Is World of Warcraft a good choice?

[TrueBlueAstrax]

I’ve been noticing a lot of people on Catholic Answers have World of Warcraft accounts, and I was wondering if it was worth my time. I’m a huge gamer, but not really that into MMOs.

However, I LOVE Lord of The Rings, and couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two.

I’m willing to try this game out, but first:

1. Is it objectionable overall? I heard the original Warcraft RTS had atheistic elements.
2. Is it safe? I hear WoW accounts get hacked a lot.
3. Is it addictive? I don’t want to get addicted, as I’m in High School, and I have homework that can’t take a hit.
4. Are there any Catholic guilds? What Server? Alliance or Horde? If I’m going to hang out with people online, I want to be around good, solid Catholics.

Thanks for reading?

 

[DChacon]

i think is safe as long as you keep in mind its just fantasy, the other thing i can recommend is make friends with decent people cause there are alot of people on these mmos that just like to curse up a storm.
i play halo and i stop using my earphone device cause theres idiots in there all over the place, just be careful like everything else in life.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

My high school son plays ALL THE TIME.

He loves it… he even has played with one of his teachers.

I think its addictive, however…

I dont see anything wrong with it. … its not evil or anything.

 

[SlavaPolska]

However, I LOVE Lord of The Rings, and couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two.

If I might make a suggestion, Why not skip World of Warcraft all together and check out Lord of the Rings Online?

This is coming from a long time MMO and World of Warcraft player. If you’re as big of a fan of LotR as I am, then WoW with never hold a candle to it.

lotro.com/gameinfo/what-is-lotro

 

[TrueBlueAstrax]

If I might make a suggestion, Why not skip World of Warcraft all together and check out Lord of the Rings Online?

This is coming from a long time MMO and World of Warcraft player. If you’re as big of a fan of LotR as I am, then WoW with never hold a candle to it.

lotro.com/gameinfo/what-is-lotro

Although I love LotR, I’m also extremely competitive, and perfer a game with more focus on PvP, like Warcraft.

I love Tolkien’s stories for what they are, stories, and not MMORPGs. LotRO also got a somewhat bad review from IGN, no offense.

i think is safe as long as you keep in mind its just fantasy, the other thing i can recommend is make friends with decent people cause there are alot of people on these mmos that just like to curse up a storm.
i play halo and i stop using my earphone device cause theres idiots in there all over the place, just be careful like everything else in life.

That’s the whole reason I planned on joining in the first place: There seemed to be more catholic groups on WoW than on any other game. And yes, I’m well aware of the difference between reality and the game world. I’ve played many MMOs before (mostly the lame free ones.), And I know it’s not worth wasting your real life over.

I also know it’s not worth wasting time worrying over, as far as addiction goes. Most “WoW Addicts” seem to be either completely willing to have their lives ruled by a video game, or are those fakers you see on the news networks. You know, the ones that star in those bogus headlines like “Online video game tears family apart”. Lol.

I just tried out the trial though, and I’m extremely disappointed. The stupid trial starts up, and then after I log in, won’t let me select a realm to play in!

What happened to Mr. T and his Mowhawk Grenades? I don’t want to spend my 14 free days looking at two creepy statues attatched to a gate!

 

[Pons]

I heard the original Warcraft RTS had atheistic elements.

How? Warcraft I and II had Chapels for the human side (when you click, you’ll hear monks singing “Deo Gratias”) and the former had Clerics. (Never played World of Warcraft.)

 

[SlavaPolska]

Although I love LotR, I’m also extremely competitive, and perfer a game with more focus on PvP, like Warcraft.

I love Tolkien’s stories for what they are, stories, and not MMORPGs. LotRO also got a somewhat bad review from IGN, no offense.

IGN actually gave LOTRO an 8.6, which is darn good IMO, especially for an MMO.

While it has PvP, it’s nothing compared to what WoW has to offer at this point. I’m actually considering starting up my account again.

