The MMO that redefined the genre. If you are curious on status/progress of the next video, I post updates on my twitter: twitter.com/madseason_ Episode #2 - Rise of the Influencer: ua-cam.com/video/vRqHHAFlXJI/v-deo.html Episode #3 - Star Wars Galaxies: ua-cam.com/video/RW22doSoe5w/v-deo.html Episode #4 - The Ocarina of Time: ua-cam.com/video/sAXIAPC8pG8/v-deo.html
@@SticksAandstonesBozo I'm taking a break from the genre, WoW included. None of the MMOs out right now really appeal to me. Wish you & anyone else checking it out the best of luck though.
Can we all just take a moment to seriously appreciate the production elements with the news segments and the old CRT TVs... it adds a seriously awesome atmosphere to this docu
I’m 15 minutes into this video, and it’s interesting how quickly history is forgotten. This video so far has been wrong and bad. It’s like a child presenting a school project when they didn’t read the book. I was an MMORPG gamer before WoW and remember it well when it launched and I played. This guy is not presenting the story accurately AT ALL. His narrative of events is exaggerated and/or wrong in many instances.
Absolute masterpiece. It felt like a eulogy for a great friend that went insane and then slowly faded over years. Thank you, as weird as it sounds, this is a form of closure I guess...
@@siriusblack7714 I felt it was pretty on point.. The video was amazing, truly a masterclass, with the old school music creating those nostalgic tears and goosebumps in the start, and then transitioning away from it through out.. And so many other small things
@@Zachsophone I mean good for you, hope you keep enjoying it. But with aaaalllll of the fuckups blizz have made, both inside the game, and outside of it.. Wow is dead..
The first thing I thought after having watched the video was exactly that. I started playing the game 17 years ago, but I stopped playing retail in 2012. It's like I became best friends with someone 17 years ago but then somewhere along the line they changed for the worse, became self destructive, alienated those around them and is now but a mentally disturbed, tragic shadow of their former self.
I hope this video never becomes lost media. I don’t know why but I come back here every now and then because it’s genuinely one of the gems of this entire platform. Well done dude, the effort put into this is on par with some of the best documentaries I’ve seen.
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(0:00) Early MMO's and WoW alpha (13:49) Vanilla WoW (29:37) The Burning Crusade (38:35) Wrath of the Lich King (45:20) Cataclysm (54:00) Mists of Pandaria (1:01:18) Warlords of Draenor (1:06:34) Legion (1:12:18) Battle For Azeroth & Classic development (1:31:15) Classic & Reforged (1:36:25) Shadowlands (1:40:19) TBC Classic (1:46:50) All the latest scandals...
Game went down hill, from WOD, but I wonder what the game would be like if CATA and MOP was never the next direction and something else was in its place, I think the game would of been better
I just watched a 2 hour report on the history of WoW....i don't regret a single minute. The same as i didn't regret a single minute i spent playing this once glorious game.
hahaha the addiction is real isn't it brother. I just listen to the music sometimes to scratch my itch if I don't want to play/ am on time off from it. I'm more off than on. A 10 year break and came back and played 4 months shadow land then off then on a couple now off....might get to dragonflight this fall if time allows, shall see
Spending my first Christmas alone, Although i dont have presents to unwrap this year, this got me through my sad morning. Thank u madseason and cheers to crusade for making classic fun for me.
Such a sad story to watch knowing that I personally poured more than 10 years of my life into this game and company, only to watch them slowly sink their own ship 😢 My memories of BC & Wotlk will forever live in my heart as some of the greatest times of my life. Thank you for creating this video to pay homage to the entire journey.
@@cigarr3870 yuuuuup, never again did we have the same fun we had while we got heroic ICC 25man on farm. I bailed on WoW after because I was burnt out so never experienced the subsequent expansions though I did come back to try Legion and did play for a solid 6 months. But it just wasn't the same WoW I remembered so I carry those vanilla, bc and wotlk days, which where its peak, memories like treasures.
I remember this like yesterday. Whole summer in 2005 from where I come from, it was rain and thunder almost the entire summer. It was so magical I almost cry thinking back...
I had a similar experience. Rain storms outside, parents out and about, and me playing as if nothing else existed in the whole world. Cozy in my favorite blanket.. I feel like crying just thinking about it!
@Jeremy Smith Not the game, the company making the game. Took care of us, in the sense that they made sure their product was the best they could. It's not too hard if you think about for more than 2 seconds.
Rewatching for the Nth time, got to 1h42min mark about the Era/TBC cloning service fee. Small update: turns out that if you paid for clone service but never logged into an Era realm with that character (before cloning service was discontinued), it was never properly "activated" and Blizzard customer service says it's gone forever. This happened to streamer, his rank 14 rogue was effectively deleted. I'd like to reiterate that he PAID for cloning service and it was not said anywhere that you have to also "activate" it before set date.
Playing wow for the first time everything felt so huge and promising, there was a cozy place for everyone, logging out felt like waking up from a good dream.
After a long time i realized playing an mmo was some sort of spiritual experience. The security and safety by being in your own world is truly magical and can also be found in buddhist traditions :)
@@PanGalacticGargoyleBlaster It can actually be achieved. Every moment we experience is new, which creates the feeling of endlessness. In our modern world the feeling for unexplained became less. Strengthen your connection with yourself and your experience will become more intense. I practiced this for years and can tell you that it's just a mindset thing. Understand your feelings, your longing and you will be able to feel the way you want to feel :)
@@pikpik42 I appreciate the sentiment but I really just meant I want to play one of my favourite games again for the first time haha like im sure you want to see your favourite movie or show or read your favourite book for the first time again?
