Wowstability

Games has changed drastically over the years. Once we were satisfied with one player games like Mario, jumping around blocks and eating (magic) mushrooms. 2 player is fine too, but most likely your annoying little sister is dragging you behind by hugging the turtles and trying to get all the stars. Then all of a sudden, multi-tap became available, making it possible to play 4 players or more with all your cousins during family reunions.

Then before we know it, we kids became suddenly legal to buy booze and gamble in Vegas. Our teammates in console games are suddenly too hard to gather in one place. It happens, but maybe once in a few months. Us gamers then reverted to the ‘ole 1 player arcade / RPG. It tends to get a little lonely after a while because all you get to do is share the experience with the AI. When you laugh, you laugh alone. You realize, it’s good to play with real people, with friends.

Dial-up internet does the job of connecting people, yes. But in a matter of opinion, it disconnects people even further because moms always forget the telephone handle is in-use and lifts it up, disconnecting warcraft games mid-game.Finally dsl/cable became affordable and be always connected with the internet. Games then begin to incorporate multiplayer, letting us play with friends at the comfort of our own homes without splitting the screen in half. Favorites would be counter-strike, quake, halo, warcraft, starcraft, and diablo.

Then MMORPG games came – a whole world (sing Aladdin, sing!) to be experienced with your friends. Finally, an RPG game where you get to adventure with real people and real friends. MMORPG games become social networking sites, sort of like the Facebook of games. Like Facebook, it’s worthless if you’re not connected with friends. MMORPGs can have an amazing story line and fantastic graphics but if you don’t use it as it’s supposed to be, a networking tool, then it will feel just like playing an RPG in your console with AI – it’s cool but eventually gets tiring and boring.

Debates on which MMORPG is the best can go on for ages, just like how debate on religion cannot seem to be won no matter what you do. All MMORPGS are great in their own way, but the social part of MMORPGs plays a huge factor on what a player decides to stick with.

One reason I’m still sticking with WoW is the amount of friends and family I have playing in the game. I have tried several online games recently such as  Warhammer, Borderlands, Left 4 dead, and Modern Warfare 2. Still, I revert to playing WoW more. Yes, the new content is addicting, but I’m inclined to play WoW more on the people that I can play with. Four friends who have already quit WoW for a good time (almost a year, I think), are talking amongst themselves of making a comeback soon. Even though all of them are busy with their own online games, once one of them starts playing again, it will cause a chain reaction making them play WoW again, even the one who swore never to play WoW for eternity. I Should have made a bet.

LFM FRIENDS! MMORPGs’ social factor is like earth’s gravitational pull. We all stay here because this place feels like home. Similarly, WoW or whatever MMORPG you are playing, is home because your friends are there. Who wants to live in Mars? I will, when all of us decides to migrate.