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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Why did you start playing WoW?
by Amelia Ramstead 
Jul 2nd 2011 at 8:00AM
When I met my husband, he was a bit of a WoW junkie. I admit, I turned up my nose at it. I accepted it as one of his "quirks" and just shook my head and curled up with a book during his late-night game sessions. One night, we went over to visit my brother, and I watched as he and his guild were attempting, once again, the 40-man raid of Onyxia's Lair (yes, this was quite some time ago). I watched, listened to the conversation over his speakers, and marveled at the teamwork involved. Dare I admit ... this looked like fun?
Arriving home, I insisted that I wanted to try. Amused, my husband dug up a trial copy and loaded it on the dilapidated laptop. I rolled up a night elf druid and was hooked.
The night elf druid is long gone (draenei mage, thank you very much), and I play on a different server now, but I'm still hooked. The storylines still enthrall me, the graphics still invite me, and I still enjoy the camaraderie and teamwork.
What brought you into the game? Did you just happen to see a copy in the electronics section and think it looked nifty, or was there one moment that will always stand out as your That game looks friggin' AWESOME!! moment?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 6)
Rezai Jul 2nd 2011 9:05AM
Because I thought Ultima Online was awesome, since that was the last MMO I played (when it first came out) I thought I'd give the new MMO's a chance. Guess I got lucky and picked WoW over EQ2 as I have a feeling I would have quit EQ2 after a year like I did for UO. Then again with all the money I would have saved with the sub fees and expacs, along with all the time I spent, maybe I wasn't so lucky.
oaglor Jul 2nd 2011 9:07AM
Before I started playing WoW, I used to play Zoo Tycoon 2 and Spore. One day in the middle of January, me and my family were out at Walmart and my mother said I needed to play a game in which I socially interact with other people since I don't go out much. Despite my protests of not wanting to play, she bought the game anyway and I ended up installing it as soon as I got home. As soon as I started playing, I was instantly hooked. I rolled as a troll hunter (that I still play as a main to this day) because I knew that trolls used raptors as mounts and hunters could tame beasts (including raptors.)
Dril Jul 2nd 2011 9:13AM
Warcraft 3.
HappyTreeDance Jul 2nd 2011 9:15AM
I think I've posted this story here before, but oh well.
A couple months before Wrath launched, I was home sick from work. My husband and I were watching CSI reruns, and the commercial with Mr. T came on. And my husband said, "How much does it cost to play WoW, anyway?"
I looked at him with a raised brow and said, "Are you sure you want me to look up the answer to that question?" Then I went to the WoW site, and before I knew it had rolled up a night elf druid and was happily running through the starter zone with no idea what I was doing, but very much enjoying the scenery and music.
I'd long resisted playing WoW, mostly because I knew the reputation of Everquest, and when WoW launched, I'd just moved to a new city and was concerned with things like getting a job, making friends, and finding a boyfriend. By Wrath my life had settled down quite a bit, and it seemed like a good time to start playing. I quickly abandoned that original druid, switched to an RP server, and rolled up a tauren druid, who is still my main.
Oh and my husband? He still regrets asking me that question to this day.
donna Aug 17th 2011 10:16PM
My husband and I started playing at the tail end of vanillla, just a month before Burning Crusade came out. We'd recently learned that his dearest friend, someone he'd known since kindergarten, had cancer and the outlook was grim. Separated by 500+ miles and several states, visiting in person was impractical even when his friend had good days and felt strong enough for company. But his friend was an avid WoW player and playing was something he could do even on the bad days when pain and chemo kept him in bed. So we bought two copies and created a pair of nelfs - rogue for hubby, hunter for me - and planned to use it primarily as a way to spend some time with our friend before it was too late. He got such a kick out of playing "tour guide" for us and introducing us to the game.
All too soon, he was too weak even to play the game he loved and in the end, the Big C was the one raid boss he couldn't beat. He moved on to other games, but we stayed in Azeroth, as hooked as he had been. Thank you, Justin, for sharing your love of WoW with us. We miss you still.
Sunblade Jul 2nd 2011 9:48AM
I'd started a new job and the group I sat near played WoW and talked avout it a fair bit. Well I wasn't a gamer, spare time I'd read or do crafty stuff but when an article on WoW and a free trial CD came with The Times, I thought I'd see what the fuss was about, rolled a human pali on the same server as them and gave it a stupid name, not expecting to play beyond the first day.
