Breakfast Topic: Is the thrill finally gone?
by Jason Danklefsen 
Sep 13th 2011 at 8:00AM
When I first set foot on the hallowed grounds of Northshire Abbey in Elwynn Forest, I never wanted to leave Azeroth. If I had to attend to any biological functions, I'd get to the safety of Stormwind and just hang out there while I made food, ate, went to the bathroom, maybe even dozed off for a minute or two in my chair. That may not have been healthy behavior, but the point is, I was so captivated by the world my avatar was in I really didn't want to leave.
Years pass, alts come and go, raids wipe, loots are rolled upon, and things change. Now, despite unsubscribing a few times, I can't seem to get WoW completely out of my system. I still play -- a lot, by non-gamer standards, I'm sure. But now, after an hour or so, I have to do something else. I log out to play a different game, or watch an episode or two of a TV series that I've never seen despite the fact that it's been off the air for years now (The Larry Sanders Show, at the moment). Sometimes, sometimes I even leave my apartment. The magic isn't gone, but it's definitely not the same. I still love playing WoW -- I just don't have the ability to lose myself in the game anymore.
How have your playing habits changed? Do you play more? Less? In differently-sized chunks of time?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
crzyjason Sep 13th 2011 8:09AM
After almost 4 and a half years, I have unsubscribed at least 4 times and keep coming back, but only end up playing for a few hours and i am like, why did i come back? I am starting again and i am only playing for an hour or so and then taking off or one dungeon, then logging off.
Strawder Sep 13th 2011 8:09AM
I mainly am only able to play two nights a week, on my nights off. Typically, as long as people in my guild are on and we are running guild runs of normals and heroics, I can play as long as 8 hours.
But if no one's on, or there's just a couple, and they're busy, I will usually find myself drifting out of game to go look at websites, or maybe playing Sims Midievial for awhile (that's tons of fun).
Another thing that's changed is that I used to be so enthralled with the game world that I would never see it just as a video game; Azeroth would kind of become this living world to me, and I never wanted to log out. Now when I play, I am never forgetting that I'm just sitting at my desk, looking at my monitor and playing a video game. Things onscreen don't look quite as life-like to me anymore either, I can "see the pixels".
I still love WoW though, and am always making plans for my toons and what I want to do with them. The game mechanics, classes and the overall challenge of the game excite me still.... but that's just it, the "challenge of the game". It's not anymore "I am a Paladin, and I vanquish the evil and heal with the HOLY LIGHT!" but rather "I enjoy playing Paladins because it's a fun class and I like the rotation flow."
I suppose at some point while I was in Oz, someone pulled back the curtain and I saw the little man at the controls.
Cragatron Sep 13th 2011 8:12AM
I think WoW has reached an important point in it's life. As the longest running highly successful MMO (made-up statistic, but I think it's true), it has reached the point where the player base has become highly nostalgic. The feeling the OP has described is rampant throughout the community, so much so that Blizzard has given us (will be giving us) the ability to have a taste of what used to be through Transmogrification in patch 4.3. IMHO, if World of Warcraft is going to continue having such a substantial player base, there is going to have to be a significant enough change to drag people out of the past and realize how many things are better now. The question is, what could do that?
Revnah Sep 13th 2011 8:12AM
I'm kind of in the middle of the process you describe. It's not the complete "every-minute-not-spent-in-Azeroth-is-a-minute-wasted" addiction of the first couple weeks/months anymore, but I can still spend hours and hours online without getting bored.
When I find my enthusiasm fading, I usually do something I haven't tried before. I'll spec a class I've never PvPed on, for PvP and try it out, or roll a new alt with a spec I have no experience in, or set myself a new goal (like getting ALL JC recipes in the game), and suddenly the old addiction is back and I can lose myself in the game again.
MusedMoose Sep 13th 2011 8:17AM
I think you've got a good thing going there. ^_^ I've found that I don't enjoy the game as much if I'm not playing with a goal in mind, something more than hitting level 85.
