It’s The End Of The World of Warcraft As I Know It

And I feel fine.

I cancelled my subscription to World of Warcraft just now. Here’s what I told them when they graciously inquired why I was leaving:

I can’t justify the cost of playing anymore. I always felt at a disadvantage in terms of gear, honor, reputation and guild because I was more casual in my approach. At this time the ROI – both monetary and time – doesn’t make sense for me to continue.

They were nice enough to let me know:

Keep in mind that your account and characters are retained indefinitely in case you decide to return. To re-subscribe to World of Warcraft, simply select the “Setup Subscription” button under the Billing Information section on the main Account Management page. You will then be able to enter new payment information and immediately continue your adventures.

So I got that going for me. Which is nice.

I’ll be spending my “free” (ha!) time playing some new games I plan on purchasing. Titles that are less massively-multiplayer and more personal and retro.

World of Goo and Aquaria, both winners at the Independent Games Festival in recent years.

I don’t think I’ll actually have more play time in either of these two games, but the monetary costs are finite and known. I pay for the game itself, I own it, I play as much or as little as I like and I’m done paying. No expansions or internet access required, just pure gameplay.

Now I don’t think that the experiences are comparable. The new two are basically console-type games (a puzzler and a platformer) for the PC whereas WoW is The. Biggest. Game. Ever.

But I’m no raider or PvPer or gold farmer. I found it harder and harder to play casually so I’m out, at least for the time being.

And Blizzard won’t be crying any tears. They got mad Wrath of the Lich King money rolling in. I’m just one suburban dad who would rather play something low-key for 30 minutes while iTunes syncs and Flickr pictures upload instead of jockeying for reputation, gear and a guild five nights a week.

But that’s just me. I’ll still be watching The Guild and reading about the world, I just won’t be playing.

3 thoughts on “It’s The End Of The World of Warcraft As I Know It

  1. I’ve got buddy keys and install discs for Lord of the Rings Online (which I’ve been playing for the last year in lieu of WoW) if you want to play it for free for a couple of weeks. We’ve got a great kinship (guild) of just a few friends and friends-of-friends that’d help you see a lot of content in a little bit of time, and since it’s PvE focused, “catching up” isn’t such an issue. (We’re leveling a few low-level alts these days, too.) No pressure to stick around — I’d just love to hear your post-WoW opinion on it.

    And, of course, you’re always welcome to pop in on a D&D game or one of the new playtest sessions I’m about to launch later this month.

  2. Feels good, doesn’t it? After awhile, World of Warcraft just strikes me with a feeling of pointlessness. There are some aspects that I really enjoyed, but all too soon do you level out of a really great area (Scarlet Monastery or even The Deadmines), or you find yourself in the same place for nights on end, fighting the same critters in the same way. And all the while, it dawns on you that you could’ve been doing something else. Reading a good book, writing a novel, anything, really.

    That being said, I’d take up Will on his LOTRO suggestion. If you have any love for the books or the films, a few weeks in that virtual Middle Earth is a treat. The developers have a genuine love for the source material and build quests accordingly. If you do, I would advise that you start off with a dwarf character. The dwarves are a joy to watch in combat, as they laugh the whole time. Double your fun with a dwarf minstrel, as nothing is as great as taking out a foe across a valley by screaming at them. I gave up LOTRO a few months back, but I’ve been reading great reviews of the new Mines of Moria expansion and I’m wondering if a return might be in order.

  3. Yeah, I’m glad to be out, to be quite honest. It was a chore at times and since Jenn didn’t play as well, it seemed solitary despite the fact that I had a casual guild and some friends “inside”.

    I’m going to chill on the whole fantasy thing for a while. I need something … different. But I definitely appreciate Will’s offers and your own endorsement.

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