Breakfast Topic: Why do beggars beg?
by Robin Torres 
Apr 25th 2008 at 8:00AM
Lately, my bank alt has been encountering beggars in Orgrimmar. This confuses me because there has never been a better time to make money at any level. Sure, level 70s can do their Daily Quests and easily make 100 gold in less than an hour. But even lowbies can get in on the action.
If you can herb, Swiftthistle brings a nice price on the AH. Is mining your thing? Copper bars and low end gems are snapped up on the AH by people leveling up Jewelcrafting, Engineering and Blacksmithing. Do you just kill humanoids? Well then, Wool Cloth has always been profitable for bringing up First Aid, Tailoring and factions in the major cities.
Though, honestly, going out and questing for half an hour at any level will get you enough money to buy supplies and pay for repair bills. So I just don't get it. Isn't playing the game more interesting than standing around asking for other people's money?
I am really baffled here. Do you beg and if so, why? If not, why do you think people beg?
If you can herb, Swiftthistle brings a nice price on the AH. Is mining your thing? Copper bars and low end gems are snapped up on the AH by people leveling up Jewelcrafting, Engineering and Blacksmithing. Do you just kill humanoids? Well then, Wool Cloth has always been profitable for bringing up First Aid, Tailoring and factions in the major cities.
Though, honestly, going out and questing for half an hour at any level will get you enough money to buy supplies and pay for repair bills. So I just don't get it. Isn't playing the game more interesting than standing around asking for other people's money?
I am really baffled here. Do you beg and if so, why? If not, why do you think people beg?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics, Making money
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Mera_LaCroisadeEcarlate Apr 25th 2008 8:10AM
I used to have all the gold I need without doing daily quests, I took my old alt (was a main before) rogue, he was doing Leatherworking, + skinning but since it's no more my main I changed its professions to Herbalism + Mining, that's awesooomme for gold, then I have another char which is Alchimist + jewelcraft, I can do 1000g easly in a day without doing 1 daily quest :) The power of alts, but sur without that's not that easy farming dailys for gold, this is quickly boring and very long.
Bordektor Apr 25th 2008 8:16AM
I tend to beg when I'm at the "OMIGOD!! OMIGOD!!! 20g till my epic flying mount!!!"
I get so excited that i need to have it right then, so i ask for loans.
native Apr 25th 2008 8:14AM
People are lazy.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
Damn.
Lars Apr 25th 2008 1:16PM
Yes, that combined with the fact that people's ethics seem to get tossed out the window when they're on WoW. I've never encountered griefing in any other MMO even remotely close to what I have encountered in WoW. Seems like a lot of people just think playing WoW gives a license to be a jerk.
Oldbear Apr 25th 2008 1:52PM
Lars,
Did you ever play Ultima Online? PVPers were even bigger jerks there.
Matt Apr 25th 2008 10:59PM
I'm surprised. I rarely encounter beggers. Although the only conclusion I can ever come to about why they do it is just nubbery. To me, it would be more work to beg (and less fun) than to quest or sell stuff. Either people who beg just don't know how to make money in the game OR for some reason they find it more fun than the game itself.
jimmorbid Apr 25th 2008 8:15AM
I evaluate each case on its merits. Real english words and structured sentances play a big part :-p "Could you please help me out with 50s for my skills" from a level 10 wearing what amounts to vendor trash, is a lot more convincing than "GGGG PLZ!!!!" form a lvl 2.
I was twinked with 5g when I started out by a friend of mine and I'm sure that helped me out quite a lot - plus 1g isn't much when your approaching endgame, but it means a lot to a proper newbie.
Adam W Apr 25th 2008 9:56AM
Exactly. I had a person come up to me today. Was polite. Spoke in sentences. Used punctuation. Best of all didn't ask for money directly. Asked if I had some spare cloth so she could tailor and sell the wares. I gave her 5G because I felt like being generous and she wasn't a run of the mill beggar. I don't mind helping out lowbies, I mind it when they demand, expect or otherwise do not know the proper way to ask for help.
bumble Apr 25th 2008 8:18AM
Come to think of it, I haven't encountered any beggars in months now. Maybe they have taken to just buying their gold given the neverending avalanche of gold-seller spam in all channels?
Zumwalah Apr 25th 2008 9:59AM
i just avoid Old world capital cities, havent been begged in months
Nick S Apr 25th 2008 12:09PM
or spend your old-world time in Silvermoon/Darnassus. nice and quiet.
Silvermoon is a ghost town. it's genuinely eerie.
Algorithm Apr 25th 2008 12:57PM
Exodar FTW! Mages don't care as long as their is an Auction House.
Exodar is really convenient for nearly everything once you get to know it. The most annoying thing (for a level 70) in Exodar compared to Ironforge (but not by much) is getting to the reagent vendor.
The forge is kind of out of the way, but no worse or longer than the route you have to take in Ironforge. The AH/Bank/Trade Goods/Battlemaster are all really easy/convenient.
You never have those "oh, you're in IF, I'll just meet you by the bank" moments, though :)
J0ust Apr 25th 2008 8:18AM
"Do you beg and if so, why?"
So you seriously believe that the beggars, universally writing in CAPS and misusing Z, U, and R in their "sentences" are a) going to be able to read this and b) respond intelligbly?
Why do people beg? Because they're lazy. There's no mystery to it.
Aaron Apr 25th 2008 8:18AM
beggars are scum, if they beg for money this game isn't for them.
Muffiny Apr 25th 2008 8:24AM
Beggars beg because they are lazy and think they are getting more money than actually doing stuff.
Although I did come across one quite funny beggar who just wanted 30c to send a mail, and he opened up with this:
"This is a stick up! Hand over 30 copper for my mail of suffer the wrath of my 1.2 dps Primitive Walking Stick! ...Please?
johnnie.ingram Apr 28th 2008 5:57AM
I hate beggars as much as the next guy, but that is just brilliant. I'm on an RP server, which suffers from a tragic lack of RP normally, so anyone who spammed me with that piece of genius would get the 30c for their mail, plus a bag of gold so that they never have to pay postal fees again.
Darkwind Apr 25th 2008 12:33PM
That's priceless. I think I might have given the character 10g simply for comedic value.
Silverrealm Apr 25th 2008 12:54PM
I lold
Zali Apr 27th 2008 5:07AM
Oh. I totaly would have given it to this guy. But I would have mailed it.
Reminds me of my years living in New York City. I NEVER gave money to some begger. But I would give money to people who were making an effort to entertain.
I imagine the beggers in WOW are mostly 12 year olds who are used to having mom and dad just hand over cash when they wanted it, instead of having to work for an allowance or something. I just assume that beggers and the products of bad parents.
Jarviswabi Apr 25th 2008 8:24AM
At the risk of sounding like an old man, I blame the sense of instant gratification and entitlement which seems to have permeated today's youth. I'm sure there's folks my age out there begging too (since I'm of the pioneering generation that decided to live in their parents' basement), but it just seems like it's more than laziness. It's the same reason players will come up and say "help me with this quest" while I'm mining or doing dailies without even so much as an introduction or pleasantries. It blows my mind that people can be that inconsiderate and oblivious to the conventions of normal civil society. Then I go to Taco Bell and place my order and release "oh they're everywhere".
Now get off my lawn, get a job, and stop begging for money!