Poster: Kahless at 12/16/2005 3:15:33 PM PST
Subject: World of Warcraft is not a Game |
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It's a Toybox
A Toybox that contains many different games as well as non-game "toys".
Let me draw a comparison...
Before I started playing Wow I was playing The Sims 2.
It's marketed as a game but it is not. It is a Toy.
Digital Dolls to play with and pretend with.
There is no real game to it. No real objectives other than to get the dolls to do what you want them to do
Long ago I played the hell out of Starcraft.
I would often play against myself on two different computers just to play with the higher level units that you rarely have time to make during a real game.
That's when it occurred to me that it was more than a game. It is in fact a digital set of toy soldiers that move and talk by themselves. And you don't have to clean them up and put them away when your finished playing.
That's the kind of game player I have always been. I'm not competitive and I have fun whether I win or lose. It's the "play" that counts for me.
World of Warcraft is not a game as a whole.
There is no stated ultimate objective that wins the game for you. There is no way to lose.
It's a digital world with digital avatars. That world contains many different games. You can win or lose these mini games but you'll never win or lose the "game" as a whole.
You may lose a PvP match one day. You might win a match the next day.
You might kill Ragnaros one day and still have a party wipe on him the next week.
But you should be having Fun no matter what happens.
For me, the game is a toy. I fish. I craft. I explore. I run instances. I farm mats. I grind for rep. I socialize with friends. I PvP when the mood strikes me. I even roleplay on occasion.
I have fun playing regardless of whether I get a new toy sword or a new toy wand to pretend with. I can still have fun with my old toys.
Of course people get tired of old toys and they want new toys to play with but I know I can get the new ones eventually if I keep trying.
All good things come to those who roll 100s.
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Poster: Tseric at 12/16/2005 6:53:23 PM PST
Subject: Re: World of Warcraft is not a Game |
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Q u o t e:
Way to hijack the thread.
Post reported for references to elicit drugs.
Does anyone have anything constructive to add?
I'm going to take that as a no to the gnome's question...
;)
What you seem to be describing and experiencing for yourself could easily be termed "non-linear game play". I'm a huge fan of it myself.
Your toy comparison isn't inaccurate, but toys don't really incorporate the notion of digital space or environment. That goes a long way toward making a "world" and a game. Toys are commonly percieved as contained objects with which you interact. Games usually involve a board or a space to carry out activities.[ post edited by Tseric ]
The sommelier should fear me.
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