Hi, remember me? I've been here since 2004
by Anne Stickney 
Mar 9th 2012 at 1:00PM
Hello. Let's do a brief math exercise, just for a moment. I've been playing World of Warcraft since some point in December of 2004, as illustrated by the screenshot above. This is March of 2012, which means I've been playing WoW for roughly 87 months. Actually, I'm going to subtract three months, because there was a point where I cancelled my subscription and took a three-month break from the game -- so 84 months of gameplay or thereabouts.
Each month of World of Warcraft is $14.95. Multiply that by 84, and I've paid Blizzard $1,255.80 over the past seven years of gameplay. That doesn't include the Collector's Editions I've purchased or the pets or the mounts I've nabbed via the Blizzard Store, and it also doesn't include my second account, which I've had since 2008. It also doesn't include the money I've thrown at Blizzard for pretty much every novel under the sun, the comics, and the other assorted merchandise I've picked up over the years. I like World of Warcraft. I like it a lot. I like it so much that even though I took a little break, I've never, ever quit.
So where's my mount?
Each month of World of Warcraft is $14.95. Multiply that by 84, and I've paid Blizzard $1,255.80 over the past seven years of gameplay. That doesn't include the Collector's Editions I've purchased or the pets or the mounts I've nabbed via the Blizzard Store, and it also doesn't include my second account, which I've had since 2008. It also doesn't include the money I've thrown at Blizzard for pretty much every novel under the sun, the comics, and the other assorted merchandise I've picked up over the years. I like World of Warcraft. I like it a lot. I like it so much that even though I took a little break, I've never, ever quit.
So where's my mount?
On the one hand, I understand the complaint. After all, we've been playing and paying for years -- shouldn't we get something too? On the other, the analytical side of me, the side that has worked for numerous businesses over the years, knows that it isn't really something likely to be addressed. After all, my cable and internet service provider doesn't offer me goodies because I've been using its services for years. My cell phone company offers bonuses to me, but it's largely to keep me tied into a contract so I don't go anywhere -- sorta like that annual pass deal, except I get nice prices on new phones instead of sparkly steeds and free games.
At the same time, when I think about it ... I've gotten seven years of engaging content out of that $1,200. I've gotten countless nights of awesome gameplay with random strangers. I've had the opportunity to run into and talk to countless people across the world -- both the fast friends I still talk to and the fond memories of friends that have since gone on their way. I've gotten a ton of amazing memories, from the moment I first got smushed by angry dragons in Stormwind's throne room to the day I finally got those stupid Fiery Warhorse's Reins after years of farming. Do I really need anything else, when I've gotten all of that?
Well ... maybe some new Void Storage tabs would be nice ...
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria is the next expansion, raising the level cap to 90, introducing a brand new talent system, and bringing forth the long-lost pandaren race to both Horde and Alliance. Check out the trailer and follow us for all the latest MoP news!
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Helion Mar 9th 2012 1:09PM
This has bothered me forever, the gifts are always for new or returning customers, there is rarely anything offered to repeat/loyal customers. Sports Illustrated never gave me a football phone for remaining a repeat customer. I want a mount to!
Shammwich Mar 9th 2012 2:27PM
I agree as well, and for all the people who use the example of utilities and such it's not always true. I just cancelled my satellite television after about 7 or 8 years of continuous service and they were so keen on keeping me that I was offered a 30% discount on my monthly bill as well as a free HD PVR, and they were calling me about twice a day for 2 weeks to convince me to take them up on the offer. So Blizz could throw long-timers like us a bone at low to no cost for them and it'd really ease up on the whining I guarantee it.
Pyromelter Mar 9th 2012 6:46PM
I know this is going to get downrated into oblivion, but I'm of the opinion that your benefit is the game itself. It's really awesome. Free gifts and the like are marketing tools for people not subscribed to get them back in the door.
And this is what is going to get me downrated:
#firstworldproblems
(I thought about not using that phrase, but my it was my first thought in reading the main article, and in true internet fashion I can't hold back that thought)
cromahr Mar 9th 2012 8:03PM
I agree to Pyromelter, actually
a) The free mount is part of a promo-thing, supposed to get players back into the game. It would be kind of silly to go "Hey, if you invite someone back into the game, you get a mount. The same reward our vets get. Yeah. Oh, youre a vet yourself? Well... I dunno".
b) I have gotten that mount because I actually knew a lot of people I wanted to get back into the game, and my invitation actually was accepted. I have been playing ever since 2006, so I know a lot of people who left, so contacting them and finding one to take the scroll wasnt hard
c) I agree SO MUCH to Pyromelter. Maybe its because Im not really a moutn collector, but... yes, I am proud I have been a paying customer for 6 years, but that doesnt entitle me to free giveaways, really. FOr my money, I get a game I love, and thats what I pay for.
d) Someone mentioned "retaining customers". I doubt that suddenly handing out a load of free mounts to vets will really keep them in game much longer if they dont enjoy it anymore.
e) Where to draw the line? Do only people who have been here since 2004 get a reward? Then everyone who joined later will complain even louder! 5 years? 4 years?
