Sunday, May 16, 2010

Doldrums or something else entirely

I'm still not completely convinced the "doldrums" have begun this year, but I have noticed a very distinct and deep dissatisfaction with the state of the game percolating among segments of the player population.  You can read it on the forums, see it in the people who have gone missing, and hear about it trade and general chat.  Whether it's boredom or dissatisfaction with the direction the game has taken, clearly something is going on.  I'm experiencing some of that myself. I've mentioned many times that I've been put off by the constant changing nature of end-game raiding, not to mention my own guilds systemic problems with progression. Outside of raiding the only options for entertainment are PVP, socializing (pay $15 a month to sit around and do nothing but talk to people?), and questing/achievements.  I PVP with great regularity, though my interest in PVP ebbs and flows. And quite frankly there just isn't a great deal for me to do in PVP right now, other than complete remaining achievements on my Druid and my Paladin, and upgrade the last few pieces of their suits to Relentless pieces.  I do my daily PVP matches on both characters and maybe a few additional to earn honor for gems, but that's about it these days.

While I tend to chase achievements, a lot of other people aren't all that interested in doing that.  Where I have objectives in game to occupy my time, others get restless and despondent and stop playing.  And usually before they get to that final point they express their boredom and displeasure on the forum or in chat.  Fortunately for me, WoW is a theme-park and offers developed content.  If this were a fantasy skinned version of Star Wars Galaxies I'm sure I'd have been gone long ago too.  Though I still like WoW very much, like many others, it is getting old for me.  I've noticed myself being restless from time to time and I have been giving a lot of consideration to other games.  Star Trek Online didn't pan out but I'm sincerely hoping Star Wars: The Old Republic does.  When the time comes I'll most likely play it along side WoW if I don't change up out right.  In the mean time I'll fill in those hours of play time with more achievement hunting and continue to develop my Horde Druid.