The WoW Generation

Wow is a great game, but most of the people I played with were socially awkward and probably would also have trouble articulating themselves in a business type professional setting. Good read.
 
If you want a good read on the affects of videogames on people, go read something academic. Not a webforum post based solely on anecdotal evidence (and 1 person too).

It's an interesting comparison using WoW to social networking sites but there's nothing to validate the claims. Or even suggest that people who play WoW also use social networking sites. These two don't have to be connected.

I mean, the guy tries to wrap up an entire "generation" in a small webforum post. If this is a "good" read, then maybe people should do some more reading?



*sorry if I sound a bit jaded, but posts like the ones the OP posted who are barely surface skim thoughts and then are somehow praised are a pet peeve of mine.
 
Which is why this is called a blog...

I think you missed that part.
 
there was a WoW addict in one of my english classes and damn that dude was akward as fuck. He really had no social skills and it was kinda sad.

We had to "teach" the class about something for 10 minutes and this kid spent 10 minutes mouth breathing and telling us why WoW was amazing.

It was really sad :(

I am not saying all WoW players are like this but the game helps promote an environment that allows you to avoid any real personal interaction. From my experience when these people have to actually interact and be lively its hard for them...
 
Gott said:
Which is why this is called a blog...

I think you missed that part.
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I think you missed the part where it was called "good."

There's a lot of well-written blog-like articles on the internet, and even about this particular subject. This isn't one of them. Many of his points are valid but much of it is oversimplification and generalization, and none of it is particularly readable.
 
haadij404 said:
there was a WoW addict in one of my english classes and damn that dude was akward as fuck. He really had no social skills and it was kinda sad.

We had to "teach" the class about something for 10 minutes and this kid spent 10 minutes mouth breathing and telling us why WoW was amazing.

It was really sad :(

I am not saying all WoW players are like this but the game helps promote an environment that allows you to avoid any real personal interaction. From my experience when these people have to actually interact and be lively its hard for them...
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Out of all the wow players I've met I think at most one is what you talk about. He wasn't a mouth breather though. Just really quiet and awkward. Ended up failing and quitting our major after a semester or 2.

But no, the vast majority of wow players aren't like "Lol noob u got pwnt! WoW is so gret, moar epics." No, we tend to think about other things too. Like BEER.
 
I disagree with his conclusions. For starters, he comes to hasty generalizations and launches into a "the sky is falling" type of rant. However, the bigger problem is just that he is only addressing one of many personality types that play MMO's. MMO players are no different than any other group of people. Some are awkward, some are brilliant, some are caring, and some are assholes. Trying to pidgeonhole all WoW players as socially incompetent nerds is no different than trying to say that all NRA members are violent. Sure, some are like that, but they do not represent the whole.

I play WoW casually (maybe an hour or so a night? Play a few bg's, maybe run a dungeon now and then) and I'd like to think I'm not a "mouth breather." I have a college degree and I work a normal job at a publisher that involves answering phones, communicating with authors, and having conferences/meetings. I have a hawt girlfriend and I'm an aspiring novelist.

For me, and just about everyone else that I socialize with in WoW, the fun of the game is in the character progression. I like working towards a goal (a particular piece of gear, a certain boss encounter, whatever) and then getting it. I like feeling like my character changes as the game goes on, which is something I don't feel in FPS's. It's nothing to do with escaping from reality.

I think this author just wanted to be a little melodramatic.


EDIT: I should also state that I do certainly agree that some people take MMOs WAYYY too far, but that's a different issue entirely. One of my friends from college, for example, plays the game like 24/7 (and he even took a semester off from school because his grades sucked as a result), but I think the author of that blog has the cause and effect relationship reversed. The author was implying that people act like that because of WoW, when I reality I think that people with a predisposition to obsess like that would just happen to be attracted to a time sink like WoW. WoW isn't the cause of our generation's brain rot, it's just one of many things that can become the object of obsession for unstable people.
 
