About

World of Warcraft is arguably the most popular massively multiplayer game in the United States. Worldwide the title plays host to over ten million players, and earns developer Blizzard Entertainment many millions of dollars every fiscal year. More than just a game, World of Warcraft has inspired a vibrant player community – podcasts, videos, and even music have been created in honor of adventures of Azerothian heroes.

On a wider scale, World of Warcraft is the modern face of MMOs to non-gamers. Tie-ins with actors from popular culture, commercial co-branding with popular vehicles, and endorsements of the title from notables in the press have all made the game the new face of the genre. Blizzard Entertainment, meanwhile, has kept interest in the game alive through regular patch updates and content additions. New patches regularly bring players back to the game, while the promise of new content in the upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion has thousands more preparing to renew their subscriptions.

News of the popular MMO, ranging from community and social commentary to detailed game mechanic updates, is available at Massively.com's sister site WoW Insider. Wrath of the Lich King is expected sometime between October and December of this year.

Interviews:

Exclusive: Richard Bartle on how he'd make World of Warcraft better
Join us as we sit down for a conversation about the big kid on the block: World of Warcraft. Some time ago Dr. Bartle made the crack that he'd "shut down" Blizzard game in an effort to improve the industry. Though he was only making an elaborately illustrative joke at the time, he's gotten a lot of flack for it. Today we have the other side of that coin: what Blizzard could honestly do to make the game even better.

Event Coverage:

Player vs. Everything: Analyzing the Wrath of the Lich King news explosion
Blizzard released a ridiculous amount of information about their next expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, and some of the changes they've announced are pretty major. I thought I would use today's article to go over some of the most exciting announcements, discuss what makes them so interesting, and talk about what it means for the game (and for you).

GDC08: Massively is Live at the Future of MMOs panel
If the idea of the mind behind World of Warcraft talking about the games that he loves, along with observations from one of the founders of BioWare, combined with the insights of a tabletop gaming champion and a pioneer of Korean gaming doesn't interest you ... why are you here?

How Ken Levine (maker of BioShock) plays World of Warcraft
Ken Levine is best known for his work on such games as Thief, System Shock 2 and (most recently) BioShock. Before a talk at GDC this morning about the storytelling BioShock we noticed a World of Warcraft icon very prominent in the quicklaunch bar on his Mac. Over the course of the lecture Levine reinforced his online influences by several times referencing some of Blizzard's talented design.

Predicting the MMO landscape in 2008
It's that time of year again-- before 2008 starts, everyone and their brother is going to throw out some predictions about what will happen with MMOs this year. So here's a Massively roundup, and a little meta-analysis of what might happen in this Year of the Potato.

Do world events matter?
In a recent interview, Blizzard's Vice President of Creative Development apologized for the game play choices made by the developers in the first expansion to the highly popular World of Warcraft. He stated the game play in The Burning Crusade "had a lot of high-concept ideas, high-concept environments, but other than some really nice moments, there was nothing really personal about it."

Guides:

A World of Warcraft player's guide to Age of Conan
Join us on a brief tour through the world of Hyboria, to touch on some of the similarities and differences that join and separate Azeroth with Conan's world. We'll talk about mounts , crafting, PvP, combat, and several other gameplay elements. Join us on this cross-world expedition, and keep your pith helmets on!

A World of Warcraft player's guide to Guild Wars
Considering the fact that the Guild Wars development team over at ArenaNet is made up of ex-Blizzard folks, you're bound to see some similarities between the games. Or, as is more accurately the case, you'll see some vast differences between the games, as ArenaNet's Jeff Strain and Mike O'Brien set out to make an experience that is unlike any they've worked on at Blizzard.

Gameplay Wishlist: WotLK travel guide
Our recent in-depth look at the flood of information concerning World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King expansion gave us some cause for speculation. Specifically, the news about the multiple-rider mounts has given us an intriguing idea for a new way to make money in-game.

Five MMOs better than World of Warcraft
No fooling. Blizzard's World of Warcraft is a great game, a hugely influential game, maybe even the best game ever written by anyone, ever. Throughout history. But now that we've GOT WoW, well, what's next? Age of Conan? Warhammer? Spellborn? Maybe.

The nine most important things about World of Warcraft patch 2.4!
If you play World of Warcraft, you already know today was a gaming holiday. Patch 2.4: Fury of the Sunwell, dropped on an unsuspecting Azeroth, and our friends at WoW Insider have been posting All. Day. Long. to keep you in the know. Click through to their coverage on one of these most important patch topics, or check below the cut for even more roundup action!

Adventures from the Back Row: World of Warcraft priestly resources
I'm guessing a lot of you play World of Warcraft, right? Well, healing in WoW is just as hard as it is anywhere else. At the high end, the hoops you have to jump through ... well, you'd almost think that you'd need some sort of advanced strategy.

MMOGology: The next big thing
Apparently I wasn't the only one excited about World of Warcraft. Six years after WoW was initially announced, and on the eve of its three year launch anniversary, WoW has somewhere between eight and nine million subscribers. WoW is clearly the current king of the massively multiplayer mountain; at least in terms of popularity.