 

[Transformer]

I LOVE Lord of The Rings, and couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two.

What similarities are you thinking of, TrueBlueAstrax? I can’t think of many beyond “they both have fantasy settings.” WoW’s art is stylized (not very LotR-esque) and the setting is high magic.

I heard the original Warcraft RTS had atheistic elements.

Where on earth did you hear this? What were these atheistic elements, and where?

The story and themes in Warcraft have changed some in different iterations, but I’ve never encountered anything particularly atheistic. This sounds like an instance of the paranoia some conservative Christians suffer from that everyone in the big bad culture is possessed by the zeitgeist and out to destroy religion.

I hear WoW accounts get hacked a lot.

I don’t know numbers, but I do know that it’s nearly always people who do stupid things that get their accounts hacked. Buy an authenticator, don’t click on random links from anonymous people on the internet that are probably keyloggers, don’t give out your account name to scam emails, and you’ll probably be fine.

It’s almost certainly still the best MMORPG ever made, whatever that means to you.

 

[Argh]

From someone who raided Molten Core back when it was NEW, take my advice: cocaine may be more expensive in the long run, but ultimately healthier for you.

I exaggerate slightly, but MMORPG’s are for people, such as myself until recently, who had more time on their hands than they know how to deal with.

My brief review of WoW is that its lore has been butchered and the fanbase is actually worse than the developers. If you don’t understand what that means…go visit the forums - “/cry /cry my class can’t WTFPWN that other class anymore since the patch” followed by a Blue saying “Look, you’re going to pay us $15/month no matter how hard we screw the game up or fix it, so we just don’t try very hard anymore.”

 

[SlavaPolska]

From someone who raided Molten Core back when it was NEW, take my advice: cocaine may be more expensive in the long run, but ultimately healthier for you.

I exaggerate slightly, but MMORPG’s are for people, such as myself until recently, who had more time on their hands than they know how to deal with.

My brief review of WoW is that its lore has been butchered and the fanbase is actually worse than the developers. If you don’t understand what that means…go visit the forums - “/cry /cry my class can’t WTFPWN that other class anymore since the patch” followed by a Blue saying “Look, you’re going to pay us $15/month no matter how hard we screw the game up or fix it, so we just don’t try very hard anymore.”

QFT.

 

[Spencerian]

Let me steer the topic back to the ethics and morality of gaming.

I’ve played Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, both based in the Dungeons & Dragons rule set. In this world, magic is readily available, and there is plenty of adventure and derring-do.

As a Catholic now, playing takes in a new dimension with the strong pseudo-religious elements of D&D. For those who aren’t familiar, D&D is a polytheistic universe where characters can choose to worship one particular god. By doing so, their deity grants them access to magical powers befitting that deity’s nature for the character to do their work.

A character chooses a class, or main occupation, that they do. A character can have many roles but many roles are better when you don’t combine them with others. I’m always drawn to two particular classes: the cleric (a priest with defensive and healing powers) and the monk (modeled after shaolin monks more than Catholic ones). Both are very faith-filled and are granted strength by their deities in the game to aid others and defend against evil. You can play such classes as evil characters, but I can never quite get into it.

The question I’ll bring to everyone is how magic is used. In the real world, Catholics do not dabble in magic–that is considered occult, powers not given to us through the Lord, and thus likely to cause great harm. In the game world, the rules are different but you are still a human in the real world, stepping out.

But how far will you step out of your reality?

Do you find yourself drunk on power in a game when playing magical characters, or do you find yourself feeling more immersed in the religiosity of the class through what role-play you do in the game, stepping out of your way to aid others or defend against an enemy?

In short, are you more attracted to power, less worried of its source than what it can do for you in a game? Or, do you respect your powers in the game world, knowing that it is more a responsibility and obligation than a toy?

