Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 7:21 AM
Tue Dec 1
64 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us:
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
| AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
| AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
| AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/25/09
11/23/09
In one of these communities a lot of actual role-players gathered and started a role-playing thread. After I joined in one of the others asked me if I wanted to join her guild and after a short time I did.
The people I met in this guild and later in the game became my friends. We had real-life meetings once a year, although we are from different parts of germany (one even from switzerland).
Even now, after a lot of the people, including me, have moved on, either because of time issues or because WoW got boring with less and less friends online, some of us are in contact. Currently a few of us are waiting for Diablo III and hope that this game will give us another possibility to experience great evenings like the WoW raids did.
That is the reason why I get very angry, when I read that someone hates WoW, just because they think their friends are addicted to it. Perhaps they just have a lot of fun there? Perhaps they met people they like as much as they like you?
WoW was an important part of my life as I almost played it exclusively the 4 or so years. It still affects me actually, I have problems playing single-player games. It doesn't matter how good or immersive they are, after about an hour I get bored because I don't have contact to real people. It will take forever to finish Dragon Age for me ;)
Meh, I don't wanna proof-read this, please ignore any mistakes.
11/23/09
I suggest you take a gander there as well. Their few retrospective games are informative with great editing.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
Also, I can not possibly play this game as often as some can. Like, wow, those people should be studied so we can extract their genes and produce a potion of inhuman endurance. Crazy dedicated.
11/23/09
11/23/09
Not bad.
11/23/09
11/24/09
11/23/09
Uh... I mean... These Zergs sure look fresh and original, yessire!
11/24/09
11/24/09
Because Games Workshop never came to Blizzard in order to make a Warhammer and Warhammer 40K universe right?
Oh wait, they did.
The similarities aren't that forceful in straight up Warcraft, but Starcraft is ridiculous.
11/25/09
Oh wait, the ravener came out after Starcraft... just as the whole zergy look did... WH fanboys are always the same...
11/27/09
What on earth are you talking about? First off, I'm not a WH fanboy, I don't even own anything made by Games Workshop. Secondly, the Tyranids had their look very clearly defined ages before Starcraft. That it changed AFTER it is irrelevant. The Tyranid look AND feel (space-faring genetic aberrations that eat their way through the universe with a hive mind mentality) is clearly replicated in the Zerg. In the past, Blizzard themselves have admitted to it, but they've since changed their official position, fearing litigation.
11/28/09
[album.warpshadow.com]
This picture totally screams zerg, right? No?
Now look here: [hem.spray.se]
The zerg are totally a copy of these, right? Too bad both of those editions are after the zerg.
Here's the ravener review: "Apart from the strangeness of a "snake" being a Fast Attack creature (!) and that it doesn´t really fit in with the other Tyranids (it being a snake and the others insects) I rather like it."
Wow, someone that isn't biased towards the zerg says the unit is different and doesn't fit with the tyranids? Who could've thought that the zerg are different and that the ravener is an actual rip off, eh?
I am so done with this.
11/28/09
By the way, the first link is broken.
Like I said, "That it changed AFTER it is irrelevant."
What I'm saying is that Blizzard took the initial idea of the Zerg from Games Workshop's Tyranids. It's not that complicated a notion, and it's also fairly clear.
The "What on earth are you talking about" regarded you labeling me as a "GW fanboy" (what?) without me being one.
11/28/09
11/28/09
"The Tyranids had their look very clearly defined ages before Starcraft"
"Blizzard took the initial idea of the Zerg from Games Workshop's Tyranids"
Seriously, how is the second comment a modification of the first? You lost me.
You should really look at the phrases better before knee-jerk-responding to them. But I guess this doesn't matter, as you've stated you won't respond to this. Withdrawal sure is a solid argumentative move, nothing I can do against it!
11/23/09
I honestly think that in the years to come, blizzard will be a pillar for keeping PC gaming alive in the mainstream. And as a diehard PC gamer, count me a blizzard fanboi <3
Which is why I'm mostly unfazed my the outrageous monetization schemes in most games, going as far as to support the game anyway (*cough* dragon age *cough*), its because I do not have faith in Bioware. I always try their games before I buy them, and I always put heavy consideration into it before I do. But not blizzard. I'm the kind of guy who derides the fools who lines up for midnight MW2 releases. But I know i'll probably be the first in said line for the midnight SC2 release.
Blizzard basically remains the last major gaming company that still maintains a lot of the values PC gaming was built on, such as Gameplay First(tm). Its literally the only company in the entire industry where I will buy their games, first night it comes out, without any consideration at all. Which is a lot coming from a financially challenged college student.
Which is why I am probably the first throwing the hate on them even when they do minor things that would not faze me had another developer decided to do them (dropping lan, or the further monetization of WoW).
Really, its because we love you <3
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
You're forgetting Valve on that list.
11/23/09
He said, "And those similar"
But I agree. Valve is one.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
No, Mr. Fahey. They built a world.
A world...of Warcraft.
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
Though I can't say that I agree with that statement considering my experiences with WC3 and Starcraft.
