Blizzard

World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, has sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This eclipses the previous record of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in January 2007 by Blizzard's first World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade. Wrath of the Lich King was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Chile, Argentina, and Russia on November 13; Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on November 14; and South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18.

I know most people on here hate WoW but shipping 2.8 million units in a day is very impressive and just goes to show Blizzard knows how to make quality games. So, that's about it really.

diablo 3 will top this

The PC isn't dead - WoW just stole all the gamers

yeah selling crack to addicts is real tough :P

^ Doubt it ^
People will want it first day, but there isn't 11 million people who are addicted to WoW who NEED the expansion.

its not a game its an addiction

I've never played WoW but I hear stories all the time about addicts. Even mates of mine who have never played a PC game in their life know people who are literally addicted to WoW.

Why is it so addictive? I've seen people playing it and it looked s*** to me. I'm also afraid to try it in case I get sucked in too :P

diablo 3 will top this

what about starcraft 2?

Or the next WoW expansion.

I've hardly heard of this Lion King thing, or even that much about WoW. The impression I get from the world is that everyone is playing the new Guitar Heroes.

last edited by thermite at 12:59:06 21/Nov/08

Why is it so addictive? I've seen people playing it and it looked s*** to me. I'm also afraid to try it in case I get sucked in too :P

The human mind can't tell the difference between simulated happiness and real happiness. Essentially, this means that as you get rewarded, and gain achievements in a virtual space it means as much to your mind as getting rewarded and gaining achievements in real spaces. Except it's generally much easier to gain achievements and rewards in WoW than it is to advance in the real world.

This is compounded by the fact that early achievements, rewards and development is very quick, but taper off as you advance.

Also, the achievements/rewards and development is true not only for gameplay, but social elements as well.

Lastly, I don't mean to say that people can't tell the difference between gameplay and reality. Cognitively, we know that we're not killing a dragon. However, the sense of achievement you get from working out the strategy for killing Uber_Mob_01 is very similar to successfully solving any problem.

What typo said, the only addition would be, its no different to any other hobby.

People enjoy fishing as hobby when they catch something difficult, otherwise we'd just get dynamite and barrels.

So long as it remains a hobby who cares.

haha guitar hero doesn't have s*** on wow. sad but true

WoW also requires a dedicated block of time even though you might just be at home on the computer. Take Obes example with fishing - nobody minds when someone goes fishing from 5am until midday but if you were to sit at home on the computer playing WoW from 5am to midday then you're an addict with a problem, your wife will leave you and other such doomsday events.

The human mind can't tell the difference between simulated happiness and real happiness.

While I agree with your post, this is not really correct. Artificial or simulated happpiness would involve an induced chemical reaction in the brain - ie teh drugs manz.

WoW just provides regular old happiness for doing s*** that delivers a sense of achievement. The achievement is simulated and virtual, not the 'happiness'.

Like the apocalypse.

. Artificial or simulated happpiness would involve an induced chemical reaction in the brain - ie teh drugs manz.

?? How does that contradict what typo said? The actual mind can't tell the differnece

Essentially, this means that as you get rewarded, and gain achievements in a virtual space it means as much to your mind as getting rewarded and gaining achievements in real spaces. Except it's generally much easier to gain achievements and rewards in WoW than it is to advance in the real world.

I know for some people this is true but for me it's not at all. I get zero enjoyment out of "achievements" in any game and haven't really done for ages. The only sense of achievement I've gotten playing video games since about 1993 was when I spanked someone in a multiplayer game, which is why I've barely ever looked at single player games since and why I've been so addicted to multiplayer FPS.


edit: and why I was so disappointed when BF2 pretty much ruined online FPS for me with the global stats system, turning it from a game about teamplay and skill into a game about stats whoring

last edited by trog at 13:55:11 21/Nov/08

?? How does that contradict what typo said? The actual mind can't tell the differnece

Because brain chemistry is reacting to regular sensory stimuli like it does with any other activity (virtual or not).

The distinction might seem arbitrary to you but it doesn't make it wrong.

I think its also the regular small rewards - better items and so forth. I dont mean achievements in terms of beating a monster or levelling up, just the pseudo-random item drops that you get as you play. In that respect there's a sense of gambling - just as you can keep pumping money through a slot machine for the 'big score', there's the same mechanic in WoW from killing monsters. You never know when that rare item might drop from a killed monster.

I'm with trog on this one. I was pretty much addicted to quakeworld through my school years but it was more about kicking someone else's arse and being the best rather than a video game. ie. I couldn't play a single player game and haven't since - the only achievement for me was beating a real person.

Being the best at _________
Being the best at video games

"more about kicking someone else's arse and being the best" at a video game
"rather than a video game"

Hmm ~!

last edited by DeePer at 16:09:12 21/Nov/08

turning it from a game about teamplay and skill into a game about stats whoring

You define skill as reaction time and reflexes. I think its a poor definition.

