What is this WoW game?

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I've heard of the name of this World of Warcraft and that it's really popular, but not much else. I know this is probably really obvious, but I don't play any online games and usually I avoid gaming forums because I play games that are semi-outdated (I'm still addicted to Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for my GC for example) and it's not interesting to talk about games I don't play.
Does it cost money to play? What is it about? I'm quite curious, though not enough to pay money to try it.

WoW is a MMORPG ( Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Basically its an RPG that you play with a bunch of other Real life people. It is based on Warcraft Mythology. You basically choose the Alliance or Horde, alliance being the good/just side and the horde being the ruthless invader type group. Once you chose a side you choose a race and class for your avatar ( aka toon) in the WOW world. You then go about leveling up till u reach the max level ( i have no idea what it is, was like 85 or something last time i knew).

MMORPG's are known for their Never-ending mechanic. There is literally no way to "win" the game. It just keeps going on. A lot of your time is spent getting better gear. This mechanic is well known for its addicting quality ( see UA, EQ, and now WOW addiction).

As for my opinion. I found that once i reached the max level, the amount of things left to do quickly dwindled. While the game is INSANELY more forgiving to casual/solo players then EQ was/is, there still is a wide gap between the two parties. As with all MMOs the population that plays for many hours is greatly rewarded, where as the casual crowd is rewarded in much less significant ways. I myself have always been a solo player ( i like to wander and tend to go off on random tangents while playing) and loved the amount of content allowed for solo players. Grouping was Hit or Miss unless you had a group you usually played with ( i soloed almost exclusively save for when i played with my bro and his GF). Compared to EQ, the Alt ( alternative toon, another character on that server you play) is a lot more viable.

WOW's costs depends on how many months of subscription you buy. Generally its cheaper to by longer chunks, but its also more expensive at the time of purchase ( 15 for one month or 40 for 3, etc. I don't know of those # are accurate) You also have to buy the Game itself and the subsequent Expansions ( one thing EQ has on WOW is that it has so many expansions, iirc 14ish, that you can often buy a majority of them for about 30 and then buy ones you don't have for another 30.) Expansions are around 30 a piece. IIRC there is 2 out right now for WOW. Keep in mind EQ has so many because its been around for 10 years. IMO WOW expansions have more quality to them then EQ ones.

In closing, i just have to say watch out for the Addiction. Playing games like these for a few min can very easily become a few hours.

** EQ = Everquest. It was THE MMORPG being played before the release of WOW. Where EQ in Gen 2, WOW is Gen 3 in terms of MMO generations.

Subnote: I played WOW for about 4 months before getting bored and canceling my account. I played EQ for 5 years. Although most of that EQ time was spent logging on only for raids ( massive groups of players getting together to kill a big bad guy). Also i was young and using it as an escape ( HELLO ADDICTION!! !!) WOW has better game play, but EQ has a better community IMO. I felt a lot more at home with my EQ guild then i ever did with the WOW one. A guild is a overarching group you can join to share a common interest with others.

WOW is a wreath of pretty flowers... that smell bad.

It's now possible to get started on WoW without buying the game itself - you can start with the trial method, which gives you 10 days free (with a level cap of 20), then you can buy a subscription (60-day cards can be purchased most anywhere for $30, or if you want to pay online on a regular basis, they have a number of less expensive deals) and download the basic World of Warcraft game, what some players call "vanilla WoW", for free. I believe you still have to purchase download keys for the two expansions so far, Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, but you don't need those until you approach the original level cap (IIRC, that's about level 60). Burning Crusade added some content, mostly taking place on another world accessible through the Dark Portal, where you'd actually get to fight the Burning Legion (the demonic hordes that attacked Azeroth back before the game storyline begins - they were driven off, with the help of their former slaves, the Orc Horde), and raised the level cap to 70. WotLK added the subcontinent of Northrend, where the Lich King plotted to destroy the rest of Azeroth, and raised the cap to 80. (The upcoming release, Cataclysm, will tear the world apart, burning some areas, drowning others, turning forest to desert and desert to forest, and generally changing the appearance of the entire world - and of course raise the level cap to 85.)

