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PC | RPG | World of Warcraft

Boxart for World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft 150 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.3
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.7
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Feature: This Persistent Life: Save our PvP

Feature by Miguel Lopez | 09/24/2007 | 12:12:19 PM PST

WoW PvP needs a shot in the arm. Here are the two biggest problems, and what Blizzard needs to do to fix them.

I'll begin this column with something of an overstatement: PvP in World of Warcraft is currently hurting bad. I say it's an overstatement because I'm sure that the actual numbers would disprove this. See, I don't doubt that there are just as many people, if not more, participating in arenas and battlegrounds as there were when these systems launched. Given how much the game has grown since then, it's a guarantee, as a matter of fact.

In order for the nature of what's ailing WoW PvP to reveal itself, you have to look a bit deeper. The symptoms don't make themselves readily apparent, and the effects won't be felt immediately. Yes, it would be melodramatic to say that there is a quiet cancer malignantly eating away at WoW PvP, but it's also a little bit true. But Blizzard can make it right.

What follows are the two biggest issues facing the game's PvP system right now, and what Blizzard needs to do to make things right. If you're a PvPer, chances are that this won't be news to you. But if you're casual when it comes to antagonizing your fellow players, then this may help you see some of the game's issues in a different light.

#1: A Diminishing profile in the esports world

Last week, the World Series of Video Games was abruptly shut down. Games Media Properties, the company responsible for the event, revealed that it would instead focus its efforts on its online content and community sites (e.g., Amped eSports, and Gameriot.com). Apparently, it just didn't make sense to continue hosting such a cumbersome real-life event, in light of how successful the online properties were becoming. The reason this sucks for WoW's PvP community: the WSVG was home to the 3v3 arena tournament. Why is this a big deal? For starters, the 3v3 bracket is probably the most strategically-compelling expression of the WoW arena system. And judging from the activity on the blogs, chat rooms, and message boards, the top players aren't too happy about the fact that their premier talent showcase (not to mention a good portion of their livelihood, in the case of professional gamers) has been done away with.

It may be easy to dismiss the impact of the cancellation if you argue that so very few players actually got to participate to begin with, to do so would be to fail to acknowledge the massive "brain drain" that would occur were these players to actually abandon WoW PvP, which, if I were to take a lot of what I'm hearing at face value, seems like definite possibility. Not only do these players inspire the masses, but they also produce videos, keep blogs, and generally further their personalities in and out of the game. They help keep it relevant, and they give the average players something to aspire to. What's left? The 2v2 tournament hosted by the Championship Gaming Series, and Blizzard's own 5v5 arena tournament. If you're a WoW player, you're already familiar with the derisiveness of the playerbase's attitude toward this bracket. As for 5v5, Blizzard doesn't seem to be communicative enough about its future. It's a safe bet that it will continue, but it's anyone's guess what form it'll take.

The solution: Blizzard should host its own official tournaments for every bracket, and get them televised. They should also cooperate with legit organizations interested in hosting online tournaments. Some folks at Gameriot, in fact, are actually trying to make this happen, in light of the WSVG's cancellation. If Blizzard could provide them with some private servers on which to do it, it would go a long way toward filling the void left by the cancellation of the premier 3v3 tourney.


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