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General: Avoiding the Elephant
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Jaime Skelton writes this week's column about the elephant in the room known as World of Warcraft.
It takes a great deal of self-constraint to not mention the elephant in the room, especially when it comes to World of Warcraft and the house of MMOs. It's doubly worse when that elephant is performing tricks: creating starry ponies, previewing new areas of its upcoming expansion, and trumpeting how it will be changing the face of Warcraft forever. In the past couple of weeks, we have been saturated with press about the elephant: up, down, and sideways, it has come at us as each outlet tries to feel out a part of the elephant like the proverbial blind men. Meanwhile, writers figure since the elephant is doing tricks for everyone, they might as well take their time to talk about it, blog about it, make conjectures about it, and prophecy how it's going to change the world.
I mean, who doesn't want to talk about it? It's an elephant. Look at it. Isn't it amazing?
Back when I started out writing these columns for MMORPG.com, I talked about how World of Warcraft offered a stale comparison for evaluating other MMORPGs. Ironically, it's almost impossible to talk to someone outside the industry without using World of Warcraft as an example. Throughout the months, I have danced carefully around the room, talking about the elephant only when I felt it necessary or relevant.
Read Avoiding the Elephant.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I like the piece but I have one small issue, self-constraint or self restraint?
F2P/P2P excellent thread.
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/282517/F2P-An-Engineers-perspective.html
I agree with the sentiment that there's entirely too much focus on WoW. It might hold the largest subscriber base and caught the most media attention, but it's become a very bland and static game. Even from it's beginning it was never really an overly innovative game, simply one that was more polished than the competition.
I hope that the new up and comers are giving some decent focus to innovate, rather than simply provide the same old gameplay in a fancy new package. We need more developers like CCP who continue to push the boundries of their games, despite their age, like what they have been doing with Eve over the years.
WoW is only what, 6 years old now? Basically, going by "good" mmorpg development times, NOW is the time for some well developed MMORPGs to be coming out to give that elephant a run for its money. Everything from WoW's launch till now of course can't compete, due to how development time on these games works. I think it is really that simple.
Everyone wanted a WoW killer one year after WoW's launch, but that's not realistic. Having one NOW after all this time is more feasible. I think even Blizzard recognizes this, hence why they are pulling all stops with Cataclysm to refresh WoW itself and they have that "secret" MMO in the wings ready to descend upon the populace. Smart marketing.
That being said, SW:Tor, FFXIV, and a few others have had that nice long development gestation period and are set to storm the field and give us "next" gen MMORPG goodness. I think instead of looking at WoW as something huge and intimidating, companies should be looking at it as inspiration. Showing that this genre can really blow up with more elephants in the room if focus, time and polish as well as quality designing is allowed to flourish.
double post sorry. Anyway, that's how I feel about it. I still go back to WoW every few months or so because it just "feels" right and is fun. Cataclysm is going to blow the doors off the game for me and make it just as fun as it was when it launched if not better. Can't wait.
Aye, great article and it is true.
The game has grown stagnant and there are many players who know this (though most don't want to admit it). If you look at a lot of guilds and players online you will see the effects. Usually in the wait time before a new expansion a lot of players disappear or play very rarely. My guild for example; People only log on for raids these days and thats about it. Once the expansion hits people will be back in force but after about 2 months it ends up back to the only logging in for raids once maybe twice a week, the rest of the time they will be on Vent playing other games till the next chunk of content hits.
And as Elocke said, too many gamers and companies tried hard for the whole 'WoW killer' thing so early in WoW's existance which really wasn't the right time. A few good games will come along in the next couple of years, each taking parts of WoW's player base. Even Blizards 'Secret' MMO will do this. Sure it won't be one singular game that brings WoW down but rather time and stagnation.
As for the rest of the article I agree. People need to stop looking at the elephant in the room and wishing it would go away and instead maybe just look past it and see whats going on in the next room. Because who knows what you will find there. Maybe it will be something cooler than the elephant or maybe a different breed of elephant. Hell, it might just be a chair. Point is if you stay so focused on the elephant and the tricks it does you end up missing out on everything else thats going on, like the shady guy stealing your wallet...
