WotLK Release Party

The new World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, came out last Thursday. They even had a midnight release--just like the previous expansion's release. However, unlike the last midnight release, which took place at most Game Stops across America. And to top things, four were announced as official Blizzard launch parties--one of which was in Austin. There was a big tent, Blizzard developers available to sign game boxes, and even Scott Kurtz of the PvP Online webcomic.

Now, I use to be extremely active in WoW, but I formally retired from the game. However, I still felt obligated to check this out given its proximity. I got there late, however, so I missed all the pre-midnight festivities. Post-midnight, all I saw were long, long, long lines. There was a long line for people who had pre-ordered their game, an even longer line for those who hadn't, and even a line to meet Scott Kurtz. I was forced to leave--I really wanted to meet Scott, but even that would take more than a hour of waiting, and there just wasn't much else to do. I'm sure the whole affair was an extremely memorable occasion for the avid fans who could make the trek and who endured the wait to participate; however, I think it begs the question whether the masses are in general better served with a limited release in a few select locations and long lines or a wide release with none of the hoopla but much shorter lines.