There are also some new things introduced in the expansions - BC gave us the draenei and blood elf races, and introduced the skill of jewelcrafting, while WotLK introduced a new class, the death knight (which, since it's supposed to be a fallen hero raised by the Lich King, then rebelling against its new master, gets to start off at level 55 - you have to have another character who's already at level 55 to make one).

Incidentally, the Horde were originally allied with the Alliance, in order to drive the Burning Legion off Azeroth, but the alliance fell apart because some of the humans refused to trust the orcs (in fact, that's why the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore lives in Theramore Isle, which is not Alliance turf - she kept faith with the orcs when her father, Adm. Proudmoore, sailed his fleet against them). The tauren joined the Horde because they've been fighting with the centaurs over grazing lands for centuries, and the centaurs are sort of with the Alliance (the night elves like them, anyway). The Darkspear trolls were rejected by their cousins for trying to become civilized, but the humans wouldn't trust them (again), so they joined the Horde. The blood elves are blamed by the night elves for the state of Azeroth, even though it was their mutual ancestors, the Highborn, who used so much magic that they attracted the Legion's attention. (Sure, the belfs are still subject to magic addiction, but they're trying to fight it...)

The only Horde race that's properly evil are the Forsaken, undead raised by a former elven warrior who was killed and raised as a banshee by the Lich King (she escaped his control as the Legion were being driven away, and took most of her subjects with her). They believe that being undead is a wonderful thing, and want to extend its benefits to everyone on Azeroth - whether they want it or not.

Unfortunately, a lot of the kids think evil is kewl, so they want to play the Horde as bastards (because after all, the history you read in the manual is told from the Alliance side - they expect the players to read into it, which in my opinion is thinking a bit highly of the players on average).

The best way to find out what it is is to visit the website: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/

I think the best way to find out is by watching the south park episode about World Of Warcraft. "Make Love, Not Warcraft"

"You basically choose the Alliance or Horde, alliance being the good/just side and the horde being the ruthless invader type group." There's more to it than this sweeping generalization. <.<

WoW, is the current CRACK of this gaming generation. I have a heavy dislike for WoW, not because of it's addicting nature, but for it's boringness and lack of any true originality, or gameplay options. Basically, unless you have friends who play WoW, it is not a fun game, even with friends it is actually a very boring game. Infact, you might be better off playing runescape as it actually has more gameplay options and is free. WoW is just a bunch of boring quests... Wow does cost money, they charge a monthly fee, however much it costs it is too much. I do not understand why warcrack is so popular when there are plenty of other better games out there. Now Everquest, that was a good game, it was the crack of last decade. I called it EVERCRACK. I would much rather play everquest 1+ expansions than crappy WoW. But now we cannot even do that since there is EQ2 out. Most people's computers cannot handle the requirements to smoothly play EQ2, so I guess they pick Warcrack.

Play MapleStory.

I have never tried WoW but I heard its a little TOO addicting.

World of Warcraft statistiics

Check this link. It tallies the game time and players who have been playing it and how long it's been in it's position. Of course, this is only out of the people who have Xfire installed. An in-game messaging system where it can also take screenshots ready to upload for all to see, and videos, too. Although videos WITH sound can be a little problematic.

I have a few screenshots. Some are perfect with the captions I have used with them here

If you want to sample an MMO try Freerealms. That way you can try an MMO without become too involved..

There are a lot of MMOs out there, your play style will depend on what one you want. Most are addictive. I have played MMOs from the days of NeverWinter Nights on QLink on a Commodore 64 ... Currently I play EQ2 and WOW (switch every 6 months), I prefer Role Playing servers, non player vs. player.

The most popular game in the US is World of Warcraft. There are a few games in Asia that dwarf WoW in number of players.. but in the US it's king.

EQII has a more realistic looking world and a is bit harder to play. But game play concepts & mechanics are pretty much the same.

I have not tried Age of Conan, Middle Earth, Warhammer Online, or Pirates.
Vanguard and Dungeons & Dragons Online aren’t worth the time.

There are lots of games out there with various levels of diffuculity. Playstyle and playability would determine what game would be suit you.. (plus what type of PC you have)

The terms you see defining Massive Multi-Player online games servers types are: In all MMOs you play against the game (environment).. but in some cases you also play against other players too.
PVP = Player vs. Player
PVE = Player vs. Environment
RP = Role Play