I have talked to a lot of folks, guild members, bloggers, fans of the podcast and blog, and I have gotten a variety of answers to this question, and to be honest it surprised me. Perhaps it was my inexperience shining through, but when Burning Crusade his, 22 months ago, it felt like the collective of WoW players were bristling with excitement over the expansion. People eagerly warmed the gate area, slaughtering demons en masse, and waiting anxiously for the portal to be accessible, waiting to pass through it's swirl into the world many of us has seen only in screen shots and YouTube leaks.
I was there, on that dais, 22 months ago, when the first Netherwhelp appeared alongside it's proud new owner. A guildmate had gotten his Collector's Edition, so many of us int he Shadow Walkers, occupying a reserved corner of the platform, sat and watched, admiring the sweet looking pet. Then, his excitement getting the better of him, the netherwhelp departed, following it's owner, as he ventured to the portal and through it. "HOLY SHIT!" were the next words he uttered in guild chat, as he eyed the world on the other side. All of us, each just as envious as the next, sat there for the next hour as first one by one, then ten by ten, and then in waves the players of Argent Dawn US passed through the Dark Portal.
If I were to compare the excitement, the eagerness, and the atmosphere of that launch, on that cold, snowy night in January, to the times now, as we approach the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, I can only call this muted. Yes, there are midnight launches. Yes, there are parties planned the world over. But somehow, this time, it all seems less of a fervor. The bloggers are excited, but even a few of them have said they aren't getting Wrath on the 13th. Some will go on the weekend, some in a week, and yet others say they are going to be buying it in weeks or months.
Will every one of those people hold off? No, of course not. They will see their friends, and their guildmates going on those boats and those zepplins to Northrend. They will see the loot from Utgarde, and Nexus, and drool. They will use the dressing room to see how uber that Death Knight gear would look on them. But some will resist. Some will continue their resolve to hold back. I know I won't, and don't plan to. I intend to leave work at 9 pm, and take the next bus to the EB Games, preorder receipt in hand. I intend to hustle my ass along the no doubt ice filled sidewalks those 4 blocks to my home. I will turn the camera on, and begin to record the unboxing of my Collector's Edition. How about you?
I was there, on that dais, 22 months ago, when the first Netherwhelp appeared alongside it's proud new owner. A guildmate had gotten his Collector's Edition, so many of us int he Shadow Walkers, occupying a reserved corner of the platform, sat and watched, admiring the sweet looking pet. Then, his excitement getting the better of him, the netherwhelp departed, following it's owner, as he ventured to the portal and through it. "HOLY SHIT!" were the next words he uttered in guild chat, as he eyed the world on the other side. All of us, each just as envious as the next, sat there for the next hour as first one by one, then ten by ten, and then in waves the players of Argent Dawn US passed through the Dark Portal.
If I were to compare the excitement, the eagerness, and the atmosphere of that launch, on that cold, snowy night in January, to the times now, as we approach the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, I can only call this muted. Yes, there are midnight launches. Yes, there are parties planned the world over. But somehow, this time, it all seems less of a fervor. The bloggers are excited, but even a few of them have said they aren't getting Wrath on the 13th. Some will go on the weekend, some in a week, and yet others say they are going to be buying it in weeks or months.
Will every one of those people hold off? No, of course not. They will see their friends, and their guildmates going on those boats and those zepplins to Northrend. They will see the loot from Utgarde, and Nexus, and drool. They will use the dressing room to see how uber that Death Knight gear would look on them. But some will resist. Some will continue their resolve to hold back. I know I won't, and don't plan to. I intend to leave work at 9 pm, and take the next bus to the EB Games, preorder receipt in hand. I intend to hustle my ass along the no doubt ice filled sidewalks those 4 blocks to my home. I will turn the camera on, and begin to record the unboxing of my Collector's Edition. How about you?
I'm one of the people holding off on getting Wrath. The money for it just isn't there right now, and I have no clue when it will be. November is a really busy month for me, what with NaPodPoMo going on, and it's been really hard to find time to play WoW at all. (So far, that is. Still trying.). I figure I'm not going to have time really start playing on a daily basis until sometime in December anyway, so, why spend the money until I can play more? There is still more than enough for me to do in WoW as it is right now, with my little toons.
I think that the money issue is likely to be the major factor involved in why people are waiting. I'm excited about Wrath, but just can't do it right away.
My Wrath day will be whenever my father gets the game over to me. I'm probably not even going to be in WoW between Thursday and whenever it is, because I remember how frustrating it was last time, sitting in Stormwind and hearing stories of Outland. Hopefully this time it won't take 2 weeks, though!