14 DAY TRIAL // Let's face it, Blizzard is not the best developer in the world and I have to say, from my perspective, it has only released mediocre games so far. I know many will disagree and I'm sure I'll get my share of bashing, but I truly believe World of Warcraft is the reason why the gaming world today is in such a poor state.
Blizzard began its journey with Radical Psycho Machine Racing for SNES in 1991 and continued with various games, most of which no one has heard of. Probably the first hit was Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994 and followed short after by Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (1995) and Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (1996). All important titles (by some standards), but their definitive title was the first Diablo in 1996, which set them apart from anyone else. Two years later, they launched StarCraft (a game that's played even today for some strange reason) and then an add-on called Brood War in the same year. And then came Diablo II, a game that's haunting me until today; not because it was such a good one but because I was surrounded by Diablo II worshipers, that were practically brain washed. That was the first time I saw physical adverse reactions for playing for too long. People would continuously play the cow level on the battle net just so they could find a ring or some kind of item that was worth wasting two nights in a row with nothing more than Coca-Cola (or some other caffeine based beverage).
They later released the Warcraft III series and a MMO in the Warcraft universe entitled World of Warcraft. The game had one add-on in 2007, The Burning Crusade, and another one it's on the way called Wrath of the Lich King. This MMO has brought profits for Blizzard in the last four years enough to sustain a small African country. You might have heard disputes over the bad influence games have on the life of children and even grown people but you might have also dismissed them with a smile, thinking that it's nothing more than a crazy psychologist talking or some lunatic lawyer in the US.
The problem with World of Warcraft is not that it is literally driving people to their deaths (many have died from exhaustion) because I'm all in favor of natural selection. I believe games and MMOs in particular can influence the life of gamers, not by realistic graphics and violence as the game looks like a glorified turn, but by affecting the priorities of those who play it. The vast majority will not suffer from physical effects but the hard core fans will change their life to suit their MMO desires. School grades are falling, kids have problems integrating in society and normal people lose their jobs (I personally know a case).
You might think a game that brings people together is a good thing but unfortunately that's not the case. People need to take a step back and reevaluate their perspective because games can destroy your life or in any case influence it in a bad way. Anything in large doses will eventually damage the human body, whether carrots or games. Living in a free world has its price and liberty is a tricky thing when it comes to self-determination. I see why some people are incapable of determining their right path in life and when I mention the World of Warcraft problem, most of them are either in denial or simply have an adverse reaction. I can't determine the mechanism that's keeping World of Warcraft alive but I will praise the day when Blizzard starts descending. Unfortunately, until then, Blizzard will probably launch a Diablo III title and players that have managed to escape from the Warcraft universe will be drafted into another void in Diablo. Things are about to get from bad to worse.