Four years later, I'm on an rp/pvp server and play a rogue on horde side, my partner and eldest kid also started playing a couple of weeks after looking over my shoulder. Oddly we rarely play together as I'm into the rp/pvp, my partner is pure pvp and the eldest...well...she went Alliance - and ganks her Dad when the opportunity arises :).
RetPallyJil Jul 2nd 2011 9:55AM
To deal with the stress of a serious illness in my family. Thanks, WoW: You DID help.
Jere Hunter Jul 2nd 2011 9:57AM
first off I was in Iraq in 2004. Some of the guys I was with said they were going to get EQ2 and form a guild, and I thot that was a great idea. So, when I got home I built a computer (yeah) then bought EQ2, and saw WoW next to it. I loved the WoW RTS (dark portal is still my fave) and loved Blizzard's stuff (diablo, starcraft) so I picked it up too. Installed it and Star Wars Galaxy's (more friends but closer to home) and did Wow ever since. 6 years later, no regrets and EQ2 never got opened :P
nubcake Jul 2nd 2011 10:18AM
I remember when I first started playing. My husband asked me one day we were in Wal-Mart, he's always been a fan of video games of all sorts, "oh look this one is on sale for $20. do you mind if I get it?" My response, "no I dont mind, you will have it beat and it will be over in a month anyway..." Little did I know right?! He didn't tell me it was a "never ending" game! Time went on... he continued to kill pigs in Westfall as I layed in the bed hearing them squeal. I say " I don't understand why you have so much fun killing animals in that game, its not nice." He says, "Its for a quest and its not gorey.." zzzzzzz...
2 years later...
He has a mic and vent, and is raiding Kara...
3 years later...
I don't understand why you enjoy playing that stupid game so much, its such a waste of time. You need to watch a movie with me. You don't pay attn to me anymore... yap yap yap; "Maybe you should play wow with me and see why I like it, you never gave it a chance, the people I play with are really nice and we have so much fun together"
2 days later...
Ok, how can I try this stupid game, If I can't beat him I guess I might as well join him? That game is never going to end is it... So he downloads the trial for me. I make a human mage, of course she had to be pretty. I die to the first wolf I encounter... In revenge I kill 6 more and go get lost in the church looking for my trainer. Hubby makes a new toon to, a shaman to help heal me so I don't die and keep playing wow with him...
I died a lot as a noob mage, I gave her up at lvl 55 ONLY to make a dk who rocked my world for a long time, then she got nerfed. Went back to the mage, lvl'd her to 80, finally realizing my true potential as a mage, found out that I ruled the dps meters!!!!! It was over after that. Now I am gonna rock a warlock, hehe...
To be continued...
Sonzai Jul 2nd 2011 10:07AM
Our roommate encouraged my husband (then boyfriend, way back then) and I to try the game in May 2005. My brother, who was also playing, said that if we ever wanted to see our friends and family again, we would turn and run the other way. So we picked WoW up the next day. I still talk to my family and friends - if they're on Vent and I'm not raiding.
mem0ryburn Jul 2nd 2011 10:09AM
I hadn't played video games in years (aside from NHL 07 on PSP at work) and I'd be gawldurned if I'd be caught playing a video game on my precious computer; I even had solitaire and everything deleted! I'd been a fan of tabletop RPGs since my school days however but it had been years since I'd had a group together for it. That all changed when my gf at the time got back into playing WoW and I couldn't take my eyes off her laptop screen.
Tunok Jul 2nd 2011 10:13AM
started playing with ex gf. didnt like it cause she was on it all the time and i just didnt get it. after we broke up i wanted to see what the fuss was all about and what i just dumped 90 bucks into for game time card, vanilla and bc. (wrath was 1 month away from launch) i was lvl 54 and i remmber questing and realizing 4 hours just flew by,and i was hooked. almost 3 years later still playing, 85 dk later changed to worgen when cata hit, curently 69 bm hunter on his way to 85, and a bunch of 80's i dont play anymore. i like the story, how u can pvp if u want to, or raid, or just collect mounts,pets, or just rares. ive run across 65 yr old grandma's raiding with there grandchildren in same guild. its got something for everyone.