Eva_Unit_0 said:
I disagree with his conclusions. For starters, he comes to hasty generalizations and launches into a "the sky is falling" type of rant. However, the bigger problem is just that he is only addressing one of many personality types that play MMO's. MMO players are no different than any other group of people. Some are awkward, some are brilliant, some are caring, and some are assholes. Trying to pidgeonhole all WoW players as socially incompetent nerds is no different than trying to say that all NRA members are violent. Sure, some are like that, but they do not represent the whole.

I play WoW casually (maybe an hour or so a night? Play a few bg's, maybe run a dungeon now and then) and I'd like to think I'm not a "mouth breather." I have a college degree and I work a normal job at a publisher that involves answering phones, communicating with authors, and having conferences/meetings. I have a hawt girlfriend and I'm an aspiring novelist.

For me, and just about everyone else that I socialize with in WoW, the fun of the game is in the character progression. I like working towards a goal (a particular piece of gear, a certain boss encounter, whatever) and then getting it. I like feeling like my character changes as the game goes on, which is something I don't feel in FPS's. It's nothing to do with escaping from reality.

I think this author just wanted to be a little melodramatic.


EDIT: I should also state that I do certainly agree that some people take MMOs WAYYY too far, but that's a different issue entirely. One of my friends from college, for example, plays the game like 24/7 (and he even took a semester off from school because his grades sucked as a result), but I think the author of that blog has the cause and effect relationship reversed. The author was implying that people act like that because of WoW, when I reality I think that people with a predisposition to obsess like that would just happen to be attracted to a time sink like WoW. WoW isn't the cause of our generation's brain rot, it's just one of many things that can become the object of obsession for unstable people.
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I think this hits the nail on the head. I too am a WoW player, but I'm 28, married to a beautiful girl, have a great job working in software development for the state, and still have other interests that people would call socially acceptable. I've been an MMO player for about ten years, and I've had my dark days as well, but people who bury themselves in the games and can't escape it are the same as every other addict in the world. People addicted to food, to exercise, to drugs and alcohol... it's all very much the same. Some people simply lack self control and the ability to know their limits with things that can be habit forming.

On the other hand, I began playing MMO's in college, and I think that perhaps it was an appropriate time in my life to start. When I see kids as young as 8 or 9 playing WoW for absurd number of hours per day, I blame the parents. Someone has to take responsibility, in my case it will be me. In the case of the "WoW Generation" many are too young and simply don't have the cognitive capacity to take responsibility for themselves. It isn't surprising though, because the decline of proper parenting continues (at least here in the states) at an alarming rate.
 
Dreaz said:
If you want a good read on the affects of videogames on people, go read something academic. Not a webforum post based solely on anecdotal evidence (and 1 person too).

It's an interesting comparison using WoW to social networking sites but there's nothing to validate the claims. Or even suggest that people who play WoW also use social networking sites. These two don't have to be connected.

I mean, the guy tries to wrap up an entire "generation" in a small webforum post. If this is a "good" read, then maybe people should do some more reading?



*sorry if I sound a bit jaded, but posts like the ones the OP posted who are barely surface skim thoughts and then are somehow praised are a pet peeve of mine.
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notice I said blog and not scientific study with facts... which blogs are the opinion of usually one person which I thought was a good read and agreed with :rolleyes:...
 
Stupid blog. He seems to confuse WoW with the internet in general. Makes outstanding statements that could be disproven quite easily if he actually played WoW. Like this one:

you don't have an age, you can say you're 40 when actually you're 14. You don't have anything that you can be identified by, so you can play any role you want. You can be whoever you want to be. You can be a guy even if you're a girl, a tough guy quarterback **** even if you keep your lights on at night and drink coco yo mama made you. These are the magical words - you can be whoever you wanna be.
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Once you get on vent with someone you know exactly who they are. This statement above is applied more to the INTERNET in general, social networking in general, than to WoW.

Also, maybe some people use it as an extension to social networking, but not me. It's simple really, it's fun building up a character and getting better and better gear. That's the reward, not socializing.

I did LOL at this part though:
You can have the face of a mutated pig in real life and chicks will still dig your action as long as you have a big bad magic sword. Ain't nobody seeing your face in the game.
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haadij404 said:
there was a WoW addict in one of my english classes and damn that dude was akward as fuck. He really had no social skills and it was kinda sad.

