What makes WoW succeed where others have failed?
by David Bowers 
Jul 21st 2007 at 2:16PM
WoW is one of those games that captures your imagination and draws you in again and again. Even many of the people who quit WoW don't stop reading or thinking about it. It lasts in the imagination long after you've let it go.Gaston at Not Addicted has noticed this too. In order to find out why, he compares WoW with some of its predecessors in the MMO genre. Reading through his descriptions of these other games, I wondered what in the world were their designers thinking putting in features that just kept people out instead of drawing them in. Long waiting times between battles? Impossibly long leveling grinds? A mapless terrain with no means of quick travel? It shouldn't take a brilliant game designer to figure out that these would not be popular features.
Blizzard has certainly improved on things a bit. But what really makes for the difference? Gaston says that the reason we keep coming back to WoW is because of "instant gratification." "Most people," he says, "can get a WoW fix in just a couple of hours and usually have some small reward to show for their minimal efforts. Factor in an extremely lax death penalty and you have a slap-happy lollercoaster ride that dishes out free levels like bank lollipops."
Perhaps he's just saying this in comparison to the other games, but I think there's something more in WoW. There's a real sense of story and progress, with dynamic changes and climactic achievements that draw you in and never let you go. For me, WoW is something like a favorite story (like Lord of the Rings) a favorite challenge (like chess) and a favorite coffee house (a space to sit down and spend time with friends) all in one. I certainly don't think of it as a "fix" I can get in just a couple hours.
But who knows? Maybe WoW is just the first game of its sort to come along without glaring design flaws built right in from the beginning?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Michel Jul 21st 2007 2:33PM
the point is :
Wow is a pleasant game
older mmorpg was _not_ pleasant game. they were "virtual worlds"
--
wow is very, very well designed. every details of wow is strictly designed to never disrupt other aspect of wow. you can see that in the whole graphism, colors, animation, every little creature is polished.
the whole game is not very "3d", but heavily texturized. it's not high technical features but colors everywhere.
wow has personality in design and I think the blizzard artists have to follow a huge guidelines. the same for the wow collectible card game.
--
instant gratification, ho my... it's a huge point here.
--
easiness : everything is fun and simple. you should try to play firsts mmorpg to understand. really.
--
death is not the end. noone can steal you, noone can destroy month of games. it relieves _gamers_ of stress.
--
story everywhere.
wow is not huge complex drama, but there are stories and cultures everywhere. many dialogs, many scenarized quests, even instances have a reason to be here. and of course, blizzard builds upon warcraft 1 to 3 and novels.
in tens years, blizzard will have a lot of more stories to improve upon.
--
money.
I'm sure blizzard put a lot of more money than sony or anyone to make this game. it shows on the screen : great art.
Sockninja Jul 21st 2007 2:35PM
I think its the accessibility, anyone can pickup wow and play it. If your hardcore you can mod the crap out of the interface to get exactly what you want out of it. The classes are so even that you can be successful with any of them while having a wildly different experience! Throw in class specific quests and rewards and you get a different feel for doing pretty much the same thing you did before... Wow Simply works really well... and I dont even like Fantasy games :)
Rich Jul 21st 2007 3:37PM
The game is stupidly easy and simple to play. It doesn't abuse the players for mistakes (ala harsh death penalties.) There is a good reward for effort system. Leveling can be done solo or in a group, you are not forced to group to get mundane things done.
Are there better games out there then WoW? Absolutely. But they are not as casual friendly, and that is the key. You are not going to see my mom or sister play AoC or Warhammer, but they will play WoW.
Warrior_Tess Jul 21st 2007 4:00PM
What has been said is true, and it all comes down to this:
WoW has something vastly appealing for (alsmot) everyone.
What's important to you when you choose a videogame?
Do you like...
complex sories and authentic dialogue?
graphics like little pixilated candies for your brain?
the thrill of the hunt?
phat lootz?
replay value?
role play?
unique customizable characters?
working as a team to accomplish the impossible?
something mindless to unwind at the end of a stressful day?
If your mood changes from day to day, so will the way you play the game.
From people who only PvP to those that would rather roll play their character, WoW has it all rolled up in one pretty, user friendly package. What more can be said?
Sure it has some issues, but nothing is ever perfect, and you can't make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time.
But I'd say WoW comes pretty darn close. Or at least they try.
daniel.roy Jul 21st 2007 4:22PM
It seems obvious now to say that WoW succeeds because it's accessible and easy... Yet I remember a time when MMO makers were stupidly blind to that idea.
Remember the old days when MMO makers figured they had to make their games hard to grind and impossibly long to complete? This foolish notion was everywhere... They figured if they didn't make the game impossibly long to complete, people would just finish it and get on with other stuff.
Enter WoW... It's fun, there's grinding but only if you really want some specific, high-level stuff... And people keep playing and playing and playing way past the 70 barrier.
No wonder WoW took that market. This was a market where the predominant strategy was to make the game bad and tedious in the false hope of keeping people hooked. Who knew you could hook them with accessible, pleasant gameplay instead?
Ortai Jul 22nd 2007 9:55AM
A few months ago I was trying to decide wether to come3 back to WoW after 8 months or try something new, like AoC or Vanguard, or what not. I read up on it but it seemed like WoW was just where I wanted to be. Good, developed PvP (my main intrest), A wealth of 5 man and raid content, If I wanted that, and a storyline/lore that can not be beat in the MMO world. (Plus I keept hearing about people in vanguard that liked to make chairs and junk like that. I don't play a MMO to woodwork.)
lasotac Jul 21st 2007 5:11PM
@3 Ease of play does not mean the game is "simple" as in simple-minded. Fighting over bosses or grinding boring mobs is not challenging, it is bad design and mind numbing. Mind numbing design is what is simple. WOW is brillient in its deatil and how you are walked through the game and the seemless ease of progression. In fact they made it so easy people think anybody can do it. Trust is nobody but Blizzard has done it, so, no, not everybody can put together a game like this.