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
Exactly.
Great article.
Most of my guild doesn't really play WoW because it's a great game, we play it because the games we actually want to play haven't been released yet. Overall, WoW is a polished game, but it is not the best game on the market. There are people who love it, and that's great. I enjoy it well enough, but it's not the best game I've ever played (nor is it the worst, it's simply alright).
The fact is, Jamie hit the nail squarely on the head: just because it's a juggernaut doesn't necessarily mean folks should ignore all the other potentially great games out there. A sub base of 11 million just means a lot of people play a game - it doesn't necessarily mean it's the best game on the market; it just means it's the game with the best marketing team.
Firebrand Art
"You are obviously confusing a mature rating with actual maturity." -Asherman
Maybe MMO is not your genre, go play Modern Warfare...or something you can be all twitchy...and rank up all night. This is seriously getting tired. -Ranyr
Few things from an old WOW player here too.
First off... WOW is not just big. It is big cause it has provided something that players are looking for. None of the dying "giant" before WOW ever got close to the size cause they were not as "good" games (good in terms of what ppl were looking for in MMOs"
WOW is a social game. This is a key to its success. There are alot of old school MMO gamers out here that hate WOW - cause they are not looking for socializing with other ppl to the same degree that WOW is offering.
Secondly... Bioware is now in charge of Warhammer online and all other Mythic games. Those game are stagnant and dead and no funds are put into future content for them. Thats pretty much a sign of what to come if the formula for SWTOR does not fit 100% at start. And quite frankly when you look at some of the latest Bioware RPG titles... it will not fit into what ppl are after.
WOW will always be in a leauge of its own. The reasons why noone else cares about the other MMO titles in development right now (no matter the buisness model) is that MANY companies have now tried to realise something "better" than WOW. They all failed horribly. Look at the Hype monsters of AOC and WAR... Aion is doing ok but since its not a game developed by US/EU it will never take off no matter how good it will be.
MMOs for the last 5 years have been in the shadow of an elephant? No.. they have been in the shadow of the biggest, badass, coolest looking dragon that feeds on player power. ALot of ppl get burned out ofc.. But dont blame Blizzard for it - or the lack of new features or whatever.
Games are Games... mmoRPG games should be played as "second life" - not as your only life.
Im sorry but play any game for two hours for 1 year and tell me you will not get burned out. Lets see how many will scream in anger and break their keyboards when the trader dialog in SWTOR will open up for the 50.000nd time ?
No other game in the forseeable future will be able to create a better blend of features - than what WOW has managed to. Im sorry but ppl will just have to admit that by now.
Edit: I will buy Cata for sure. I dont play atm but I might actually roll a new character this summer just to enjoy the good old world of Vanilla. And it will also refresh my memory on what has actually changed when Cata comes.
Will I be riding on a pony ? Doubt it tbh - cause I loath the idea of it... But... many loudmouths say alot on these forums... then do exactly the oposite when the actually start playing. I have witnessed that myself quite a few times.
Was this just a large metaphor simply saying, " No more WoW Clones, the dont push the industry forward?"
Great article!
I love the analogy of an elephant in the room, and everyone pretends like it isn't there.
My, what a nice day... huh?
*whistles and looks out window ignoring the elephant noises from the other side of the room*
The highlighted part is a bit off. As a social game WoW has probably the least amount of socializing going on. No one hardly talks in groups (pulling, AFK, OOM, LOL, BRB =/= socializing). You even try to start a conversation in pugs and you are met with the sound of crickets for the entire 15 minutes it takes to clear the instance. The only real time you get any socializing in a group is when an item drops and people start arguing over who gets it...
