People know I play it, yet I never really post about it. I don’t look at all the WoW sites, or figure out where to go to get the best potential drops for my character. Quite frankly I don’t play it that much. Okay, sometimes I play it more than I should, but my approach to it is the casual gamer approach. That’s in fact how I approach most games. Outside of sports games I’ve never been much of a hardcore gamer. I enjoy playing them, I just can’t obsess to the level of detail and log the long hours that some players (some of my friends included) play. Does that make me less of a WoW geek? I don’t really think so.
Blizzard, in my opinion, has done a lot to engage the casual gamer – those of us who log on once or twice a week to pass by some idle hours (it’s an especially good time to play during a snozer of a football game). There are lots of small in game things they do to keep it lively. Recently they had a WoW Brewfest which was generally amusing. No, it’s no substitute for the real thing, but it is something that shows an innovative team working to constantly bring fresh things in to the game. It’s all about the feel and these little things help to bring a bit more authenticity in to the game. It makes it feel a lot less static which is a big plus, especially since many of the quests are fairly cookie cutter in nature.
I’ve been much happier on a PvE server as opposed to the PvP one. PvP servers are meant for people who are a little more hardcore about their WoW experience. To make it anywhere in the higher levels you have to have exactly the right equipment – and of course to get that equipment you need.. well.. exactly the right equipment. I found myself lagging behind several of the people I played with to the point where I was unable to get the gear I needed because my character wasn’t spec’d out right or wearing the proper gear for his level. It was at this point I moved over to a PvE server and never looked back. Sure, having the uber-awesome gear helps, but you can easily get by without it. The emphasis shifted from having to do everything in a very specific way to just having fun. This is what it should be, fun. WoW is a game, not a job; though I do know several people who treat it as such.
Just a Man with a Mash Paddle 