God knows how many hours some of the avid gamers have queued for the 1pm launch party. It wasn’t so much of a party per se and when I was a few blocks away from my destination, minutes before the gate at SAFRA Town Club opened, a random group of lovely ladies right beside me crossing the same street, one of them started, “Look at the queue! Something free is it?” Another one replied, “No idea leh. Maybe free food?” And they continued speculating the obvious. I really wanted to turn around and say, “That is for the launch party of the new World of Warcraft expansion”. But I held my tongue. Because they would have stared at me as though I was from another planet.
Like the way you stare at me now.
Just how big is this online gaming business? It is huge. At minimal, each gamer pays S$20 a month subscription fees to Blizzard, the company that created World of Warcraft. And at this very moment, there are 11 million active subscribers worldwide. That is a S$2.64 billion annual revenue. But that is not all. Whenever they release an expansion pack, assuming that all who are actively playing the game will get one, that is a S$770 million additional revenue within a very short time. World of Warcraft enjoys a commercial success unseen of in its gaming domain, not to forget to mention the growth of player base. On the flip side, it is also featured from time to time in the world news due to its negative social impact. As for me, I joined the game in 2004 and am now a casual player. Cynthia has recently joined me in the worldwide phenomenon too.
So tell me, in the world of massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG), which game is king?
Random Observations:
- The event organizer needs to get some hot young girls as helpers next year. Though all geeks love Lara Croft, we do prefer real life beings at times.
- Walking up 8 flights of stairs just to get the game is very un-gamer friendly. The (rather plumb) foreigner in front of us was panting hard and complained to me, “We are gamers. We don’t exercise. How can they do this to us?” Uh-huh.
- Maybe it is a little bit of truth that when people see you carrying a huge camera, people immediately think that you are a pro and/or you are from the media. When I talked to the staff, they were very friendly to me. Did you know that estimated market size for the new expansion in Singapore is 30,000?
- When I told my buddy Mark that the queue was too long, he joked that I should tell them that I am an avid blogger and jump the queue. Now, that would draw lots of aggro that is more than I could handle (note: aggro means that if you piss off someone in the game, you will get an attack!). Mark, please come back to the game. We need you!
18 replies on “In the World of MMORPG, One Game Rules Them All – World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King”
Nooooo Lara Croft is da goddess!! No one replaces Lara!
Congrats on getting the expansion pack! Looks like the server queue at the start of the first launch when we were trying to log in to the server hahaha. Should have used the succie to Seduce one of the staff.
World of Warcraft is just one of the big online games just think about all of the games together just how much is involved money wise!
It is very interesting to be able to see in writing just how big the gaming industry is.
Kinda makes one jealous they didn’t think of it first!
Scary! Heheh.
Haha definitely. If I see someone with a camera like the one you jus bought, I would think this person is either super professional, rich or in some media related industry… esp of the way when the photographer adjusts the lense(?)
Darkspore – Ha ha ha … you may be pleased to know that Lara Croft will be featured in yet another new game release very soon!
Maybe I should have cast an invisibility spell or go stealth to sneak inside? 🙂
Wayne – I think the idea has been around for years (like the Everquest). But Blizzard execution is mind blowing. For that sustained player base over quite a few years with such a lead over its competitors, it is a phenomenon of its own.
CSC – I know! I was literally shocked when I saw the queue.
Si Ying – Ha ha ha … OK. But unfortunately I am not super professional (not even close!), not rick, nor in media related industry. Just a simply humble blogger.
When is the next expansion after this one?
I heard that the maximum level is at least 200. It’s been coded for that.
If it is ten levels per expansion, you have at least twelve more expansions to go. If it were, annual, there would be twelve more years at least.
But it is not annual, is it?
CSC – WoW has been around for 4 years and this is the 2nd expansion. On one hand, Blizzard has announced that they will release incremental expansion annually. On the other hand, it is well known that Blizzard will only release games or expansions as and when they are satisfied with the outcomes. At times, this may take ages.
Level 200! I can’t imagine how long it will take leveling from 1 to 200. But knowing Blizzard, they will make a game that makes sense. Death Knight, the new class, is a classic example of getting the players very quickly into the game (start at level 55) both in terms of in-game talents as well as gears.
Do you play other MMORPGs?
Yes, I know of Blizzard’s practices. I have played a number of their games. In recent years, I have been losing my interest in their games steadily.
Haha its ok , I am sure in time u will work towards being even more professional photographer 🙂
CSC – My friend Darkspore got me into DAoC, my first experience with MMORPG. I tried Guild War briefly. But I still love WoW the most … lol.
Si Ying – Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I will do my best!
I did play Guild Wars too. Not too bad. The last few missions were too difficult. I don’t particular like ‘mission-based’ games. It was not immersive as it felt too scripted.
CSC – I haven’t quite get to that far. Got lost with the strange game mechanism. Ha ha ha.
[…] in principle, is a great idea. Who would practice music without a gig? Would would treasure a computer game without the long wait, long queue, and 8 flights of stairs up? Who would study … without an […]
[…] Yes, once a gamer, always a gamer. These days, Cynthia and I have spent more time inside the World of Warcraft than a Cathay Cineplex. And I got Mark (or Darkspore) back into the game too, after his 2 years […]