We had to "teach" the class about something for 10 minutes and this kid spent 10 minutes mouth breathing and telling us why WoW was amazing.

It was really sad :(

I am not saying all WoW players are like this but the game helps promote an environment that allows you to avoid any real personal interaction. From my experience when these people have to actually interact and be lively its hard for them...
Click to expand...

I have never heard someone use this phrase 'mouth breathing'????? If that simply means breathing through someone's mouth instead of through the nose I really don't see how that makes they socially awkward or has anything at all to do with WoW.
 
Jared701 said:
I have never heard someone use this phrase 'mouth breathing'????? If that simply means breathing through someone's mouth instead of through the nose I really don't see how that makes they socially awkward or has anything at all to do with WoW.
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breathing heavily during normal conservation makes things akward. the kid that played WoW did this all. the. time.

not saying all WoW players do this so dont take it personally.
 
The title of the article should have been, "Sweeping Generalizations About a Group of People."
 
When you go in for job interviews, be prepared for the question "So, have you played any online games, like Worlds of Warcraft"?

Think carefully about how you're going to answer this. Hint: having experience leading a 24 person raid might sound good to YOU, but the fact that you play MMOs is probably going to be a serious mark against you.

And whatever you do, DO NOT put MMO experience on your resume. That will get your resume tacked on the Human Resources breakroom bulletin board where they put the funniest, lamest, stupidest resumes for co-workers to laugh at.

True story: an accountant for the firm that manages many condominium complexes, including my own, who wasn't getting much done was found to be spending quite a lot of time playing WoW - on the clock. She was reprimanded for this but not fired. The day the firm tightened down their systems to disallow non-work activities, including playing online games, she quit within the hour. Good riddance. Her replacement is much, much better.
 
SixtyWattMan said:
The title of the article should have been, "Sweeping Generalizations About a Group of People."
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This.

Although I do agree somewhat... I have definitely met some weird ass motherfuckers in that game...but I have also met very successful professional people.
 
Mikerocks2112 said:
This.

Although I do agree somewhat... I have definitely met some weird ass motherfuckers in that game...but I have also met very successful professional people.
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I think the bigger issue is that you can meet weird ass motherfuckers anywhere. That's not a thing that's unique to WoW, MMO's, or even the internet in general.
 
I think the blog kind of gets it although with oversimplification and nauseating analogies. I think with 10 mil subscribers the reasons for playing are much more personal and complicated. As someone who played too much WoW for two years it was hating my job and looking for some other way to waste time than deal with bullshit customers.

It is true the social aspect is huge, but that's kind of a given looking at the evolution of multiplayer games through the years. I really think that MMO addiction is overblown and really the pull is getting the buzz from social status through anonymity without the real life legwork. Maybe you get some negative outliers with those that are socially awkward and use WoW as their only social network.

But really its just a game with some escapist socializing. Nothing more than a time waster for the bored. And maybe a hobby for those that really want to dedicate effort developing expansive raiding guilds. Could you be more productive with your time in the real world? Probably. But gaming isn't about productivity, its about a fun waste of time which pretty much is WoW.
 
My view is that games like WoW can't be blamed as a cause of lacking social skills. They provide an escape for people who are already introverted. I was a hardcore wow player for a number of years in highschool and while my grades suffered, i still had a fairly active social life and I've turned out alright.

many people I met in-game and talked with on vent seemed to also be fairly normal people with jobs/spouses/no trouble communicating.

I suppose the danger is for kids who are already extremely quiet and introverted and just dive into wow as middle schoolers instead of being forced to develop a certain level of social ability.

In fact, i'd argue that for some people the experience of playing wow and having to interact with other people (even if its over the net) to accomplish goals could be positive.
 
I play WoW a little bit, but am not engulfed by it and do not talk about it with anyone other than people I play with because most people don't care to hear about it just like I don't care to hear about how someone went out and shot a deer because that isn't my thing.

I go out with friends and auto cross, which I would ditch WoW to go auto cross any day of the week.

Point: That article was BS.
 