AND, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY PLEASE STOP WITH THE WARHAMMER LOVE. You know nothing about the game. You have never played it and it is only a hope on your part at this point. Warhammer smacks of Vangurard all over again. Everyone thinks it will be perfect, and when it is not, they will trash it. (Vangaurd deserved to be trashed and Warhammer may as well. That is the point.)
Sylythn Jul 21st 2007 5:31PM
For me, it's the fact that after nearly 2 years of playing - I still have experienced all the content.
ChrisDam Jul 21st 2007 5:38PM
What makes WoW WoW? I have played City of Heros, Star Wars Galaxies and beta tested LotR and Pirates of the Burning Sea and what makes me come back to WoW every night? The game is so dammnn polished! Its a beautiful game. Well thought out. When you are running around an area without any real players playing, the game actually feels sorta like an epic single player game, but then when a real player does show up it makes the game THAT much better.
Star Wars tried... it has a MAsSIVE fan base, amazing ideas and they screwed it up. The screwed up the story. City of Heros is actually really good but why in the hell would i sit there hours on end and beat up Robbers who stold a purse from a lady?? DONT THOSE ROBBERS REALIZE YOU ARE IN A CITY WITH THOUSANDSSSS oF SUPER HEROS! Its silly. LotR had and has ALOT going for it but it doesn't feel solid. The graphics try but fail, the story is great but the gameplay is just messy. WoW has the animation down amazing, from walking to running to jumping and flipping around, the game looks, feels, and plays like a dream. And thats where my biggest flaw in Pirates of the Burning Sea is... the game, fighting and running around, feeels VERY incomplete.
WoW rocks hard. Easy to play, hard to master, and impossiable to put down.
nea Jul 21st 2007 5:41PM
@6 - actually, we know pretty much about Warhammer, and that's because they show the game at conventions, they let people play it, they walk around their studio with camera and talk about things, they release podcasts describing how things are going to be done or are already done. Will Warhammer be "better" then WoW, or will it have more customers, I've no idea. But to quote Mythic at it: "WoW is the Beatles, you can't copy the Beatles, you can't be better then Beatles, we are Led Zeppelin."
Bachus Jul 21st 2007 5:44PM
i'm one of those people that the article talks about.
i've "quit" WoW at least 3 times now, all for at least 4 months, after buying it on release. afterwards? oh, i just buy a new box after selling my old account and lvl up another character.
for me it's probably the fact that it was my first MMO. i've since played several others, but whenever that new game changes a mechanic and i think it's a great idea i realize that it just makes me wish i was playing what i'm used to (WoW).
not only is the community of players HUGE, and thus lets almost everyone find someone else to play with, but the virtual world part of it just feels like "home". several other new mmos are hyping a "dynamic environment" where towns change hands, etc. but with me? i'm glad to finally escape a hordie by making it into darkshore, always knowing where i am and what lies ahead. i've seen SOO much of azeroth that any place else just doesn't do. not to mention all the new TBC content is still fresh to me after my last break.
excuse me, i'm gonna go play wow some more.
Tobiathin Jul 21st 2007 6:21PM
@6
Tau Commander:
"Us of the Tau Empire shall end you, for the greater good!"
Shadowisp Jul 21st 2007 10:30PM
Right MMO at the right time, and it was the extension of already a world famous best selling brand.
Outselling the already established EQ at the time. Truth be told it could of gone horribly for WoW, it was plagued with too many problems and issues in its initial release, especially since the game was rushed to the market without stable network and server implementations. Especially when the publishers were making more games that the servers could handle. (they had to ban the sale of WoW in computer stores until they got the servers working :P)
Regular MMO players were actually leaving games like EQ, DAoC, CoH to go to WoW. But they were going straight back to thier original games in droves after they saw what little wow offered in "stable playability"
Regular MMO Players didnt return to WoW until about 6 to 9 months after release.
If it wasnt for thier initial sales success, brand name and financial backings. It would of gone the way of many MMOs. Abondened by players and vapour.
Also if it wasnt for the fact that Blizzard have learnt from this experience and established proper networks, regular updates, focuses on end-content.
Bobby Hansen Jul 22nd 2007 3:55AM
I think one thing that adds to the accesability of WoW is how it weaves a slightly altered fantasy universe.
WoW plays itself like most Tolken-esque series do - Dwarves are stout, scottish drinkers. Elves are haughty, agile and lithe. Humans are adaptable and capable of being both good and evil.
But then again, Orcs are not mindless, but rather noble. The Horde overall is not evil at all, but self-focused at worst (and no less so then the Alliance). Both sides are not exactly winning in their fights - The Scourge and the Burning Legion could seemingly crush them at any moment.
Storyline wise, it isn't mind bending, especially to start. But it IS different, and as you play, you learn more. You see humans are not a get-along-sing-Kumbya group (How the People's Militia, the Lakeshire and Duskwood Militias and Stormwind don't exactly see eye-to-eye on things. Or how all races join to fight the Scourge in the Argent Dawn. That's an interesting story twist that keeps you going.
masta Jul 22nd 2007 5:10AM
I personally would like to see wow learn from some of the other games. wow is too static, outland is too safe (why does kazzak just sit on his throne and let us come loot him every few days?). I'd like to see some legion invasions, territory wars (horde and alliance are so evenly matched they never lose/gain ground?) world events, gm interaction, more world pvp scenarios.