Wow… Just WoW: Considering the existence of WoW-killers.
When it comes to genres, I consider myself a pretty open minded gamer. As such, my Steam library is chock-full of many different games. However, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, MMO’s have since long held a special place in my heart. Ofttimes I look forward to new titles with great anticipation, but never is this more true than with MMO’s. As a previous WoW-player, I am not unaware of the burden many new MMO’s face being systematically compared to World of Warcraft. Moreover, after the release of WoW, new titles have often been referred to as WoW-killers, branding them as the successors to the most popular MMO at this time. However, many new MMO’s have come and gone since then, and none have managed to snuff out WoW’s light. Why, I wonder? In line with the expression “Don’t hate the player, hate the game”, it might actually serve us best to reverse this saying. Instead of analyzing the game in search of an answer, we ought to focus on the players. And here’s why…
The problematic nature of the WoW-killer term
Two problems can be identified regarding the use of the term “WoW-killer”, firstly, it only serves to solidify the market position the game holds. It does this rhetorically by (unwillingly) casting the game as the market standard. As such, this term is counterproductive for the genre, since it forces anyone acting within it to use World of Warcraft as a touchstone and antagonize it as the opponent to beat. This furthermore increases the life of WoW immensely, by rhetorically coupling it with the emergence of every new game, allowing World of Warcraft to transcend the limits of its own generation while dragging every new title into the never-ending status quo of the genre.
Secondly, this term is wholly false and artificial. It serves no use in itself barring the perverse effects it has on the game and the genre. World of Warcraft has been allowed to enter a realm where no other game seems able to follow, seemingly by a combination of sheer luck and admirable design skill.
Penetrating the lives of the players
A common line when discussing new MMO’s is their lack of content when compared to World of Warcraft. I do not wish to lend any credibility to this statement, but its occurrence is indicative of another point that requires discussion. On the surface it, again, only regards the game itself. It serves us best to turn this statement back to the player. When one argues a lack of content in MMO’s compared to WoW, one might not be arguing this superficial statement but his or her actual experience of this content. In fact, it is the player experience, often shared with thousands of other players, that to me defines the MMO genre. Be it the narrative the player creates for his or her avatar, or the narrative created while exploring a dungeon, interacting with guild members and friends. This is furthermore what complicates any comparison between World of Warcraft and a so called WoW-killer: players have been weaving these personal narratives and experiences for 7 years.
These 7 years of WoW’s existence effectively ties the game to the lives of its players, not just within the virtual environment, but even outside of it. Narratives have not solely been created on a micro level with events occurring within the game, but also on a macro level with the game itself. Moreover, Blizzard has made use of this by solidifying the macro level narrative created by players through the use of real life events such as BlizzCon, allowing the company to penetrate the lives of its players and materialize itself outside of the virtual space it primarily inhabits. Whether one wills it or not, no other company or game might ever be able to accomplish such an involvement in players’ lives over such a large amount of time, rendering the term WoW-killer pointless.
In fact, there might never be a WoW-killer as long as the term endures.
