The Trend Toward Casual Play in World of Warcraft and How it Affects You
It's not a major surprise to anyone who has played WoW in the last two years that the game has been drifting more and more towards being a game for casual players, trying to draw in more players and give them things to do at all levels so they don't have to devote hours and days at a time to enjoy it.
It is a winning strategy for shareholders, but how well has it worked out for players who have been with WoW since day one? The answer can go either way depending on who you ask.
The Positive Side of the Casual Play Trend Casual style play adds a lot of fun things to the game that might otherwise be left out.
Changes like Achievements, reduced requirements for getting mounts, lower XP requirements to gain access to the higher level content, along with the large number of events held throughout the year all add a great deal of depth to the WoW universe.
For hardcore players who are constantly playing through the same area trying to earn that new epic shield or pair of spaulders, or other gear, it is a welcome distraction and adds some depth to your gaming days.
After all, life isn't one dimensional.
Why should your game be? The Negative Side of Casual Style Play The downside is that all the time and energy Blizzard puts into stuff like Achievements, non-combat pets, and lower level instances uses up resources that Blizzard could otherwise use to create raiding content and things for more devoted players.
Surprisingly, the highest level raid for Level 80 players is significantly easier than the top raids for Level 70.
Raid sizes are now 10 and 25 men as well.
Players who reached Level 80 days after the expansion came out have been reduced to waiting around for the higher end raids that are eventually coming.
In the meantime, these players are stuck grinding Achievement or spending all their time in PvP while they wait..
What Casual Style Means for WoW While there are drawbacks as well as benefits, I think attracting casual gamers to WoW is good for the players, the game, and Blizzard in the end.
Remember that Blizzard needs profits to stay in business, and more players helps with that.
With increased income Blizzard also has the resources to keep developing new content for all levels of player.
It might seem like the faithful are getting shortchanged, but it is the price we have to pay to give the company the resources to develop new content in the future that might not otherwise get the go ahead.
It is a winning strategy for shareholders, but how well has it worked out for players who have been with WoW since day one? The answer can go either way depending on who you ask.
The Positive Side of the Casual Play Trend Casual style play adds a lot of fun things to the game that might otherwise be left out.
Changes like Achievements, reduced requirements for getting mounts, lower XP requirements to gain access to the higher level content, along with the large number of events held throughout the year all add a great deal of depth to the WoW universe.
For hardcore players who are constantly playing through the same area trying to earn that new epic shield or pair of spaulders, or other gear, it is a welcome distraction and adds some depth to your gaming days.
After all, life isn't one dimensional.
Why should your game be? The Negative Side of Casual Style Play The downside is that all the time and energy Blizzard puts into stuff like Achievements, non-combat pets, and lower level instances uses up resources that Blizzard could otherwise use to create raiding content and things for more devoted players.
Surprisingly, the highest level raid for Level 80 players is significantly easier than the top raids for Level 70.
Raid sizes are now 10 and 25 men as well.
Players who reached Level 80 days after the expansion came out have been reduced to waiting around for the higher end raids that are eventually coming.
In the meantime, these players are stuck grinding Achievement or spending all their time in PvP while they wait..
What Casual Style Means for WoW While there are drawbacks as well as benefits, I think attracting casual gamers to WoW is good for the players, the game, and Blizzard in the end.
Remember that Blizzard needs profits to stay in business, and more players helps with that.
With increased income Blizzard also has the resources to keep developing new content for all levels of player.
It might seem like the faithful are getting shortchanged, but it is the price we have to pay to give the company the resources to develop new content in the future that might not otherwise get the go ahead.
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