I am not an important figure in World of Warcraft by far. In fact, I have probably zero significance to the game in any shape or form beyond monetary contributions and the occasional dialog from my blog. But from time to time, I’ll peek my head in just to see what is going on. Now and then, I’ll see an update that looks promising but thus far I have managed to stay clean away. How long will my desire to stay away hold out?
In all honesty, my time these days has just become far too limited to do any significant online gaming that requires more than an hour daily at best. I already addressed how I feel about Diablo 3 and I truthfully like that game a whole lot more these days than World of Warcraft. But the fact of the matter is that I really haven’t had that huge of an urge to play.
I’ve seen the changes to the game and there’s pro’s and con’s to everything. I suppose the game is moving in a direction where either you really enjoy the repetitive grind or are on the other side of the fence. I think the repetitive grind is just a situation where it’s more of the same for me. You level up, quests, do some form of dailies at max level and either raid or PVP to improve your power.
Normally, I enjoy that sort of grind. But I think in my case after having stopped playing for over a year now, I simply have gotten used to the free time. A lot of activities in World of Warcraft require waiting such as LFR or time caged events. And when an event happens, you’re locked within this setting until it’s complete, which may require an hour or even weeks. Falling off means failing off and it becomes harder and harder to get back on. It’s like the gym where stopping as you get older makes it tougher to return.
More than that, I just don’t have any friends who play this game anymore. The game really is a lot better when you’re playing with people you know. It’s a good way to shoot the shit while moving forward with activities like leveling. The game is horribly dull though when there isn’t anyone around and far worse when you’re forced to partake in a toxic atmosphere.
Instead, I prefer just to watch other people progress. It’s funny because I get more satisfaction watching someone else handle frustration as opposed to myself. And what’s great about watching someone else is that I’m not obligated to stay until the end. I can just tune out or do something else while still experiencing the content.
I doubt at this point if the game became more solo friendly that I would return. I’m more interested to see the game become far more time friendly where my progression isn’t dependent upon the state of the game as a whole. Even then my desire to play is very low. I’m enjoying my time writing or being productive with other activities at my place.
That said, I occasionally miss having the chance to login now and then. Maybe if the game didn’t cost $15/month and I could just do things without being harassed by other players I would give it a shot here and there. I mean some days, all I really want to do is just fly around a zone and experience the atmosphere and indulge in the music.
I will say that my wrists are thanking me for toning down my gaming in recent months. I do imagine though that in the long run, not playing will benefit my health. I just need to get back in the gym though….