Warcraft’s numbers misleading.
Most people who comment on massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) go on and on about the success of World of Warcraft (WoW), and how mind-staggeringly awesome it is. Of course, many of these people are WoW-gamers themselves, and are therefore somewhat biased. Nonetheless, the achievements of WoW are sung loudly, despite the fact that WoW’s popularity numbers are painfully misleading.
In part, this may be because, as I said elsewhere, WoW caters to the lowest common denominator, and has captured the attention of many a MMORPG-newbie, rather than seasoned PC gamers. Others, meanwhile, who have scoured the titles available, have found another gem.
MMORPG.com recently ran their 2006 Readers Choice Awards, which tallied a total of some 60,000 votes (we’re not talking small blog readership here). To the many who are ignorant of MMMORPGs other than WoW, the results may be shocking:
- Favorite Graphics: EVE Online trumped Everquest II and WoW with 61% of the votes, versus 23% and 15%, respectively. While much has been said about realistic graphics versus more stylized “cartoonish” graphics like WoW, it turns out that well-done photo-realism is still highly recognized. Apparently, EVE’s space-realistic graphics took the cake for the second year in a row.
- Favorite PvE: While a close battle between EVE and WoW, the former took the category by 5%, which is highly unexpected because much of EVE’s focus is on PvP; the PvE in EVE is not what I’d call as deep as in WoW, but apparently the missions are varied and interesting enough to just edge out WoW.
- Favorite PvP: I’m not surprised that EVE had almost three times as many votes as WoW here, since WoW’s PvP is a bandaged mess, with Battlegrounds the only reasonable PvP outlet for the average player. EVE took this category for a second time as well.
- Favorite Story: EVE took a little more than half the votes in this category thanks to live events, in-game missions, and the sheer influence players have on the game world. WoW and Ryzom almost tied, with the former inching one percent ahead. The motivation behind working together in EVE’s giant corporations versus guilds built on WoW’s poor guild interface give EVE a clear edge in terms of player-driven content.
- Most Anticipated Game: It’s no surprise to me that Warhammer: Age of Reckoning (WAR) took the pie in this race ahead of Vanguard, Star Trek Online (STO), Age of Conan, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and Lord of the Rings Online (LoTRO), respectively. Commanding almost one third of the votes, WAR looks like it will address a lot of the issues WoW veterans dislike, while still maintaining WoW’s atmosphere and keeping a similar setting. Vanguard, on the other hand, looks like it caters to hardcore MMORPG players who love to grind. Not much information has yet come out about STO, so we have little more than raw expectations to go on. Age of Conan and Pirates of the Burning Sea looks promising, while LoTRO looks graphically impressive, but does not seem very interesting beyond that. Time will tell, but I’m guessing WAR will be the only title capable of denting WoW’s huge player population.
- Favorite New Game of 2006: None of the Above: Voters ultimately said that none of 2006’s MMORPG releases were all that exciting, which makes an interesting statement to the development community. A Guild War’s expansion had the highest number of votes behind the 62% of dissenters, with Dungeons and Dragons Online and Auto Assault following. Interestingly, word is out that Auto Assault may not even be continued for much longer, since the game isn’t doing well at all.
- Favorite Game of 2006: For the fact that it has maintained players attention for as long as it has, EVE Online is the expected winner, gaining just more than twice the votes WoW did. Unsurprisingly, a good number of former WoW players have jumped ship to EVE, in great part based on word-of-mouth alone. EVE is a testament to what can be done with an original idea, and its learning curve, albeit steep, hasn’t hurt the game’s popularity any.
I’m guessing that there will definitely come a time, perhaps less than two years down the road, when EVE’s player population exceeds that of WoW’s. Remember that though WoW has an enormous player-base, MMORPG.com’s readers are fairly knowledeable MMORPG players, and their votes make for interesting commentary on the state of the industry. Though WoW will maintain its popularity well into the near future, its retention rate of daily gamers is something I’d heavily put into question, while EVE, which caters to casual players, is a monolith that doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Popularity: 3% [?]
I will start the post with the following questions for WyldKard, that he may choose to respond to in his inevitable follow-up to my post:
Did you play WoW for over a year? (Yes/No) As a follow-up, if Yes, do you consider yourself a lowest common denominator, ignorant of MMOs, newbie?
Although it has its flaws, did you enjoy playing WoW to the point of spending copious amounts of your free time on the game before you decided to quit? (Yes/No)
Did you quit because you strongly disagreed with the decisions that the WoW developer made regarding the game and specifically the classes you played? (Yes/No) If Yes, do you believe your strong opinion allows you to be any less biased against WoW than those who still play WoW may be biased for it?
