Years after WOW.... an interesting update.

[timosyy]

I was in a top raiding guild (literally #1 or #2 on the server at any given time) and Gladiator in 3s & 5s (and 2s, before that stopped giving titles... I've been playing since release. I remember raiding Molten Core when it came out and wiping on the first pull, lol).

I quit when Cata came out. Looking back, I can't believe how much time was put into that game. Old guildmates & arena partners still occasionally try to drag me back in, but I think I'm done for good.

Grats OP.

Edit: Regarding the moderation talk, if you want to be the best you have to put in the hours. I played reletively "lightly" (didn't just log in randomly to do world events, or chat, or run around in circles), and it's still more time commitment than I think people realize. We raided four (?) nights a week, with two optional raids (10-man content). Each raid is a five-hour time commitment (typically 7pm - 12am). Optional raids aren't actually optional when you're still progressing, because you want that heroic 10-man gear to progress in the 25-man raids.

Arena can take hours, especially with multiple teams (I played more than one character), and especially at the higher levels (where you'll spend hours trying to make up for one loss). Also, you need to spend countless hours grinding honor in battlegrounds to buy the arena-level offpieces (neck, bracers, boots, belt, cape, ring, trinket).

Your "off" time in-game is typically spent farming materials for flasks/potions for raiding.

Discounting any "recreational" game activity, and only taking into account raiding/arena, WoW can easily burn as much time per week as a full-time job.

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

tubgirl

omg I totally forgot about tubgirl! Thanks for reminding me.

 

[Stuxnet]

The analysis of this situation is much easier than anyone realizes: if you find yourself belonging to something called a "guild," you have seriously failed at real life.

 

[BrownShoes]

 

[SP33Demon]

You only raid twice a week? How does your guild manage that schedule? I envision one of two things happening... either you're not seen as a particularly valuable member of the guild... or your Guild has issues getting into end game content so they only raid when you happen to be available. Either way, I imagine the situation is pretty temporary... I can't imagine everyone in your guild is ok with the way things are.

Thats the problem with the game in the end....you find yourself with artificial social obligations. Your cyber friends rely on you to play so that they can play. THis is the structure that leads to way too much time.

I mean like I said maybe they changed it since I quit... but I remember half the game was building a reputation of being reliable and effective in a raid. This meant farming your own mats, spending time building your character, and being available for raid nights. Otherwise you were perceived as a leach.

This is exactly true. You can't raid 2 nights a week and expect to get content done. We were a US top 20 guild and raided every night for 5~ hours a night, 7pm-midnight. Yes, I did this for 2 years as class leader (we coordinated with other class leaders + raid leader) and it became more of a job and wasn't fun. It was almost like martial law meets a video game, and eventually it will burn you out depending on your tolerance level. For the first 6 months it was cake (since I wasn't working), but it's very hard to maintain your sanity when all you're doing is going to work 8-5 and then performing your second job in a game.

All in all, if you're going to play these games, I've found that the cash shop games are the best balance because you don't have to grind as much. You can still obtain almost the same gear for PVP, log in when you want, and have fun on your own time. Once you start doing the set raiding schedule every night of the week is when you need to re-evaluate if that's a commitment you want to make. With kids, people like the OP definitely made the right decision. Time with your child cannot be put on hold or you'll regret it later in life. The game will always be there.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

I wish I could trade all those hours in for a paycheck...

 

[CrazyAznDriver]

I wish I could trade all those hours in for a paycheck...

I was able to sell my account at least for 600 bucks back in the day

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Yea... I would, but I doubt I'd fetch that much, with no 85's & awesome gear.
That and still kinda sentimental value, because I spent alot of time playing with my ex...

 

[Wyndru]

A lot of people seem to think that to play wow they need to be the best at it...I think this is a lot of the problem. Stating that there is no way to take wow in moderation, then stating that you are in a top 20 raiding guild raiding 4 nights a week, doing arena, etc. etc. disputes your point.

