From Time: Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer
This is a very good article about MMOGs (Massively Multi-player Online Games) and, in particular, World of Warcraft. I think the author does a good job of explaining why it’s addictive and powerful. I think anyone who has friends, significant others, family members, etc. that play MMOGs should read this – it might help you understand.
I just read the Time article on WOW that you had posted to your blog. Curiously, I think he left out something important. Many people play WOW and never group and never join a guild, but still, for those people it is a social event. WOW is like a big public space – even if you aren’t talking to people or working with them, you aren’t really alone (or maybe you are, but you don’t feel as alone). Playing Oblivion on your PC is like going up into the mountains or watching television in your room – playing WOW is like going to the mall or a restaurant. You might sit by yourself, but you are still out in public.
I wonder how much oxygen WOW has sucked out of the PC gaming market? Since I’ve started playing it, I have not played for any significant time a single, other game. And, worse, I only bought 2 in the last year. I know I’d have an XBOX 360 if I didn’t play WOW.