Early group shot taken after completing the Deadmines as a five piece. No one knows what happened to the mysterious female Night Elf druid in the back row.

Over the past year and a half, I played World of Warcraft with some old friends from University. It started out as a twosome , turned into a threesome, and then a foursome with a person who had no idea what an MMORPG was. So we rolled back to a threesome again, because it’s no fun playing with someone who uses garbage drops as gear and doesn’t upgrade their skills. And so Hykrion the Night Elf Rogue, Firestars the Night Elf Warrior, and Beto the Dwarven Priest sought out the many trials of Azeroth.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I still think we could have made it to the endgame with these characters.

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For the last nine months, I have considered myself a non-gamer. Not a reformed gamer, mind you, but someone who just hasn’t had the time to dedicate to playing games or keeping up with the industry. Once again I felt forced to contemplate my new lifestyle and how I could somehow re-insert my beloved hobby into a busy schedule. A good friend and I started talking about how this was possible now that we were parents. Eventually the topic of World of Warcraft came up. When I quit last year, I thought it was for good. I stopped writing because of that game, as I was too preoccupied with spending Talent points and obsessively trying to keep up with guild mates. It wasn’t healthy. And yet there was still something strangely appealing about the thought of playing again, in the context of a social activity for two new dads struggling to find ways to grasp hold of a hobby that would have otherwise slipped away. What better way to get back into gaming than playing something we already knew? My latest article at the Cultural Gutter describes the reactivation of my World of Warcraft account with a friend and fellow gamer, and how at this point in our lives, this really is the game for us.

I’m going to feign surprise at Blizzard’s recent announcement of the Draenei as the Alliance race for The Burning Crusade expansion due later this year. Details of the expansion – unofficial, of course – were available almost immediately after the initial announcement last October. I can’t say I’ve gained any more appreciation for the idea.

Let’s get the cosmetic stuff out of the way: the new races are boring. The Blood Elves simply look like re-skinned Night Elves. Though I find it interesting that a “pretty” race was added to the ranks of the generally nasty-looking Horde. I’m sure this will cause an influx of new Horde players to try the new Spellbreaker class, which up to this point seems to be only available to the Blood Elves. The Draenei look like a cross between Hellboy and the Twi’leks from the Star Wars universe, sharing their overall soft appearance with the Night Elves. They certainly look friendly enough to be an Alliance race. But no new class for them. Judging from the race’s ability to wield Holy Magic I can see Paladin, Preist, Warrior and Mage being available.

A new profession will be offered: Jewelcrafting. It follows, then, that socketed weapons and armour will now be part of loot drops and Blacksmith recipes. I get the feeling that Diablo II really was their model for the simplistic, action-oriented gameplay. This is a good addition for those that want to customize their gear without having to level up any crafting skills to the point where they actually produce useful items. I’m assuming of course that socketed items and gems will be readily available to all players of the expansion. It will be interesting to see how this feature is handled for people without the expansion, because there is no doubt there will be a high demand for these materials at the Auction House.

The expansion also adds a new area: Outland. Formerly the Orcish homeworld of Draenor, it has since been ravaged by the Burning Legion. Being able to explore the floating remains of this planet seems like a cool concept, but it sounds way too much like Everquest II’s Kingdom of Sky. Flying mounts are also made available in Outland, but I question the decision to limit them to Outland despite their immediate practicality in this new wasteland. It seems kind of pointless when more content is being added to the core game; why not allow players to explore it on their flying mounts? It’s probably just another case of keeping the expansion pack owners separate from the rest of the players, a tactic used in Star Wars Galaxies for their own flying expansion. But at least SWG had an excuse: you can only fly in space. I could buy a ship and go anywhere in the galaxy without having to buy transport tickets. Blizzard is basically telling me that I still have to pay for griffin rides when I own a flying mount.

The Burning Crusade certainly expands the content of the existing game by adding new areas to explore, quests and instances to raid. However, I don’t see it addressing the fundamental problem with the endgame that requires so much time and effort to gain any measurable benefit from. The additional 10 levels seem arbitrary when you consider what’s involved in getting through them. It essentially propagates the idea that high level players not involved with raids or guilds must start yet another alt or gain the next 10 levels through grinding instances in pick up groups. I know there will be many people that buy this expansion the day it comes out, but are they really that desperate for more of the same? I had hopes that this expansion would be alluring enough to make me want to play the game again, but it seems like Blizzard is continuing its construction of another Everquest.

I wasn’t kidding; the deed is done before my next billing cycle starts tomorrow. While it’s terribly easy to cancel an account, I find it a bit unnerving to be told that by doing so I’m “making the Peon cry”.

Truth be told, I probably haven’t touched my main (a night elf hunter) for about two months, and haven’t been the worse for wear. I simply don’t have the time to spend on what is essentially just something to occupy all of my game time, when I’d rather be enjoying something, well, newer. It certainly makes writing about games a lot easier.

Before making the final decision to cancel my account, I was then presented with an animated gif of a robed figure begging for forgiveness, and the following:

The peon is full-on weeping now. We hope you’re happy. Are you positive you want to deactivate your subscription?

I never got this kind of guilt trip with Star Wars Galaxies, though navigating SOE’s Station Subscription site was a bit of a headache. Everyone knows that MMORPGs have addictive qualities. Some people’s lives are so upended by them they seek professional help – or do nothing and lose everything. Why is Blizzard trying to make this process harder for someone who’s looking to turn their life around? Though these comments may be intended as a humerous send off, I don’t think the guy who lost his wife and kids to a game is laughing.

And this is why I’m cancelling before it’s too late.

In the context of the article I’m definitely a “casual” player of World of Warcraft – I just don’t have the time or the patience to get involved in a guild, only to serve as a single-function entity in some 30 person raid for possible drops of elite gear. Which is really only useful for more raids. Where’s the adventure? Forget that, where’s the roleplaying?

I like soloing. I only have to worry about myself and I can have fun for as long as I want. I also don’t mind grouping with friends for a few quests here and there. There’s less of an investment required in these activities. It’s this point in the game where high level characters perpetuate the need for high level group raids or PvP combat that turns me away. As Jennings points out, this isn’t the game I started playing, and certainly isn’t the one I plan on finishing.

and it corrodes my soul