In the World of Warcraft, life is what you make of it. In a seemingly endless platform for exploration and no concrete story line, once you choose your avatar and realm of game play, the next step is truly your choice. Explore the expansive regions of land, find both non-player characters or other players currently logged in, or join up for quests either alone or with a formed clan.
When creating a new character there are several prompts leading to several choices you must make before getting started: First a decision of what type of realm you would your character to exist in--PvP (player vs. Player) or PvE (Player vs. Environment). I chose PvP in an effort to induce more interaction with other players. You must then choose the faction your character fights for, the Alliance or the Horde. In choosing the Alliance I was able to choose from either a human or a dwarf. Then, a profession is chosen and the journey begins...
When creating a new character there are several prompts leading to several choices you must make before getting started: First a decision of what type of realm you would your character to exist in--PvP (player vs. Player) or PvE (Player vs. Environment). I chose PvP in an effort to induce more interaction with other players. You must then choose the faction your character fights for, the Alliance or the Horde. In choosing the Alliance I was able to choose from either a human or a dwarf. Then, a profession is chosen and the journey begins...
I chose to be a Human with a profession as a blacksmith. Throughout the exploration of land I was able to obtain metals through skills in mining and create armour that I could sell or keep for myself. On my travels through the land I battled boars and winged creatures resembling exotic over sized bats to earn experience points. The world is made up of four different types of regions: Friendly, Enemy, Contested and Sanctuary. Contested areas are where PvP battles can take place, with sanctuaries as the opposite.
While I chose to enter the Player versus Player realm in hopes of more interaction within the game, it seemed as though I had to make it to the sanctuary regions to even get responses. As WoW is the most popular MMORPG game today, I took my attempts of interaction to the many forums on the web. The realms are filled with hundreds of players at any given time and each realm hosts a different language. In my experience, while each realm had some type of "lingo," it was essentially always in English. There are certainly many people who want to share and converse about the game, but finding them within the game was not nearly as rewarding as the blogs and forums.
In WoW, the term 'addiction' seems to be an understatement. Over 12 million people log on to play, and it seems as though there no boundaries as far as the ages and locations of the participants--small business owners, young children, even senior citizens are involved, and arevery passionate and positive about the game. A majority of the conversing is centered around strategy and tips as opposed to sharing personal information. It may be a social media platform, but it often has the feel of a simply higher evolved form of a video game captivating millions around the world. Players stay logged on for years and perhaps if my trial had not ended, I may have been lured into the WoW obsession as well.
While I chose to enter the Player versus Player realm in hopes of more interaction within the game, it seemed as though I had to make it to the sanctuary regions to even get responses. As WoW is the most popular MMORPG game today, I took my attempts of interaction to the many forums on the web. The realms are filled with hundreds of players at any given time and each realm hosts a different language. In my experience, while each realm had some type of "lingo," it was essentially always in English. There are certainly many people who want to share and converse about the game, but finding them within the game was not nearly as rewarding as the blogs and forums.
In WoW, the term 'addiction' seems to be an understatement. Over 12 million people log on to play, and it seems as though there no boundaries as far as the ages and locations of the participants--small business owners, young children, even senior citizens are involved, and arevery passionate and positive about the game. A majority of the conversing is centered around strategy and tips as opposed to sharing personal information. It may be a social media platform, but it often has the feel of a simply higher evolved form of a video game captivating millions around the world. Players stay logged on for years and perhaps if my trial had not ended, I may have been lured into the WoW obsession as well.
After playing the MMORPG game that I chose, EuroGangster, with only 3500 players, I began to think what WoW was doing differently to have so many users... or is it just a better game. First I was thinking that EuroGangster just comes off as a crime-seeking adventure, while WoW does not. Therefore, maybe people are turned off to the EuroGangster. But when I looked into it deeper, WoW is utilizing social media to increase awareness and players. They have both a Facebook and Twitter page to inform their users, and potential users, of the latest news, events, contests and giveaways. For people who are so deeply involved in their social game, this is a great way to further interact with WoW users. I think for these games to really grow they need to utilize as many other interactive social media outlets as possible, because they know their users are always on the computer.
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