Pharri3173 Sep 13th 2011 8:15AM
I pre-ordered the game, started Day 1 (not that you could really play haha). I've quit a total of 3 times...once for 9 months. I've cancelled my account yet again, as the game has lost a lot of it's challenge (and doing dailies over and over and over, repeat doesn't count).
I've only amassed 4 level 85's, and a handful of other alts (ranging from 30 to 70).
As the previous poster stated, the magic is gone in Azeroth...it no longer holds any sway over how I choose to spend my time.
I still think Blizzard is a wonderful developer, and I look forward to it's "Titan" MMO along with D3 and SC2 expansions.
Arithin Sep 13th 2011 8:30AM
A bit curious since I see the "lost its challenge" reason pop up alot.
What are your arena/bg ratings and current heroic progression? Most people who say that tend to just avoid the hard stuff then complain about ease when they steamroll a 5man. Not saying that's you, just that its something I've seen pretty frequently.
Pharri3173 Sep 13th 2011 8:54AM
Challenge as in my favorite expansion has by far been TBC. Getting your keys for heroics (granted grindy) meant something. Getting your attunements to TK/SSC and then BT were huge accomplishments. BT was HARD. TK was HARD (especially Kael'thas...I saw numerous guilds break up after wiping on him for MONTHS). Server: Kel'Thuzad btw :)
There were no heroic modes. There was no way to make it easier.
I have done heroic modes (all of WOTLK), and was doing heroic modes in Cata (not firelands...quit before guild progression made it that far).
In my opinion, having heroic modes should have just been the raid. I don't see a need to "dumb down" an encounter. I know Blizzards rationale was that such a few % of it's player base saw end game content during current expansion, and they wanted to make it more available to everyone...hence, making it easier and removing some of the challenge.
Just my 2 cents
Narayana Sep 13th 2011 9:14AM
I gave up raiding before WotLK (actually, I quit for a year that summer), but I can see the validity in the sentiment that normal modes are unnecessary. My guild raided in Vanilla- we started late, had a HUGE raiding team (we once ran to concurrent MC runs- 80 people, all guildies) and didn't take a hard-nosed approach to our raiders' attendance, gearing and talent specs. All this led to us being a little bit behind the curve- we killed Nef when the best guild on our server was working on Huhuran. We never killed C'Thun or anything bu the first few bosses in Naxx before TBC came out.
This was fine by us, though. The fact that there were other guilds out there doing stuff that we couldn't do gave us something to stride for. Getting owned by some chump alliance from the top guild and seeing the awesome dark edge of insanity he was wielding wasn't defeating- it was inspiring. There was a mystique to the upper tiers of raiding. We knew WHERE these guys got their stuff, but HOW was an important question.
This dynamic existed in TBC, as well. The feeling of accomplishment to even be allowed to raid Karazhan (yeah- that meant you were able to do Heroic Dark Portal) was undeniable.
All of this felt absent in WotLK (which I grabbed a year late) and in Cata (which I grabbed on release).
Lupos Sep 13th 2011 10:48AM
I don't think Pharri's comment should be downvoted just because people disagree with it. It's a valid opinion.
MusedMoose Sep 13th 2011 8:15AM
In that, WoW is like many things in life: when it's new, you can't get enough, but over time, the thrill and shinyness wears off. I think most of us have had interests like this, where we might still like something, but it's not the obsession it once was.
Think about it this way: most games are meant to be played for a while, then set aside. WoW, like all MMOs, has the expectation that you'll keep playing it, and Blizzard has to constantly create new content and make changes to keep the game interesting for people. The simple fact that they've managed to do so for over 11 million people is a pretty amazing feat - holding that many peoples' attention and getting them to keep playing isn't something every company could do.
Does the thrill come and go? Of course. For me, Cataclysm brought the thrill back, and I'm still finding new things to do in-game. But I don't play it as much as I used to. Part of that is wanting to do other things, and part of it is just because I burned myself out (no pun intended) playing through the Molten Front dailies until I got the "Flamebreaker" title on my main. ^_^ But I still enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.
