Virtual Reality WoW

I have thought about this for years and decided to start a thread on the subject. What do you think could be the ramifications of a virtual reality game such as World of Warcraft?

I've played WoW since it's inception and at first it seemed like it would be a really cool thing to play WoW in VR but, the more I played the game, the more I became addicted to it. I've taken conscious "breaks" from the game with the latest being 9 months. I think I've gotten a grip on balancing game play with other things in my life.

It seems to me that a VR version of any game would be very addicting to people and might not be the best thing for us but on the other hand... how cool would it be?!

I found this article, A World of Warcraft World: 10 Ways Online Gaming Will Change the Future on the subject. This is an excerpt:

6. You will find yourself momentarily forgetting whether you're in the real or virtual world.

Fans were astonished when a leaked video depicted a Nintendo virtual reality headset intended for its upcoming system, complete with high-resolution 3D screens and surround-sound earpieces. That it turned out to be a hoax put forth by a lonely, psychotic fan should not detract from the amazement. Today's hoax is always tomorrow's reality (except for that fake picture of the guy holding a huge cat.)

What is not a hoax is this machine somebody invented that operates on the user's thoughts. Yeah, that's right. You think it, the machine does it. That machine exists right now, as you're reading this.

Total immersion, the kind that could really fool you, won't happen tomorrow. But as time goes on it is absolutely inevitable that the graphics will become life quality, that visual displays light years beyond monitors or cumbersome headsets will hit the market. The keyboard and mouse will be long gone, everything done by thought and voice. It is the logical end of everything game developers and console makers are trying to do today and they will not stop until they have it.

And that, my friends, will be a watershed moment in human history. The point where we can trick the senses into thinking a piece of software is real, thinking a real supermodel is in our bed or a dragon is in our front yard or our dead mother has come back to give us advice, that's when everything changes. The metaverse will still be less important in many fundamental ways. Goods won't be produced there; food won't be grown there; babies won't be born there. But in the minds of a whole lot o' people, visits to the physical world will be just brief interruptions to the "real" world as they live it, the world where all of their friends and hobbies and ambitions are.

VR Wow.. Would be pretty dang cool!! Would more than likely get me back into that game.. But honestly.. There was a time when I worked, and came home and played WOW.. For like 13 months!! Sure I went out with my friends now and then.. But I really poured some time into that game.
Very addictive!!! LOL

Now just think of like a holodeck on Star Trek Version of WOW!! Oh My Gwad that would rock!!
Not only would it be great fun.. But you know how good shape you would be in!! Okay until like lvl 40 you don't get a mount, and you have to run from place to place!! Work out city!
Then the fights and swinging your sword!!

But then you can have your not so big work out charaters like Mages, and preists who mostly use Mana and stuff.. But still the running part would keep you in great shape!!

Any type of real action VR, holodeck RPG would be something that would suck me in so much, that I wouldnt want to come back to reality!!! LOL!!

You're probably already playing a virtual reality game - it's called life and apparently it's the greatest game ever invented.

[edit on 11-7-2009 by kindred]

I love this Idea, now I can not only be a gamer, but a fit gamer

VR or not, it won't make any difference to me when it comes to playing WoW, there isn't enough movement in that game IMO to make full use of VR immersion... I play WoW a lot, I've played it in large, small screens, surround, muted(lol!). It doesn't make any difference IMO.

I also play FPS games like Battlefield 2 with AIX 2 mod, and I definitely would say that FPS games are more deserving of VR system due to a lot of motion going on and the necessity of precision and accuracy..... As opposed to WoW where precision and accuracy, don't matter - only timing skills and a bit of movement.

If a quality VR fantasy rpg ever came out, the main consequence for me would be that I would starve to death playing this game! I can't even imagine how addicting such a game would be to hardcore fantasy fans. Some people already spend half their waking hours playing Warcraft and similar games, and if a VR game like that existed, it would be even more addictive and widespread.

Still, it would be so fun... sign me up for beta!

I do think it's coming. While I can't say what title might be first, I really think this is the way of the future.

But going even further, what if you could take a trip and never leave the farm (pun intended) literally? Take a week's vacation in whatever game title you choose. How much would you pay for that?

Originally posted by kindred
You're probably already playing a virtual reality game - it's called life and apparently it's the greatest game ever invented.

[edit on 11-7-2009 by kindred]

Yeah but some people in this game of life are using HACKS!!! LOL..
Such as the elites in this world are not playing fair!!!

They are using some major Hacks!! And owning most of us.. Very unfair this game of life is.. .hehe

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
How much would you pay for that?

How much would I pay? Well beta I would do it for free to help them test it out..
But once it went live.. I would pay 50$ per month for something this intense!!
Yet to be fair 15$ a month wouldnt be to bad either!!! hehe

[edit on 14-7-2009 by zysin5]

If WoW is going to be that *real*, I think I'll just do things for real instead, saving good people from bad people.

First step is martial arts 101.. I always loved being rogue.. Time to get this grace and high agility to good use!

I can't believe this hasn't found its way in yet.....

reply to post by Sevrens83


I hadn't seen that one yet!

Originally posted by zysin5
Not only would it be great fun.. But you know how good shape you would be in!! Okay until like lvl 40 you don't get a mount, and you have to run from place to place!! Work out city!
Then the fights and swinging your sword!!

Okay, it would be interesting to see how you would actually move IRL trying to drive a virtual mount!

Also, anyone carrying a huge shield will be OP in melee or any physical damage, talk about 100% block if you could move good enough - solo elite melee bosses, anyone? You might be also be able to solo, slow-hitting bosses.

The problem with the whole virtual reality thing is that it would up the system requirements so much to the point of absurdity. Not only would you likely need a bleeding edge system to play on but your net connection would have to be a quality piece of pipe as well because latency in any game usually gets you dead, and with the amount of data being passed back and forth in a VR setup I imagine even my 16mbit comcast connection would wither and die.

Definitely a cool concept however I suspect we are still a long way off from such things.

I'd love to play wow in vr, be awesome. And Zysin5 mounts are at level 20 now. And the new expansion has been announced, looks awesome lol.

yes it would be quite amazing but unfortunately scientists have already done studies on the addictiveness and yes it would more addicting than the hardest of hard core drugs. Hence why i believe they will put a time limit on the consoles per user or something along to that effect. Hopefully they do bring wow to VR. It will just make it harder for me to top it with my game that I have in development and I loves me a challenge lol muah ahahah

Originally posted by Helig
The problem with the whole virtual reality thing is that it would up the system requirements so much to the point of absurdity. Not only would you likely need a bleeding edge system to play on but your net connection would have to be a quality piece of pipe as well because latency in any game usually gets you dead, and with the amount of data being passed back and forth in a VR setup I imagine even my 16mbit comcast connection would wither and die.

Definitely a cool concept however I suspect we are still a long way off from such things.

You are correct. It would require massive investment. That is why I think it will be more like a facility that you could visit to play. Maybe.. uh.. $10K for a week long "vacation" into the game world - something like that. You'd arrive at the facility, check in, select your character, talents, and attributes from a menu and then enter the "world".

Ever heard of Virtuspshere, it costs like 25k but I wonder how WOW would be while in that sphere, or counter strike atleast. www.virtusphere.com

Check it out.

It says its compatible with xbox,playstation and other systems. PS3 with that sphere. That would be insane

[edit on 7-10-2009 by Maddogkull]