[WoW] I won't go back, I won't go back...

So I read the other day about some of the new features in WoW 5.4; namely the "Proving Grounds" which are a living incarnation of ideas I saw discussed on the forums back in the days of Wrath, as a means of training newer players. Interesting as they sound, I find I keep reminding myself "I won't go back". That got me thinking, games like WoW are constantly trying to win players like myself back, which is not helped by us adopting a stern (perhaps even unreasonable, if the game were to be in fact fun) determination not to return....so why do we do it?

Well the first part is that I flat out don't have the cash to buy Mists of Pandaria, then support a $15/month subscription fee. In this age of free-2-play games I find I am more interested in games that allow me to pay, rather than demand it. Most free-2-play games worth playing these days also do things like "Sales" (League of Legends, Planetside 2, etc) or optional subscriptions that improve play but are not required to enjoy them. So rather than throwing $15 a month at a game I "might" play, I can just throw money at more targeted desires while otherwise enjoying myself. That and with WoW's cash-shop and future intentions, $15 a month is no longer the "full" experience anyways.

So in other words, perhaps part of the motivation for my mantra is that I do not want to support a business model for a game that I don't think is worth my while; Capitalism HO!

Still, its worth contemplating that I probably would enjoy myself in WoW 5.4; it would distract me, I could do all the content via dungeon/raid finders, try out proving grounds, and make a bipedal sentient panda (clearly the most interesting of the choices). In some ways, this makes my mantra simple stubbornness.

To explain it, I am reminded of my rollercoaster history with WoW; periods of intense fun and activity, versus longer periods of boredom and monotony. Frankly, were I'd able, I'd rather they drop the subscription model and just have me pay extra for those fun times and nothing for the boring ones...or just let me leave without issue and come back when I am interested. WoW has an interest in preventing this though, because MY periods of fun and excitement are not the same as other player's, and it might lead to empty servers.

These periods, the tail ends of expansions (though with no new one announced I expect there might be one or two patches left in Pandaria) are typically a good time to come back...no hard grinds anymore, the xp is reduced, the gear falls like rain. They are nicer to play in for someone like me who is likely going to devour LFD, LFR, then quit again.