What if your sub lapsed for even only one month... no reward anymore? What if you set up an account years ago, have played like 1-2 months at a time, with an overall of, I dunno, 6 months, but an account that is 8 years old. Do you get a reward then too? Would that be fair?
f) There are games with vet rewards, but wouldnt it be a bit too late to introduce that now? What if they say "For each year you have been a customer (without lapses), you get a reward". What if you retired your accout in between? (see above)
g) Why do people get upset about this mount.. what about the RAF mount? Thats been around for quite some time, and it was similar...get someone into the game (or have someone make another account), and once that person pays a few times, you get a mount. I am sure SOMEONE complained, but did people react the same way?
h) I frankly dont understand why people feel so very entitled and upset about this promo thing. After all, getting players back into the game, to me, benefits other players too, as sub numbers have been declining.
Compare it to real life... there are promo actions like that in clubs too. When you sub to a magazine, and then see that, if someone else gets a friend to subscribe, that guy gets a free headphone or whatever you get for those "Sign up a friend" things... do you call up the mag and tell them "I want a free gift too, I have been a loyal customer!"
i) FInally, and this brings me back to the beginning:
You have been a loyal customer, you have played the game for a long time. And what did you get out of it? Hopefully, a lot of awesome times in game, a lot of "Ingame memories". You most likely have feat of strengths that returning players will not get (launch events, anniversaries), and you have seen events and phases of WOW they will never get to experience.
You know the game inside out, and if you stayed this long, you probably did because the game was and is fun and gave you enjoyment. And still, when they try to give people an incentive to invite former players back, you feel entitled to get that too?
So even though this will be downrated into oblivion, I frankly dont understand what the outrage is about, and why people make it sound as if they feel totally betrayed, when the game apparently gave them plenty of enjoyment and made them stay all this time.
Imnick Mar 10th 2012 11:07AM
I'm going to have to agree with Pyromelter too
I've paid only a very slight amount less for World of Warcraft than the author of the column, but I didn't do that because I wanted rewards or out of some sense of loyalty, I did it BECAUSE IT WAS A GAME I ENJOYED
I am paying for a service, it is a good service so I will continue paying for it, they are providing the service that I am paying for more than adequately
There is no reason for them to give me anything else, I have received everything that I am paying for already
jfofla Mar 9th 2012 1:09PM
I have had a continuous subscription since Day One of Release.
Anne, if you get a mount, I should get a better one.
jfofla Mar 9th 2012 2:24PM
Man, you guys have no sense of humor
Ashlar Mar 9th 2012 7:31PM
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/11/whats-wrong-with-firstworldproblems/248829/
"I don't like this expression "First World problems." It is false and it is condescending. Yes, Nigerians struggle with floods or infant mortality. But these same Nigerians also deal with mundane and seemingly luxurious hassles. Connectivity issues on your BlackBerry, cost of car repair, how to sync your iPad, what brand of noodles to buy: Third World problems. All the silly stuff of life doesn't disappear just because you're black and live in a poorer country. People in the richer nations need a more robust sense of the lives being lived in the darker nations. Here's a First World problem: the inability to see that others are as fully complex and as keen on technology and pleasure as you are."
Guapa Mar 12th 2012 7:57AM
@Ashlar: So, all inhabitants of the so called Third World are black, have cars that need repair and use blackberries while there are no floods and hurricanes in the other two worlds? People in the internet nations need a more robust sense of the lives being lived in the more real nations.
gstetina86 Mar 9th 2012 1:11PM
I can agree with both sides, while its nice to drum up new business and introduce new people or old people to the new game, the people who play feel robbed in a sense. somethine would be nice. i kinda wish itunes did something like that, incentivise you using them. instead up having you download a new version every 3.97 days (plus or minus 3) But i doubt that will happen. I do have alot of great memories in my 5+ years of gameplay though! and thats all that matters! i thnk :p
Galatea Mar 9th 2012 7:23PM
I think people would feel a lot less robbed if Blizzard had actually given a pet with the anniversary achievement the last 2 years, or an achievement with the Brewfest mug this past year. Both of those are things that long-time players would have as a bonus for being around a long time. But Blizzard let us down.
Stella Mar 9th 2012 1:14PM
I look at this way.
My reward was 7 years continuous access to WoW. My reward was the chance to do Vanilla, BC and Wrath content when it was relevant.
My reward was the chance to participate in the opening of the Gates of Ahn'Quiraj. My reward was the chance to do the questlines for my Paladin and Warlock mounts. My reward was the opportunity to earn old-school PvP ranks and now mog my Paladin in Field Marshal's Aegis.
My reward was my old-school discontinued horsies.
I don't grudge the enticements Blizzard offers to new or lapsed players.
Snuzzle Mar 9th 2012 1:57PM
I couldn't *afford* those old-school epic horses :(
Ata Mar 9th 2012 2:06PM
I agree, but I also agree that it would be kinda nice to get something, too. Am I gonna stop or really whine about it? Nah.
