is it me or WoW is a mock off?

[Joeytpg]

ok a friend of mine bought WoW (he paid 40 something dollars) and it only comes with a month free...after that you have to pay MORE money to keep playing the game?....i don't know, maybe it's worth it, i just haven't played it but it seems kind of an armed robbery to me....

[~Shard~]

That's the model for all MMORPGs, plain and simple - Star Wars, Final Fantasy, etc. It's no different than XBox Live. Whether it's worth the monthly subscription or not is one thing, which I guess is subjective, but it is defnitely not armed robbery. ;) That's just the way those services are set up. :cool:

[Joeytpg]

MMORPGs ??

[Josh]

^ MMORPGs = Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games

To me, it's worth it.

The game isn't something the developers just made and let loose on the public; it's constantly evolving, constantly growing, and the developers are always adding in new quests, features, etc.

It gets really neat around holidays, when special things are added in.

The developers spend a lot of time continually enhancing the game (especially the new weather system coming soon).

Aside to that, if you consider the hardware demands such a game has on their servers, and the number of servers they have (as well as the staff to manage those servers), I think the cost is justified.

Though, if you like, I've heard there are third-party servers where you can play for free - but I think you have to roll-back a few versions of the game, and there are numerous problems (aside from the legal ones lol).

[~Shard~]

Well said Josh, I completely agree.This isn't a game that a company releases and then essentialy abandons, it is much more than that. It is a continually growing environment and experience - a world of its own. For all the work the developers put into maintaining and improving MMORPGs, I think the subscription model is definitely justified.

Now, as I said, if the game sucks, then sure, that's another matter... ;) But that's subjective, not objective. And objectively, I think the model is fair and definitely justified. :cool:

[Joeytpg]

oh well in that case it's alright if they keep enhancing the game it's all good :)

[Schmittroth]

That's the model for all MMORPGs, plain and simple - Star Wars, Final Fantasy, etc. It's no different than XBox Live. Whether it's worth the monthly subscription or not is one thing, which I guess is subjective, but it is defnitely not armed robbery. ;) That's just the way those services are set up. :cool:
Well not all of them. Guild Wars has no monthly but it's in a very small minority. No Mac version either.

[~Shard~]

oh well in that case it's alright if they keep enhancing the game it's all good :)

Yeah, some people would probably argue the MMORPGs aren't even games -they're alternate worlds, alternate realities. Some die-hard players will play for hours and hours a day, spending more time on them then in the real world! :eek:

Definitely not "just a game". ;) :cool:

[~Shard~]

Well not all of them. Guild Wars has no monthly but it's in a very small minority. No Mac version either.

Yes, you're right, I stand corrected - thanks. :)

[kparvez]

World of warcraft is a pretty addictive game. The game provides you with many in-game rewards while you level your character from lets say level 1 to 10. Once you make that committment to your character, they pretty much have you hooked so that you have this nearly indescribable need to reach level 60. By that time, the rewards are infrequent but you're still addicted. A classic case of some powerful operant conditioning. As a result, you end up paying their monthly fees and they make money, and you feed your addiction.

Sad, but true.
----
lvl 60 warrior
lvl 60 hunter
lvl 60 priest
Server: Doomhammer.

[Lincoln 6 Echo]

ok a friend of mine bought WoW (he paid 40 something dollars) and it only comes with a month free...after that you have to pay MORE money to keep playing the game?....i don't know, maybe it's worth it, i just haven't played it but it seems kind of an armed robbery to me....

Sounds like maybe you thought it was an offline game.

Yeah, WoW is one of those online-only games where you have to pay a monthly subscription to play. If you have a PC you should really get GuildWars. It's a MMORPG like WoW but different style, graphics, etc. (probably not as well done as WoW). I hear it's not bad but the best part is it's free to play online.

I've never had a game where I had to pay a monthly fee, but that's just me, lots of people love WoW.

[QCassidy352]

Yeah, some people would probably argue the MMORPGs aren't even games -they're alternate worlds, alternate realities. Some die-hard players will play for hours and hours a day, spending more time on them then in the real world! :eek:

yeah, it can actually get pretty sad and destructive for a lot of people - very much like an addiction to a controlled substance in a lot of ways. MMORPGs should be approached with a great deal of caution/self control.

[Josh]

^^ that's very true.

MMORPGs have been linked to the deaths of at least 2 people, including one baby.

I believe it was EverQuest that some guy played for 4-days straight, without sleeping or eating. He died because of it.

Then, a baby died - not sure what caused it - because the parents were so busy playing WoW they forgot to tend to their child.

Sad how a game can take priority over real live necessities....:(

[~Shard~]

^^^^ Couldn't agree more. It does indeed get quite sad when someone finds greater interest in a fake world and a made-up character's life, rather than the real world and his real life. :(

[calebjohnston]

not even just MMORPG's. Basically any RPG in general - the only thing is that many games end. Those ones don't. If I had to pay to play diablo II for as long as I did a few years ago, I'd be out on the street right now.

[MacRumorUser]

^^^^ Couldn't agree more. It does indeed get quite sad when someone finds greater interest in a fake world and a made-up character's life, rather than the real world and his real life. :(

Sad but not new... People have been doing it for years.

It's just an addiction and maybe some have a great predilection to it than others.

Those that fall into addictions like Alcohol & Drugs suffer to the same extent, the drugs become more important and central to their being than the world around them.

A detachment to reality...

But we all suffer to some extent, reading a book, watching a movie, listening to an album.. The difference is we don't get to the point of addiction & obsession..

[~Shard~]

Sad but not new... People have been doing it for years.

It's just an addiction and maybe some have a great predilection to it than others.

Those that fall into addictions like Alcohol & Drugs suffer to the same extent, the drugs become more important and central to their being than the world around them.

A detachment to reality...

But we all suffer to some extent, reading a book, watching a movie, listening to an album.. The difference is we don't get to the point of addiction & obsession..

Absolutely, thanks for this - I was by no means isolating that behavior, etc. just to video games. As you say, addictions take many forms and can ruin lives whether it's video games, drugs, or spending all your time on Internet Forums. :o ;) :p :D