Back to the Grind
Posted 28 July 2008 under warcraftClive Davis, from a piece on Wired exploring the mindset of a World of Warcraft player:
These explanations are all true, more or less. But I actually believe there’s another reason we’re willing to spend 20 hours a week grinding, and it’s far weirder.
It’s because we love it. We love grinding.
A great article, to which any long-term WoW player can relate. Nearly (gulp) four years after I started my first character, I’m still paying my $15/mo because of how productive it makes me feel. There’s always a goal in sight, and there’s usually a clear path to accomplishing that goal. Most of us have come to accept this, although it appears some players are still in denial:
Yes, the mindless, safe, predictable grinding is perfect for mindless, safe, predictable people. A few of us prefer the surprising and the novel; we play PvP.
Spoken like someone who hasn’t played WoW since 2005. Take it from a guy who pulled down 19K honor on Saturday by doing the same thing over and over and over again: it’s a grind, guy.