"Dumbing down" of game due to cutting cost and not "For Casuals"

After reading the latest Kotaku article I’m more convinced that the reason for “dumbing down” content and in game systems is due to the desire to save cost and cheaply/quickly push out more content.

The argument that the dumbing down of the game to appease casuals is an illogical fallacy. Does a casual player really require the game to be simplified with redundant content, itemization dependent on RNG, elimination of RPG elements in the game? I think its silly to believe so. A casual player isn’t mentally challenged, they can understand complexities within videogames.

The only difference we should assume between “Filthy Casuals” and “Hardcore classic folks” is the amount of time available someone has to play the game. But that doesn’t mean the casual player cannot experience the content, it just takes a little bit longer. Which can be GOOD if you want to retain your playerbase so they don’t run out of things to do.

Nowhere does it make sense to eliminate the complexity, depth, challenge, skill requirement, RPG aspects to appease “Casuals”, being casual doesn’t mean you are too stupid to understand these aspects of a videogame. So lets end that fake argument and get to the real reason why these things happened in my opinion.

I believe the reason why the game has been simplified is because its a cheap and easy way to push out new content.

  1. Copy/Paste WQs from legion into BFA is cheap and easy.
  2. The entire itemization system being based on WF/TF is cheap and easy, more than likely the devs can just move a few toggles to “balance” it and the hardest part now is coming up with names for the items.
  3. Implementation of GCD changes to make it cheap and easier to balance PvP for ESports.
  4. Gating content via reputation grinding which is capped at how much you can truly gain daily via WQs is cheap and easy.
  5. Even the Azerite system is cheap and easy, you just copy/paste what skills you would traditionally get while leveling up or a new talent tree row.

For fans of the game, its not Casual vs Hardcore. I’m pretty sure both camps have the same gripes about how shallow the game is. Its the fans vs lazy devs or their corporate overlords forcing these changes.

Imagine this scenario. You’re fighting in a dungeon that is 100% all fire attuned. Well in order to do max dps you will have to gear/spec/tune your character to do frost damage and have fire resist to complete the dungeon comfortably. A incredibly basic simple example of something that adds depth. That example has been around since RPGs were first created, yet how can something so simple be lost is beyond me.

What do y’all think? Is it the “Filthy Casuals” fault for dumbing down the game or the lazy developers wanting easier mechanisms for pushing out cheap/easy content?

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A lot of things are rehashed or cut back these days. Music in Legion was rehashed, class armor sets and lots of transmog choices in BfA are non-existent… the list goes on.

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It wasn’t just world quests that were copy pasted look how many times we had blood orb quests in Nazmir, or how many times we had to kill those snake people in Voldun same mob same quest, different location. I haven’t even bothered looking at Zuldazar but I will.

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I agree with you that “casuals” are not the reason for any changes. There were a lot more casual players PRIOR to WoD, Legion, and BfA.

I think Blizzard wants easy money fast. I think the company’s days of passionate game design and putting fun first are dead and gone. Making an MMO is HARD. The people who were up to that challenge left. The ones who are left just want to collect a paycheck and pump out decks of cards and skins and outsource little phone games.

(Caveat: There are undoubtedly still developers at Blizzard who want to do great work but are not given what they need to do that. I feel for them.)

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Weird theory op :crazy_face:

But i guess for GD this is normal :rofl:

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Agreed. Dumbing down has always been about making it easier and faster for the devs.

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I may be casual, but I enjoy a good fight as much as the hardcore folks.

Besides, I think a lot of other casual people are just as frustrated with the lack of good content as the hardcore people

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I’m sure there are a few gaming companies out there who would be happy to have us old fuddy duddys.

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True game isnt likely going to last after 2 more expansions it will die most likely 2024 once the 9th expansion is over. Blizzard will shut the servers down and finally end World of Warcraft.

This game is not lasting till 2030 or even 2026 its already dying quite rapidly…

And then all the wow players will have to move on in life And go play other video games or private servers if that desperate. Change happens not everyone likes it.

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Only thing that’s constant… but

This is probably true, it just sucks I can’t find anything better quite yet otherwise I wouldn’t be posting on an expired sub :confused:

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Wait if your sub is expired how are you posting you need a sub to post ?

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I’d love to see an actual objective comparison of this - rather than just people’s feelings or one-sided ‘lists’. My feeling is that things are more complex now than in classic. Others seem to think the opposite.

… but neither of us has actual objective proof of it.

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Not since the forums switched over. Some people who have expired subs can post and they haven’t fixed it yet. They know about it though.

Their LIkely waiting till 8.1 to stop expired subs from posting… To help get you to resub we all know how addicting the fourms are.

My pc cant handle other games right now or I would be playing them too, at least during content droughts.

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my husband swears I’m turning on Warhammer every time I get onto WoW lately.

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I just don’t see it because most classes are the same. E-Sports has had a negative effect on this game. Back in classic there was more of a paper, rock, scissors dynamic.

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Its not speculation its a fact just look at each expansions development cost and budget minus inflation . Metzen was always close to or over budget while Ion has always been way under budget and as Paul Harvey famously said “and now you know the rest of the story”.

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I feel that priesting is more complex than it was in classic.

Obviously I cannot claim deathknigthting is more complex now than in classic.

Well, I could, but… it’s not a great claim to make.