Breakfast Topic: Is it the world or the gameplay that keeps you hooked?
by Heather McMillion 
Dec 19th 2010 at 8:00AM
When I first started playing WoW, I read every quest. I was a newbie who didn't know where anything was and didn't even know of the existence of addons to help me in my questing. So I often searched the quest text for clues about where to find mobs and items. As my game savvy increased, I read the quests less and less, until finally I didn't read them at all but rather clicked on my map to see where I needed to go and what I needed to kill.
Now, I find myself slowing down again. The lore is interesting to me, and more and more, I realize how expansive the world is and how fun it is to participate in that world. I am not an RPer by any account, but I find myself wanting WoW to be a world and not just a game.
Out of a desire to understand and enjoy the lore, some players have read Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, The Shattering, and other WoW / Warcraft-related books. Other players have absolutely no desire to know the lore and view WoW as a game that they enjoy playing -- not a live-action fantasy novel.
Are you the sort of player who loves the lore? Or do you just play for the game action?
| I love the persistent virtual world -- the lore, the community and social interaction, developing my characters ... | |
|---|---|
| I'm in it for the gameplay. | |
| -delete- |
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
SushiPillow Dec 19th 2010 8:21AM
I definitely -delete-.
Helston Dec 19th 2010 9:37AM
-Comment Error: User's account has been deleted-
Sleutel Dec 19th 2010 10:08AM
Apparently 11.8% of the WoW Insider readership are just as perverse as you and I are.
Hansbo Dec 19th 2010 8:12AM
Heh heh... I voted for -delete-
Udderpowered Dec 19th 2010 8:21AM
After the millionth time leveling through Outland/Northrend the world is something I am sick to death of (massive altaholic). In the revaped old world/cataclym zones I always make sure I read every quest and make the most of it, the lore and quests are really superb.
vocenoctum Dec 19th 2010 10:13AM
It's telling, I think, how people have gotten into the mindset mentioned in the article, by watching people try to complete:
http://www.wowhead.com/quest=25303
Elementary
In the quest text, it tells you Fire, Earth, Wind, Tears
In the objective tracker, it says activate Earth, Air, Fire, Water
So, rather than read the quest, you have an entire room of people clicking them wrong. You have a general chat filled with "is Elementary broken?" and "wtf!".
Of course, when you say "do it in the order of the quest text", you get rude remarks.
cyanea85 Dec 19th 2010 8:22AM
Option one.
Gameplay is great and all, and changes to it make it fun to play (LOVING the new style of healing on my Shammy) and keep it interesting, but it's all about the lore, the story, and the environment, and the culture built up around the game.
Eisengel Dec 20th 2010 12:51AM
I'm with you, but honestly I wish the lore was a little more hammered out. I realize that some things feel more interesting when they are ill-defined and mysterious and people do make mistakes, but the bumps, hiccoughs, retellings and retcons make the lore pretty difficult to track after a while. I just wish the lore was more continuous and contiguous.
The enemies who come back ('.. just a setback') and all the 'old god corruption' flying around seems a little stale after a while. Arthas' story was great. No corruption required - he fell because he cared too much. He would stop at nothing to gain the power to protect his people - and that's exactly what happened; he gained the power to protect his people by, essentially, killing his people. He gained the power to protect them, but in so doing became their worst enemy. It was a fantastic slippery slope story.
julian Dec 19th 2010 8:23AM
I actually rolled an orc shaman after reading The Shattering. I should also say that I'm an avid alliance player since the beginning. Normally I would say I play exclusively for the gameplay, but after reading that excellent book (it's really good, I recommend it to everyone) I have to admit I had a pang of lore nerdness hit me.
Nawaf Dec 19th 2010 9:29AM
If you wana really get a pang of lore nerdness, read the Know Your Lore articles on this site.
The Shattering taught you less than 1% of the lore.
Dollarsign Dec 19th 2010 8:26AM
Wheres the both option?
MusedMoose Dec 19th 2010 9:43AM
Seriously. I wouldn't enjoy WoW anywhere near as much as I do without the combination of both lore and gameplay. I love all that I've learned about Azeroth - Blizzard has really taken a bunch of different fantasy tropes and ideas and blended them into a world that's very, very nifty to spend a lot of time in. But at the same time, the game itself has the whole "easy to learn, hard to master" thing going for it; it's constantly challenging without being overwhelming.
If I loved the world but hated the way the game played, I would have stopped long ago and probably taken up reading the books and comics. And if the gameplay was the same but the world was just plain generic fantasy with no real imagination, I'd probably still play to hang out with my best friend, but I wouldn't enjoy it or care about the game as much. So, yeah. There really needs to be a 'both' option on the poll.
icepyro Dec 19th 2010 11:32AM
Amen. That's why I voted for -delete-. At least it's fairly neutral.
Matt Dec 19th 2010 5:00PM
wtb a both option
psycho.knight Dec 19th 2010 8:29AM
The lore and the new dungeons as a tank their epic I love how dps has to actually think and cc now at 85
Yangli Dec 19th 2010 1:49PM
Gotta admit though that CC has become a joke. Now I can throw my freezing trap and it lasts a whole minute. I could even without problems freeze two targets as long as needed (if my tank let me).
Nothing like in BC. :/ But still, much much better than Wrath heroics.
Gendou Dec 19th 2010 8:33AM
The gameplay is pretty good - this is a Blizzard game, after all - but if this were a single-player game I would have stopped playing it years ago.
The persistent world, the community, the lore, the characters... all of it has kept me coming back time and again for almost six years.
The community, though, is what will continue to keep me coming back in years to come.
SR Dec 19th 2010 8:35AM
Sorry, but I really can't stand the "community" part of it sometimes. I really hate being flamed in tradechat for providing correct information, or when correcting an ignorant, illiterate, pompous bastard. Or when someone asks a question, I take my time to answer, and they never say ANYTHING while still being in a major city. Or when idiots on dungeonfinder still thinks that Frost is the DK tank tree (Post-4.0.1) and insists on DPSing in blood, and switch specs when I went prot, and vice-versa. Or....
Maybe I'm just bitter, but I'm sure y'all have experienced something similar. HOWEVER, I'm not going to say "I'm done" and never PUG. That's just silly.
Nawaf Dec 19th 2010 9:24AM
The community includes the people on this site btw.
alzeer Dec 19th 2010 10:29AM
yea would have picked 1 if wasn't for the community part