Video Game Blog #3

Texts for World of Warcraft exist not only in great multitudes but further reflect a number of different topics and platforms. For example, sites exist that focus predominantly on WoW’s ability to interact with other players through forums, either providing strategies or in an attempt to forge guilds with them. On this thread, the website eu.wowarmory.com allows players to type in the name of any player, allowing them access to see their character, equipment, and specialty. Such texts, even general forum sites, only serve to contribute to the sense of community that World of Warcraft fosters. Other sites serve predominantly as strategy websites, complete with walk-through in order to facilitate completion of certain quests. For example, I’ve had to use thottbot.com in order to aid in my completing quests; the site allows a player to type in a quest and it will give the exact location of items i.e. gems necessary to completing a mission. Such websites, while providing aid to players, especially new players such as myself, admittedly detract from the challenge of the game. Websites such as thottbot.com provide detailed step-by-step stipulations in order to achieve a goal, which detracts from the forging of a player’s own abilities. Sites such as that and the like provide the player with a means to achieve goals faster rather than sharpening their skills and abilities. As a person who doesn’t express much interest in video games, this fact didn’t bother me, however, for any player who chooses to play WoW in any serious way, I feel that many of the sites detract from the experience garnered from the game.

In terms of my progression, I must admit that it’s slow indeed. At this juncture, I’m at level 9 but the game still functions much like it did at the very beginning of my game play. As I’ve accrued more levels, I’ve gained the ability to go more lands and do more actions throughout the game, including entering bigger cities complete with auction house and bank. The quests have also increased in difficulty but reciprocally, the rewards have also increased. Further, the player interaction within the game has been more emphasized as I’ve continued through the game, and have had to cooperate with a greater number of people. Overall however, the progression of the game thus far, while not exceedingly different than when I first began, has highlighted how truly expansive the game is, because as I moved to newer, larger areas, I kept considering how there would always be even newer and even larger areas if I continued playing the game. It was a mind-boggling conclusion to reach.