Breakfast Topic: I've played since Vanilla beta

First and foremost, for clarity, I haven't. I didn't actually play in Vanilla at all! But with WoW's eighth anniversary upon us, I wonder how many people really have played WoW throughout that eight-year period. A twitter follower, Evilevi, tweeted to me, unprovoked, the following quip: "How do you know if somebody's played since Classic? They'll tell you."

And it's true! Those among us who are WoW veterans, playing since the start, are often also very keen to make sure that others are aware of their achievement. And it's understandable, it's quite a commitment to the game, quite a badge of honor. I really think that Blizzard should start handing out in-game achievements or similar for length of subscription or something along those lines.

I almost wish I had played that long, just to see how the game has changed. I get the impression that the answer is "a lot." My opinion is that one of WoW's successes is its constant evolution, it's changed by player feedback and Blizzard's creative team, and it's constantly evolving, sucking in elements of other games. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

So, how long have you played? When did you start? And does it even matter? Does the experience you had in Classic or Vanilla or whenever you started to play really better inform you about the post-cataclysmic mystical world of Azeroth? Practice does, of course, make perfect, but has the game changed too far for your length of service badge to give you the upper hand?