World of Warcraft players divided on greater advertising for game
O… kay,” I say, flipping my recorder on. “Could you describe your character? What level, what species…?”
Jessica Davis and Nicole Pennington smile, and I know I’ve made my first faux pas, my first tell-tale mistake, to mark me as someone on the outside.
“‘Race,’” Pennington says.
Davis emits a giggle, which, as I scribble out the mistake in my notes and try to explain myself, soon evolves into a full-fledged laugh, joined by Pennington.
Davis, a UT senior, and Pennington, a sophomore, have each been playing World of Warcraft, referred to by players as simply “WoW,” for more than two years, and before now they have only met briefly, they instantly find a connection: Their characters share the same race and class.
Their conversation springs from that common ground. It becomes “Have you been to…?” “Have you done…?” “Do you remember…?”
Clearly, the game experience brings people together.
Which is to be expected. World of Warcraft boasts 11.5 million subscribers globally, according to a press release from Blizzard Entertainment, the developers responsible for Warcraft and other computer games like Starcraft and Diablo.
Even with the popularity of Warcraft, Blizzard is looking for more players.
Commercials featuring celebrities like William Shatner and Mr. T have appeared on the world’s televisions, and recently, tacked onto the ends of these spots are offers for 10-day free trials to the game.
But what do players like Pennington and Davis think about these free-trial players running amuck?
“I really haven’t seen or heard that much about it,” Pennington says.
Davis agrees.
“You don’t see a lot of free-trial people who aren’t your personal friends.”
Kendel McCarter, another UT World of Warcraft player, explained, “The game divides people within itself. It sorts people out by skill level and dedication, how well you play and how often.”
For example, his guild is a group of people who play as often as he does. Fifth-graders who saw William Shatner playing on TV wouldn’t be able to get tangled in McCarter’s raids.
However, the fifth-graders, grandmothers and less video game-savvy players can do a lot with the game now, something Davis says the forums discuss often.
“Some of the people who have been on WoW since it first came out, the ones who used to do the 40-man raids for twelve hours a day, are complaining they are dumbing it down for the ‘casuals.’ That’s a big word now. The ‘casual’ crowd.”
Pennington says the difference in difficulty between two years ago when she started playing and now is noticeable, while McCarter says he hasn’t noticed in his year of playing.
He is also more generous towards the celebrity endorsements than the two longer-playing subscribers.
“They have to get people to play somehow. It’s up to 11 million now, and they were advertising 9 million people playing during the summer, so they must be doing something right.”
While Davis merely thinks the ads are ineffective as a way to attract new players, Pennington is more critical.
“They’re embarrassing,” she says. “I don’t feel like advertising is doing anything but providing maybe a little entertainment… and embarrassment.”
“If William Shatner does it, it must be cool,” Davis says sarcastically, and then becomes sincere. “If they’re getting more people to at least try it, it’s making it less of a geeky thing to do. Maybe if they keep getting people to play it, the stereotype of being the fat, ugly girl who plays WoW will go away.”
All three started playing at the urging of friends and relatives, not advertisements.