The reason why WoW appealed to the numbers it did was because it was/is a 'game'. WoW trimmed out the RPG part of MMORPG a long time ago. Today its more an MMOG than an MMORPG. A mojority of people who came in with WoW are the people who wouldn't think of ever touching an MMO before because it carried the same stigma that PnP D&D carried. WoW made an MMO that was more game than MMO to appeal to these people; Tons of easily accessible items, 'everyone is a winner' game play along with the 'check your brain at the door' philosophy where the game leads you through the levels at a quick pace to end game.
There is a reason Blizard only really release sub numbers after an expansion and thats because thats when they see their peak numbers. Ever notice how they never bothered to give player numbers when China banned WoW for those 6+ months?
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
While i to have enjoyed WoW. i was alos around before its launch. WoW is not a social game compaired to it fore fathers. You did not have a choice in games like EQ to group, it was a must. YOu very quickly learned on your server who was a good player and who you did not want in your group.
The social aspect of games then is totally different to what they are now. The only real social aspect to the game now(WoW) is if you are in a guild. Otherwise you get in a group bang out your instance and get the heck out. Most often without anyone even saying hello.
As for WoW killers. There were a few titles that had a chance to compete. But all were released to early , were not polised and made promises that were not kept. As MMO's have become a larger industry people have come to expect more and more from them. If the companies do not deliver there is a mass exodus AKA Tabula......
While as a gamer you cant look past WoW, it has made the market better for us all. With new titles coming out who with any luck will push the bounderies, make games better. Make some different games. The Elephant will always be there. We need to be thankful for them. And with any luck with this new batch of games that are hitting the market this year hope that we do get the next great thing and can enjoy it for many years and then look back and say "gee, remember when WoW was the game to play"
I agree with ppl that feel WOW is more of a pug game after the new instance group features. Maybe it wil in part kill the game cause ppl are no longer relying on others on the same server to help with the character progression. And yes.. this new instance system has reduced the true value of WOW as a social game.
But.. it still is a social game that will reward you more the more you work WITH other ppl. Working with ppl is quite diffrent than working AGAINST other ppl - like killing them. Everyone can be a winner when ppl work together. Its hard when 50% of ppl are loosers.
Personally, I love wow. Always have. Was technically my second MMORPG after city of heroes, just because I was a huge fan of the warcraft series. However, having no life of my own for several years, and being socially inept, gave me too much time to play it. I got burned out a few times but always ended up coming back. WoW has become my crack as my fiancee puts it. Now that Ive cancelled my account due to financial reasons, and started exploring the world of F2P games...I get withrdrawls. I miss wow and it depresses me that I cant play it for awhile. But all in all, it has given me a chance to explore other games. I havent tried many so far, but one that has gotten my attention is 2moons. Sure, I cant understand anyone in there, I dont like the features, or many of the character classes. Getting ganked or PK'd while im trying to grind levels pisses me off to no end. But something about it just keeps me from erasing it from my hard drive.
Im still looking for something else to fill the void that WoW left in me and my free time. It has been quite a decent experience, exploring what's out there. Will I be going back to WoW? Probably. Will I be getting Cata? almost definatly. But if I can find a nice F2P game that suits me, I will almost definatly choose that over WoW. So far Ive tried, D&D online...hated it in every way. Tried FP....it looked cool, but never made it past the tutorial before the game crashed and wouldnt let me log in again. Dont know if it had anything to do with me being on a foreign server or what... Tried Eternal Earth...but that was just so bland, and took forever to load. The hunt continues. Over all, I have to agree with this article. Even if I will end up going back to WoW.
nice article but you painted a bad picture of f2p and went straight to swtor and tera as saviours
you shouldve mentioned battle of the immortals even if it was a small plug on the f2p side it is a graphically nice game with alot of stuff to do
unfortunately the closed beta ends today but the open beta starts on may 4th with no character wipes after that point if anyone is interested it is a nice game
Wow expanded mmo universe out of hardcore gamer circles, even beyond gaming circles, it got the average person. It turn intto a mainstream thing as blackberrys are for cellphones, with even an episode on South Park.
