The lameness of World of Warcraft
by David Nelson 
Nov 14th 2006 at 8:00PM
Another feature from a non-gaming source about the World of Warcraft has arrived, and this one is a little more thought out than most. Chris Dahlen from Slate.com thinks World of Warcraft is a bit lame, and he has some plans to fix it.Most of his ideas have been suggested before in the more hardcore areas of the WoW online community, such as more varied avatars and more world events, but I always find it entertaining to read about WoW from non-traditional sources. even if they are repeating things I have heard before. However, his basic argument is pretty interesting...Chris maintains that the World of Warcraft is so good and so successful, that it leaves very little incentive for Blizzard to innovate. Moreover, other MMORPG makers will simply copy WoW and not bother to bring anything new or groundbreaking to the table. The article is a pretty good read, and you should definitely check it out.
What do you guys think? Could the success of WoW stifle new, creative ideas? Could Blizzard use some of those creative ideas for themselves?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Loubear Nov 14th 2006 8:11PM
Blasphemy. The infidel must be punished.
No, no, I'm kidding, don't flame me. He brings up some interesting ideas. WoW lacks the...expansiveness of a game like SL. But I disagree with the notion that WoW will discourage further innovation. I really don't think that's what is going to happen. But we'll see.
henstar Nov 14th 2006 8:34PM
If anything, WoW's success will bring more innovation to the table because innovation is what's needed to draw customers away from WoW.
Sockninja Nov 14th 2006 9:43PM
remember the Intel monopoly ? IPod ? same deal... some killer will come along... prolly World of Starcraft... but hey :D
Stuart Nov 14th 2006 9:44PM
I want haircuts. One easily custmizable thing about a charactor I have always wanted.
Hub Nov 14th 2006 9:46PM
Wow is a step in the evolution of MMO's. The good new games will learn from it, and innovate. It seems obvious to say that, but that's my first reaction to his article.
I would like to say that Blizz needs more worlds events. After watching the Lord Kazzac today I'd love to see him ramapage through SW or Nef descend on Org to avenge Onxyia's death. Things like this would also give casual players a chance to see the big bosses. My hesitation is that every time Blizz tries to implement a holiday they spend a week fixing the servers.
Tripp Nov 15th 2006 12:05AM
i gotta admit his comments are very good, i actualy forgot how previous games allowed you to take the god/evil route to complete (guess thats WoW conditioning for ya) i wud deffinatley like to see something like that
i also think more cutomisation shud be available at any given time.
finally i beleive the idea of cities falling/being rebuilt over time is a good idea but i dont think i wd like it if Ironforge was inaccessable for a month cos it was on fire, but now i mention it i beleive that areas in TBC are like this ie) u can only get to certain areas/cities depending on whether ur faction has certain bases under there control(?)
Muhaha Nov 15th 2006 8:31AM
WAR is coming!
Heymish Nov 15th 2006 9:11AM
Tatoos!! Also some type of appearance generator. You could be fat or buff. There should be some penalty for eating all that Hallows End candy! If a char gains weight, a slight decrease to agility, but maybe an increase to Armor or something like that. Its one of the more innovative feature of GTA San Andreas, and would really add to WoW.
WarhammerOnline Nov 15th 2006 9:54AM
@7
Heck yeah! War is coming 2007!
If you dont know what we are talking about check out the next great work coming out by Mythic next year. WarInsider anyone? lol
War is comming!
Vince Nov 15th 2006 11:49AM
His suggestions about more customization for appearances is merely cosmetic (pun, yes/no?).
His deeper complaint about the game play is more serious, and is the structural flaw of WoW, or any other MMO for that matter. Just how many swamp jaguars/space pirates/tuskers can one kill before becoming bored?
What's really needed is MMO 2.0. WoW is essentially MMO 1.0 done really, really well. User created content is non-existent in WoW, and I don't think it's something Blizzard will implement. As they've said, they're not an innovative company, instead they take an idea, and refine it in their own style.
Eve Online is probably the closest to MMO 2.0, almost all the items in the universe are created by the players from resources collected by players. Unfortunately, the PVE aspect of the game is REALLY boring. It's in great need of refinement. Do I hear World of Starcraft anyone?
Clementure Nov 15th 2006 12:21PM
I’ve cleaned out Gnomer, right? I’ve beat the bosses and slain the trog minions.
I’d like a reward for my efforts (a title or something) and I’d like to see Gnomer rebuild and be repopulated with happy gnomes. So, could this be possible with a second Gnomer instance? For anyone who has cleaned out an instance, it would be cool to have the option to choose between the old instance, or the rebuilt instance.
That way I could still tackle Scholo when I wanted. Or I could go there and see the city being rebuilt, have the people cheer me as their savoir, and perhaps I could buy goodies only available to those stalwarts who had cleaned things out.
So, two instances for each instance: the same old instance, and a rebuilding instance where I could get goodies and get my ego buffed.
Krianna Nov 18th 2006 12:45AM
Did this guy totally ignore tactics or something? I've beaten red rogues that tried to gank my mage, because I know how to play her well and they messed up.
WoW has a story. I like that.
For that matter, wasn't there a little thing like a treaty set up when the nice lady helped the Orcs kill her daddy?