A new Wednesday, but an old topic. The last few weeks have kept a World of Warcraft fan from sleeping peacefully. Whether it’s about the content drought, the sudden end of the addon, or supposed leaks about the future – everything causes stomach pain.
Fears of the Future (in a different way) …
I don’t know how you all have been feeling in recent days, but I’m worried about the development of World of Warcraft. Not in the sense of “WoW is dead and the end of all days is coming” (because that will never happen quickly – and that’s a good thing), but in the sense of “Who is actually making such strange things?”. I am greatly disturbed by the latest developments in one of my favorite games. First, the Tanaan Jungle, which was supposed to be playable with the launch of WoD, was suddenly declared the middle, peak, and endpoint, and then it disappoints across the board. The area is boring and monotonous. On top of that come the lore blunders, like the peace-happiness-egg-cake Yrel, who slowly jumps over a flower field with her declared nemesis Grommash Hellscream.
If one wants to believe the latest leaks – to be honest, I don’t, but let’s assume for a moment – then this trend continues. Storylines are being dropped, the really exciting stories are not progressing (Sylvanas! You want it too!) and conflict potentials in the world are being resolved (Sunwell cleaned, warlocks accepted by humans).
… and wishes for the past.
It’s a bit like that cool fantasy world you invented during boring Latin class in seventh grade. Back then, you loved it, and even today, a brief skim of the text overwhelms you with nostalgia. However, the more you delve into it, the clearer it becomes: It no longer convinces me. And yet it doesn’t let go of you, and the question arises: “What if…?”
Warcraft has been and is for me the “one” great universe that has filled a large part of my youth with great ideas, interesting worlds, and exciting plots. And I’m not just talking about the video games. I also love the accompanying Pen&Paper system, the numerous novels, the comics/mangas, and all the fan creations like the audio play Allimania.
I will probably only realize how great World of Warcraft still is when the servers are shut down and the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia cover this time as well. Nevertheless, I am extremely excited about the Warcraft movie. Until it appears, I will probably just log in to escape every night into the beautiful world of role-playing (and before Schuhmann) – but I will tell you about that another time.
