Forum post of the day: Serious business decisions
WoW
has changed considerably over the years, often for the better and sometimes for the worse. Better and worse are, of course, a matter of perspective. Slovotsky of Turalyon is getting fed up with people complaining about the easing of raids. He's confident that Blizzard made the choice to lower the difficulty on raids because more of the player base can now have a chance to experience them. He disagrees that casual players have ruined the game. Familiarity may also lead to boredom. Some of the guilds that have progressed through Naxx have already done so either in the Pre-BC era or on the PTR.
As some pointed out, Blizzard is a for-profit business. The company's job is to sell a product, not to rule with a heavy hand or coddle the incompetent. The switch to an inclusive raiding environment was most likely a marketing decision. Caydence of Draka drove this point home, to rebut the argument that players will quit WoW because it's easier. It is simply a better business decision for Blizzard to alienate the "hardcore" players who make up a small minority. She suggested that the subscriber base has grown with each ease in difficulty.
Arcwulf of Stromscale claims that WoW is a bait and switch for OP players. he complains that Blizzard is catering to the "whiney nubs" that can't handle a difficult and demanding engame. This contingient believes that its not fair for "OP" players to suffer through boredom so that more people will be included. Perhaps should Blizzard continue to make an exclusive endgame while allowing a portion of their player base to "go play Hello Kitty Island Adventure," as Arcwulf put it. Is WoW for Hardcore players, casuals or both?
I am a member of Blizzard's target audience. I am excited to be included in the endgame content this time around. I'm in a small guild with no desire to be in a massive one. I'll never be a front line raider. I'm not in it for shiny purples, I'm here for the social/cooperative experience. I hope to make it through all of the content as it is released. I don't see myself becoming bored any time soon. If I do, I'll roll another alt, work on achievements, or come up with some wacky goal for myself. See you in Naxx.
