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World of Warcraft
Carlos Duralde

World of Warcraft, commonly abbreviated WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role playing game, or an MMORPG. In WoW, players can make characters based on ten different races (Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Undead, Orcs, Trolls, and Taurens, and with the expansion, Draenei and Blood Elves) and nine different classes (Mage, Paladin, Shaman, Warrior, Warlock, Priest, Rogue, Druid, Hunter). The races are split up into factions: Humans, Night Elves, Gnomes and Dwarves are part of the Alliance, while Undead, Orcs, Trolls, and Taurens are part of the Horde.

High levels of interaction with others across the
globe make WoW extremely addictive

The purpose of WoW is different for many people. Some players desire to reach the highest level (70), which takes about 40 days of playing time (960 hours). This serves as a stepping stone for most players to accomplish new goals. Many players wish to acquire new armor and weapons to become stronger or simply look “cool.” Others play as a tool of relaxation; this is made easy by the millions of other players (in the United States alone) that one can talk to. Players can join guilds to make friends with players and accomplish difficult quests. A “quest” is a mission that Non-player characters (NPCs) give you that reward players with new gear or money upon completion. Quests that are more difficult require players to group up and fight for a common goal.

WoW is the epitome of free roam. The landscape in WoW is amazingly vast and ranges from snow caped mountains to volcanic dungeons and tropical jungles. Many players never explore the entire World due to its enormity. The land mass is split into two regions. The outland, part of the WoW expansion, is for higher end players (level 60-70) and steps up the difficulty level of the game. The Kingdom of Azeroth is the starting kingdom for any new player. There are a vast number of major cities in Azeroth, including Ironforge, Darnassus, and Orgrimmar. To ensure fairness of all classes, patches come out weekly or monthly to edit the game play, one of the major reasons for the $15/month online fee. Essentially, any style of play is ready to suit someone willing to invest a little time into this enthralling game.

The controversial aspect of World of Warcraft does not fall under the subject of graphic violence or nudity, but in its near undeniable addictiveness. WoW, along with MMO’s in general, is known for its ability to make its players want to spend unusually long amounts of time playing. A girl in Beijing played WoW for so long that she collapsed dead. Unlike Halo, where you can play a few death matches and be content, in WoW, you might participate in a raid, or a group dungeon battle, which may take anywhere from three to eight hours. You can definitely lose track of time when your only concern is which player needs to be buffed or how much experience you need to hit the next level. As a WoW enthusiast myself, I’ve found myself playing for eight hours at a time without even noticing. The time spent playing the game detracts from spending time with family and friends as well as any other obligations that need to be fulfilled. Addictive games can ruin lives if not treated seriously.