If you don't have the time, try a casual guild, stop playing arena, don't farm mats, have fun. Due to the vastness in size of the game and how much there is to do, if RL doesn't permit you to play a lot, you need to step back and manage your time. You can't do it all, and I think a lot of people forget this, everyone is in a gear race, and a lot get burned out and start to hate the game.

 

[Tim]

Blog.anandtech.com

 

[Away]

Sure! Your place or mine?

:wub:

 

[montypythizzle]

This is exactly true. You can't raid 2 nights a week and expect to get content done. We were a US top 20 guild and raided every night for 5~ hours a night, 7pm-midnight. Yes, I did this for 2 years as class leader (we coordinated with other class leaders + raid leader) and it became more of a job and wasn't fun. It was almost like martial law meets a video game, and eventually it will burn you out depending on your tolerance level. For the first 6 months it was cake (since I wasn't working), but it's very hard to maintain your sanity when all you're doing is going to work 8-5 and then performing your second job in a game.

All in all, if you're going to play these games, I've found that the cash shop games are the best balance because you don't have to grind as much. You can still obtain almost the same gear for PVP, log in when you want, and have fun on your own time. Once you start doing the set raiding schedule every night of the week is when you need to re-evaluate if that's a commitment you want to make. With kids, people like the OP definitely made the right decision. Time with your child cannot be put on hold or you'll regret it later in life. The game will always be there.

I raid 3 nights a week 7-11 and are 6/13H M Tu W. I would say 6/13 is meh in the big swing of things, but for 3 days of week and only being serious 10-20% of the time, it works out well. Heck, most of the raiders we have ONLY come on for raids, rest of the week you don't see them.

It's possible to be halfway decent and also hold a job, and also have a family. As for the other people, I am sure you watch your grandiose television shows at least 3 times a week for 4 hours.

 

[SP33Demon]

I raid 3 nights a week 7-11 and are 6/13H M Tu W. I would say 6/13 is meh in the big swing of things, but for 3 days of week and only being serious 10-20% of the time, it works out well. Heck, most of the raiders we have ONLY come on for raids, rest of the week you don't see them.

It's possible to be halfway decent and also hold a job, and also have a family. As for the other people, I am sure you watch your grandiose television shows at least 3 times a week for 4 hours.

Yeah that's not bad, casual guilds are fine. Just don't make the jump to hardcore or it will take over your life. All in all, I'd say it's worth it for the experience, I actually made friends IRL and we still chat on FB. We had meetups where people would fly across the country to hang out for a weekend and have fun (Vegas). All of us had g/f's as well, the only thing is that they better be gamers. Can't mix the two worlds.

As long as you're having fun is the general rule. Once you get highly stressed out over a game it's not worth it. Managing a guild or raid leader isn't fun to me, can't understand why anyone would ever volunteer their time to get stressed. Hell, being a class leader was a major PITA because you have a bunch of talented guys who all want in on the same raid and need the same gear. Somebody is going to end up pissed at me, and you have to keep everyone happy. Just too much work for too little gratification. At the end of the day, what are you going to do, screenshot the rankings and show it to your kids? Yeah, you have respect of other gamers and pride in your accomplishments but in the grand scheme of things, what's that really worth? Just the good memories of killing stuff with your friends, when it comes down to it.

 

[Doboji]

FWIW... I always thought of myself as a "casual" player too... I wasn't though. If you're raiding even only 2 nights a week... thats 4-5 hours twice a week JUST to raid. It's also assuming you show up at the raid location set to go at exactly at start time. What about farming for all the pots and enchantments and gems and auctions and everything else that happens outside of raiding? Do you guys not do that at all? Just rely on the guild to provide you with all that stuff? You never ran heroics for badges and so forth in the meanwhile?

These moderation posts reek of denial. I'd bet if you really sat down and analyzed the amount of time per week you're spending on the game in a "casual" way... I bet it gets up around the 20 hour a week mark. Which is really much too much.

