The game as structured is NOT about empowering gamers. No decisions anyone makes ever reflect individual understanding and consideration, except in the Auction House, in an instance, or in a pvp battleground.
Leveling leads to more leveling, loot leads to instances, leads to loot, leads to instances - all of which happen as a matter of course, until the very last instanced encounters (Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Naxxramas etc.). Loot in WoW is akin to walking along the street and finding a bill of substantial value (however much that is to the reader). Presumably, one pockets the bill and uses it later. These are the keys that enable players to survive progressively deadlier instances. One's advancement isn't always the result of skill - just finding that lucky bill. If bills were known to drop more regularly on certain streets, it would be a good idea to walk there more often, but there's nothing particularly engaging about that idea, and it takes a lot of time.
The instances progress to greater complexity, but moreover they are just trickier to execute - the adversaries are balanced versus the average gear one might expect to field. It is carefully balanced, well-hidden hoop jumping.
Talents available to players to build their character's strengths offer some possible thought, but the decisions one can feasibly make result in certain common configurations. Everyone that plays the game will agree that there are some talents that hardly anyone uses. This leads me to conclude that the talents aren't so much as enabling, but a test of the individual's ability to understand the patterns and dead-ends of their choices. Of course, all the patterns are spelled out in the forums and various resources around the web, so there isn't even much thought going on there, either.
This in contrast to snarky remarks made about chess! EVERY move in chess has the potential to empower the individual toward the goal of checkmate. The strength of chess is it's simplicity, and it's cost. Chess is virtually free, compared to the prorated expense of owning or at least using a computer, buying WoW, and paying the monthly subscription fee - in addition to the opportunity costs of sitting on your ass for hours on end, playing the game. Each piece is imbued with abilities that are valuable, unlike the AFK guy sitting in Silverwing Stronghold.
Similarly, PvP reinvents itself each time based on the adversaries you face, but very good players tend to gravitate together, and form 'premades' (teams of players assembled with the intent of winning particular battlegrounds) and combat other premades. Given the same set of loot, and talents which are expensive to change, these eventually become somewhat rote as well.
What's left? The Auction House is where some research and decision-making can impact on a tangible succcess - selling an item. Even then, some items are commodities, and sell at fixed prices regardless. And selling that superior-level weapon is ultimately predicated on having said weapon, which is random.
All the rest, whether anyone enjoys it or not, is just execution. Kill 12 boars, deliver the poor sot from evil, etc.
The RP options are slim, the player-driven content is trite or nonexistent. The occasions of guild and player associations fracturing due to internal disagreements and narcissistic behavior are well-documented.
Slashdot Mirror
Good thought.
The game as structured is NOT about empowering gamers. No decisions anyone makes ever reflect individual understanding and consideration, except in the Auction House, in an instance, or in a pvp battleground.
Leveling leads to more leveling, loot leads to instances, leads to loot, leads to instances - all of which happen as a matter of course, until the very last instanced encounters (Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Naxxramas etc.). Loot in WoW is akin to walking along the street and finding a bill of substantial value (however much that is to the reader). Presumably, one pockets the bill and uses it later. These are the keys that enable players to survive progressively deadlier instances. One's advancement isn't always the result of skill - just finding that lucky bill. If bills were known to drop more regularly on certain streets, it would be a good idea to walk there more often, but there's nothing particularly engaging about that idea, and it takes a lot of time.
The instances progress to greater complexity, but moreover they are just trickier to execute - the adversaries are balanced versus the average gear one might expect to field. It is carefully balanced, well-hidden hoop jumping.
Talents available to players to build their character's strengths offer some possible thought, but the decisions one can feasibly make result in certain common configurations. Everyone that plays the game will agree that there are some talents that hardly anyone uses. This leads me to conclude that the talents aren't so much as enabling, but a test of the individual's ability to understand the patterns and dead-ends of their choices. Of course, all the patterns are spelled out in the forums and various resources around the web, so there isn't even much thought going on there, either.
This in contrast to snarky remarks made about chess! EVERY move in chess has the potential to empower the individual toward the goal of checkmate. The strength of chess is it's simplicity, and it's cost. Chess is virtually free, compared to the prorated expense of owning or at least using a computer, buying WoW, and paying the monthly subscription fee - in addition to the opportunity costs of sitting on your ass for hours on end, playing the game. Each piece is imbued with abilities that are valuable, unlike the AFK guy sitting in Silverwing Stronghold.
Similarly, PvP reinvents itself each time based on the adversaries you face, but very good players tend to gravitate together, and form 'premades' (teams of players assembled with the intent of winning particular battlegrounds) and combat other premades. Given the same set of loot, and talents which are expensive to change, these eventually become somewhat rote as well.
What's left? The Auction House is where some research and decision-making can impact on a tangible succcess - selling an item. Even then, some items are commodities, and sell at fixed prices regardless. And selling that superior-level weapon is ultimately predicated on having said weapon, which is random.
All the rest, whether anyone enjoys it or not, is just execution. Kill 12 boars, deliver the poor sot from evil, etc.
The RP options are slim, the player-driven content is trite or nonexistent. The occasions of guild and player associations fracturing due to internal disagreements and narcissistic behavior are well-documented.