The answer to that question might be a significant moral or ethical question when you consider that your characters don’t move themselves. Other people with their characters exist. How “Catholic” are you when game playing?

 

[Argh]

Alright, I’m one of those people who tried to save as many NPC’s as possible during some quests in WoW, missions in GTA, or missions in Half-Life, but I wan’t to point something out:

It’s not real. It’s a game.

Granted, I’m all for not acting like a (can I say the word on the forums?..probably not, so I won’t) while playing TF2 or something by either having a handle that makes reference to “chronic,” testicles, farting noises, or any combination thereof, or yelling profanities into your mic as often as allowed by anti-spam software.

Now, that being said, whether or not my party of 3 heroes out to save the world from some evil sorcerer or ancient malevolent entity (Lavos, ftw) does so by shooting lightning out of their fingers or using the power of the cards doesn’t really matter because it’s not real.

Whether you act according to real morals doesn’t matter in-game. Worse, every time you try to do so, like saving your squadmates from Half-Life 2 from certain Strider death, you’re rewarded handsomely when they run straight into the line of fire and are killed instantly. They don’t exist, it’s like trying to ascribe morality to how you treat your sofa.

I’m not trying to denegrate what has been said previously, but if someone starts to think a little too deeply into how they act as a lvl 13 halfling fighter/thief, then I think it’s time to play some Guitar Hero instead.

 

[TrueBlueAstrax]

Alright, I’m one of those people who tried to save as many NPC’s as possible during some quests in WoW, missions in GTA, or missions in Half-Life, but I wan’t to point something out:

It’s not real. It’s a game.

Granted, I’m all for not acting like a (can I say the word on the forums?..probably not, so I won’t) while playing TF2 or something by either having a handle that makes reference to “chronic,” testicles, farting noises, or any combination thereof, or yelling profanities into your mic as often as allowed by anti-spam software.

Now, that being said, whether or not my party of 3 heroes out to save the world from some evil sorcerer or ancient malevolent entity (Lavos, ftw) does so by shooting lightning out of their fingers or using the power of the cards doesn’t really matter because it’s not real.

Whether you act according to real morals doesn’t matter in-game. Worse, every time you try to do so, like saving your squadmates from Half-Life 2 from certain Strider death, you’re rewarded handsomely when they run straight into the line of fire and are killed instantly. They don’t exist, it’s like trying to ascribe morality to how you treat your sofa.

I’m not trying to denegrate what has been said previously, but if someone starts to think a little too deeply into how they act as a lvl 13 halfling fighter/thief, then I think it’s time to play some Guitar Hero instead.

I’m amazed at how many Catholics still keep up the “O NOES! MAGIC GAMES ARE EVIL” Mentality, even though it’s common knowledge Jack Chick started that whole fad.

You mentioned HL2 and TF2. Orange Box much?

I’m goning to be downloading TF2 for the free weekend on Steam that they’re having for the soldier/demoman update. Please add me, my username is same as on these forums.

So anyway, on the grounds of WoW’s moral material, I’d say it looks clean enough. However, $15 doesn’t sound pleasant, especially for a game that looks like an early gamecube title.
And I still haven’t found any Catholic guilds… oh well, I guess I’ll just play TF2 for now, until I can start earning more cash, that is.

Anybody else play TF2?

 

[novaslasher]

As far as advice for the OP, I say be very careful. MMO’s are extremely addicting! They have a sense of community (i.e. the guilds) that make these games far more than just video games and increase the addictiveness since you can crave the in-game friendships. They also have a virtual reward payout system that psychologically addicts you to go after the best gear to make your character elite in comparison to other players. In short, MMO’s devolve into a time sink.

I played Final Fantasy XI, and it consumed 2 years of my life with endless play. I did it because it filled a void after graduating from college and moving to a new city very far from friends and family. My best friend in my home city encouraged me to play as a way of keeping in touch, and it spiraled out of control. I’m so glad I didn’t play this game in college or it would have destroyed my studies during my freshman year when I was lonely and away from home for the first time. Since I didn’t have the game in college, I instead turned to a fraternity and an aerospace club for friendships. I rediscovered my faith too and began to participate. Much more fulfilling!

