--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any player playing World of Warcraft can…" description: "\"“Any player playing World of Warcraft can reach the highest level if he or she puts enough hours into the game. This game paradigm creates a powerful i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/nick-yee-26952_bad-game_any-player-playing-world-of-warcraft-can_2706455.jpg" --- # Any player playing World of Warcraft can reach the highest… ![“Any player playing World of Warcraft can reach the highest level if he or she puts enough hours into the game. This game paradigm creates a powerful incentive to bypass the time sink. Instead of castigating the Chinese, we have to ask whether gold farming is simply a symptom of bad game design.” quote by Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/nick-yee-26952_bad-game_any-player-playing-world-of-warcraft-can_2706455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/nick-yee-26952_bad-game_any-player-playing-world-of-warcraft-can_2706455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/nick-yee-26952_bad-game_any-player-playing-world-of-warcraft-can_2706455.jpg) > ““Any player playing World of Warcraft can reach the highest level if he or she puts enough hours into the game. This game paradigm creates a powerful incentive to bypass the time sink. Instead of castigating the Chinese, we have to ask whether gold farming is simply a symptom of bad game design.”” [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hard games that demand long playtime can push players toward exploiting shortcuts, revealing design flaws rather than player moral failings. **In simple terms:** Long grind games encourage cheating, showing design issues. Key Takeaway Design games that reward skill, not time. Themes game design player behavior ethics economics culture Mood critical analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - MMO development - player retention - policy making - community management Key Concepts incentive structures time sinks virtual economies Questions to Reflect On - How can designers balance engagement with fairness? - What alternatives reduce time‑based incentives? A Different Perspective Players may still seek shortcuts if rewards are too tied to time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-game/) [Game Paradigm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-paradigm-2774576/) [Gold Farming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-farming-2774574/) [Highest level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest-level/) [Video](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/video/) [Warcraft Reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warcraft-reach-2774575/) [World of warcraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-of-warcraft/) [World Warcraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-warcraft-301771/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a geek - I read fantasy novels, I play 'World of Warcraft,' I'm a massive gamer, I have 'Star Trek' outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/i-m-a-geek-i-read-fantasy-novels-i-play-world-of-warcraft-i-m-a/) [Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/) > [“Anonymity is more complicated than that in World of Warcraft, as the game’s design essentially hands every player their own personal Ring of Gyges.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-cuddy/anonymity-is-more-complicated-than-that-in-world-of-warcraft-as-the/) [Luke Cuddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-cuddy/) > [“So why are there so many ordinary citizens among the griefers3 in World of Warcraft?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-cuddy/so-why-are-there-so-many-ordinary-citizens-among-the-griefers3-in/) [Luke Cuddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-cuddy/) > [Sure, when you think 'World of Warcraft,' you might picture the nerdier set - those who may have sacrificed hygiene and sleep to reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schreier/sure-when-you-think-world-of-warcraft-you-might-picture-the-nerdier/) [Jason Schreier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schreier/) > [With 'World of Warcraft,' I like the potential for wasting time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-nairn/with-world-of-warcraft-i-like-the-potential-for-wasting-time/) [Kristian Nairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-nairn/) > [At the time we started working on 'World of WarCraft,' I think there was a limiting belief in the games industry and maybe outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/at-the-time-we-started-working-on-world-of-warcraft-i-think-there-was/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [“In an odd way you can compare the social enviroment of any online game to that of a skate park or to a lesser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-janelle/in-an-odd-way-you-can-compare-the-social-enviroment-of-any-online/) [Phil Janelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-janelle/) > [I'm really good at World of Warcraft. Like, crazy good. Put me in front of a computer and it's like I enter some other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-gustavsson/i-m-really-good-at-world-of-warcraft-like-crazy-good-put-me-in-front/) [Frida Gustavsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-gustavsson/) > [“Every morning before I left the house (IF I left, which I frequently didn’t), I would log online and fly around the game world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicia-day/every-morning-before-i-left-the-house-if-i-left-which-i-frequently/) [Felicia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicia-day/) > [“Bannon had become fascinated by the size and agency of the audiences congregating on MMO message boards such as Wowhead, Allakhazam, and (his favorite)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-green/bannon-had-become-fascinated-by-the-size-and-agency-of-the-audiences/) [Joshua Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-green/) > [“How do you decide what video game to choose in the vast ocean of online gaming nonsense? There are 100s if not thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-janelle/how-do-you-decide-what-video-game-to-choose-in-the-vast-ocean-of/) [Phil Janelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-janelle/) > [I don't think consoles are necessarily our best opportunity for 'World of Warcraft.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/i-don-t-think-consoles-are-necessarily-our-best-opportunity-for-world/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [Never angrily rant into your web cam. While smashing a keyboard in half over a game of 'World of Warcraft' may seem totally justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-william-johnson/never-angrily-rant-into-your-web-cam-while-smashing-a-keyboard-in/) [Ray William Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-william-johnson/) > [The analogy I use is that 'World of Warcraft' is like going to the mall: you see a ton of people there, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-romero/the-analogy-i-use-is-that-world-of-warcraft-is-like-going-to-the-mall/) [John Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-romero/) > [I'm a huge gamer! I love playing 'World of Warcraft.' It helps me wind down and escape reality for a few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-bruckner/i-m-a-huge-gamer-i-love-playing-world-of-warcraft-it-helps-me-wind/) [Agnes Bruckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-bruckner/) ## More by Nick Yee > [“It’s easier to put warning labels on video games than to address all the very real social, cultural, and psychological factors that lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/it-s-easier-to-put-warning-labels-on-video-games-than-to-address-all/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Where we did find a statistical difference was in character gender. Female characters had a much higher healing ratio compared with male characters. