It’s More Than Just A Game - A World of Warcraft Social Retrospective
World of Warcraft is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (WoW, MMORPG). However, if that's all it was, I [Doza] wouldn't be writing about it. If you aren't aware or have only heard of the game, WoW is one of, if not, the most popular MMO and long-standing games of its genre. First launched in 2004, it has amassed millions of players through the years with content updates, exciting expansions, a weaving story with many iconic characters, and, of course, just being plain fun, arguably the most significant aspect of many games. If it isn't fun to play, why play it at all?
To start, I'd like to briefly describe what kind of game WoW actually is since it's labeled, as often true with many others games, don't do it justice nor paint an accurate or meaningful picture of what kind of experience you should expect. WoW is as much a video game as it is a social experience.
However, I do want to make it clear that what you get hinges very much on what you put in. WoW has a great gameplay loop with a variety of playable classes, each with its own strong identity and playstyle. Chances are if you like fantasy, there's a class for you. Beyond that, you can play with friends, strangers, or even solo if you wanted to. You can go out questing, group up with other players to explore dangerous dungeons, or even collect pets and other odds and ends. There's something to do for everyone. There's just so much to uncover in the World…of Warcraft! But, there's something that can't be explained by a collection of nice words. That something is what WoW has been for me and what I fear it might not be for me in the future.
All this takes place in a world that is vibrant, rich, and alive. There are many challenges to face and even many more memories to make. The thing is, WoW is so much more to me than a video game to play. It's a world to live in, to an extent. It is an opportunity to plunge my mind into the depths that await below; ever-deepening. WoW, above all else, has done one thing incredibly well. It has provided an escape from the existence of the mundane, of the dreary, and the often exhausting. My life has changed dramatically for the better since high school, which was the first time I virtually stepped foot in Azeroth, the name of the land (planet) that this game primarily takes place.
Azeroth, and by extension the entirety of World of Warcraft, represents a chance to be who you want to be and do things you could only dream of doing. Yes, it is just a video game. But the continuity of the growing environment sets it apart from so many other games that often get picked up, put down, and never played again. But in WoW, everything you choose to do is an investment in your character and, by extension, yourself. I think that's also part of what makes it so hard to stay away. You learn how to live in this virtual landscape and how to interact with other players. You pick up on the vernacular used by others. You become part of the WoW community intentionally or unintentionally. You and many others are bonded together through a shared interest. One way or another, playing this game brings you something more. Even if we take other players out of the equation, Azeroth is a dangerous land filled to the brim with both riches and risks just ripe for the taking. Many stories are hiding ready to be unveiled and, each has the potential to stick with you a lot longer than the time you played that session.
For me, it comes down to the collective experiences I've gained both alone and with others. Challenges I have taken on with friends and, eventually, Nush as well. I am a very social-oriented person when it comes to gaming. There are games I play solo intentionally. Single-player games are designed to give you a curated experience. But when it comes to World of Warcraft, the many flavors of gameplay and potential experiences served up to me are hard to ignore. It feels so much more real and significant if I can share with others my struggles and accomplishments. Bonus points if we can go from "my" to "our" because guess what, sometimes things are "better together."
