The Evolution of WoW (or gaming in general)

[Dravixus 11]

Greetings, all.

It has been quite some time since I have thrown myself into a new game or even just gaming in general. I hope you will bear with me as I lay out some thoughts coming from the perspective of one who is an experienced gamer but has been "out of the game" for some time now.

I suppose a bit of background is warranted before I dive off the deep end...

• Vanilla (the Glory Days) - Played extensively, part of a couple of hardcore raiding guilds.
• Burning Crusade - Switched factions, started own guild, began successful raiding.
• Wrath of the Lich King - The peak of our guild's accomplishments, raided heavily, achieved good success.
• Cataclysm - Took brief break and then returned to join in Guild's continuing raiding efforts.
• Mists of Pandaria - Skipped altogether.
• Warlords of Draenor - Returned with high hopes of achieving former glory (didn't happen)
• Legion - Returned and played throughout despite a break in the middle of it.
• Played games like Diablo III, Starcraft II, Rift, Conan, The Old republic, and others amidst everything else.

I also took extended breaks from video games at times simply due to other interests, work needs, and life in general.

Returning and playing through Legion has been a rather rewarding experience. Despite my guild having been whittled down to just a few players, I still found that there was plenty to do on my own and could largely get by without having to organize anything group wise. That being said, I do miss the old days that were filled with camaraderie, friendship, and just a general sense of community.

I suppose that brings me to the point behind making this post.

The more that I dive into gaming in general again, the more I feel the bumbling old idiot, returning to war with ill fitting armor and weapons that feel poorly suited to domesticated hands. The tools available to gamers today are the stuff that titillating dreams were made of 10+ years ago and I suppose I have been a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to taking advantage of such things as Discord, Slack, Twitch, Skype, etc.

A bit of an eye-opener was when I was involved with a PUG Antorus raid. I was asked to tank for a certain boss. I agreed and joined the raid, not realizing that there was apparently a Discord channel being used. Being familiar with the fight and having the raid leader confirming my role/tasks, we engaged the boss and then wiped soon afterward. The raid leader informed me that I was supposed to be DPS and he promptly booted me from the raid. Thoroughly appalled and displeased, I couldn't fathom what I did wrong until it dawned on me later that perhaps they had been in Discord and had instructed me to switch back to DPS right before the fight started. Regardless, it was my fault for not being more "in the know" when it comes to current technology and tools.

At this point, I wonder what the purpose of Guilds are now, other than just a bit of flavor. With things designed in a manner where servers hardly matter, communication is limitless, sites such as this one providing such excellent tools and guides, there is such an all-encompassing sense of community that it is somewhat intimidating, yet altogether not unpleasant. Though I have yet to try, I can jump into a class relevant Discord channel or a goal specific one or many others. It is certainly a new age and though I am admittedly slow in regards to my awareness of some of these excellent tools as they have been available for a little while, I suppose it is better late than never, right?

TL;DR version:

• If you are a seasoned gamer but have been out of the loop, familiarize yourself with the new(ish) tools out there (i.e. Discord, Twitch, Slack, Skype, etc).
• Keep an open mind, things aren't the same as they were 5-10 years ago. Be willing to learn new stuff.
• My perception is that in a world where toxicity is rampant amongst games and social media in general, there are still plenty of awesome people in the community and it isn't hard to find helpful folks. Just maintain a thick skin ?.

I am looking forward to BoA, despite the underwhelming pre-launch stuff. The final parts to my new gaming machine should be arriving tomorrow, which will make the game all the much better looking at least...

Hope to see some of you in game.

Sláinte 

[Indiladhar 0]

In a similar, yet smaller boat than you are! Haven’t played in almost a decade, and I never really raided much at all even back then (currently level 16-18?) but everything seems so different, and the things I/we used to know are far from relevant any more. 

I don’t see myself leveling and becoming a great player, but that actually suits me. I’ve never really been keen on raids, I don’t understand people losing it in a fit of rage when a group messes something up- it’s just a game in the end. Generally, I prefer solo play (affliction warlock), and I’m in no rush to level to the cap only because I want to enjoy my journey there. Places in Azeroth have new names and landscapes have likely changed and I’d like to see it all at my leisure! 

Maybe I’ll run into a social guild someday, maybe I won’t. Either way, here for fun and not to try to keep up with others!