But it would be pretty nice to be acknowledged.
robsmith77 Mar 9th 2012 2:47PM
I don't grudge the enticements either, it's a good business model, but at the same time it would be great to be able to obtain that mount some other way. Why should I be "punished" for not knowing anyone who has a lapsed account?
Minstrel Mar 9th 2012 3:33PM
I think there's an important distinction to be made, though. Nobody is really arguing that they've been ripped off by Blizzard...that Blizzard took their money for nothing. All of us who have played for a long time got to play a great game, which is exactly what was paid for. That's perfectly reasonable and Blizzard should be commended for a consistently high-quality game that we've enjoyed playing (and paying for) all these years.
The mildly annoying thing (which, as Anne touched on, is not unique to Blizzard at all) is that the cynical logic of maximizing profits and customer retention favors companies rewarding the people who have proven they will walk away by actually having done so. Those are the people that Blizzard (or AT&T or Comcast) knows are the fluid profits that they have to actually work to retain. Cynically, they know long-standing customers are (mostly, not entirely) more of the passive "hey, as long as things aren't too bad, I won't bother leaving" mindset and are therefore much safer profits and don't need to be catered to beyond doing what they already do (I'm simplifying, obviously...Blizzard does "cater" to long-standing customers at a basic level by trying to improve the design of the game...but, of course, that's what we're paying for).
I'm definitely one of those "passive" types that I alluded to above, so I'm not trying to insult those who are long-standing customers. It just would be nice if companies had a motivation to offer extras here and there that make you feel good within whatever system you're buying from them (the game in this case, a cable system in Comcast's case, etc). While playing the game is certainly fun and we feel good about that, the human brain is wired to stop getting the experiential high of something you do consistently...only new "rewards" excite, and it would be nice for Blizzard to offer some once in a while to "solid" and "safe" customers.
I don't consider it owed and I understand the logic (no one should be surprised by companies, who are obligated to maximize profits for investors, to be cynical). I just think it would be nice, is all. ;) I'm still going to keep playing, because I do think WoW is a great game, either way.
Skarn Mar 9th 2012 4:19PM
The thing that bugs me the most about requests for veteran reward programs and "I need stuff for being here longer" is simply that those of us that have been here longer HAVE gotten extra stuff! True, it's not explicitly "veteran rewards," but there is clearly stuff that a new player will never have.
The old school mounts as Stella points out.
Mini-pets that are no longer attainable such as the Baby Blizzard Bear, Onyxia Whelpling, Spirit of Competition, various BlizzCon goodies and so on.
Mounts that are no longer attainable.
Events that will never been seen again like the Gates of AQ and the Zombie Invasion.
Even the current SoR promotion gives CURRENT players more stuff than new/returning players. A reactivated member gets all the expansions. I've already got that. They get a level 80 character. I've got a level 85 one. They get a server/faction transfer. That's nothing special. All that's interesting about that is they get it for free. They're not getting any EXTRA stuff, they're just getting it easier. (Which doesn't bother me at all, but obviously bothers some people. Despite all that, once they are up to 85 and playing with me, I can ride around on a nifty spectral gryphon that this returning player can't get. The veteran player gets something the returning player does not. Sounds like a reward for current players to me. (The question is how valuable is that to you?)
Is there a specific veteran rewards program that gives you stuff based on how long you have been subscribed? No. Do veteran players get more stuff than new or returning players? Absolutely.
weepixie Mar 10th 2012 8:41AM
The long-term customers are the ones who not only pay their monthly fee, we also pay for realm changes, faction changes, gender, race and name changes, every mount that comes along, most of the pets that Blizzard provides and, of course, the authenticator. We put a heck of a lot more money into Blizzard than just our monthly fee. We're far more than just a utility customer.
Obviously we get what we pay for: solid, round-the-clock, uninterrupted playtime in a game that is virtually bug-free despite being extremely high-tech. Frequent, regular updates of content and balancing of character abilities over the years, constantly progressing forward. A virtually unheard-of amount of interaction with the designers and GMs in order to handle our complaints and concerns and requests for content design, fixes, and changes. I understand all of this. I appreciate it.
But recognizing/rewarding customer loyalty is a good business tactic. Google it and see for yourself.
And right now, when we're at the end of the xpac and have no solid ETA for the next one (*crossing fingers for more info this week*), when we've just come through a major content patch that has mixed reviews and resulted in many friends leaving because they were bored or disgruntled or both, when really the only thing left to do is to putz around with *alts* for a bit... this Scroll of Rez bites more than a little. "Gee, if you don't play you can get a free 80, but if you've paid faithfully every month for years..... screw you! You can damn well spend the days/weeks leveling!!"
Sure, I have things that others don't because I've been here longer. Hello, that's the way of the world! But the particular combination of rewarding customers who *don't care enough to stick around* with something that the loyal, uninterrupted payers actually want... well, that's just bad business. Obviously, since this conversation is taking place in every corner of the WoWiverse.
Preston Mar 9th 2012 1:15PM
Hell. I'd settle for a cool title.
Saeadame Mar 9th 2012 2:07PM
Yeah, do we have a "the Loyal" title already? That one would be kind of nice.