolling!
Posted by:
Houston
16 Sep 2008
I read an article today that said that Blizzard makes somewhere around $121 million a month, most of which comes from WoW.
WoW is def. a game that is for every person of every age. From my experience with the game, guys def. do play the game a lot more than girls. And as for experience with the game, i have foound that people in college tend to be the best
Posted by:
Daviswilson
20 Sep 2008
"The "World of Warcraft" is nice.I have played the game and its really interesting. I got the games and they are really exciting.What your saying is right.The game is really addictive.
Appreciated.
Posted by:
haddin
17 May 2009
Anybody know where the World of Warcraft European servers are located? Someone said they are all in Britain but I am not sure. Would they have some in Germany, some in Finland etc?
I am trying to do a business plan for my own massive multiplayer game and was wonder how they spread out the resources.
______________
haddin
WoW Europe Gold
Posted by:
dean
30 May 2009
bob just a note be careful about using "cheats " in wow or many extra add on type program wow Will defiantly kick u off of the system and bar u from ever playing again also stay away from these gold makers in wow many times they are a ripoff
Posted by:
Cwilson
22 Sep 2009
Just for the record, Bob, it is expressly forbidden to run any type of mod that automates any action. The only thing mods can do for you is submit information in different ways, where it be your user interface, moving stuff around, changing the way it looks or displaying your threat in a 5 point display or rearranging raid unit frames in a nice little cube that saves screen real estate. Anything else and you're account gets deleted. And also getting "paid" to play is against the law unless you work for blizz and then you're not really playing on company time. The only other way is by selling virtual items form the game and I believe that is blizzard's intellectual property?
Posted by:
wow account
02 Dec 2010
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