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World of Warcraft attracts more than 8 million players |
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Tuesday, 30 January 2007 |
by MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
To satisfy the over eight million World of Warcraft players across the globe, Blizzard Entertainment released “The Burning Crusade” expansion pack Jan. 16.
“The Burning Crusade” allows World of Warcraft (WOW) players to ascend to level 70. Without the expansion pack, players were capped at level 60.
 Active Image | Screenshot
More than 8 million people play World of Warcraft and more are joining the massively
multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) since the release of the new expansion.
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According to worldofwarcraft.com, over 2.4 million WOW players purchased the expansion pack within the first 24 hours of sales.
On a listing of universities with the most WOW players, Appalachian
State University sits at number 132 of 1,109 schools, according to
mapwow.com.
This does not surprise freshman Tony M. Uliano, who guesses one of
every six male students at Appalachian plays or has played WOW.
“In my dorm, almost everyone plays WOW and people who didn’t play have
started playing,” Uliano said. “But we live in a dorm room. What else
is there to do?”
Uliano has played WOW since the game emerged almost two years ago and
pre-ordered “The Burning Crusade” four months before it was released.
“I was at the highest level for about seven months before [“The Burning
Crusade” came out], so it’s fun to see new places and things,” Uliano
said.
In addition to the initial purchase of the WOW software, players must pay $15 per month to play the game, Uliano said.
 | Screenshot
Blizzard Entertainment sales of “World of Warcraft: The Burning
Crusade” reached over 2.4 million copies within the first 24 hours.
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Uliano said the game increases in difficulty by levels, which makes it easy to get caught up in the game.
“It might take you three minutes to get from level one to level two, but three days to get from level 59 to 60,” Uliano said.
Uliano estimates he spends about 36 to 40 hours per week playing WOW.
“It’s easy to do. During breaks in between classes, you just log on for an hour or so,” Uliano said.
To combat the addicting nature of the game, Uliano said he makes some
rules for himself, including avoiding the game before classes begin and
on the weekends.
“The problem is when you start giving up social functions,” Uliano
said, “You find yourself making excuses, like you have to wash the car
or solve world hunger, just to play WOW.”
“I wouldn’t advise anyone to start playing,” Uliano said. “It takes over your life – it’s addicting.”
Uliano, who maintained a 3.25 GPA in his first semester at Appalachian, does not think the game has affected his schoolwork.
“As long as you are still hanging out with friends and doing some
physical activity, you don’t feel bad about playing WOW,” Uliano said.
Sophomore business education major Eli C. Mauck also pre-ordered “The
Burning Crusade” but said he saw around 200 people waiting for the game
at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 in Boone.
Mauck is currently at level 66 and said he prefers to take his time with the expansion pack.
“I would rather slow down and take time to explore the new areas of the game,” Mauck said.
Mauck said the game’s appeal is in the fact that it “never gets boring.”
“You can play with all your friends, and they are always coming out with new quests, new items and new bosses,” Mauck said.
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