Wow - as somebody who started playing WoW in its prime as a young teen, this video really captures how it felt to watch it turn from something almost magical and full of spirit into a calculated...
Wow - as somebody who started playing WoW in its prime as a young teen, this video really captures how it felt to watch it turn from something almost magical and full of spirit into a calculated and efficient money/time sink.
Thanks for sharing this, it brings back some strong emotions I have thought about in ages
This hits hard, and it hits even harder when this is happening to MMOs as a genre (and even multiplayer games as a whole), not just WoW (though WoW specifically is probably very special to many of...
This hits hard, and it hits even harder when this is happening to MMOs as a genre (and even multiplayer games as a whole), not just WoW (though WoW specifically is probably very special to many of us on here and is certainly the most culturally significant MMO). I played FF14 for a while 2 years ago and while that was more social than WoW at the time, it still has the conveyor belt dungeon finder, boosts, etc. With the current state of gaming, I'm not sure we'll ever get another MMO that feels quite the same as some of the classics, and I don't think it's just nostalgia saying that.
I do think there's still room in the genre if a developer can come in with some fresh ideas, but I don't think it would ever be possible to emulate the social feel of a 90's or 00's MMO, you just don't have as many people willing to communicate with strangers in games that much anymore and it's probably hell as a developer to try to keep people active in your game in this day and age, considering the level of choice people have in gaming. We keep seeing new MMOs come and then go almost immediately and I personally would love to see a revival of the genre. I know there are still some out there going strong (WoW, WoW Classic, FF14, Destiny 2*), but I can't say that anything has really captured the same feel in a very long time.
The closest for me has been Destiny 2, I suppose, it got me back into doing dungeons and raids as a group with people, but that's because I was able to enlist a dozen friends to play with regularly. I imagine if I started playing by myself that I would have the same experience as a new WoW retail player might have these days, where even though you're playing a "massively multiplayer" game, it's utterly lonely. Personally, I'm extremely thirsty for another social game like 00's WoW, but I think it's just wishful thinking, gaming is too large now and I think with how easy it is to connect with people online now (though forums, discord, etc.), people are getting their fill of social activities elsewhere or in other games that are more accessible.
And I'm not really trying to say the current state of gaming is bad or anything, in some ways it is many times better than it used to be, I think it's just harder for a game like 00's WoW to be successful nowadays, the landscape has completely changed and it's just not the "in" thing.
This video hurts :( But.. Season of Discovery has been a big breath of fresh air, recapturing a lot of what I loved about the Vanilla - Wrath era. In addition to Classic WoW requiring more teaming...
This video hurts :( But..
Season of Discovery has been a big breath of fresh air, recapturing a lot of what I loved about the Vanilla - Wrath era. In addition to Classic WoW requiring more teaming up than modern WoW, they also added runes (power ups for your class) that often require teaming up to acquire. I haven't played and enjoyed WoW like this in a VERY long time.
That being said, it's currently unknown what happens after SoD hits classic level cap. Speculation is that we'll get a Classic+ with further modifications to the classic game. But who knows? And do I really trust Blizz to continue to offer this level of gameplay for just the price of a $15/mo subscription without added microtransactions? Not really.
So for now I'm enjoying the rare opportunity to relive the glory days a little bit, but trying not to get too attached.
I played Classic, finally abandoning private servers, up till about 2019. Right up until the Free Hong Kong incident, at which point, I unsubbed and deleted the Blizzard launcher off all my...
I played Classic, finally abandoning private servers, up till about 2019. Right up until the Free Hong Kong incident, at which point, I unsubbed and deleted the Blizzard launcher off all my computers. Since then, only more garbage has come out about Activision-Blizzard, which has further cemented this stance and I just straight-up refuse to give them my money anymore.
I'm not throwing shade at you here, you do you, but I just can't trust Activision-Blizzard anymore. Not only are they pretty scummy, but their games have declined in quality very dramatically since I first played Warcraft 2 back in 95. I'll still play the classics, I still love WC2, Diablo and play here and there on private Vanilla WoW servers, but I just can't support that company anymore, the trust is gone.
Wow - as somebody who started playing WoW in its prime as a young teen, this video really captures how it felt to watch it turn from something almost magical and full of spirit into a calculated and efficient money/time sink.
Thanks for sharing this, it brings back some strong emotions I have thought about in ages
Same yeah, definitely right in the feels.
This hits hard, and it hits even harder when this is happening to MMOs as a genre (and even multiplayer games as a whole), not just WoW (though WoW specifically is probably very special to many of us on here and is certainly the most culturally significant MMO). I played FF14 for a while 2 years ago and while that was more social than WoW at the time, it still has the conveyor belt dungeon finder, boosts, etc. With the current state of gaming, I'm not sure we'll ever get another MMO that feels quite the same as some of the classics, and I don't think it's just nostalgia saying that.
I do think there's still room in the genre if a developer can come in with some fresh ideas, but I don't think it would ever be possible to emulate the social feel of a 90's or 00's MMO, you just don't have as many people willing to communicate with strangers in games that much anymore and it's probably hell as a developer to try to keep people active in your game in this day and age, considering the level of choice people have in gaming. We keep seeing new MMOs come and then go almost immediately and I personally would love to see a revival of the genre. I know there are still some out there going strong (WoW, WoW Classic, FF14, Destiny 2*), but I can't say that anything has really captured the same feel in a very long time.
The closest for me has been Destiny 2, I suppose, it got me back into doing dungeons and raids as a group with people, but that's because I was able to enlist a dozen friends to play with regularly. I imagine if I started playing by myself that I would have the same experience as a new WoW retail player might have these days, where even though you're playing a "massively multiplayer" game, it's utterly lonely. Personally, I'm extremely thirsty for another social game like 00's WoW, but I think it's just wishful thinking, gaming is too large now and I think with how easy it is to connect with people online now (though forums, discord, etc.), people are getting their fill of social activities elsewhere or in other games that are more accessible.
And I'm not really trying to say the current state of gaming is bad or anything, in some ways it is many times better than it used to be, I think it's just harder for a game like 00's WoW to be successful nowadays, the landscape has completely changed and it's just not the "in" thing.
This video hurts :( But..
Season of Discovery has been a big breath of fresh air, recapturing a lot of what I loved about the Vanilla - Wrath era. In addition to Classic WoW requiring more teaming up than modern WoW, they also added runes (power ups for your class) that often require teaming up to acquire. I haven't played and enjoyed WoW like this in a VERY long time.
That being said, it's currently unknown what happens after SoD hits classic level cap. Speculation is that we'll get a Classic+ with further modifications to the classic game. But who knows? And do I really trust Blizz to continue to offer this level of gameplay for just the price of a $15/mo subscription without added microtransactions? Not really.
So for now I'm enjoying the rare opportunity to relive the glory days a little bit, but trying not to get too attached.
I played Classic, finally abandoning private servers, up till about 2019. Right up until the Free Hong Kong incident, at which point, I unsubbed and deleted the Blizzard launcher off all my computers. Since then, only more garbage has come out about Activision-Blizzard, which has further cemented this stance and I just straight-up refuse to give them my money anymore.
I'm not throwing shade at you here, you do you, but I just can't trust Activision-Blizzard anymore. Not only are they pretty scummy, but their games have declined in quality very dramatically since I first played Warcraft 2 back in 95. I'll still play the classics, I still love WC2, Diablo and play here and there on private Vanilla WoW servers, but I just can't support that company anymore, the trust is gone.