This weekend was one of those weekends where I almost hate to admit that I play (and enjoy) World of Warcraft. That’s how heavy the snark was that hung in the air. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with this situation, but it’s yet another reminder of how judgmental people can be. Especially people who are passionate about their hobby (which in this case happens to be gaming). I’ve been on G+ for a little while now (you can find my profile here if you want to add me) and I have a few ‘circles’ of people that I post to. One happens to be a general gaming circle, which I’ve diversified into an EVE Online circle + general gaming, because as it turns out EVE players do NOT like to see posts about other games. Especially not games called WoW. During one post that was actually about social interactions and the lack of finding a ‘home’ in an MMO some random player decided to tell me that since I had posted about WoW, they were going to remove me from their circle. This was the first comment I had seen like that – but not the last. It didn’t matter that I consider myself a nomadic gamer bouncing from game to game, or what I actually had to say. They saw the words “world of warcraft” and panic set in.
Blizzcon lead the way to the announcement about the next expansion which is going to introduce a new race and a new class as well as some interesting vanity pet combat games. Personally, I think the race is an interesting concept and one that has been around for quite some time. EQ2 also has a panda race, and players can quest for illusion items in order to ‘play’ them. The monk class reminds me of a combination between druid and paladin. Able to tank, dps, and heal, but wears leather and is melee combat focused. I haven’t decided if I’ll create one yet but I think it’s pretty safe to say that I will. I don’t find the expansion all that incredible but of course I’m going to wait until it actually launches (or I can test it) before I pass too much judgement. It doesn’t surprise me that Blizzard is feeling some pressure now in the MMO market, after all they’ve been ‘top dog’ for quite a long time and probably don’t know anything else. Years have passed and eventually they’ll have to fall. How they handle themselves during the next little while will make all the difference in the world.
Right now the Halloween event is in game and I’ve been trying to win the headless horse mount which comes from the daily reward. So far, no luck. Last year my warlock managed to win one but the priest just has really bad luck when it comes to that sort of thing. Alterac Valley happened to be the battleground for the weekend, which is my favorite battleground of all time so I spent most of my evening grinding honor points and purchasing a few more upgrades. I picked up the helm and now I’m working towards the honor required for a weapon. 3500 is a long way to go, but I think I can do it. Once I’ve finished of my dps set I’ll continue working on a heal spec. I’ve got a few pieces collected so far (back, shoes, weapon, and pants) but would really like to finish the set off.
In the mean time there’s always archaeology to finish off and crafting to be done. I still haven’t maxed out my tailoring or enchanting, although I have a number of other crafts that are currently finished. There’s lots to do (as always) and I’m enjoying the fact that I split my time between WoW and EVE, two VERY different games but both equally fun and relaxing to me. I hope everyone else had an amazing weekend, no matter where you found yourself.
Happy gaming!
It’s really sad that people feel the need to be so “elitist.” And sadly, it happens everywhere… true story, my friend was in a bar, and someone asked her if she liked Radiohead. She does not, and just when she answered the question, the music that was playing paused between songs and most everyone in the place heard her response. She was basically ridiculed by all of the hipsters in the bar for the rest of the night. Totally uncool that they felt the need to shun her because of personal tastes. She loves music, just like the rest of them, but if we all liked the same things, what a boring world this would be.
If you’re a gamer, you’re a gamer… no matter the game you choose to play. It all boils down to preference, or which game is being supported the best, or which one you can find the best community in, etc etc etc, and the “holier-than-thou” attitude some gamers choose to have is just pathetic.
giving them…sorry I should really proofread these comments carefully…
Pandas in Warcraft? Well I know they have had a Pandarean race since WC3, but personally I want nothing to do with them. It’s an aesthetic personal choice I suppose. Yet, more power to you if you wanna stick around and play. Personally I find Blizzard to be a very greedy company, and don’t feel good giving me my gaming money anymore but that is another topic for another day.
Funny thing about nomadic gamers: instead of having homes everywhere, no one wants you anywhere. Sad that people would rather exclude people who really have such similar interests.
I LOVE monk classes. However much I gripe, I will totally be back to play one!
WoW and EVE are so different it’s hardly surprising there’s little crossover. Extreme Noise Terror and Green Day are arguably at two ends of the same genre, but they probably don’t share many fans.
I quite liked WoW while I played it, but I didn’t find much more than three months’ worth of entertainment there before I was ready to move on. Pandas certainly aren’t going to get me back. I don’t like them in EQ2 or indeed anywhere. Now, if WoW was adding a playable squirrel race, or racoons, then they might get my attention.
I’ve always tried not to “blame” WoW for the stagnation we see in the development of virtual worlds; WoW is generally very good at what it does, and it’s just not reasonable to blame Blizzard for making a successful game. The Pandaren will probably not lure me back, but the Monk might – it fills a gap in WoW’s arrangement of classes that I’ve felt the lack of for a while.