Do you believe a game cannot be perfect and not have you play it, but still be something other intelligent people can enjoy? (Yes/No)
As a WoW gamer, I will agree the game has many things that could be done better. Being friends with WyldKard, I am aware that he is a super smart fellow. I have no question that if Blizzard hired him and put him to work, WoW would be much improved. I also understand that blogs are great to clear one’s mind. That being said, as parts of his post may be a bit offensive and misleading, I feel a response is warranted, so here it goes:
There is no other MMO out there that takes the high fantasy genre and does it better as a whole. The massive success of the game, based on subscribers and industry impact, is the only evidence I need to support that conclusion. But to WyldKard, it may seem convenient to dismiss the opinion of any continuing WoW gamer outright. WyldKard describes WoW gamers (which he ironically used to be) as, “the lowest common denominator,” “ignorant of other MMOs,” and “MMO newbies rather than seasoned PC gamers.” Perhaps WyldKard believes he “saw the light” and now it is his calling to tell all WoW playing ignoramuses that we should not be enjoying WoW any longer.
He makes these bold and sweeping statements regarding 7.5 million people (WoW subscribers), but then he provides nothing to justify those claims. Where are the stats to support those claims about WoW regarding our intelligence, education, and gaming experience? I am not saying I know otherwise, but if WyldKard is going to classify a group I happen to belong to with such derogatory terms, I expect some evidence. Instead, WyldKard just moves immediately on to follow-up with unrelated but impressive sounding statistics. I agree 60,000 voters in that one poll does sound pretty impressive. That is, impressive until you consider that the number of participants in the poll is less than 1% of the WoW subscriber audience.
He also seems to make the arguments that the opinion of the poll participants, as apparently veteran and knowledgeable MMO players, should weigh more than those of the average WoW peon. I would argue that if what WyldKard believes is correct, and WoW has inexperienced MMO players (and millions of them at that) as a large part of their subscriber base, this does not cost WoW credibility, but rather gains it. After all, if a game is so good that millions of people who never played anything like it before are now playing and hooked, didn’t Blizzard do something right?
All of that being said, what if, as WyldKard stipulates, EVE is indeed a massive success? The fact that EVE is successful (or at least declared so by one website vote) is not mutually exclusive with WoW also being a resounding success. Good for EVE and anyone who plays (which I believe WyldKard now does by the way). My problem is, although they are both MMOs, I have a hard time comparing a game based on interstellar commerce (EVE) and a high fantasy combat game (WoW). I, and many gamers like me, have no interest in the science fiction MMO genre. If we are going to compare games that are played online from such different genres in popularity, I’m afraid Madden NFL would take them both down easily.
I will end with this point: It seems weird writing this as WyldKard started me on WoW. WyldKard, you were a very skilled player and on behalf of your WoW friends, we miss you. But Okay, we get it, you don’t like WoW anymore. You quit. You think it sucks now. You mock it whenever you can. So don’t play anymore. Move on to EVE, WAR, or whatever MMO you want. But just because you don’t like it anymore doesn’t mean it isn’t successful and can’t be fun for the millions of players still playing it. It doesn’t make us stupid. It just makes us different from you.
Personally, EVE may be the best thing since sliced bread, but I wouldn’t know because I only have room for one MMO in my life and I am still playing WoW and enjoying it for what it is… A game and a great one at that.
The answer to your first question is already provided on your blog, which is linked to from the opening post (OP). It should be clear that given my clarification for what I consider the lowest common denominator (those who enjoy simplistic, repetitive gameplay), that my departure from WoW separates me from this group. That I have succumbed to this form of gameplay in the past is not something I argue; I place Diablo 2 on a pedestal for its addictive gameplay, and WoW mimics it well enough. However, I expect more longevity from an MMORPG, which requires me to pay a monthly fee, and allows for more potential than a game built around an item-hunt. If I was content enough with that one aspect of gameplay, Guild Wars would fit the bill far more cheaply.
Perhaps what sets me apart from most current WoW subscribers is that I expected more from the game, which is why I initially placed so much emphasis on the RP-servers. That’s not to say that I didn’t expect a grind, or an exasperated item-hunt, but rather that these facets of the game would compliment a deeper atmosphere that prior MMORPGs have lacked. This differs from players who had no expectations for WoW, either because they have never played an MMORPG before, or because they simply did not know anything other than hack’n slash was feasible. In the end, Blizzard’s poor development decisions, on top of the already stale gameplay, pushed me to drop my subscription. (My thoughts on these problems are already documented on the site.)
I understand why you’d be defensive about WoW, since it’s your first MMORPG, but you too easily discount those who criticize Blizzard, and place their subscriber numbers on too high of a pedestal. No one is arguing that WoW is not financially successful, nor that it can be addictive. Rather, I argue that Blizzard’s success with WoW is not because the gameplay and experience is superior to other MMORPGs, but rather that Blizzard’s polish in terms of the game’s learning curve, graphics, and interface is what fostered subscription growth. In other words, Blizzard is very good at making an otherwise stale game appeal to the masses. However, that appeal and successive financial success is not the same as being the best game, or even best MMORPG.