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/where-we-did-find-a-statistical-difference-was-in-character-gender/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [The being we call god is merely a pawn working for a powerful and rational force in some far-off galaxy. This force is trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/the-being-we-call-god-is-merely-a-pawn-working-for-a-powerful-and/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“As male characters level up and become more powerful, their bodies become better protected and covered. In contrast, as female characters level up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/as-male-characters-level-up-and-become-more-powerful-their-bodies/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Falling in love in an online game is more similar to an office romance than finding someone in an online dating site. The love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/falling-in-love-in-an-online-game-is-more-similar-to-an-office/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“gender-bending among men is often an artifact of the sexualized female avatars, rather than an explicit attempt to explore gender roles.17”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/gender-bending-among-men-is-often-an-artifact-of-the-sexualized/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Taken to its extreme, the premise of gamification is that any task, no matter how tedious, can be made engaging and motivating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/taken-to-its-extreme-the-premise-of-gamification-is-that-any-task-no/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [ “As sociologist T. L. Taylor has argued, these attempts to create games specifically for women are “reifying imagined difference\[s\]” between male and female gamers.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/as-sociologist-t-l-taylor-has-argued-these-attempts-to-create-games/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Even if virtual worlds were tabula rasa, we are encumbered with a great deal of cognitive baggage. Our brains are hardwired with many mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/even-if-virtual-worlds-were-tabula-rasa-we-are-encumbered-with-a/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Edward Castronova has argued that virtual worlds are “the modern equivalent to supercolliders for social scientists. . . . Virtual worlds allow for societal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/edward-castronova-has-argued-that-virtual-worlds-are-the-modern/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Political theorist Langdon Winner argues that human artifacts embody politics—the things we build can implicitly regulate who does and does not belong.20 The fantasy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/political-theorist-langdon-winner-argues-that-human-artifacts-embody/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“participants exposed to scantily clad female avatars were more likely to believe that women who get raped deserve it because of their perceived promiscuity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/participants-exposed-to-scantily-clad-female-avatars-were-more-likely/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“When the first professional computer programmers were all women during World War II, and only 12 percent of computer science degrees were awarded to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/when-the-first-professional-computer-programmers-were-all-women/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Studies have consistently shown that women have less free time and that their free time is more likely to be infringed on by gendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/studies-have-consistently-shown-that-women-have-less-free-time-and/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [“Sexism isn’t a conspiracy that men carry out against women; it’s how we as a society treat men and women differently and shape how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/sexism-isn-t-a-conspiracy-that-men-carry-out-against-women-it-s-how/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) [Explore all 21 Nick Yee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) ## More Bad game quotes > [You know when you've had a bad game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-trippier/you-know-when-you-ve-had-a-bad-game/) [Kieran Trippier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-trippier/) > [I want to win, and if I have to play bad every game and win I will do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-fonte/i-want-to-win-and-if-i-have-to-play-bad-every-game-and-win-i-will-do/) [Jose Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-fonte/) > [You lose weeks of sleep over a bad game, and a bad game could be one missed kick. So the ones you make, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/you-lose-weeks-of-sleep-over-a-bad-game-and-a-bad-game-could-be-one/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I think anybody that has had a bad game, or, I dunno, I guess if you go out golfing and you hook a couple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-think-anybody-that-has-had-a-bad-game-or-i-dunno-i-guess-if-you-go/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [You never judge a person if they're going through their downs because you always stick with them when they're going through their ups. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-lewis/you-never-judge-a-person-if-they-re-going-through-their-downs-because/) [Ray Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-lewis/) > [My dad was probably the first to tell me - I remember pitching when I was 7 or 8, and he told me he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/my-dad-was-probably-the-first-to-tell-me-i-remember-pitching-when-i/) [Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/) > [Soccer was probably the most fun game I've played because I never walked away feeling like I had a bad game. If you play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/soccer-was-probably-the-most-fun-game-i-ve-played-because-i-never/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I feel that if I absolve myself and say it was the Astros' fault I was bad in Game 7, in the World Series,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yu-darvish/i-feel-that-if-i-absolve-myself-and-say-it-was-the-astros-fault-i-was/) [Yu Darvish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yu-darvish/) > [If I had a bad game, people would point that out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-o-neal/if-i-had-a-bad-game-people-would-point-that-out/) [Jermaine O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-o-neal/) > [The more I learned about games, the more frustrated I became because the games weren't very good. I could tell a good game from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoshi-tajiri/the-more-i-learned-about-games-the-more-frustrated-i-became-because/) [Satoshi Tajiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoshi-tajiri/) > [I've had good games. I've had bad games. I don't know if I've had a really long period of time where I can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauri-markkanen/i-ve-had-good-games-i-ve-had-bad-games-i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-had-a/) [Lauri Markkanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauri-markkanen/) > [To me, crying is not a sign of weakness. She wants it that bad and she puts her whole heart into it. She had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-walsh/to-me-crying-is-not-a-sign-of-weakness-she-wants-it-that-bad-and-she/) [Kerri Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-walsh/) > [The people who are just watching us and we have a bad game, you don't really know what's going on in the deeper side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-oubre-jr/the-people-who-are-just-watching-us-and-we-have-a-bad-game-you-don-t/) [Kelly Oubre, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-oubre-jr/) > [You are happy to be in the spotlight when you have had a great game and people pat you on the back as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/you-are-happy-to-be-in-the-spotlight-when-you-have-had-a-great-game/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [You know, when I have a bad game, it continues to humble me and know that, you know, you still have work to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/you-know-when-i-have-a-bad-game-it-continues-to-humble-me-and-know/) [LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/) [Browse all 116 Bad game quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-game/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Any player playing World of Warcraft can reach the highest level if he or she puts enough hours into the game. 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