PornoSatan said:
Stupid blog. He seems to confuse WoW with the internet in general. Makes outstanding statements that could be disproven quite easily if he actually played WoW. Like this one:



Once you get on vent with someone you know exactly who they are. This statement above is applied more to the INTERNET in general, social networking in general, than to WoW.

Also, maybe some people use it as an extension to social networking, but not me. It's simple really, it's fun building up a character and getting better and better gear. That's the reward, not socializing.

I did LOL at this part though:
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Yeah I mean when I talk on TF2, they definitely know its a teenager (15), not some 40 year old. These kids just need to find other kids the same age that they connect to. Not some fellow WoW addicts that grow up to be socially awkward because of the little social experience they have outside of WoW. These kids also need to find other hobbies. I'm okay with a kid playing WoW, but don't get "addicted." Have a little self control. Play sports, swim, ride a bike, etc. Just don't make yourself believe that you need it.
(I played Guil Wars for a bit, didn't really like it. Played the WoW trial, it was fun but I have other games I want to play right now).
 
Eva_Unit_0 said:
I think the bigger issue is that you can meet weird ass motherfuckers anywhere. That's not a thing that's unique to WoW, MMO's, or even the internet in general.
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It is just like saying "Women are bad drivers" it doesnt mean they all are but somewhere down the line society come to the conclusion that large group of women are bad driver.. same goes for most MMO's players society for the most part has seem them as socially awkward... but it doesnt mean they all are... WOW players are soo touchy :p
 
The average WOW player is no easier to spot in a crowd than a serial killer. They look and act just like everyone else.
Until you sit them in front of a PC with WOW installed anyway.

WOW addicts might be another story. But, generally speaking, addicts of anything are usually a different story..

That sums up my completely subjective blog, I did not even bother including anecdotal evidence, but praise me anyway.;)
 
Interesting how defensive people are here in contrast to the responses of the original forum. Like the saying goes 'truth hurts?'
 
I played WoW from launch till November 2006 (2 years). Was a great game but incredibly time consuming if you wanted to get anywhere in the game (raids, PVP, etc). I think i dedicated a good 2500 hours into that game in those 2 years and honestly regret doing so. Missed out on a LOT of stuff and for the past 2+ years that I've quit WoW; life is so much better. I've gone back two or three times but have never been able to get back in for more than 2-3 weeks (playing like 3-4 hours a week).

WoW is a lot more casual now with the new expansions. But Pre-TBC, the game was a lot more hardcore and required a lot more dedication that most people shouldn't put into them.
 
exlink said:
I played WoW from launch till November 2006 (2 years). Was a great game but incredibly time consuming if you wanted to get anywhere in the game (raids, PVP, etc). I think i dedicated a good 2500 hours into that game in those 2 years and honestly regret doing so. Missed out on a LOT of stuff and for the past 2+ years that I've quit WoW; life is so much better. I've gone back two or three times but have never been able to get back in for more than 2-3 weeks (playing like 3-4 hours a week).

WoW is a lot more casual now with the new expansions. But Pre-TBC, the game was a lot more hardcore and required a lot more dedication that most people shouldn't put into them.
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ouch, that's like 3.5 hours per day for 2 full years
that's more than a lot of part time jobs oO
 
I do believe WoW is a unique game and it presents unique problems. I don't think there is any question that the game is to a certain extent, incompatible with a normal life, even by gaming standards of normal.

The problem is that World of Warcraft is just that--it is an entire world. You must make plans to accomplish meaningful tasks, spend time traveling to your destination (some time a lot of time). Most people just don't have time for that or if they do, they are neglecting or phoning in some other part of their life.

Even in a cooperative game like Left 4 Dead, the game is designed so that if you have to drop out to attend to some real world business someone else easily will take your place. In World of Warcraft, if you drop out of a dungeon raid you are basically screwing over a number of other people. So you wind up staying up until 1:00am whereas you would have quit L4D at 12:00. Or perhaps you wind up not getting that extra bit of studying done. Worst of all, you have to set aside blocks of real world time to play and coordinate with other people. When is the last time you had to make your schedule around Battlefield or Team Fortress?