It's one thing if your wife or girlfriend plays too... then ok, it's a social activity that you're sharing together. Not too bad... but trust me that time commitment will become harmful when you have children. However if you 1) don't have a girlfriend/wife or 2) your girlfriend/wife does not play... then you are significantly damaging your life whether you recognize it or not.

As to the TV comparison... would anyone view a person sitting in front of the tube for 4-6 hours in a stretch acceptable? ESPECIALLY if you're sitting there by yourself? Not healthy.

 

[SP33Demon]

FWIW... I always thought of myself as a "casual" player too... I wasn't though. If you're raiding even only 2 nights a week... thats 4-5 hours twice a week JUST to raid. It's also assuming you show up at the raid location set to go at exactly at start time. What about farming for all the pots and enchantments and gems and auctions and everything else that happens outside of raiding? Do you guys not do that at all? Just rely on the guild to provide you with all that stuff? You never ran heroics for badges and so forth in the meanwhile?

These moderation posts reek of denial. I'd bet if you really sat down and analyzed the amount of time per week you're spending on the game in a "casual" way... I bet it gets up around the 20 hour a week mark. Which is really much too much.

It's one thing if your wife or girlfriend plays too... then ok, it's a social activity that you're sharing together. Not too bad... but trust me that time commitment will become harmful when you have children. However if you 1) don't have a girlfriend/wife or 2) your girlfriend/wife does not play... then you are significantly damaging your life whether you recognize it or not.

As to the TV comparison... would anyone view a person sitting in front of the tube for 4-6 hours in a stretch acceptable? ESPECIALLY if you're sitting there by yourself? Not healthy.

Yup, raiding is a grind. However, 2 nights a week is pretty casual, especially if you have the option of not showing. If that's how a person chooses to relieve stress then who are you to judge them? WoW is much healthier than TV because you're having a fun two way social interaction. It's no different than XBox live or just going to your buddy's and playing Playstation together, or watching the game at your buds' place. Any optional hobby with friends that relieves stress is absolutely healthier than TV. Kids doesn't change this, you don't have to spend every waking hour with them. That's definitely not healthy, you will need to spend time with friends to relieve the stress of everyday life.

 

[apac]

The most important lesson I ever learned after quitting MMOs - life IS the MMO. You get to build your career, make lots of new friends, save up and buy a car/house/bike whatever and then work to "upgrade" to make them even better all the time, and find or construct or earn tons of "loot" that you get to enjoy and share and show off to your friends. As you learn new hobbies and skills your character develops into one that's desirable for end-game guild. After finding another character to join you, the two of you start and build a small, guild called a "family". As you and your family add members you become leaders to a younger generation of "players".

Or you can just /ragequit..

 

[Doboji]

Yup, raiding is a grind. However, 2 nights a week is pretty casual, especially if you have the option of not showing. If that's how a person chooses to relieve stress then who are you to judge them? WoW is much healthier than TV because you're having a fun two way social interaction. It's no different than XBox live or just going to your buddy's and playing Playstation together, or watching the game at your buds' place. Any optional hobby with friends that relieves stress is absolutely healthier than TV. Kids doesn't change this, you don't have to spend every waking hour with them. That's definitely not healthy, you will need to spend time with friends to relieve the stress of everyday life.

You don't have kids do you?... I'm sure it changes as they get older, but when your kids are very young, you absolutely do have to spend (nearly) every waking hour with them. You don't have 4-6 hours of free time in a given evening, without giving up sleep that you really need.

I'm not judging anyone here... you're not a bad person or anything like that because you play WOW.... I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that you are hurting yourself, you will get more enjoyment out of your life in the long term by doing all the things WOW is precluding right now. I know it's very very difficult to see that from the position of really enjoying WOW... but if you really think about it, you know I'm right.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Interesting post, thanks for the update and congratulations on your success!

