Ryan's+WoW+Page




 * World of Warcraft** is a monster in the gaming world. **//Blizzard// //Entertainment//**'s creation, released in late Fall 2004, has become one of the highest grossing online computer games of all time, with more than 11.5 million monthly subscribers (back in 2008). The game has continued to grow and expand since its release and now has two major in-game content installments, aka "expansion sets". I personally have played the game on-and-off since its release back in 2004, but rarely get to play due to school, commitments, and attempting to have a social life. :) So yes, this is a somewhat selfish project, seeing as I get to play a fun game for "homework". My project will hopefully give everyone a taste of my experience playing this game and show how Blizzard has continually set the standard in not only MMO's, but in all the genres and platforms of gaming.

The Basics
First and foremost, to play the game you must purchase the product from a local retailer or download it online from worldofwarcraft.com. You then have to pay a fee of $15 a month via credit or debit card to have access to the world. After you install the game and automatically download the in-game content you are then ready to begin playing! The game is based on the idea that each individual player controls an avatar (not to be confused with the newly popularized blue alien people). This avatar, better known as a character, is immersed into Blizzard's created world of Azeroth. Azeroth is similar to earth in many regards, but has a unique variety of humanoid races and creatures that composite it. The basic premise of the game is that two opposing factions from the world of Azeroth are in continual conflict with one another, and you as a character in this world must chose a faction to take sides with. Each side is composed of a variety of races and the races work as a team to compete and war with the other faction. So, the first step in this journey is to pick your faction and race!

On the left is the creation screen where you see your character. On the upper left corner are the two factions, The Alliance and The Horde, and each faction contains the 5 unique races. After you have chosen who to side with and your favorite race, you must next chose your class. Your class determines the types of abilities your character can use in the world. For example, if you are the warrior class you will receive abilities to pummel and physically beat up your enemies (think 300 Spartan). If you choose the mage class you will obtain a variety of spells (think Harry Potter) to destroy the opposing faction!

Now that you have chosen your faction, race, and class it is time to enter the world! If you wish to learn even more in-depth info the wikipedia page for WoW is great. [|wikipedia - World of Warcraft] - I can confirm that the information on this page is spot on and gives an in-depth explanation of the concepts of the game, how it operates, and more.