The fact that there are two major (for me, anyway) game releases later this year won't detract from why I love WoW, even if they mean I'll play it less.
Japith Sep 13th 2011 8:41AM
Well said. I have to agree with the opinion that the Rose-colored glasses that come with new experiences always come off eventually.
It doesn't mean that we don't still love the game, but the "It's so wonderful and I just can't get enough!" phase passes and we can view it for what it really is; a great game and hobby.
MattKrotzer Sep 13th 2011 8:44AM
This is pretty much exactly my thoughts, as well. It's hard to recapture that brand-new, out-of-the-box magic that the game had when it was new, especially this many years later. However, they DO put in a great deal of effort to bring us new stuff, and some of it IS magical.
Vashj'ir, despite being one of the most aggravating zones ever for traveling and questing, is undeniably gorgeous... coming over a rise and delving into a colorful reef never gets old to me. The heights and depths of it are unmatched in any other zone, including Hyjal, which is largely a linear path down (or up) the mountain.
Sometimes you have to go back an revisit things to be reminded. I know I flew through Vashj'ir when I first fired up the game, racing for 85. (Yes, I know Hyjal was a faster questing/leveling experience, but it was also far more flooded with players competing for resources. I kept pace, though not quite up to server first levels.)
When I went back to the depths on an alt, I found it much more enjoyable, and was able to leisurely pace myself through the zone. Sadly, all these months later, and it's just a pitstop for head enchants...
Skarn Sep 13th 2011 12:24PM
Much the same here. I still love the game and (currently) have no expectation of going anywhere. A not-insignificant part of that is due to having some good friends still in the game. Yet, I'm too experienced. I know too much. The truly amazing thing about WoW back in Vanilla and at the start of the Burning Crusade was that everything was so new and unknown. By this point, I've just played the game so much that I'm "desensitized" to it, to an extent. It was incredible to see Ragnaros rising out of the lava that first time in Molten Core, but I've seen so many amazing things since then that it is difficult to be amazed any more.
Fortunately, there are still amazing moments...if I allow myself the time to be amazed. Like Matt, I adore Vashj'ir. Questing there is especially rough on melee, but the actual zone is spectacular. It managed to really recapture that alien, unknown feel that I used to have with the rest of WoW. The opening sequence and waking up in a sunken ship with no air and no supplies was a chilling experience, despite knowing I could hearth to Stormwind at any moment. Blizzard is still really good at making this game, we're just getting harder to impress.
Matt also nails one of the biggest issues with WoW: We don't take time to explore. Back in Vanilla, that's all we wanted to do. It wasn't important to be the first to clear Molten Core (well...not in Nov/Dec 2004), it didn't matter who was first to 60, we just wanted to go out and explore the game. See the zones, experience the sites, learn what this new and exciting landscape could hold for us. Burning Crusade kept a lot of that too, being the first expansion and all. These days we want to rush through the zones to get to max level. We want to rush through dungeons so we can get our points. The focus is all about arriving at the end and ignoring the trip.
If you really want to have fun in the game, don't worry about the destination. Enjoy the Journey.
Philster043 Sep 13th 2011 3:27PM
This is exactly my opinion of what's going on. Thanks for saving me the trouble of typing it out, MusedMoose. :)
I've had a number of obsessions like this: Transformers toys (when I was a wee child), superhero and Elfquest comics, American football (which I played, and still love to watch, but I am definitely not as into it as much as I used to be), manga, and WoW has been my latest favorite way to pass the time.
But I just hit my third year anniversary of playing WoW - this is the first game I've played for that long after Guild Wars (2 years, so 5 years altogether since I've started playing MMO's) - so now I'm ready to move on to something new. Just the way I am. I had to un-subscribe this month because I was tired of WoW after playing it for two months. That was after a three-month break.
When I started out, I was fascinated by how huge the world seemed at first; I immediately wanted to try all the races and all the classes, they all seemed so intriguing to me, and I wanted to see what part they all had in the overall game story. After a rough start (with the NE and Undead starting zones) none of the others disappointed. (Good thing too, because I was about to quit.) The first year, I created a total of 10 characters, 5 allies, 5 hordies. After which I decided to transfer all my allies to another server so that I could create additional characters for each faction. Then I started having a grand plan for all my characters - I wanted to get them all to 80 (at the time that was the max level) and be pro's in all professions. Then I slowly leveled two characters from different factions because I wanted to experience the world. I ended up with 2 Loremasters because of it. When I finally completed Icecrown for the Loremaster title, though (this after doing most of the raids with guild mates), and got that feeling of "having seen everything," that's when my fascination with WoW started evaporating quickly. In fact, if it hadn't been for Cataclysm, I may have stayed un-subbed since last winter!
Not all people are like this though. Some people love stuff FOREVER. I have a suspicion there will be plenty of WoW players that you will never see them unsubscribe voluntarily. It may be that if I had more enthusiasm about raiding, I'd be the same.
Aticus Sep 13th 2011 8:15AM
I have really taken the "old man" approach to wow now. The guild wants to raid til 1am and I'm like "Im not a kid anymore. I need to go to bed at 10".
I still play a lot but yes, it has lost the magic.
Glaras Sep 13th 2011 6:04PM
I canceled the last of my accounts (yes, I had multiple) about 4 months ago... and promptly found that I had inadvertently pre-paid for a 3-month just before I canceled. So I used those 3 months to level a priest (a class I had never played before) to cap by PVPing, something I had only done casually through my hardcore raiding days. Just to show how ridiculously easy it has all become, I level capped that priest, kept PVPing until I'd accumulated enough honor to get a complete set of the honor-PVP gear, with weapons, rings and trinkets. Then I leveled a hunter to 40 doing the same thing, all before that 3-month was up. I finished by buying the hunter the PVP epic mount, and left her atop the rise over the Tauren area in Org, 2 days before the account expired. I'll probably never go back.
For me, the magic fled while I was still in ICC, our 25-man guild beating its collective head for weeks against LK before we finally took him down. As soon as that happened, I retired as a raider. I came back about 3 months into Cataclysm, and eventually leveled 4 toons to 85, and I set foot inside a *dungeon* exactly once. Everything else was dailies. But I can't get excited about raiding, given how difficult it is to get into a decent raiding guild now, and PUGs (while certainly better off than they were at the beginning) are just not viable.
I'd probably give Rift a try if they had a Mac client (I have no interest in paying for Windows so I can Bootcamp), but until they do, or unless SWTOR is an option, I'll probably never go back to MMO's.
mibu.work1 Sep 13th 2011 8:16AM
The thrill is gone...
Baby the Thrill is gone away from me.
Oh the thrill is gone, baby...
The thrill is gone away from me...
although I'll still live on, baby...
But so lonely, ah lonely...
mibu.work1 Sep 13th 2011 8:18AM
Silliness and B.B.King aside, I think the thrill is still there even after my six years of playing. Why? I still have friends who love playing with me, I have arenas, epic raiding,, old content, and most of a world revamped to explore.
styopa Sep 13th 2011 8:18AM
Back in March, I finally cancelled both of my accounts.
One had *just* been auto-paid for, so it was valid until 9/9. I played with less and less frequency, finishing off my wife's main's (she hasn't played for 4 years, but I enjoyed playing her character, and she'd been a total completist, so for some reason it was the only toon I'd ever bother to fish/cook on) professions - I hit 525 in everything sometime near the end of August.
I logged in what I figured would be my last time (labor day weekend) and left her sitting next to where I'd left MY main on my account, a beautiful spot just north of Mojache with a view of a waterfall.
I didn't notice until yesterday that my account had expired, and didn't really mind.