I have never been even slightly interested in playing an MMORPG but I certainly do like gaming. And I am concerned sometimes that I spend too much time playing games. But in the grand scheme of things it's not really that much. I will keep an eye on myself. Since I've gotten married I've played less for sure. Of course, now my wife is getting into League of Legends...

 

[NikolaeVarius]

The most important lesson I ever learned after quitting MMOs - life IS the MMO. You get to build your career, make lots of new friends, save up and buy a car/house/bike whatever and then work to "upgrade" to make them even better all the time, and find or construct or earn tons of "loot" that you get to enjoy and share and show off to your friends. As you learn new hobbies and skills your character develops into one that's desirable for end-game guild. After finding another character to join you, the two of you start and build a small, guild called a "family". As you and your family add members you become leaders to a younger generation of "players".

Or you can just /ragequit..

In real life can I create a bank and have people invest all their money into it and have this go on for a real long time and then at some arbitrary point, close up and say NOPE I'M TAKING ALL YOUR MONEY, and run? And then when my customers call shens, the powers that be say 'nope thats perfectly legal"

If not, I don't want to be a part of it.

 

[preslove]

I played City of Heroes for a little bit, but stopped once I realized that in order to continue progressing I would have to spend 3 hours at a time on a mission. This would also require either spending 30 minutes or so getting a group together each time, or joining some kind of guild.

Fuck. That.

 

[SP33Demon]

You don't have kids do you?... I'm sure it changes as they get older, but when your kids are very young, you absolutely do have to spend (nearly) every waking hour with them. You don't have 4-6 hours of free time in a given evening, without giving up sleep that you really need.

I'm not judging anyone here... you're not a bad person or anything like that because you play WOW.... I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying that you are hurting yourself, you will get more enjoyment out of your life in the long term by doing all the things WOW is precluding right now. I know it's very very difficult to see that from the position of really enjoying WOW... but if you really think about it, you know I'm right.

Nope, no kids atm. We are enjoying life before them!

Obviously I wasn't talking about when they're infants but when you don't need to watch them 24/7. You will need an outlet, whether it's chatting with your buds at work, ATOT, talking to a friend on the phone, WOW, going to your friends to play XBox, w/e. You aren't an island, and if you do go that route, then get ready for some nice shrink bills after the breakdown.

I do agree with you that playing every night isn't healthy. I've been playing a cash shop game and pvping every night for fun, there's this guy with two kids who plays for at least 5 hours a night. It's freaking sad. Plus he's going to ITT Tech or some fake school and he failed all his classes last semester. Gee, wonder why?

 

[apac]

In real life can I create a bank and have people invest all their money into it and have this go on for a real long time and then at some arbitrary point, close up and say NOPE I'M TAKING ALL YOUR MONEY, and run? And then when my customers call shens, the powers that be say 'nope thats perfectly legal"

If not, I don't want to be a part of it.

Yes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAKsMnAM8vk&feature=related

 

[Doboji]

In real life can I create a bank and have people invest all their money into it and have this go on for a real long time and then at some arbitrary point, close up and say NOPE I'M TAKING ALL YOUR MONEY, and run? And then when my customers call shens, the powers that be say 'nope thats perfectly legal"

If not, I don't want to be a part of it.

Well you can set up a bank... get everyone to put their money in it, then lend everyone back their money 3-4 times over with exorbitant interest rates.

Then when everyone can't pay their loans, you can confiscate their property, and receive a big check from the government so you can continue to fuck over your countrymen.

Thats not a bad deal is it?

 

[fire400]

apply basic pyschology to this game, and it will make you throw up.

the game's a stupid spread sheet with a horrible graphical output/interface, and limited-to-vast mind-
addiction-absorbance technniques with poor user-input, all based on a luring and enticing reward system for the gullible.

any developer/programmer/business enthusiast knows this.

alright, take good care and live and die legend, WarKraK'erZ

 

[yhelothar]

omg I totally forgot about tubgirl! Thanks for reminding me.

Glad I made you resee it after you've unseen it. :sneaky: