December 19, 2005

Who exactly plays World of Warcraft?

something awful has compiled an amusing list of 10 MMORPG player archetypes. if you have every played World of Warcraft or any similar games, you will completely understand what they are talking about. If you haven't, i think you may still be amused (by the pictures) or perhaps scared off entirely.

for what it is worth, i don't think i fall into any of the categories. i'm most closely aligned with the "casual" player, but i think my family -- well, those that don't play -- would disagree.

i've thought a little about what draws me to the game. sure there are the spiffy graphics (aka pretty pictures), but i think what resonates with me is that to some degree the world works on my terms. early on there are clear objectives (quests) and for the most part known rewards. choices have measurable and predictable pros and cons. you can completely screw up and worst case is a little "rez sickness" and a few more copper/silver/gold in repairs that you would have had to have done otherwise.

Posted by ac at December 19, 2005 01:01 PM