World of Warcraft

You know it, you love to hate it, some 11 million people actually enjoy playing it. World of Warcraft is one of the most widely played video games in existence today, with a commanding 64% of the MMORPG market and numerous awards to boot. From spawning nerdy words such as ‘noob’ and ‘pwn’ to people making WoW dance videos to the (in)famous Leroy Jenkins, almost every gamer has in some way come into contact with this game. Here’s a brief history.

November 24, 2004. Blizzard releases World of Warcraft. The craze begins. World of Warcraft is in the Guinness Book of Records as the most popular MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role playing game) in the world. The first expansion released in January 2007, The Burning Crusade, expanded the character level cap, added myriad quests, a continent, and two new character races. A brand new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is set for release on November 13 this year.

When beginning the game, you choose from one of eight different races, four on the Alliance and four for the Horde. The races are Gnome, Dwarf, Night Elf, and Drainei for the Alliance. On the Horde side are Orcs, Trolls, Taurens, and Blood Elves. Each race has its own unique attributes and bonuses. Once you pick your race, it’s time to pick a class. You can be a Hunter, Mage, Druid, Shaman, Warrior, Priest, Paladin, or Rogue. As with the race, each class has its own unique attributes and quests.

To progress through the game, you fight enemies and complete quests to gain experience and money. Generally most quests keep you within a certain area for 5 or so levels. To help earn money, the character is allowed to learn two professions, such as leatherworking or engineering and a set of secondary skills including cooking, fishing, and first aid. Once you get some extra coin, what do you do with it? You buy the best gear possible and show it off to all your friends.

A players gear says everything about them. People are always checking you out, whether you know it or not. You constantly are getting new items through quests, vendors, or through trading. Always keep gear up to date that way you progress faster and die less not to mention just for bragging rights. The best gear is often found at a Player versus Player vendor and is bought with Honor points and Marks, which are collected when you compete in certain PvP battle grounds.

This is why World of Warcraft is so addictive. The game never ends. Ever. There is always better gear that you can get, and there’s always a quest you haven’t done. Even if someone manages to get the very best gear and complete every single quest, a new expansion will be released to keep you hooked. I enjoy playing this game, but I must warn my fellow gamers. Always play in moderation, never for more than a few hours at a time.