[ExI] [wta-talk] LA Times: Unlimited space for untold sorrow

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On Feb 6, 2008 6:37 PM, Emlyn <emlynoregan at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hey, what server are you on? I'm in Outland at the moment, only a few
> levels to go. Time to start feeling the pressure, because the next
> expansion is in the pipeline, level cap going to 80.
>
### Khaz Modan. I have a lvl Horde 70 lock, tailoring/enchanting, and
lvl 54 priest, mage, warrior, rogue, druid, hunter, pally and shaman,
as well as a lvl 19 twink.

This could be interpreted as evidence that I have entirely too much
free time, no life, or both  :)

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> You know, I can't work out what's so compelling about WoW, and yet it
> is compelling. As a game, it's a bit of an r-tard, much less about
> skill than time sunk into it. And yet...

### It's a masterpiece by the evil genii of psychological manipulation
at Blizzard. There is reinforcement every 20 - 30 seconds while
playing, with different levels of reinforcement applied at different
intervals - the steady drip-drip of silver from mobs, punctuated by a
green drop, a blue drop, or even a purple drop (happened to me twice
while killing trash in Felwood). There is combat reinforcement, the
pleasure of finally beating the big mob, or fighting off 3 mobs that
jumped you, the warm glow of competence as you deftly space your
cooldowns, potions and stuns to thwart multiple enemies. The
hair-rising experience of being attacked by a devilsaur in Un'Goro.
Checking your mailbox to see 70 - 80 new messages from the auction
house, grossing 1500g for one session, with net capital gains of 30%
or more. Reading rude Chuck Norris jokes in Barrens chat, watching the
Leroy Jenkins video, camaraderie of a 40-man raid, the crazy tempo of
a pvp fight, the sounds of buffing before the Rag fight, officers
shouting encouragement on vent, and then the sound of fire, the fury
of the attack....I could go on. WOW is the perfect combination of
several layers of reinforcement (satisfying financial, social, status,
self-expression, self-improvement, exploratory, competitive,
cooperative needs, even if in a certain make-believe way) applied over
several time-horizons, from seconds to months.

Rafal