Reading Response 3.0

Chapter 3 – More Satisfying Work

The stats that McGonigal described concerning World of Warcraft in Chapter 3 were staggering in my opinion. Like all gamers, I am aware of the reputation that WoW has for being an addicting game. I am also aware of the massive following that it has. However, I was not prepared for the mind-blowing numbers that I read. The sheer concept of the human race spending 5.93 million years on a single video game is amazing. It just goes to show what an incredible system it is at keeping people interested and motivated. In the past having never played the game myself, I could only speculate on what about WoW drew the people in. Now, with McGonigal’s description, it is easier to see what makes the game so alluring. It produces a feeling of purpose and productivity like no other and most importantly, the feeling is lasting. Or rather, the game keeps its players working so hard, that the feeling seems endless because is constantly renewed.

Knowing nothing but WoW’s reputation and seeing people who spent the majority of their time playing it, I came to the conclusion early on, that I did not want to become one of many who were, in my view, a slave to the game. You could say I had a fear that the game would dominate my life like it had so many others. Okay that sounds incredibly dramatic, but I have experienced MMOs before and I know how addicting they can be. I even deliberately limited my exposure to the game so that I would not be compelled to find out more and satisfy my own curiosity as a gamer! In the end, after looking at the stats like McGonigal has shown, it’s hard to say I made the wrong decision.

There was also the monthly subscription to consider. I try to avoid subscriptions like those as much as possible. As a gamer, a player can find himself/herself completed engrossed in a game one week and then discover that they would rather spend the following days of the month sampling all the new titles that were just released. That kind of spontaneous change can lead to a spectacular waste of money and a large feeling of regret when you realize that you only spent 3 days in the month playing the game that you are paying for.

I don’t dislike WoW though, not by any means. It is a great success in the gaming world and I can appreciate how much hard work went into making it. It fulfills its purpose and is immensely rewarding which is what a game should be. If I ever try it, chances are, I will be enjoy it immensely and be swept away. At least until my trial ends.