#0 - July 14, 2010, 2:40 p.m.
This is a long post, and I apologize in advance... please help yourself to the coffee and cupcakes I left at the door on the way in to enjoy while reading this. ^_^
I wanted to take a moment and share my reasons for cancelling my account. I know it's probably better suited for the General Forums, but I rarely post there... this is directed more towards the inhabitants of the CSF, where I spend most of my time. I know there is a little drop down box to voice my reasons for leaving and this is not that box! There isn't enough room in that box to say what I'd like to say.
I'd like to specify, right off the bat, this is in no way a complaint, nor am I making any suggestions. I'm well aware of how and where to direct both of those. This is nothing but a fond farewell, and a thank you, full of appreciation for my time spent in this game up until now, as well as for my interactions with the Blizzard staff and CSF regulars.
When I started playing WoW 4 years ago, it was out of sheer annoyance of listening to all my coworkers carry on about this game on a daily basis. I wanted to see what the hype was. It was my first MMORPG ever... and I was a noob. Slowly but surely, I learned the ways of the WoW gamer, and fell in love with this game. I was hooked!
On my original realm (which I chose to play with my coworkers – NOT the best idea ever!) I made a close circle of friends. We had a ton of fun levelling together, and learning how NOT to be noobs. However, playing with many coworkers, and my boss, proved difficult in many situations, so I moved on to a new realm. Over the years, and due to different circumstances, I've landed on a few different realms. I've lost touch with friends, I've been stalked and harassed , and have ultimately chosen to play solo for the most part. It's begun to feel too isolated, when this game revolves around friends and groups, yet I'm not interested in making new friends for fear of repeats of past situations.
I miss vanilla WoW. Not for the content – I didn't run a single end game dungeon or raid at level 60 (I hit 60 only a few weeks before BC went live). I miss the smaller scale of the game from back then. GM tickets took mere hours (if that) to answer, and you almost always got to talk to a GM in person. Now, due to the crazy amount of tickets in the queue, GM's don't have the time to chit chat with every single player that opens a ticket... it would add on so much time to the already extremely long queue. The last time I recall talking to a GM in person was almost a year ago; now, in the responses they say they are sorry they couldn't speak to me in person due to the high ticket volume. I'd like to clarify – I'm not dissatisfied with the GM service as a whole. Every GM and billing rep I have dealt with has been more than professional, courteous, and helpful. They always seem to find something charming or amusing to say to make their ticket responses feel more personal, and I'm always sure to thank them for their time and let them know I appreciate the time they took to assist me... so this is no way a complaint about service – it's just a past experience that I miss.
I was hacked about 2 years ago, and it took all of a couple of days to restore my characters and gear/gold (thanks again!). Now the wait is 2+ weeks. While the % of hacked accounts hasn't gone up, the overall number has – simply because there are more people playing. I know Blizz is hiring, but finding competent, qualified people to fill positions isn't easy... it feels like the game grew so fast that it's been hard to keep up with the standards of CS they wish to provide. The service they DO provide is outstanding, and nothing but professional on every level. It just takes forever and a day to get there. =]
I am disappointed in the players, in general. Perhaps it's because I have spent more time in game lately than when I first started, but it seems that the more WoW grows, the less players care about anything but their own self gain. Perhaps it's just the server I was on at the time. I can recall levelling in BC, when quest areas were swamped... people would group up and get the quest done. In Wrath, it wasn't like that at all. If there were multiple people doing the same quest and were asked to group up, many would just laugh, and it would encourage them to race to quest objectives to “beat” other players to the loot/mobs. It makes me sad how disrespectful players can be. I can't count how many “ninja loot” posts there are. While it's true that if someone was present for a kill they deserve the loot – I still am old fashioned in the sense that one should respect their group mates and consider sharing loot, even if they want something for themselves.
I miss the old feeling of accomplishment when you reached a goal. Endless hours of PvP to reach the next rank and piece of gear, finishing a huge dungeon successfully, getting your first epic loot... now it's so easy that when a PuG fails, or a guild isn't at the current end game content they are trash-talked for being “baddies”. It doesn't feel like there is any respect for guild, group or even personal success within the community anymore. Even when completing an achievement – something “old” like getting the red proto-drake from the heroic achievements – people don't congratulate others on it... they say it's a welfare mount, then proceed to link their “better”, “cooler” mount.
I hate doing 5 man dungeons, because of the lack of respect overall. Players are made fun of for low GS (oh no, they just hit 80 an hour ago!), dps calls tanks bad when said dps can't manage their aggro, healers get called bad when they can't keep dps alive when they pull aggro, players don't follow simple mechanics of a fight and get mad when they die, people get mad when one refuses to take part in boss exploits, the healer ninjaed dps gear, the dps ninjaed tank gear, the tank ninjaed dps gear...the list could go on forever. The random dungeon finder has made it uber easy to get gear - but has added to the feeling of detachment. People aren't really held accountable for their actions or behavior in general, since they'll likely never see that group of people ever again. There's also the lack of having that solid "good" group of players that are reliable - it's always a chance taken when you choose a random dungeon. On one hand it's so easy to get in a group and get badges and gear - on the other hand it's difficult to keep your sanity while doing it. =P
There is just so much negativity within the community, it makes it very hard to enjoy time online... especially since I've moved on from past servers where friends are. It wasn't so bad when I had a regular group of people I played with – it seemed to negate all the bad vibes. But playing alone means every little thing seems exaggerated.
World of Warcraft is a phenomenal game. For $15 per month, it's been one of the greatest experiences I've come across.
The CSF and the regular posters provide a lot of help for players across the board. It is still frustrating to see players come in so angry and be rude to everyone that crosses their path. The amount of “QQ” that goes on, and the entitlement and aggressive ways of many people has gotten to me. =/ It feels like the majority of people expect this service to be perfect. I hate trade chat and the forums on maintenance and patch days... people do nothing but complain. And they'll find the smallest things to complain about. A few hours without WoW seems to make people go insane, to the point they almost can't function... that is kinda scary. >.>
Overall, I just find no enjoyment in logging on anymore. The rare times I do log on, I run around aimlessly waiting for a queue to pop, then get bored while waiting and log off. Alts hold no interest anymore – not even opposite faction ones! I guess what it comes down to is this game has evolved immensely – and so have I. It appears WoW and I have evolved in separate directions.
I should have thrown in the towel months ago when I wasn't so displeased over the current state of the game and the community. In a few months Cataclysm will be live. Hopefully I will feel inspired to come back and check out the new world! It does seem quite fascinating, so I am hoping that a few months away will refresh my love for this game.
Until then, one last thank you to the entire WoW team. This game is fabulous, and all the employees of Blizzard are overworked and under-appreciated. It's a thankless job most days, and I applaud your professionalism and the way you handle even the worst of customers. There ARE people out there that fully appreciate the job you do, and I am absolutely one of them. (Yes, I am a proud Blizzard "fanboi" - or "fangurl" as the case may be.)
Sorry for the long post, I ♥ walls of text!
TL; DR
Thank you and goodbye.
