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Nine million players strong, World of Warcraft has taken MMORPG gameplay to a new peak. The staple to the genre, new MMORPG games can only dream of gaining as much success and attention that the lands of Azeroth provide. Many have been plagued and addicted by the game… losing jobs, skipping school, and even some extreme matters have occurred through the game (Google: WoW-related death in South Korea.) Where does this addiction come from? Is the gameplay really worth it's $15 a month? Apparently it was according to reviews across the map, so I gave in and accepted a friend’s 10-day trial into the World of Warcraft. The world of Azeroth is endless... where could I go wrong?

Alliance or Horde? Horde. Race? Hmm... Orc look pretty neat. Class? Rogue seems fun and simple. Enter World? Hell yes. Upon completing my first quest as my sweet-ass customized rogue, I found myself hooked like many noobs before me. Reaching Level 2 was a wicked experience, seeing that aura glow up as the XP bar resets itself always makes one feel yummy and good on the inside. Never has killing innocent Level 1 creeps in a game been so intriguing and fun. Playing on, the quests became deeper and deeper, requiring me to take on more and more land in this practically endless world. I’ll admit it, I was officially hooked to the game for the next coming levels, until I finally came around to level 15.

This is where the game fell completely apart in my experience. I was tired of questing over and over and wanted something new. I asked my friend what I could do for a change at these levels. He recommended trying out an instance, so I went ahead gathered quests for Ragefire Chasm (RFC for short,) and continued to try it out with a couple other guys in my server. The instance felt really Diablo-like, which I enjoyed fully. I enjoyed Blizzard’s earlier offerings during my younger years, and this brought back lots of clicking memories from the past. Ragefire Chasm was dominated, but yet again, it just left my WoW stomach empty once it was done. I needed more. Once I started up quests again, I’d often notice that quests are pretty much the same deal each time. “Visit the caves of ___ and bring me my lost ___!” …or more common “Clean this area of the _____. Come back to me once you kill 20 of them.”

This is when I realized that WOW is just a chronic and repetitive game. Is there any point to playing the game so much to drought your sense of RL? Useless knowledge will plague your mind. Every time I heard the words “leather” or “cloth,” I’d instantly picture WoW in my head. It really is an obsession, but not in a good way. The game seemingly seems fun enough at first, but it just becomes a repetitive wonderland. OMFG, absolutely need that dagger to drop. If I don’t get my level 40 mount soon I am going to go nuts. I need to finish this quest Dad… can’t dinner wait?

Again, I found myself looking for more alternatives. I then tried out the whole “Arena” deal. The idea seemed fun, playing against the opposing force (allies) in a team-based game. It seemed fun until I realized my hero sucked ass at this! It seemed like everyone in Arena was too experiences and/or had much better items than I was equipped with. I was halted at the graveyard more than I actually played in the game. Now that left me into other incentive-based situations. Do more quests! Level up more! Get better items! I swear, the game was an endless pattern to just acquiring a more and more powerful hero.

If this is how you enjoy your gaming time, then go ahead and stick to it. Me? I’d rather stick with a game that didn’t require me to waste days of gameplay to try and obtain another useless item that was going to be replaced later anyway. Azeroth is a God to players, I can see how nine million people play the game. I don’t see how people can casually play the game and enjoy it. Slowness plagues the game, and I can’t find a sense of enjoyment in the game anymore. How people can level up to 70 and come back for seconds on a new character is beyond my mind.

I love Azeroth. I love blizzard. I thought I'd love the World of Warcraft, but it seems to revolve around stricken gameplay. Exploring the world is one thing, but slow gameplay is another. WoW is a godsend to MMORPG fans, and the world is so beautiful, there is no doubt towards why Blizzard should be proud of the game. The art design is amazing. Coming from a Warcraft III player, I loved how the races flowed into eachother. But the game, like I've said, is just a mindless plague of repetitive gameplay, which is why I believe it to be one of the worst games of the century. Enter world, leave life.