5. There isn't as much social interaction as you might think.

Now, don't get me wrong. If you become a serious player, join a guild, etc., you'll make friends. Some people even meet their spouses through WoW.

This level of connection doesn't exist for casual players, though. If you join other players in an organized group, you have to show up at scheduled times for raids, and most casual gamers will prefer to use the random matchmaking systems instead. The people you meet this way are usually courteous, even if you have absolutely no idea what you're doing, but the odds of you ever seeing them again are small. Not surprisingly, all the conversations are game-focused.

6. Endgame: What is it good for?

With most games, once you've killed the final boss, you're done. This makes everyone happy: The game company has your money, and hopefully you've gotten your money's worth. World of Warcraft, however, works on a subscription model, and Blizzard doesn't want its most dedicated players quitting as soon as they hit level 85. So, the endgame world is rife with opportunities to conduct raids, find new items, and even gain achievements (some of which are ridiculously difficult). I imagine that many endgame players just like to hang out with their friends online, and maybe some really think the achievements and items are worth the time, but I'd guess there's a fair amount of addiction going on there, too.

7. The death system is terrible.

I know, I know, I'm sounding like a broken record on this point. But when you die, you end up in a cemetery and have to backtrack to your corpse. If you died with enemies around you, there's a very good chance they'll kill you again. That's really irritating, and because you don't lose any progress, it doesn't even force you to play better.

By writing this, I don't mean to undermine the many positive things I've said about World of Warcraft. It is an enormous undertaking that Blizzard has nearly perfected after years of work, and it has provided millions of gamers untold hours of joy. If you think you might like it, you absolutely should give it a shot. But it's not for everyone, and as it happens, it's not for me.

By Robert VerBruggen
CCC Freelance Writer