How to deal with a "WoW widow" (without going insane)
Many of you have been on the receiving end of sharp words from your angry spouse or significant other. Many more of you have been unwise enough to try to defend yourself only to find yourself embroiled in a bitter, and sometimes relationship-ending, argument. Still more of you look over your shoulders at night fighting off feelings of guilt for sneaking into your computer room in order to get a few hours of your favorite game in.

Commentary/Analysis:

MMOGology: There's no place like Azeroth
It seems like World of Warcraft operates as many gamers' home base. They might leave for a while to try out a new MMOG when they inevitably burn out on WoW; but most eventually gravitate back. The return might be in anticipation of an expansion, it might be that the gamer misses his guildies, or maybe it's the old, comfortable game mechanics.

The Digital Continuum: The Lich King made me do it
So I'll admit it. I've been pretty hard on World of Warcraft ever since The Burning Crusade launched. A large part of the reason I've been so down on the game is because a lot of Burning Crusade's end-game content came off as incredibly daunting to me. I never had any interest in most of the raids offered in the game simply because I didn't feel like going through all the hoops to access them.

Player vs. Everything: When will the players leave WoW?
I always think it's interesting when I hear developers talk about how World of Warcraft opened up the MMOG market for new entrants. We have all these new and exciting games coming out: Age of Conan, Warhammer Online, The Chronicles of Spellborn, and plenty more. However, the overwhelming response that I get from WoW players when I talk about these games is a blank stare and something along the lines of, "Okay, that sounds all right... but why would I ever want to leave WoW?"

Player vs. Everything: Raid leaders are jerks
Most raid leaders I know are jerks. I'm not making generalizations about personal character, of course. People who end up in those positions tend to be helpful, dependable people who are genuinely committed to the progression of the guild. But stick them in a Ventrilo channel with 9-39 other people and watch them flare up like a firecracker.

The Digital Continuum: Comparing core concepts of WAR and WoW
Every massively game has a core element that it is built upon and all are a bit different in their strengths and weaknesses. World of Warcraft and the upcoming Warhammer Online have two very different core designs, but in more ways than you might think.

The Digital Continuum: This year, PvPing is the new raiding
Ever since World of Warcraft hit the scene back in late 2004, it has experienced enormous success that even its creators hadn't foreseen -- with an estimated 2.5 million active player-base in the United States, 5.5 in Asia and around 2 in Europe. I think we can all agree that World of Warcraft's position as king of the hill isn't going to change anytime soon, because change takes time with all things.

Ask Massively: Is there a "WoW Killer" on the horizon?
Dear Massively, Do you think that the WoW killers (Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Age of Conan) will flop and WoW will still conquer? - Vince

MMOGology: Fat sacks 'o crap!
There's nothing like Christmas to remind a MMOGer that much of our game time is centered around bagging gobs of loot as fast as we can. There's all that scurrying and hurrying to find the perfect gift that shows our loved ones exactly how special they are to us.

MMOGology: World of why bother
A friend of mine and I recently discussed ways to obtain gear at level 70 in World of Warcraft. We talked about potential quest gear, gear from rep grinding, PvP gear, and gear from running various instances like Karazhan. The conversation then shifted to discussions about the Burning Crusade expansion and its impact on gear.

Behind the Curtain: Evolving the World of Warcraft
I'm not a Biologist, but my understanding of evolution is that things change and grow. Certain species die off, to be replaced by newer ones better suited to the environment of the time. With one expansion under its belt, bucketloads of content patches behind it and another expansion on the horizon, WoW certainly hasn't stood still as time has passed.

MMOGology: End game means game over for casual players
At long last I finally hit level 70 in World of Warcarft! Thank you, thank you! I know many of you out there probably hit 70 a month or two after the launch of Burning Crusade (almost a year ago), but being the alt-a-holic and casual player that I am, this was a significant accomplishment for me.

Behind the Curtain: Save our bosses
Without lore, MMOs as we know them wouldn't exist. Lore means different things to different people. Some of us embrace it, some of us let it define who we are and what we do in-game, and some of us ignore it as best we can.

Building a better MMOusetrap: Buildings, barrens and beyond (Part 1)
I spent the last two years living in the UK with an architecture enthusiast, and we often got into debates about the functionality and aesthetics about architecture and design. As such I began doing a bit of personal research on the topic, but filtered it down into a view on my own extra-curricular exploits.

Building a better MMOusetrap: Buildings, barrens and beyond (Part 2)
Cities are often looked at in virtual worlds as a type of mall, where you can go and pick up the things you need, trade in or sell the things you don't, and maybe swing by the food court for a bite to eat. As such, players often treat cities very differently; just like malls you have different groups of people who want different things out of the environment.

Building a better MMOusetrap: Buildings, barrens and beyond (Part 3)
The largest percentage of available space in MMOs is simulated landscape and natural scenery. From toxic-hued forests and jungles, to vast dune seas, and rolling grasslands, all the way out into the vastness of space and although the landscapes in the games oftentimes reflect the vistas we know from the real world, sometimes they are as if they were plucked from the dreams or nightmares of the players.

Building a better MMOusetrap: Can you teach old content new tricks?
A common outcry I hear when playing MMO's, has to do with expansions and their almost unfailing ability to devour original content, and let it die a pitiful death. It's as if overnight, the quests people had been grinding on, the bosses they have endlessly battled, or the items they had no longer matter. Everything you worked for up to this point, is instantly obsolete.

Galleries:

Gallery: World of Warcraft Core Gallery