Fans of other games fear World of Warcraft. Because once you’re caught up in the pull of Blizzard’s MMORPG again, you are considered lost.
When a new addon for World of Warcraft is released, like just now with Battle for Azeroth, many players come back to Blizzard’s MMORPG and return at least for a while.
I had an interesting conversation yesterday with a friend who has recently been especially enjoying Sea of Thieves. We also talked about my friend’s concern that WoW would now siphon players from Sea of Thieves and that Sea of Thieves has to take responsibility for that. Because the developers released a questionable patch with bugs and disliked mechanics around the same time as the release of the latest WoW addon.
The thesis was now on the table (or Discord channel): Once someone gets a whiff of WoW again, they will disdain other games for a long time.
The social pull of long-lost friendships
It’s not even about the pure gameplay mechanics like the item spiral or the long grind, where players have to invest a lot of time to receive all rewards. It’s about the fellow players.
World of Warcraft has a social pull that most other games cannot match. As long as you just play „leisurely“ and don’t make any commitments, it may be different. If you only like to quest for an hour or two in the evening or do a random dungeon, not much will happen.
This reminded me a bit of the concern about a former alcoholic who might take up the bottle again. But in essence, it’s similar with World of Warcraft, at least regarding the “risk of relapse”.
But what do you think about it? Does World of Warcraft really have this pull that can bring back old players? Or is it different for you?
If someone previously had a strong social bond in the game, the “risk” is high that they will meet former friends and acquaintances again.
All it takes is a familiar name from the past to emerge, and “the trap” snaps shut. Because then you are already in conversation, reminiscing about old times, and sooner or later you also bring up former players. It turns out that player X is also back. And suddenly, you have a small group of three former friends who can go on adventures together again.
These groups grow quickly. I am amazed at how many people I have chatted with in the last days and weeks, who were actually only long-lost memories. More and more often, I find myself teaming up with old companions to run dungeons or play another twink, reminiscing about the “good old days”.
WoW consumes time for other games
I myself notice that it is taking time away from other games I wanted to devote more attention to. Dead by Daylight lures with a new killer, Persona 5 is still waiting for me on my PS4 for a conclusion, and I can’t keep up with the current anime season either.
After nearly 15 years, World of Warcraft is certainly no longer the prettiest or best game on the market. But it is still quite good, and no new game can match the bonus that comes from old acquaintances you have known for over a decade.
Therefore, I understand “the fear of World of Warcraft.” Because it is very easy to completely lose “reliable players” to Azeroth again for several months.
But what do you think about it? Does World of Warcraft really have this pull that can bring back old players? Or is it different for you?