11/23/09
WoW was a great experience for me, though I've had to give up some of my claim to the series with WLK as despite being rather heavily invested in Arthas due to playing WC3 and TFT, I just didn't have the motivation to play much.
As for where they're taking the game, I'm not too sure they do have a lot to go with. Only today I was just reading up on the lore thread on Elitist Jerks and its sad h0w many storylines have been neutered or outright dropped due to time constraints. I hope they can keep things interesting for future players past Cataclysm.
I'm looking forward to creating a new NE huntress to re-explore Azeroth and relearn the class (again) in their next expansion, but I also know that I'll never be able to log the hours I could five years ago unless I somehow get all my friends playing again, and that's a terrible thing to do to people who've escaped :P
11/23/09
Of course, I stopped playing a few years later, and have popped back into it now and then for the new expansions. As you do when faced with an awesome game that also presents a real addiction risk.
11/23/09
'Yeah?'
'What do you want?'
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
11/23/09
I'm so wasted, I'm so wasted! *giggle*
11/23/09
@frank0127: My favorite from the original was most definitely "Stop POKING me!"
11/23/09
Actually, we should be thankful for Blizzard. They have managed to find a way to keep very, very slow people from mating.
11/23/09
*steps back*
..
*way back*
11/23/09
Also, any kind of negative reactions I would get to what I posted... they'll just make me giggle. I love watching people justify silly things.
#speakup
11/23/09
You don't know what grinding is till you have played a Korean MMO. WoW is decidedly the least grindy of any MMO I have played.
FYI, all my friends get get plenty of play. 11 Million people play WoW and I am sure 80-90% of them are complete morons, but that other 10% or so of us are pretty cool socially well adjusted human beings who can keep down a job, go out and party, and kill stuff in a raid.
If you play WoW so much that you forget to have sex then I agree... you should not be allowed to mate and thusly Blizzard is doing us all a great service. Love your Blizzard sir, LOVE IT!
11/23/09
I just find it stupid that so many people start playing this game and then become shut ins who JUST play this game. It's ridiculous.
Uhg, especially when these people complain about how little money they have and they don't have money to do this or that, but they have, what?, $15 to blow a month on a game?
And it's not because it's WoW. If it were any other game that had a following like this where the fans just made the game their life, I'd be commenting about it.
Thank you for replying intelligently instead of just replying, "omg, yer a troll" or "yer just a douche." I appreciate when people can talk to someone else with a differing opinion.
11/23/09
It's not the game, per se, that I have a problem with, it's not the fact that it's an MMO, or the fact that people enjoy playing the game.
My problem is with the people that have forfeited doing anything in life and made this game their life. They do nothing, but play it. Work, school, family, everything... nothing comes close to the importance of the game.
I have a problem with anyone who becomes a complete shut in just for the sake of something so insignificant in life. Whether it be an MMO or gambling or alcohol or whatever else people get addicted to.
Aww shucks, it didn't place this right after the first comment and I can't edit the first one. Oh well.
People can keep saying I'm making assumptions and lumping all WoW players together.... while lumping me in with people who don't like the game for no reason... even if I do have my reasons.
11/23/09
(Using UK prices) Also, saying you don't have money to spend and being able to spend £9 a month makes perfect sense; food for a week costs £15-20, a movie ticket costs £5, going out for dinner costs £15+, hell even a McDonalds meal will set you back £3! A single movie and a burger, or up to 672 hours of WoW...
In a bizarre reversal of typical trends don't hate the game, hate the player. If you are not smart enough to know when you're playing too much, it's not Blizzard's fault. And if you've got friends who'd rather spend time with people online than you, you gotta wonder if you're really all that :P
11/23/09
I'm talking about people that complain about not being able to pay for basic needs. Not about them going out and spending money on eating out or movie tickets.
I actually don't have friends that would rather play the game then spend time with me. There are two people who I've based most of my beliefs on WoW from... one has managed to quit [surprisingly]... the other, well, he deserted the army and moved to Australia so he could keep playing. =\
11/23/09
To use personal case studies, I know people who underachieved because of playing too much WoW (I personally fall into this group), people who played too much but quit and got their lives back on track, and people who played more than the rest of us, got straight As and are currently studying medicine. *shrug*
If there's something "addictive" about WoW its the social aspect - because the people online don't actually know you, they're more apt to being fickle and not tolerating foibles like real friends would, so you end up spending more time in the game as to not piss them off. It's a weird sense of obligation that develops, but that's nothing particularly unique to MMOs.
11/23/09
I think that with 11 Million people playing the amount of people addicted will be huge but percentage wise might not be higher than any other game around. Its hard to blame alcohol for alcoholics because many people can simply drink responsibly.
If one of my friends began to abuse the game in a way that wasn't good for his life/family/etc then I would be staging that intervention just as seriously as it was alcohol.
I am sorry you are clearly getting flamed to hell, as I can see where you are coming. Buuuut this is Kotaku.... I'd stop responding and try to avoid any more stress over this. I think you have tried to restate your point and at this point a strategic retreat might be in order. Sometimes reading replies to your comments will only make you want to beat your head in regardless of your intentions.