Kar On E Jul 2nd 2011 10:22AM
I had been living with two of my best friends for about a year, but we seemed to be quickly losing touch. Some of it was due to the usual roommate stuff but even when that wasn't there, we felt distant. They were both playing WoW with each other and had mentioned that I should try it a couple times, so I downloaded a trial copy to see if I might be able to reconnect.
I wanted a bridge...I received a gateway into a whole other world.
WoW is not my life (and it's not), but I've met a lot of neat people (other roomies, friends, even lovers) through it. I'm not sure I could picture my life today without those people.
Armyford Jul 2nd 2011 10:33AM
Well I was working for a comic store and the owner always played on off-time when there were no customers...I usually watched him play everyday but I couldn't afford the game at the time. One day I arrived at the store and he surprised me with the game and a 60 day time card, saying it was for helping him bring more card game players on the weekend...so I started playing b/c of him and have loved it ever since.
Jabouty Jul 2nd 2011 10:36AM
My wife bought it for me back in vanilla a year before BC dropped. She usually hated me playing video games at the time so I asked after about three months logged why she doesn't get mad about this one. Her response was this:
"When I hear your game music coming from the computer room I know three things: A) Your not hogging my livingroom TV. B) Your not off spending our money on stupid computer upgrades every two days. And C) your not watching Porn."
"Fair enough." I said, being unable to form a properly insulted response due to the truth of the statements.
Ravdoss Jul 2nd 2011 10:37AM
I was a Starcraft player first and became annoyed that Blizzard was more focused on this Warcraft thing. While Starcraft got next to no love for the longest, I kept hearing about Warcraft this, that and the other ...oh and look it's Diablo and Diablo 2! Then they just half spit out the SC: Broodwar expansion and back to Warcraft, Warcraft Warcraft. I'd just about lost it... where was my Starcraft 2! I thought. Feeling as though Blizzard had just abandoned me and all my Terran units, I abandoned them. I'll never play that Warcraft whatever, I said.
It was maybe a year or so later and I'd play Starcraft here or there but the lack of any true sequel, in the face of so much Warcraft and Diablo, had soured the experience. A friend of mine got me a gift card to Micro Center for my birthday and I went to the store. There was really nothing I was looking for so I went down the games aisle and saw... the box. It was World of Warcraft and I read over it, the pics looked cool but it was $40 and you had to pay to play it beyond that initial purchase.
Had it not been for that gift card it would have gone back on the shelf immediately. However, since I had the gift card and was essentially spending money that hadn't been mine it was ok. As for that pay to play bit, the first month was free and I figured that if I didn't like it after a month I'd just cancel. Five years later, including a six month break where I had cancelled WoW, I'm still playing and oh, I've got Starcraft 2 at last too.
Jet Jul 2nd 2011 10:48AM
I just felt like it.
Don Jul 2nd 2011 10:48AM
Southpark also roped me in
Pantro Jul 2nd 2011 10:51AM
Trough the power of the internet I found the game =p but I wasn't making any moves to buy the game, but at a certain moment I saw the game in the shops and I thought let's buy it! After I arrived home I learned that you need a monthly subscription which I pay happily now ^^
Aevi Jul 2nd 2011 10:52AM
Near the beginning of the year in 2007, my fiance brought home two trial copies of WoW. All I knew of Warcraft was the first RTS, which I completely sucked at. I lost everytime and stopped playing it. My fiance told me that it wasn't like that. It was like Dungeon Siege only better. I had just finished Dungeon Siege 2. Bought it on Friday was done on Sunday. He said, "This game never ends. You can't just eat through it in a weekend." But to pay monthly for a game? I don't know.... So we tried out the trial.
I rolled a NE Rogue and he rolled a Human mage. We were excited to go out and quest together. We grouped up and started towards each other. We finally zoomed the map out and saw we were on different continents! "No problem, I'll just come over to where you are." and he started towards Westfall. And died. Many times. So we re-rolled on a brand new server....Moonguard. This time both as Humans, so we could quest together.
Valentine's Day, he came home from work with two copies of vanilla WoW. We've been playing ever since. Marriage and 2 kids later, we raid in our casual guild and still quest together on our mains. I'm loving the 4.2 dailies and achievements! Sometimes I go afk a lot. I rarely do dungeons, because my kids are 2 and 4 now. But when they're in bed, I can usually get in a Heroic or 2, even a raid. My guild is awesome and they wait if I need to afk suddenly for babies crying in the night.