World of Warcraft is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game, or MMORP. Players from all over the world log into this online game and create their own medieval fantasy characters who battle it out with opposing factions. The horde is nasty evil characters like Trolls,Orcs, and Undead. The alliance characters are humans,blood elves and dwarfs. The game is based on the world of the top-selling Warcraft franchise by the Blizzard development team. This world combines classic fantasy types such as elves, goblins, orcs and brave knights. However, World of Warcraft also uses humor, great art design and a story based on player actions to pull participants into a compelling world. This world is big, really big. Ive played for 2 years now and still have not seen all of it.
History
Blizzard released World of Warcraft on Nov. 23, 2004. Blizzard is also known for the great game called Diablo. It is the fourth game in the Warcraft series, which began with the game simply titled Warcraft in 1994. Since its release, World of Warcraft has become the most popular online role-playing game. Warcraft also is evolving through expansion packs. The Burning Crusade was the first expansion, released in 2007, while Wrath of The Lich King was released in 2008.
Features
World of Warcraft offers many features for the players to interact within their virtual world. Each player has there own avatar and selects a faction to join. The Alliance is a group of noble creatures such as humans, dwarfs and elves; the Horde is a cabal of evil creatures, featuring the undead, orcs and trolls. Once players determine which faction to fight for, they can choose a race that represents their ancestry. Next, players chooses a class for the character from among the following: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rouge, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior or Deathknight. Characters also can have a side profession ranging from cook to blacksmith that allows them to create in-game items. Size
World of Warcraft is huge in two ways. First,the scope and the amount of players that it brings to the table. The game world of Azeroth within World of Warcraft has been measured as approximately 80 square miles. While this may seem small compared to a real place such as Earth, Azeroth is filled with many interactive details and avoids large stretches of empty land. World of Warcraft truly is "massive" in terms of the number of active players. World of Warcraft subscribers number in the millions. Last count was about 13 million.Significance
World of Warcraft has made a significant impact on the video game market and the entertainment market in general. Boasting the most paying subscribers of a game of its type, World of Warcraft has brought MMORPGs into the mainstream. Think about it 13 million players at 15.00 a month. Wow! Big money. It has been parodied on popular TV shows such as The Simpsons and South Park, which aired an episode titled "Make Love Not Warcraft." Researchers have studied trends in the game such as its economy and computer glitches because they believe it is a virtual representation of real human interactions and trends.
Identification
World of Warcraft is easily identified by its style and and great art content. Since 1994, Blizzard has been creating the world of Azeroth, complete with it's own races, geography, history and feel. Warcraft is known for its emphasis on dynamic and magical light as well as a heightened almost cartoon-like feel. The sides that each player chooses, Alliance or Horde, also are consistent with the style and world that Blizzard has created for many years. HORDE RULES!!!!