I still play it now, but have become a casual player after finding balance in my life. If you have a balanced life right now and the virtue of temperance, then these games can be fine for casual play. Just don’t let it consume you when RL gets bad.

In regards to morality in gaming, I think there are morals involved. Certainly, killing an NPC has no moral consequences, but griefing players, stealing rewards from other people, and hurting other people’s reputations have real life consequences since they can ruin someone’s day.

 

[Spencerian]

I’m amazed at how many Catholics still keep up the “O NOES! MAGIC GAMES ARE EVIL” Mentality, even though it’s common knowledge Jack Chick started that whole fad.

You mentioned HL2 and TF2. Orange Box much?

I’m goning to be downloading TF2 for the free weekend on Steam that they’re having for the soldier/demoman update. Please add me, my username is same as on these forums.

So anyway, on the grounds of WoW’s moral material, I’d say it looks clean enough. However, $15 doesn’t sound pleasant, especially for a game that looks like an early gamecube title.
And I still haven’t found any Catholic guilds… oh well, I guess I’ll just play TF2 for now, until I can start earning more cash, that is.

Anybody else play TF2?

Guys,

I’ve probably been playing games before you were even born. My question was directed philosophically, for there are some of us who do NOT separate game world from reality (like the Chicks of the world) and some who play it with issues of their own.

So, since there is no depth to the question of the OT other than quality of the game, I’ll leave you to your discussion on it. Thanks.

 

[johngh]

I played WoW off and on for two years. I raided for a while, had really good gear, was well known on my server for PvP, etc. etc.

I personally can’t remember all that much that I personally found objectionable. Perhaps some people would not like all the demonic things in the game, but it never bothered me because I always kept in mind that it was evil. There is perhaps a bit of danger though in that the game turns all of these evil things into “fun”. The Undercity, which is one of the capital cities in the game, is a perfect example. There are people there that are tortured and crying, body parts hanging from hooks in one room, etc., but it is done in a very cartoony way that makes it difficult to keep in mind how terrible it is. However aside from those few things I can’t remember anything that really frustrated me. It’s especially nice that there are the “holy” characters such as Priests and Paladins (my main was a paladin) and that they talk about the “light” all the time, and there are even some cathedrals in the game. Overall I would say there is nothing too objectionable in the game…except for maybe the people that play it hehe.

However there is one major warning I must give about the game. Everything you hear about it being addictive is true. I do know a few people that tried to play it and never really got into it, but they are in the minority. I would say most people that play the game become addicted, some obsessively so. I was in the obsessive camp. I used to play the game for at least 6 hours a day and it did become unhealthy. That being said at the time I didn’t really have anything else to do, so I honestly don’t regret it too much. Thank God once my life required it I was able to get away from the game, but it was hard.

So I say if you really want a good MMO, WoW is simply the best. I’ve tried almost all of the MMO’s on the market and none of them really even come close (LoTR and WAR come the closest). However if you really want to make good grades, have a girlfriend or want a girlfriend, want to have plenty of time to spend with friends, or just have an addictive personality then I would strongly caution you. I’m not going to lie, WoW still remains one of my favorite games of all time and I had an absolute blast playing it. But you must always keep in mind that it is just a game, and that there are things much more important. If you can do that, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Oh and if you do play, be a ret paladin. They’re the best

 

[novaslasher]

I actually played WoW in the trial version twice for a couple weeks. After playing FFXI, I couldn’t get past how easy WoW is and felt that the colors were searing my retinas. People call their characters “toons” in WoW, and I can definitely see why. It feels like you are dropped in the middle of a cartoon. It’s the most popular MMO by far, but I just couldn’t learn to love it.

