BY DANIEL LEIBOWITZ
World of Warcraft (WoW) single handedly reinvented the fantasy role-playing genre. Even now, eight and a half years after its release, WOW’s impact remains as prominent as ever. No Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) has come close to the amount of subscriptions or general popularity WoW has obtained and continues to sustain. The “world”, which has already experienced four expansions, now anticipates the release of the fifth.
World of Warcraft was initially released on November 23, 2004. It had fantastic reviews, particularly for its accessibility for novices to the genre. That accessibility allowed WoW to become the best selling PC game in 2005 and 2006 by obtaining over 10 million subscribers.
Originally set in the realm of Azeroth, WoW eventually expanded to the Outland in the Burning Crusade (these settings were established in the previous Warcraft RTS games). Today, it can safely be stated that WoW’s initial popularity can be largely attributed to the large Warcraft fan base.
WoW has managed to stay relevant and equal if not ahead of other similar MMORPGs in features by implementing expansion packs and patches adding in new content or increasing the level cap. The constant demanded upgrades have allowed WoW to sustain its popularity and not fall behind in the market.
Despite all odds, World of Warcraft has managed to do what seemed impossible at its release; capture and keep millions of people playing. It set in motion many things for the MMORPG genre, including a switch to be more casual and friendly. Since then, many companies have tried to recreate MMORPGs, in an attempt to mimic WoW’s success. Still, none of the copycats have ever managed to reach even a fraction of WoW’s success.
Of course, World of Warcraft is definitely not without its faults, as with any game constantly updated. In recent years, subscription numbers have been dropping at an alarming rate (only 7 million subscribers in July 2013, a 3 million drop from 5 years ago). It is important to note, however, that most MMOs would dream of having even one million subscribers. Along with the loss of subscribers, many long-time members of the community have spoken against the casualization of WoW and the mandating things like XP. Lastly, many have been flustered at the decrease of socialization with things like the automatic Dungeon Finder, a factor that limits communication among gamers.
Whether your opinion on World of Warcraft is positive or negative, it has been a defining game, for both the genre and gaming as a whole. It is a household name that continues to maintain the respect of the gaming world.