I managed to score a very good professional degree while playing WoW, but it sure didn't help me any.
 
Blackstone said:
I do believe WoW is a unique game and it presents unique problems.
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It's not unique at all, and not even first. People had the same problems with Everquest (AKA Evercrack) years before WoW came out, and Ultima Online before that. I clocked in 7500 hours in 5 years on an Ogre Warrior in EQ.
 
evilsofa said:
It's not unique at all, and not even first. People had the same problems with Everquest (AKA Evercrack) years before WoW came out, and Ultima Online before that. I clocked in 7500 hours in 5 years on an Ogre Warrior in EQ.
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I understand that but Warcraft is the MMO at issue here.You are right though. I didn't play those games.
 
WoW is a lot more "friendly" than EQ ever was, hence its popularity.

I still play WoW, maybe 8 hrs a week ish. Been playing since launch, same char... the main reason I've kept it up is that it has been a great tool for keeping in touch with my friends from college. We all went our separate ways, scattered across the globe. We could call each other, but its much more fun to go gank people in STV while you're chatting than sit on the toilet while you're on the phone.

I don't even do much outside of achievement hunt. Randoms stuff. Occasional PVP, every month or so i'll try a raid. Nothing too crazy.

Since i've been playing i've come across my fair share of socially awkward people, as one would in any online gaming environment. I've also encountered many people who are fairly normal. Sure they play a lot, and although they may not "really" be normal, they are fine decent folks to play games with.

People who are "hardcore" gamers are more likely to be awkward in any game, WoW is no exception. CoD has plenty of dicks and crazies, in fact I've met a lot less CoD players that I could maintain a decent convo with and play the game with at the same time. Eventually it turns into a pissing contest on there.

Granted they are completely different games, with different types of people playing them, point is, its the internet. What do you expect? Real people who aren't socially awkward are out having sex with girls.
 
That blog attempted to generalize 12 million people in under 5000 words. That's the equivalent to me stating that all black people are gang-members, or all hispanics are illegal immigrants.
 
Jared701 said:
ouch, that's like 3.5 hours per day for 2 full years
that's more than a lot of part time jobs oO
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That is true. Now imagine if I spent those 3.5 hours per day working minimum wage (where I lived it was $7.50/hour). That means I would've made around $18,750 instead of spending ~$300 on the game + 2 years of subscription fees. That was a $19,050 opportunity cost for myself.

However, the amount I got for selling the "time and effort" I put into creating the account was worth a little over $1000 but still far less than what I could've made.
 
I think wow is a great tool for socializing but thats because my guild is made up of real life friends and co-workers.

We all range from 22-35 half of us are married with kids and all have full time jobs ranging from retail to the oil fields to even the army.

Its a great way to get together and have fun, and stop us from going out to the bar where we could EASLY spend $400 in 1 night. Not to mention the wives would much rather have us all at home playing WoW rather than worring about us getting drunk and doing something stupid.


The key to the whole WoW thign is moderation, like anythign else if you don't modderate how much time you spend doing it then it's going to mess up your life. When people say "omg don't play wow it will ruin your life" I can only laugh and it makes me realized how little self controle some people really have.
 
exlink said:
That is true. Now imagine if I spent those 3.5 hours per day working minimum wage (where I lived it was $7.50/hour). That means I would've made around $18,750 instead of spending ~$300 on the game + 2 years of subscription fees. That was a $19,050 opportunity cost for myself.

However, the amount I got for selling the "time and effort" I put into creating the account was worth a little over $1000 but still far less than what I could've made.
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But I am willing to bet you had a hell of a lot more fun playing a game than working a part time job. :p
 
I would not call it a WoW problem, but an MMO problem. I am trying to quit LOTRO now, ya its hard.... MMO's are really fun to me, but just look at how much time they require. Even those that are "casual friendly" are not all that helpful. Take LOTRO for example. Sure, you can play in 5 hours a week, in fact, some do. But most of us will not have fun playing it this little. MMO's are about advancement and customization of your character to me. These things take time which you may not have, or want to spend on them. These games do not pose challenge generally, they require time to succeed.
 
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