I thought this series of videos was spot on and points out flaws in MMO’s in general, not just WoW. Numbers 4 and 7 really stuck out to me in regards to WoW however. I’ll share my thoughts on each sin, as I see committed in WoW, down below:
EDIT: My thoughts specifically in regards to WoW (4 & 7 being the ones that really hit home for me):
Specifically to vid #4 - The time gating is a very noticeable sin that wow has been committing for some time now. It really does showcase how little content there is when it has to be so obviously gated to stretch it out. The vid also touches on reusing assets with recolors but it also goes into how that can be reasonable to the game design process to some degree.
Specifically to vid #7 - We all remember “don’t you have phones?” and “you think you do but you don’t” (which is highlighted in that video). The WoW devs have had moments where their pride has been on full display, and not in the best way.
Specifically to vid #1 - WoW doesn’t commit the “lust” sin as presented in #1 except perhaps with Demon Hunters, but different races having access to different classes isn’t really so bad (though DH’s being restricted to one race kinda sucks) so long as both genders can be that class imo.
Specifically to vid #2 - I think WoW commits this sin by intentionally designing new features with built in obsolescence (covenants, artifacts, azerite, etc).
Specifically to vid #3 - I don’t think WoW is too bad here.
Specifically to vid #5 - Blizz has made pvp required for certain pve quest lines, and obviously people who only want to focus on pvp have to engage in far more pve than they probably want to.
Specifically to vid #6 - The removal of content from a game, in a genre where content is king, seems counterproductive to the design of an MMO imo.
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Hmm, not going to watch these but I can summarize what’s wrong with the game’s direction imho.
Remember this Blizzard Entertainment mantra? (not Blizavision): Gameplay first.
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lmao that first thumbnail
No thanks
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Find the fun. 
Used to be a mantra, now it’s more of a challenge.
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I’m not watching your videos.
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They aren’t mine, but I did find them very relevant to how I’ve seen WoW and other MMO’s I play designed. Number 4 in particular touches on time gating and it really hit home for me in regards to WoW.
You don’t have to watch them if you don’t want to though. I just felt like they are worth mentioning, and if people actually do watch them, it might spark some discussion.
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Well MMOs are fantasy games often designed by greedy corporations so I guess I’m not surprised to see the 7 Deadly Sins applied there.
What’s a shame though is that not all MMO’s start out that way. WoW didn’t. It just ended up evolving that way unfortunately.
I feel like I’ve been put on a list just for glancing at that first video thumbnail.
You shouldn’t. Despite the thumbnail, the first video has nothing to do with anything untoward.
Hard pass, but thank you for sharing.
I have my own ideas on why a lot of games are flailing. I suppose I can see correlations through the listed “sins,” but I’m not into watching random YouTube videos.
I watched these videos the other day and they were absolutely spot on. Josh Strife Hayes has some of the best insights on the genre that I have ever seen.
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I watched this video so far. This reminds me of how demon hunters are only restricted to two races. All because the devs felt it was aesthetically most fitting.
Cool of you to put up. Will watch when I have a bit more time. Good idea…ironically just in time for the end of Lent. Would be fun to have a miracle resurrection by Tuesday!
The dude didn’t actually present an argument. He just said “this is the way it should be” as if that was obvious. I completely disagree. In fact, WoW goes too far in that direction in my personal opinion. A gnome should not physically overpower a Tauren. He just shouldn’t. Lore-wise, gameplay-wise in RTS, visually, everything would suggest “the Tauren can grab the Gnome and chuck him like yesterday’s trash”.
In a game like DAOC, races had stats. Small races had less physical stats for the most part, the exception being dwarf who are very hardy. Usually smaller races would have higher dex and/or quickness. What this let to is that typically you’d see big bulky frontliners as tanks and small or frail races as casters, just as you’d expect. The mechanics tie into your sense of immersion and help create a believable world. You could sometimes buck that trend through usage of magical items and enhancement buffs, so if you wanted to make a really small melee DPS for PvP to make it hard to track, it wasn’t impossible, it just was more off-meta.
I think Demon Hunters being only Elves is one of the best things Blizzard has done in years. Gnomes being demon hunters would unironically probably drive me from the game. It’s just so cringe to even think about to be quite honest. Stuff like Vulpera is already silly enough if I’m being honest here.
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Posting your thoughts on the videos might spark something too.
Instead this just looks like a lazy ad for a random youtube channel.
I’ve been following this guy for a while.
He’s got massive points, and it’s coming from an industry standard - not just bashing WoW.
I adore these kinds of videos, and truly wish that devs would see it from a player standpoint, and not just their way or the highway.
6 is one that’s been pissing me off the most lately, the limited time stuff.
Seeing something you want, and are willing to work on no matter how long it takes, only to be told you cannot ever get it is beyond obnoxious. And yes, I know I defend keeping things exclusive, but that’s only if they pick and choose what is and isn’t allowed to be; everything needs to be available.
If not, well - look at boosting in arenas. Lol.
These are 100% worth checking out. These aren’t WoW clickbait videos.
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You sound racist against gnomes. They can lift just as hard as any tauren if they want to.
Actually with Demon Hunters it was because of lore. Only night elf and blood elf Demon Hunters existed in the lore pre-Legion.
Before BC it was just night elves.
Agreed.
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Lore be written or adjusted. Or maybe it shouldn’t have been a class to begin with. At the end of the day, it is a class that is still just restricted to two races which means it has a lot of limitations and lost potential.
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