“I Am Not Touching That”: Brandon Sanderson Refused To Play One Of The Best RPGs Ever Made
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Brandon Sanderson has a lot to say about video games, and he’s got a particularly interesting opinion about one wildly popular RPG, World of Warcraft. When it comes to MMOs, Sanderson’s trade doesn’t really allow for the time investment you’d need for games like WoW, and it’s probably a good thing for his career overall that he’s avoided the genre.
However, Sanderson’s avoidance of WoW isn’t a reflection on the game’s quality or the larger Warcraft IP in general. In a discussion with esports gaming icon Travis Gafford, Sanderson divulged his love for the original Warcraft games and why he never got into World of Warcraft, citing the fact that WoW can be quite a time-consuming distraction.
Sanderson Loves Warcraft, But Not World Of Warcraft
MMOs In General Aren’t A Great Fit For Authors
There’s no shortage of gaming IPs that Sanderson enjoys, ranging from games like Dark Souls to Halo 2, which he argues has some of the best writing in video games. Sanderson’s gaming archive extends deeper than this. As Gafford reveals on Brandon Sanderson‘s YouTube channel that WoW is one of his top picks for best world-building in a video game, Sanderson highlights his previous Warcraft experience.
“I played Warcraft 1, 2, and then 3, [but] never played WoW,” Sanderson says in response to Gafford’s “opposite” experience, who played Warcraft 3 and got deep into WoW because of its intricate world and lore-building. “[Warcraft 3] is really where it started to have its own cool lore … heroes, things like that,” he continues, pointing out that it was the Warcraft he played the most.
“And when WoW came out, and I’m like, ‘I am not touching that,'” he says, “no MMOs for me! I need to write books.” Sanderson has “never sat down to play a minute of World of Warcraft,” in case it wasn’t clear already.
It’s Probably A Good Thing Sanderson Stayed Away From WoW
World Of Warcraft Can Definitely Be A Distraction
As an author, Sanderson is probably better off avoiding MMOs entirely, as we might never see another book from him again if he got too deep into one. Nonetheless, Sanderson’s refusal to play WoW has nothing to do with the quality of the game or its world-building ability, and it might even be a testament to how good the game is.
World of Warcraft is addictive because it’s so immersive, and players have been coming back to the game for years thanks to its truly unique and entertaining experience. That’s exactly why the game can consume people and become an unhealthy distraction from other responsibilities, in Sanderson’s case, writing.
Sanderson seems to know himself well, and he clearly knows that he would not be able to stop himself from getting absorbed in MMOs like World of Warcraft. Sanderson’s livelihood and prolific output simply don’t allow him to spend hours in the game, and he’s right to avoid it, despite knowing it would be a ton of fun.
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