Post by amberjane on Jul 7, 2013 16:38:08 GMT -8
The game offers three main things that keep me coming back: a sense of anonymity, individualism, and a social identity for players and this is what keeps us coming back. The game’s massive virtual world offers first and foremost something people almost never have in real life: a sense of anonymity. When a player sits behind his screen he can adopt a new persona and act completely off the record of his actual personality. While this can be seen as childish and dangerous at first it is practical in two ways. The first being it allows people who would not otherwise act out to flourish in their online guise. When meeting new people in real life most people tend to be hesitant and hold back and size each other up before revealing themselves to other people. In WoW this is exactly the opposite on any given day you meet and encounter new people constantly whether through world exploration, chat channels, player battlegrounds, or even guilds. While playing your character players may be as reserved or as boisterous as they see fit without having to fear scrutiny from someone you are meeting face to face. Looking back I have changed a lot as a person not because WoW taught me how to slay dragons or make an epic pair of cloth boots with a speed increase and +55 stamina with a bonus socket for agility but because it allows the player to communicate freely with others and themselves. The collection of all your friends and in game friends all together in one place whether it is talking in guild chat, raiding, battlegrounds, or just hanging out can lead to intense gaming moments, heated arguments, or utter hilarity. I have been in many guilds and some of the best memories I have in game are always with people never by myself. From watching all forty of us in a raid die at once from someone not performing their role correctly, to getting world first kills of raid bosses, to laughing hysterically at some of the situations or stories people have told. It all revolves around group play and the interaction of everyone’s identity they’ve come to be known as. WoW shines through not because of the best graphics or game play but because it allows people the opportunity to play the game with people and not against them.
I set out hoping to show that players of WoW are not just socially inept twenty year olds residing in a basement of their parent’s house that endlessly play for no rhyme or reason. Players are not only diverse in their gaming habits and age but diverse in how they play as well. WoW offers something unique for everyone but offers three main things that keep bringing new and old players back for more. From the sense of anonymity to allow people to talk freely and discover themselves, to the individualistic nature of the game and its diverse players, to the deep connections players get with their own character and the guild and raiding aspect of the game as well. To me, WoW is more than a game for its players, it is a social experience that allows players a plethora of endless things to do and people to meet and of course dragons to slay.
♥
I set out hoping to show that players of WoW are not just socially inept twenty year olds residing in a basement of their parent’s house that endlessly play for no rhyme or reason. Players are not only diverse in their gaming habits and age but diverse in how they play as well. WoW offers something unique for everyone but offers three main things that keep bringing new and old players back for more. From the sense of anonymity to allow people to talk freely and discover themselves, to the individualistic nature of the game and its diverse players, to the deep connections players get with their own character and the guild and raiding aspect of the game as well. To me, WoW is more than a game for its players, it is a social experience that allows players a plethora of endless things to do and people to meet and of course dragons to slay.
♥