I also tried playing Eve Online for a few weeks. Eve is horribly boring if you don’t PVP. Since I was a newb relative to just about everyone else, I didn’t bother with PVP and lost interest fast.

I never did try LoTRO. I love Tolkien’s universe and I don’t want to get addicted to another MMO. Once I leave, FFXI I’m done with MMOs for good.

Still it has to be said: FFXI > WoW

 

[Et_Cetera]

Do something more productive; you’ll be thankful in the long run. Take up biking, running, swimming, reading, etc.

 

[reaganjn]

i play dungeons and dragons online…and they also have it as free 2 play

www.ddo.com

im on the sarlona server and my main character is diomede and reaemma

 

[TrueBlueAstrax]

I played WoW off and on for two years. I raided for a while, had really good gear, was well known on my server for PvP, etc. etc.

I personally can’t remember all that much that I personally found objectionable. Perhaps some people would not like all the demonic things in the game, but it never bothered me because I always kept in mind that it was evil. There is perhaps a bit of danger though in that the game turns all of these evil things into “fun”. The Undercity, which is one of the capital cities in the game, is a perfect example. There are people there that are tortured and crying, body parts hanging from hooks in one room, etc., but it is done in a very cartoony way that makes it difficult to keep in mind how terrible it is. However aside from those few things I can’t remember anything that really frustrated me. It’s especially nice that there are the “holy” characters such as Priests and Paladins (my main was a paladin) and that they talk about the “light” all the time, and there are even some cathedrals in the game. Overall I would say there is nothing too objectionable in the game…except for maybe the people that play it hehe.

However there is one major warning I must give about the game. Everything you hear about it being addictive is true. I do know a few people that tried to play it and never really got into it, but they are in the minority. I would say most people that play the game become addicted, some obsessively so. I was in the obsessive camp. I used to play the game for at least 6 hours a day and it did become unhealthy. That being said at the time I didn’t really have anything else to do, so I honestly don’t regret it too much. Thank God once my life required it I was able to get away from the game, but it was hard.

So I say if you really want a good MMO, WoW is simply the best. I’ve tried almost all of the MMO’s on the market and none of them really even come close (LoTR and WAR come the closest). However if you really want to make good grades, have a girlfriend or want a girlfriend, want to have plenty of time to spend with friends, or just have an addictive personality then I would strongly caution you. I’m not going to lie, WoW still remains one of my favorite games of all time and I had an absolute blast playing it. But you must always keep in mind that it is just a game, and that there are things much more important. If you can do that, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Oh and if you do play, be a ret paladin. They’re the best

That being said, I think I’ll wait on WoW. I intend to try it some day, but If what you say about addiction is true, this might not be the game for me at the moment. However, my focus is not on roleplaying, PvE or Leveling. My focus is fragging opponents. As I mentioned earlier, I’m extremely competitive. However, I also realize It’s just a game, and as I’ve gone down the road of mild MMO addiction before (though never 6 hours per day), I can safely say that I’d never focus my life on a mere game again, it’s not worth it.

And yes, Paladins > Every other class.

Do something more productive; you’ll be thankful in the long run. Take up biking, running, swimming, reading, etc.

Just because It’s a computer game doesn’t mean it can’t be productive. Take Counter-Strike for instance. You can learn C++ and Hammer/Source editing skills by creating maps for that game. The game itself is highly strategic, forcing you to make spilt-second fight-or-flight responses, or get fragged.

World of Warcraft, from what I hear, is also very strategic, as well as a good game for friends to get together on when they can’t visit one another.

And nobody said you can’t bike, play sports or read just because gaming’s one of your hobbies. I’m afraid a lot of people have this misconception that every gamer that plays stuff more intense that Peggle or Wii Sports is a loser who eats Cheetos and Snickers while gaming in his mom’s basement.

I appreciate all the comments, from all you guys though. Thanks for helping me out!