Twenty years, in video game time, is an eternity. At the age of 20, a video game is generally considered “retro”: its place is more in a museum than on a PC or console – unless it benefits from a possible remake. World of Warcraft (WoW), released on November 23, 2004, is however an exception: this massively multiplayer role-playing game in which, to put it simply, the Humans of the Alliance and the Orcs of the Horde clash for control of the world of Azeroth, remains largely active. While games of the genre generally only continue to attract players by adopting a free-to-play model, WoW still relies on a paid subscription and, every two years, its extensions find millions of buyers.
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If the title still benefits from remarkable vitality and resists the erosion of its player base, it is because it can be more than a simple game: it is also a place of comfort, sociability and human warmth, forever associated, among veterans, with the memory of more carefree years, often those of high school or studies. So, if many ended up dropping out, like the hundred players who responded to the call for testimonies from the Mondeit is often reluctantly.
Work, always work
There are many reasons why the flame may flicker. However, the same thing comes up often: lack of time. « I played a lot between 2007 and 2012, remembers Lucie, 40 years old, environmental mission manager in Brest. This feeling of being totally emancipated and independent was hyperliberating. I spent a lot of hours there, especially nights, including a New Year's Eve which remains among my best memories. » However, she took a break when writing her master's thesis. When getting back into it, unconvinced by the new features of the last expansion (Mists of Pandariain which “they added pandas”), she hangs up.
For middle and high school students, the effects of time swallowed up in WoW are measured in a painfully objective way. “I had a completely fulfilled social life both in the game, but also outside the game”says Sam. This 33-year-old computer scientist based in the Netherlands has practiced intensely WoWfrom class 4e at 1reto the point of jeopardizing his education. “It was absolutely brilliant, but my grades took a big hit!” I had to slow down in order to get correct results for my post-baccalaureate file. I played again a little afterwards, but very sporadically, before stopping completely”he adds.
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