Gaming With the "Enemy"
I tried WoW for a second time thanks to memento_mori. brahman_atman had tried to introduce me to the game a long while back, but it just didn't take. Dave's a great guy, but his sales pitch of, "Here's a city. There are people here. Now ride a train!", fell flat on its face compared to Jared's "Here are some wolves and trolls that your dwarf character can shoot in the face."

I played for about 2 hours, which put my dwarf hunter at level 6. Jared also spent some time explaining character building strategies.

First, I'd like to keep playing the game and will likely do so through the computer lab at work. OTOH, I wouldn't run out and buy a PC just to play it. I don't really like PC games, especially compared to consoles. I have better things to do with my free time than deal with drivers, viruses, and hardware upgrades. If it was available on Xbox, I'd buy it. That's like, the highest comment I can possibly give to a PC game - I'd buy it if it was available on a console.

Second, the game is well designed, as you expect from Blizzard. There weren't any bogus moments were I had to earn the right to enjoy the game. My character started with enough equipment for me to dive in to the action. The monsters were wolves, trolls, and other stuff that felt like a real challenge, not lame crap like bunnies or rats. The quests in particular were well designed. Basically, they step you through the various aspects of the game you have to deal with, while guiding you along a path that takes you from the noob area to the wide world.

The combat system is engaging. The cool down times make paying attention to what's happening, and timing combos, key. There's definitely an element of play skill involved in planning an attack and managing various abilities during a fight.

Obviously, I'm not about to give up D&D to play more WoW. I liked the game, but it's a radically different experience from D&D. Of what I've seen so far, it feels like a slower-paced, thinking man's Halo. I can see how team tactics are important, and the game obviously operates in real time, but it lacks the adrenaline rush of an "I'm hunkered down in a bunker, last guy between the enemy and our flag, praying for reinforcements" moment in Halo. OTOH, there are a ton of lessons that this game has for mainstream RPG design. For that reason alone I'm going to keep playing.

Here's my question: why is it a given that D&D and WoW are two options on a binary switch? Why do we say that RPGs killed wargames? The second question in particular fascinates me. It's a big part of game industry conventional wisdom, and one thing I've learned is that conventional wisdom is anything but wise.

The first question is also interesting. Does WoW really fill the same role as D&D? I hear people say that D&D is all about killing monsters via teamwork, and WoW is the same thing, but I don't think that explains *why* people play D&D. I don't think I've ever heard anyone tell me they play D&D because they like to kill stuff and gather treasure. That's an expression of the game in motion, but it doesn't necessarily explain why people play the game. People didn't play Pac-Man because they liked clearing mazes filled with dots. They didn't play Super Mario Brothers because they liked jumping over turtles. And people don't play D&D or WoW simply because they like killing stuff, gathering treasure, and becoming more powerful. I think there are deeper drivers involved, ones that differ from both games.