I was thinking today (shocker) of the different elements that has made World of Warcraft so popular and my home for 4.5 years. What does WoW have that other games don't? What makes WoW the giant it is even though people complain the expansion packs ruined WoW?

Every time an MMO comes out with an expansion pack, people complain about it. Why can't it be like the old days? Well, aren't you the same guy that complained it is too hard to get 40 people together and the game is too hard? Yeah, I would love to see 40 man instances make a comeback to WoW. Those were epic and gave the really hardcore players something to brag about. Purple items are the new blue. Blizzard changed their model because, the casual cash was bigger than the elitest cash. They understood the old days of EverQuest raiding was coming to an end. Is there a balance for the casual and elite in an MMO? No, because everybody wants the "end game" but, all have a different vision of how they can get it.

Blizzard discovered a simple formula as to how to make the majority happy. They took a chapter out of real life. It is simple, how does your life begin and what are your goals to the end? Do you want horizontal progression? No, you want vertical progression just like real life.

You start your life at level 1 as a baby and slowly learn new skills. After you grow up a bit, you can manage your time a bit better and take on a profession. Then as you progress in your life, you learn new talents and discover what you are good at. You find out what you are going to be when you grow up. You need clothes and tools to work so you can get better skilled. So, you take on some odd jobs (quests). These odd jobs give you money and sometimes your employer gives you a free bonus (quest rewards).

You finally become an adult and know your skills very well. Now, it is time to get full-time job. You fill out applications to several different shops (guild) and depending on how good you are at your job, they will hire you. When you finally land a full-time gig, you have to go out and show your skills to your coworkers.

Your job pays you well and sometimes you get perks (gear) from your boss for working overtime (DKP). As your banging away at your job mastering your skills, a new mall (expansion pack) opens up down the street from your office. At first you are stoked to check out all the new stores (instances) but, when you get in the mall you notice all the stuff is better than what you got. Now you're pissed!

You find yourself depressed and start binge drinking (Really there is no metephor for this. You really drink a lot.). In your self-pity and anger you leave your job (guild) and your wife (WoW). You find yourself alone and drunk under a bridge looking for a cheap prostitute (another MMO). She can't full fill your needs the way your wife did though and she has a bad case of crabs (bugs). You realize you need to clean up your act and beg your wife to take you back and convince your job you can catch up with them and be a team player.

In the end, your wife takes you back for $14.99 a month and you have to work late hours grinding your way back up the corporate ladder (level cap). When you get back on the board of trusties (full time raider), you notice there is less people on the board because computers have made your job easier (25 man instances vs 40 mans). You now get more perks faster but they don't seam as special as they used to be because all your peers have them too.

A year later the mall has a super discount sale because there is a cheaper mega-mall (expansion 2) opening across the street. Damn you mega-mall! The great circle of life begins again. You dream of the old days when there was 40 sweaty men sitting in a hot room eating buckets of Cheetos and drinking gallons of Mountain Dew. Those were the good old days when Bob was late because he forgot to pee (repair) and Mike had to take care of his kids throwing up (really, Mike's kids puked a lot) making your meeting 20 minutes longer. Ahhhh good times!

....and that is why World of Warcraft is better than all those other game.