Raiding (and other play styles)

My post today is once again inspired by one over at Tobold's MMORPG Blog. Tobold's post today begins with a comment he received stating "Lets face it - outside of raiding there is very little to do in WOW that is fun."

Now I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Ever since I got my original character to the level cap, I have never wanted to do the levelling grind again. The name of my blog should give some indication as to how much I detest questing. While I am sure that I will go into this in more detail in future, at a basic level I need some sort of challenge, competition or excitement (some of all three is a bonus!).

Questing provides none of this for me. I love raiding because it does provide all of the things I mentioned above. Guild camaderie is a huge part of this as well. The feeling of banding together with friends to achieve a common goal is what sets raiding (and MMOs) apart from any other type of gaming challenge. For me, as a single player game, WOW is tedious. There are far better single player RPG experiences out there.

I am aware that there are people who will level a character to 85 and then turn around and start again with a new character. I am not exagerrating when I say that I cannot even begin to comprehend this playstyle. What is the goal? What are you trying to achieve? Tobold mentions in his article that his wife has played for 6 years and never set foot in a dungeon, let alone a raid. While these players clearly still derive pleasure and satisfaction from the way they play, it is utterly alien to me.

Some people dismiss raiding, claiming they "don't want another job." For me, it is the other way around. 1-85 is a chore that has to be completed so that I can enjoy what I see as the heart of the game.