I agree that is a skill. But I also suggest cognitively breaking down the game and working how to achieve a better result is also a skill. As is practice.

So while I agree that bf2 and stats whoring was lame, it is still a skill (if a gay one). But I actually believe quake2 ruined gaming. Infinite range instant high damage weapons put the focus on a single skill set. You only liked it cos that was your skill set.

eg. 3 players in quake, vaguely of similar quality.
Frog, timed everything on the map, mathematically (atleast it felt that way) broke down peoples playing styles. Worst aim of the 3.
Jim, practice practice practice pineapple, better aim then frog, but he knew dm4 like he knew the taste of southern.
Kabas, an absolute freak huge reaction skills the bulls*** he pulled of was amazing.

This was the joy of quake. It allowed multiple play styles to compete.
Practice let you find holes, "exploits", tricks to gain the advantage.
Brains could let you think the game through.
Reactions and reaction time could compensate for everything.

Sure at the top levels the players had all 3 characteristics usually.

But as an example I saw Muffinman (definately not as good as frog, jim or kabas by a long shot) beat kabas in a duel by getting 2 cheap frags at the start and then hiding for 15mins. Kabas put his fist through a wall ... such anger.

for me I think it might've been more like:
pineapple pineapple pineapple pineapple

then more pineapples

While I agree with your post, this is not really correct. Artificial or simulated happpiness would involve an induced chemical reaction in the brain - ie teh drugs manz.

My terminology was based on many presentations from Professor Daniel Gilbert from Harvard University who talks about the brains ability to simulate many emotions (without the use of drugs). In my case, I was being specific in the regard to the environment the user acts in to gain that emotional state: simulated/virtual would be in a gaming environment; real/physical would be at work in person and such.

This is a really good example of the kind of content I'm talking about (From Prof. Gilbert) on the simulation of happiness.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html

I know for some people this is true but for me it's not at all. I get zero enjoyment out of "achievements" in any game and haven't really done for ages.

Just because you don't enjoy collaborative (or maybe just MMO) games, that doesn't invalidate my point. You still derive enjoyment from online games because to your brain competing in an virtual space is just as enjoyable as competing in a physical one.

You define skill as reaction time and reflexes. I think its a poor definition.

I do?

But I actually believe quake2 ruined gaming. Infinite range instant high damage weapons put the focus on a single skill set. You only liked it cos that was your skill set.

I did?

So while I agree that bf2 and stats whoring was lame, it is still a skill (if a gay one).

It's useless though - its not really indicative of whether you're a good player or not. It might imply or suggest it, but at the end of the day you can put two people together and their BF2 stats mean dick.

The problem is, it changed the way people play games - instead of playing for their team to win, they play to whore their own stats. So it fundamentally changes the way the games work, and it makes it utterly, utterly uninteresting for people like me who only care about trying to make the team win.

I am just saying, I only get satisfaction from beating other, actual humans in a game, because I think it actually means something. Picking up a +50 Diamond Sword of Troll Slaying when I've broken my mouse left clicking on random creatures doesn't interest me in the slightest because I don't feel there's any real achievement. Even in-game achievements like in Xbox games ("500 dead enemies" or whatever) don't interest me. Achievements in FPS games are similarly uninteresting to me - I don't care if I kill 10 people in a row and get a gold star cuz it's immaterial if my team loses.

man i hated quad timers

I think you secretly loved them, and me

I am just saying, I only get satisfaction from beating other, actual humans in a game, because I think it actually means something. Picking up a +50 Diamond Sword of Troll Slaying when I've broken my mouse left clicking on random creatures doesn't interest me in the slightest because I don't feel there's any real achievement.

1: Except you don't get rewarded for simply clicking on random creatures until your mouse breaks. The real rewards come through the implementation of logistic strategies and helping out your buddies. The +13 hackmaster is simply a representation of the real achievement.

2: Just because you don't enjoy it doesn't mean that it isn't real or valid. I mean, nobody here doubts your enjoyment of competing against people in an online forum, that doesn't mean we all have to enjoy something for your enjoyment to be real and valid.

2: Just because you don't enjoy it doesn't mean that it isn't real or valid. I mean, nobody here doubts your enjoyment of competing against people in an online forum, that doesn't mean we all have to enjoy something for your enjoyment to be real and valid.

Yeh, not saying that at all, just saying for me those sort of achievements aren't 'achievements' in that I don't feel I've actually achieved the goal I set out to do when I started playing the game. They're more like placemarkers along the way to the final goal, I guess.

Yeh, not saying that at all, just saying for me those sort of achievements aren't 'achievements' in that I don't feel I've actually achieved the goal I set out to do when I started playing the game. They're more like placemarkers along the way to the final goal, I guess.

