I was watching season 2 of Mad Men this morning, and I wanted to play a game that wouldn’t require much of my attention, one where I could just let my fingers play while I watched TV. I found myself at WoW’s character selection screen before I really gave it any thought at all.
I followed the Quest Helper arrow, killed the stuff it told me to killed, looted any star-shrouded chests I came across, and honestly, I’m not sure I remember much about it at all. Stealth, distract, build combo points, finishing move, loot and move on.
Someone even asked me if I wanted to run Mana Tombs with them. I believe this is the first time in 67 levels I have ever been ASKED to join a group. Probably was asked because I happened to be questing in the zone. I declined because having to run an instance would ruin the perfect Zen vibe I was after.
I see and feel WoW’s power and attraction. And I don’t mean this in any negative way — I give Blizzard my $15/month just like everyone else, for exactly this reason. I LIKE being able to just sit down and play a game that won’t demand anything, not even my attention. Try that in most other MMOs, and I’d be making corpse runs or have huge repair bills. In WoW, you just go with the flow as little or as much as you like, and it doesn’t mean a thing.
11 thoughts on “The Zen of World of Warcraft”
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Questing and leveling is suppose to be enjoyable and WoW really offers this. High end it requires more focus, It’s a different game once you get there- For raiding and groups, which is what it’s all about, with the sprinkle of daily quest if you choose to do those. It goes from a more solo oriented game to a group game.
I think it’s really important to have a level of easy, casual play in an MMO. It’s pretty awesome when you can progress through a game and not even think about it. MMO’s are meant to be fun and relaxing, not tedious and frustrating.
Great screenshot!
Your Gnome rogue always ends up in the best shots. 🙂
If it doesn’t mean a thing, why do it then?
Some people knit or darn socks while watching TV, as it keeps their hands busy while their mind tunes out. But it’s actually productive.
Well, you could say the same about any kind of gaming. In the end, it all means nothing. Why play games at all? They are all, every one, just wastes of time.
Good season!
Is it just me, or do you want to beat Pete Campbell over the head with a rusty bucket?
He’s not the ONLY character who needs a good bopping, but he’s one of the worst. I didn’t like the actor’s Connor character in Angel, either.. Maybe it’s just the actor?
Well, your saying in wow it doesn’t mean a thing – I’m guessing, what with the repair bills you mention, it did mean a thing in other games so they don’t all mean nothing?
Other games put more roadblocks in the way of the Zen, making them less useful for relaxing.
The $15/month roadblock is enough for me to put WoW out of the running if I want a mindless Zen gaming experience.
Mind, I do value such as a way to decompress after a long day, but I find many, many free games to fill that void. Or my sketchbook.