A(nother) return to Azeroth, and all that grinding
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 29th 2008 at 3:00PM
Clive Thompson is probably my favorite technology writer -- I really enjoy everything he writes (lots of his stuff appears regularly in Wired), and he's got a real talent for not only tracking technological trends, but then explaining them in a way that's interesting and easy to understand. So I was pretty excited to see that he's back playing WoW, and just like a few of us here at WI, he enjoys the regular grind of it all.I don't know whether it's a result of all the Wrath beta news coming out lately, but it seems to me that we're already experiencing a resurgence of players around the expansion. Burning Crusade brought a lot of players back to the game, and it seems like things have started early for the next expansion -- people are returning to level their alts, get their epic mount dailies done, level up their professions, and just generally get back into the mix of things.
And Thompson's piece is really about grinding -- like "obedient workers in a Soviet collective," he says, we return to mindlessly killing boars, or ravagers, or Ethereals, or whatever else it is we need to hit that next level of experience or reputation or profession. Why? Because we're rewarded for it. Increasingly, we live in a world where time invested doesn't always equal reward returned. But while grinding in a game like WoW, it always, always does, and that's why we love it so much.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Blizzard, News items, Leveling, Making money, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
CursedSeishi Jul 29th 2008 3:10PM
lol i saw that pic, and it reminded me of the WoW episode of South Park
Gabriel Robichaud Jul 29th 2008 3:18PM
that was the best southpark ever!!!!!
Hoggersbud Jul 29th 2008 3:39PM
1 boar down, 65,340,284 to go.
Hoggersbud Jul 29th 2008 3:39PM
1 boar down, 65,340,284 to go.
Razoric Jul 29th 2008 3:42PM
The Wrath hype and the level 30 mount patch brought me back to WoW after a 6 month hiatus.
Oh and that Questhelper addon is a godsend for people looking at a full quest book.
PimpyMicPimp Jul 29th 2008 6:34PM
Quest Helper really helps take a lot of the tedium out of leveling. I won't use it in Northrend, though. I want to fully discover it my first time through. On my own.
Lizardking63 Jul 29th 2008 3:46PM
Back on topic-
I agree that one of the draws of WoW is the tangible rewards you get for time spent. As the author says, it really is a Time Spent=Reward game. Sure, once you hit the level cap and start prusuing end game goals, that formula is quite as true. There will always be a payoff for doing things in game. As for grinding, the only thing that will keep you doing the same thing over and over is the goal of getting a reward for doing it.
Calybos Jul 29th 2008 5:20PM
I've often thought the same thing. One reason that games like WoW are so appealing is because _effort actually pays off_. And too often, real life doesn't offer such rewards.
Duco Jul 29th 2008 3:50PM
Not like soviet work camps. Those guys were never rewarded directly for their efforts, which is why they didn't make the effort, and why communism doesn't work.
No, the grind more like a psychology lab experiment with mice. Run the maze, press the button, get a pellet.
Mmmmmm...pellets....
Nick S Jul 29th 2008 5:13PM
i haz teh most pelletz
therefore, i iz awesome!
Xeren Jul 29th 2008 3:57PM
I stopped playing a few months ago, but kept reading Wowinsider (I maintain that talking about WoW and thinking about Wow is more fun than actually playing Wow- not that it's not incredibly fun), but with all the Beta info coming out, i just couldn't help it and I started playing again.
Offhand Jul 29th 2008 4:02PM
Part of my enjoyment of the grind is knowing that there's now much less of it. 1-60 was a breeze post leveling nerf and 60-70 looks to be just as easy pretty soon.
My third toon I intend to level to 70 should shatter the record of my previous best (5 days on a PALLY for gods sake, and without the AoE shenanigans). Not only does that class get crazy buffed in Wrath but my guild despertly needs shaman. No more "your night to sit out, rogue" crap.
Also, I'm looking forward to all that "hunter mail" becoming enhance gear instead of just wearing it and pretending that it was built with shamans in mind.
mk Jul 29th 2008 4:57PM
" Increasingly, we live in a world where time invested doesn't always
equal reward returned. But while grinding in a game like WoW, it
always, always does, and that's why we love it so much."
i think this explains a lot of the popularity of wow especially in
the post-9-11/iraq war/economic meltdown world we're currently living
in. i've often thought that in our world (at least in america) where a
college education doesn't go as far as it used to and the gap between
the wealthiest and the poorest continues to grow, being part of a
world where your hard work and effort gives you tangible results and
even reputation among your peers (try standing around orgrimmar
sometime in fancy gear and see how many random tells you get praising
your accomplishments ;)) has a definite appeal. who would've thought that a video game would finally give people a chance to live the american dream?
Chuddy Jul 29th 2008 5:04PM
Puff Puff GIVE...man. You're messing up the rotation.
Nick S Jul 29th 2008 5:24PM
/vote for Local mention
stevens.ce Jul 29th 2008 6:49PM
"Why? Because we're rewarded for it. Increasingly, we live in a world where time invested doesn't always equal reward returned. But while grinding in a game like WoW, it always, always does, and that's why we love it so much."
Second the thought on this excellent quote - probably the single best description of why I enjoy WoW. I am an academic researcher, and a ton of my stuff has two to three year timelines - daily effort never seems like it amounts to much. But I come on WoW, kill some more squishies in AV or some clefthoof in nagrand, and I'm rewarded - tangible action leads to a tangible result. Thanks for writing this - made me feel a little better about all the time I waste on this game :-)
SJ Jul 29th 2008 9:05PM
Or the smarter way is to spend a couple of hours every so often amid your usual week and work that Rested Bonus. I've blitzed a warrior of mine from 40 - 54 in a few hours over two weeks. +Rested +Level Nerf = 70.
If you really enjoy your WoW, rotate characters like stabled race horses. I'm going to love Resting my 70 for WotLK :D
To add joy to this scenario, in my character's 'downtime' I play AH over the week and make a chunk of change, obtain new gear and then blitz those hapless monsters again..
some are addicted to 'Crits', I love watching the XP bar leap whole quarters every time. He's on the money there.
Cyanea Jul 29th 2008 11:21PM
I like the grind. It's a peaceful, and relaxing way to wind down after a day at work. I fire up WoW on one monitor, and some TV show or audiobook on my other, and just grind through my questlog. I always love that rewarding feeling I get whenever I return to whatever quest hub I'm at with nine or ten quests to turn in.
Sure...the rewards for my effort are intangible and meaningless once I log out of the game...but if you enjoy yourself and have a good time...how can you say you wasted your time?
Cyanea Jul 29th 2008 11:27PM
Plus...I'm in absolute agreement with all of those who say that it's nice feeling rewarded for effort.
When you're running around with a group, melting Onyxia's face or snuffing out Ragnaros, you feel part of something. It's a cause to celebrate when you bring the raid boss down. I work at a thankless job for a thankless company run by typically faceless corporate overlords. When I turn in a completed job, I never feel like I'm contributing towards the success of my company or my coworkers. I'm just going through the motions.
Now I feel a little better about wasting so much time on this damn game. :P
Snuzzle Jul 31st 2008 3:32AM
"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." - John Lennon. :)