I have a feeling that you're taking a very literal meaning of the word Achievement and how it is used in many games. That's not a wrong approach I suppose and I probably should have been much more specific in what I mean.

In general, the sense of achievement I'm talking about is when you and your friends jump into a very difficult situation and by working together you pull off something that many other people would consider difficult for whatever reason. I think it's very similar to your notion of "I don't care, as long as my team wins". I really don't care about the hackmaster +13, as long as my team wins. Getting my hands on a hackmaster +13 means that my team can engage in bigger, more difficult encounters.

In general, the sense of achievement I'm talking about is when you and your friends jump into a very difficult situation and by working together you pull off something that many other people would consider difficult for whatever reason.

Yeh I spose in that sense I guess that's true; thinking about it like that its much more like an RTS game where each person is controlling one particular unit and you've got to mesh everything together. I don't MMO so I dunno if there's someone that organises it all or if everyone just tries to do their own thing so not sure with whom the achievement lies :)

What typo said.

Having recently bought a 2nd hand copy of Fable for my 2nd hand xbox (woot) I had a mashing session against wave after wave of (quite strong) Hobbes to get through a Demon Door. After using x resurrection phials (after dying a few times), y health potions and having lapped up a s***eload of XP blobs from killing them and then finally being able to relax, i felt like id achieved something. Not anything particularly useful in real life, but nonetheless it was satisfying to have finally beaten them after coming so close to dieing for the last time and to come out with a heap of XP to be able spend on my character.

last edited by 3dee at 17:47:22 21/Nov/08

I don't MMO so I dunno if there's someone that organises it all or if everyone just tries to do their own thing so not sure with whom the achievement lies :)

little from column A and a lot from column B depending on who you are playing with

If you're playing with Jim, it's all him

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2008/20081114.jpg

^^haha..

still havent played wow and im grateful I havent.. like le cock i just can see the enjoyment in it. I still get more of a kick out of my halo or quake 3 multi FPS.. nothing comes close.

if you're playing with deeper, he's anything but a sleeper

Only cause he's not allowed to be I would imagine. He doesn't /follow and f*** off to KFC then? :)

screw achievements. it's got to be mano el mano ie. player v player. cod4 for me has taken online competitive gaming to the next level.

cod4 for me has taken online competitive gaming to the next level.

The battle of the insta prone is so win!

The only reason I stepped out of competitive gaming is that the vast majority of people who play FPS games online are some sort of retarded pedo wall licker.

I know, I know, pre-made clan matches are the way to go, but pugs are were you refine your skills and I just can't put up with the total deads***tery that goes on in there.

valid point. pugs are completely retarded.

The alluring things for WoW for me were the landscapes and all the different types of monsters and items.

Everything else was s***.

people who play FPS games online are some sort of retarded pedo wall licker.

It's making statements like these like it's a given fact that make people wonder if you're not on crack.

Entertaining though.

Well typo just can't stand wall lickers!

I must admit of all the pedos who lick walls, retarded ones would have to be my least-liked as well

You'd lick a wall if it tasted like Gabz

I farted on a wall once

who's gabz

It's making statements like these like it's a given fact that make people wonder if you're not on crack.

I was trying to force in used-f***-sock in a passage that I edited out.

Yeah Phooks I have to agree there I like the variety in the monsters you face in Wow. I mean fighting a level 10 pig is so different from fighting a level 10 wolf. s*** and the game only gets more indepth when you hit max level and you fight the level 80 pigs and level 80 wolves.

Not having a shot at you there Phooks only at wow. :)

Your comments may be based on personal opinion Trog , but if you were to ever reach endgame PVE I believe your view may change. Being 1/10 or 1/25 people in a Raid group definately gives you a sense of accomplishment.

I think the most rewarding experience in a game for me is perfecting something as a team. The most fun I ever had back in my WoW days was when myself and 3 mates all started new toons together and started leveling up. We were going through and doing dungeons that were well over our level with just the 4 of us, because we were so well in sync and strategised. It was so much fun, and it's the only way I'd ever consider playing WoW again. I think TBC killed WoW for me because the new dungeons usually required this sort of sync and strategy, but there was always some d******* who would f*** up or would just lack the mental ability to carry out a plan.

I like Left 4 Dead because it kind of brings back the working for perfection as a team thing. If you're playing in expert mode and you're not all paying attention and doing what you're supposed to, the whole team is screwed. You actually feel like an integral part of a team.

This thread is completely off-topic someone should ban that trog guy.

Anyway Wrath Of The Lich King isn't a game, it's an expansion right? So I don't think it should count, nor Burning Crusade... what's the highest game on the list that is actually a stand-alone game, and if that one isn't, what's the highest non-sequel?

Hm, isn't The Sims only the best selling game ever because they include expansion pack sales?