Why was World of Warcraft more successful than other MMOs?
So I recently signed up on Quora and most of the time laugh at the funny questions and answers on there. Then once in a while there is a really good insightful answer and today I really like this one and wanted to share...
Ian MacLeod
Ian MacLeod, Wavii
23 upvotes by Rahul Choudhury, John Afsal Kuner, Aaron Savoie, (more)
I always considered Blizzard to be the Apple of the game development world:
Take a few core concepts and refine the hell out of them. Prior to WoW, MMOs were extremely complex with some features that were fun and others that were hard for players to grasp (though technically "cool"). This lead to:
Simplify wherever possible. Cataclysm is a huge example of Blizzard's continuing trend to reduce the number of complex systems in the game, and still deliver varying and interesting mechanics to players.
Blizzard's art style is extremely accessible to many people. They avoid realism, and thus the uncanny valley. The cartoony style is consistent and immersive.
The game its self is extremely accessible to many people. WoW eases people into the game, provides many tiers of game play (casual, hardcore PvE, hardcore PvP), and always has a wealth of content to explore if one gets bored.
All of the above points really apply to any game that Blizzard has built, too.
Ian MacLeod
Ian MacLeod, Wavii
23 upvotes by Rahul Choudhury, John Afsal Kuner, Aaron Savoie, (more)
I always considered Blizzard to be the Apple of the game development world:
Take a few core concepts and refine the hell out of them. Prior to WoW, MMOs were extremely complex with some features that were fun and others that were hard for players to grasp (though technically "cool"). This lead to:
Simplify wherever possible. Cataclysm is a huge example of Blizzard's continuing trend to reduce the number of complex systems in the game, and still deliver varying and interesting mechanics to players.
Blizzard's art style is extremely accessible to many people. They avoid realism, and thus the uncanny valley. The cartoony style is consistent and immersive.
The game its self is extremely accessible to many people. WoW eases people into the game, provides many tiers of game play (casual, hardcore PvE, hardcore PvP), and always has a wealth of content to explore if one gets bored.
All of the above points really apply to any game that Blizzard has built, too.
Comments