Blizzard is legitimately one of the largest gaming companies out there, if not THE very largest in the industry. Its money cow, World of Warcraft, has consumed millions of hours from millions of players' lives, and its several other series - Warcraft, Starcraft, and the Diablo games, have reaped thousands upon thousands more. Why does Blizzard have such a great formula? What is it that keeps players going back? In this blog, I'll be analyzing what I see as the reasons for Blizzard's success.
Let's first inspect their main MMO, World of Warcraft. Known in shorthand as WoW, this game is truly epic in scope. You are one of millions of players total, in a server of perhaps thousands, playing in an absolutely enormous world torn by intricate conflicts and incredibly large story arcs. You can pick from any number of races and become any class available to those races, and begin your adventure as you wish, either down the early path they've set for you, or one you can define yourself (though this is much more challenging unless you truly know how to work it). As time progresses and you gain levels, you begin to see how huge the world truly is, hopping continents and even magical planes of existence. Your path becomes even more and more defined as your own, as you customize your character's gear set, skill specialization, and appearance. Eventually, you can join a clan - either serious or otherwise - that can guide you in many ways, assisting you along your journey, and providing you with allies around your level (or far greater than it) to help you as you wish. Quests and dungeon raids get more and more intense as you progress, and eventually, huge boss battles that require a group of 10 to 25 truly tests your skill.
The reason this game is so obscenely addicting is a combination of all of these factors that all culminate into one great sense of accomplishment. As you level up, your character becomes obviously more powerful: creatures that might've felled you quickly early on become toys at higher levels. The social aspect also ties in to this sense. When you raid with a
group, you come to know their play styles, and you work together to get
each individual person the very best gear available to them. Yours and their gear becomes more and more potent, as enchantments grow greatly in strength and number, and your non-combat skills that supplement your equipment or your wealth increase as well. Together, you dive deeper and deeper into more intricate dungeons that require intense levels of concentration and teamwork to sustain the group's lives, and monsters become both visibly and statistically more intimidating - only increasing the level of satisfaction when they fall.
In my opinion, World of Warcraft is a wonderful game for the people who have the time to dedicate hours to gameplay. I often found myself falling behind my friends in-game, though - I can't play as often as many others can due to my scholastic schedule. Still, casually, it's incredibly fun, though the 15$ monthly fee might be a little steep.
Warcraft and Starcraft are definitely not down my alley, at all - I'm horrid at RTS games. I've heard hordes of people say great things about them, though, which must mean that they're decent enough to play. They're challenging and require strategic prowess (OR A ZERG RUSH ASKFJSEL) that I certainly don't have.
The Diablo series...
*shudder of pleasure*
They're the epitome of an RPG. The singleplayer storyline is compelling, and while quests aren't abundant, they're fun enough to keep you hooked throughout the entire game. A huge array of items are at your disposal to destroy enemies with, and bosses are amazingly satisfying kills. Skills provide a wonderful sense of achievement as you progress, and the entirety of everything is just ADDICTING. *frothing*
Overall, I love the series, and I'm psyched for the release of Diablo III.
Have fun, good gaming, and remember - don't feed the trolls.
-Toast
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