Leaving Yet Again...

This is definitely not the first time and I can't say with certainty that it will be the last time I quit World of Warcraft. I made the decision this week and oddly enough it wasn't for the reasons I have discussed here or others have elsewhere. All of the things Blizzard did to drop the ball in Cataclysm still hold true. They just weren't enough to make me leave.

There are three reasons I play WoW and they shack out in a pretty simple priority:

1. Social interaction and friendships.
2. Challenge and competition of raiding.
3. Item upgrades.

While Cataclysm heroics may be actively bending us over on the second bullet right now, our guild of friends is still together and there are plenty of purples to be had. In terms of what motivates and drives me to play nothing has really changed. It was the realization of a concern that is always present when my WoW account is active that drove me to this decision.

At the end of Wednesday's raid I got into an argument with a fellow officer that is not important enough to recount here. After thinking about it I realized I was not upset with him, but with the lack of motivation from our raid. Why can't they take this more seriously? That question quickly caused me to wonder why I was so concerned about it. This topic spirals in my mind once or twice a month when I get frustrated with raiding.

It bubbled over last night though. What is my end game? I end up in full purples waiting for the next content patch, only to start the cycle all over again. Sure it is fun, but the last time I took an extend break from this system was in 2008. The opportunity cost for my free time and sanity alone is crushing me. So as I am want to do, I put it in a spreadsheet. The pie charts above are the result (yuck!). They sealed the deal.

I have a back log of movies, books and games to catch up on and my wife could surely use some more time and attention. It could turn out nine months from now that I am bored and want for purples in the worst way, but for now I am done.