Tom Chilton Speaks About Areans
Tom Chilton, one of the lead game designers over at Blizzard, recently had an interview at Gotfrag about the state of the Arena game and what we can expect in the future. Much of it deals with the “esport” area of Blizzard’s development. Essentially many of Blizzard’s games have benefited from professional tournaments and matches associated with their games. Starcraft, for example, may have died out long ago if it weren’t for the professional organizations to keep many a player’s interest in the game, particularly in Korea. It seems that they are aiming to increase World of Warcraft’s lifespan in this manner as well.
What I found most interesting was a question related to the importance of PvE vs. PvP gameplay, here was Tom’s answer:
Where is Blizzard’s priority when it comes to changes made between class dynamics; PVE or PVP?
“We strive to evaluate all aspects of World of Warcraft evenly in terms of class dynamics. We want every class to feel unique and useful in instances, raids, Battlegrounds, and Arena play. Ideally, no matter what class a player chooses, he or she will be able to experience and enjoy all aspects of World of Warcraft in one form or another. Players should be able to customize characters by changing equipment, talents, or play styles to correspond to the type of game experience they prefer.”
So there you have it, the answer is both! Many players complain about the so-called “focus” on the esport side of arena gameplay. Some may argue it’s unbalanced, while others claim it can never be balanced and so can’t really be viable as an esport. Whatever the case may be, it hasn’t significantly affected my gameplay or experience to date, and so I’m neutral on the issue myself.
You can view the full article here.
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