While I don't have proof, I suspect that most gaming circles habitual of this forum hate wow. However, blizzard can do what wasn't possible before, to show the finger to the gaming circles and get away with it. They master the development of the mainstream mmo to cater most populations without even care about its own forum players, free of players blackmail, they could do whatever was necessary to stay mainstream.
The main question someone could ask if somebody with small knowledge of mmos think about playing mmos for the first time, which game do you think will come to his mind first? Wow nurture himself from the new players of mmos because it is the only mainstream game. Wow is a mmos what windows is to operating systems, they are the mainstream choice.
The old gaming circle had to retreat to their old games, move to another genre like Eve, or just bash and cry about the recent titles.
Bioware has made a bold bet with SWTOR. They need to hit and hit hard, that's the reason they might take their time. If they are not careful enough they might go to the under 1M subscribers, that while lasting will be seen as failure provided the development costs.
Aye.
The problem was that most of these companies were too busy trying to make a better elephant or an elephant that knew a differnt trick. The focused so much time and energy on this and the result was people going "Eh... It's another elephant... "
The way it looks now is that developers are now trying to be different and offering something other than what we already have. Too many MMOs came out trying to be as close to WoW as they could in hopes that people would move to them because they were a fresh rehash. What they didn't get was that people who liked WoW saw no real point in trying out those games because they were, well, WoW in a different skin.
The players who didn't like WoW looked at those games and had the same feelings, because they were WoW in a different skin.
And yes, while the elephant will always be there, there are going to be people who would eventually want to go see a tiger.
Edit: Yeah... about the post editor? In the words of Phillip J. Fry...
"FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT!!"
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
why does it always have to be a competition? Why cant they just do what they do and if they dont"kill wow" so be it?
and then when they all got sick of it the next fix even tho not substantial or worth it was praised as a godsend
and kudos to the fry reference
Agree with your highlighted part - I don't even know what is meant here by wow is so social people don't like it. I think wow used to be social like 5 years ago - but now everyone is so nasty and mean. And the worst part is that blizzard does absolutely nothing to police players. 3 hour bans are laughable! And that's if they even do anything at all. Also, I haven't gotten a GM in game since BC first came out. Now the only response you get is a pre-written copied and pasted script. With all that money - you think they could at least keep it enjoyable for the people lining their pockets by keeping all of the rotten ones under control.
ROFL, you think a theme park mmo like KOTOR is going to unseat WOW just because they have voice overs and a track record of making decent single player games? Or spent more money?
The Spruce Goose cost allot of money too for it's day and how did that work out?
KOTOR is crap and will end up just like STO.
Anything we have seen to date from the KOTOR camp is eye candy BS to suck people in just like STO did.
WOW will remain at the top for the for seeable future beacuse they can afford to maintain and expand the depth of their game. Everyone else is hanging on for dear life while they move on. WOW is what it is also because for the most part they are good to the majority of their players and don't jerk people around too much.
WOW understands you need to have a foundation for great game if you want to survive and be willing to support it 100%.
I just don't see thsi from other MMO publisher's IMO. Especially when they are relying on investors that want 25% ROI in the first three years.
With regard to microtransactions, I think they are nothing more than a means by which to capture the money that was being made by third party players. Power Levelers and the like.
I also think that if pushed too far that could be what changes the scenery for the MMO world. However Blizzard seems to be showing some restraint in this regard.
Hmm an article about WoW and how we shouldnt keep focusing on Wow which has resulted in another thread where everyone talks about WoW and the effect WoW has had on everything else.
The elephant grows stronger.
lol
talk about Battle of the Immortals now it is an awesome f2p game
Because, less subscribers = less money for development so less content and feature in quantity and quality. To add more to the proble,m the players on the weaker side are actually the more demanding ones, while on wow the casual ones are happy with less.
I just had a look at some video footage of that game. It does look quite impressive. Its good to see decent quality F2P games like this coming out as well as other games like Guildwars 2 that have a single purchase price with no monthly subscription. Paying £10 a month to play a game you already paid for is a complete ripoff. Its sad to see that it has become accepted as the norm.