As I stated on your blog, my take on WoW isn’t prejudiced, as I’m not basing an opinion on a preconceived position, or unfairly judging WoW. On the contrary; my opinion on WoW is based on a good amount of experience with the title, in addition to my knowledge of MMORPGs other than WoW. This differs from the many defenders of WoW who, without having played, or even read about, another MMORPG, discount the opinions of those who have. That is a bias.
The notion that the only reason I voice a negative opinion of WoW is because I don’t play it is absurd; I don’t play it because I already have, and I found the game lacking in what it offers other than its end-game grinding experience. Never have I discounted the positive points behind the title, nor discredit the intelligence of those who play(ed) it. Else, I would be discrediting myself in the process.
Perhaps you ought to ask your guild, and those you play with, what their MMORPG experience is, to gather the statistics you desire, rather than take offense at what you label “bold and sweeping statements”. For example, I know that in your old guild on Bleeding Hollow, almost everyone’s experience with MMORPGs was based on WoW alone, and many of them had played (at most) a mere handful of PC titles before WoW.
A simple look at the blogosphere is further indication of people’s position regarding WoW based on their prior MMORPG and gaming experience. MMORPG.com is arguably one of the more neutral sites regarding MMORPG rankings, because it is not tied to any single title. As such, the fact that their poll participants were few in number compared to WoW’s total subscriber-base is irrelevant; MMORPG.com readers have been exposed to numerous MMORPGs, and are more certainly more knowledgeable about the MMORPG genre than the average WoW player.
Consider also that WoW was ranked very highly on MMORPG.com for what was probably over a year. And it should have been - players climbing up the level ladder had far more gaming opportunities than when they hit end-game. And, as games like Everquest II have matured, and learned from WoW’s mistakes, they have incorporated more impressive customization, crafting systems, etc. Sadly, despite the insane amounts of money WoW has made, Blizzard hasn’t put a proportionate amount of effort into the game to improve it. This is why today, WoW doesn’t show up as one of the top five games on MMORPG.com, and is not recognized as having the same continuous growth that more innovative MMORPGs do.
(As an aside, I do not play EVE Online, and despite it taking place in space, it utilizes the same concepts as most other MMORPGs. It is not so much that EVE is an interstellar commerce game, as players don’t need to focus on that aspect at all, but more that EVE has a better virtual economy and “market-house” system than WoW does. Furthermore, Madden is not an equivalent comparison, since it is not an MMORPG at all, and thus the core gameplay, let alone anything else, is vastly different.)
In the end, as any reader of this site can attest (or those who know me), I don’t mock WoW whenever I can; I point out WoW’s flaws, and still recognize it’s merits, and do so in response to what others have said (in this case, MMORPG.com’s poll results). Furthermore, as I have said numerous times, I never stated that WoW was not successful (financially), or that the people who play it are stupid. Thus, I am surprised by your allegations, which are significant exaggerations in light of my previous comments to their contrary.
For someone who defends the existing WoW player-base of not being ignorant, your final comment is ironic, don’t you think?
I’m glad I introduced you to a game that you’re still enjoying after all this time. I also consider you lucky enough to be able to tolerate WoW’s flaws moreso than I have, because there were a lot of things I did like about the game, which is why it’s all the more painful to be repulsed by it’s shortcomings. As they say, “ignorance is bliss,” and in this case, they may be right.
So besides the fact that I must be biased because I do not spend most of my free time researching future MMOs, that the opinions of everyone I play with don’t count because you assumed they haven’t played other MMOs (not that you ever asked them), and that now you are implying I am ignorant of the truth that clearly you are intelligent enough to see; what could I possibly be offended by? Speaking for the rest of your readers, you know damn well what you mean to imply about WoW and people that play it. I stipulate you have won this argument and lost yourself a reader. Blog on oh wise one, I will spend my time on sites that don’t insult their readers and “friends” or at least do a better job of hiding it.
Firstly, I never said the opinions of those you play WoW with don’t count, merely that without knowledge of other MMORPGs, a hailing of WoW for being masterful is unguided without proper comparison.
Secondly, I did speak to the core members of your guild on Bleeding Hollow, which is what I referenced above. As well as individuals from numerous other guilds that I participated in when I played WoW. But really, given WoW’s vast number of players compared to the online MMORPG population prior to, it’s not a leap of faith to conclude that a great number of WoW’s playerbase are MMORPG first-timers.
Finally, I grow weary of your belief that I imply something other than what I wrote; you purport some magical insight into what I mean, rather than taking the time to read what I actually wrote. Even worse, we’ve discussed this topic and clarified statements verbally before, and this is the second time you respond differently here. Given that attitude, feel free to ping elseMU*.
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