This video will go down as the final piece of closure to our WoW adventure for a LOT of us and I can speak for myself only, but I really needed this. Uninstalled the game half a year ago for good and always had this weird sense of "I might come back" in the back of my mind. After watching this I feel like that last part of me that was nostalgically clinging on to that world has finally let go. Thanks for the massive effort and great execution on this documentary my guy!
I'm 100% with you there! This video helped me let go and say my final goodbyes to a game i spent 15 years playing on and off.. But the next chapter begins for us all!
Nicely put fellow ex-player. In a way I am thankful to Blizzard for destroying thier own game. After 15+ years of being shut-in besment dweller book exaple of a nerd - I feel free. Great Video MadSeason, Farewell.
"Closure" is a perfect way to put it and truly, I feel it too. Since I quit (from Vanilla to WoD), I always hoped to come back later... But, I just couldn't. It wasn't the game I grew up playing. Guess that is the first step of grieving: Denial. We're mourning the loss of something that deeply impacted us; that brought so much happiness into our lives. I didn't realize exactly how much it affected me until I watched a compilation of cinematics & trailers recently... The Vanilla trailer began, and tears flooded my face. The nostalgia was SO profound, knowing I'll never get to relive that experience. Knowing it's gone. I'm pretty relieved too, to watch this. Great job to MadSeason on all sides. His material has always been high quality.
He should have another Pandora's Box series video out soon - it'll be focused on UA-cam and Social Media. If you want to see some more of his content that's more "casual", he has a Dark Souls 1 and Elden Ring playthrough series on his alt channel - BadSeasonShow
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This was heartbreaking to watch. A perfect summary of how the game we all poured years into slowly became something we could no longer recognize but still tried to love. Time to close his chapter - again. Love how you snuck the Monkey Island theme in.
Totally agree. I'm still a bit stuck on fully closing it, though i wish i could. I host a few private servers (of different game versions) me and friends play on a few times a week still lol. BUT, retail / live, at least i'm done with that haha
I've played in the Blizz universe since WC3/Diablo 2, and I had AOL dial-up back then. My WoW subscription dates back to December 2004 (got it for my 12th bday). I have been playing WoW since it's release, not hardcore by any means but always something nice to come home to. This video is frankly so good, better than any movie I have seen in the past few years. It's truly the perfect timeline of how we felt as players through the journey of WoW. I stopped playing "retail" when Classic came out, so this was even a good way for me to see what went wrong in the retail version. I have a hand written letter from Chris Metzen (which he signed) when I wrote Blizz in middle-school for a project. I'm almost 30 now, and I look back at that letter with a bit of sadness for what was once a great company and game. I hope Blizzard finds itself someday soon, but I know it won't. Cheers to all those memories that we all made together in this beautiful game. It may be destroyed now, but nobody can take away what that game did for all of us. Thank you Madseason, for making this video for the community.
I had never heard of you, I only played wow for about 3 years but they were awesome and this video gave me chills, I can just imagine putting 16 years in it, how it must feel. The end of the video when you say"Let them in" and the door opens felt like void opening and reminded me of the movie The Wall when he finally breaks out the wall and moves on
This was a heartbreaking walkthrough of Blizzard's rise and fall. I played World of Warcraft from the open beta until just before the release of Shadowlands. I was 18 when the game released. For better and for worse, this game has been part of my identity for a large chunk of my life. Absolutely heartbreaking how they allowed it to wither away like this. Once you've watched the video, I recommend going back to 00:10 and rewatching the intro. It's an absolute tear-jerker once you've got the proper context for all the clips.
I came back after 8yrs to play Classic & could not believe what they did to WoW since I couldn't figure out how to only dl Classic without dl'ing WoW also. I was so glad I quit around 2011-12. I DO NOT play any game that has a cash shop, period, end of discussion. If it has a cash shop, it ain't for me. Also, I will NEVER play another Blizzard game ever again not cuz how they treat their employees but how they turned WoW into a cash grab. One of the greatest games of all time back in 07'-08'. What a joke Blizz turned into & so glad I didn't contribute to it. I did play Classic & TBC(since I never got epic flying) but will NOT play Wrath if they have cash shop either. FUK BLIZZ to the grave, dead company
@@jaredkinneyjr fully understand your cash shop policy, very principled. As a FF14 player I'm not a huge fan of the cash shop either, but the community and devs seem pretty good from what I've seen. Hopefully YoshiP can keep running a tight ship.
@@jaredkinneyjr it's your choice to buy their sh*t from shop. As a game it's actually way better than it used to be, but you guys are deluded by nostalgia. You guys take the worst take out of people who actually have a decent reason to quit. Also, you guys need to realize that Blizzard is not the fault, it's Activision. Blizzard that we knew was really great.
I think whats really special about your documentaries is that, in the first 24 minutes, I came away truly feeling like I'd always been a fan of WoW, like I feel like I really *undesrtand* it, just the way you paint the picture is masterful dude.
What an absolute masterpiece of content. Sad to see the demise of such a huge part of my childhood, but many will tell you it's been easy to foresee. I've always been tempted to go back, but this helped provide a sense of closure. Great work.
You were a child during warcraft and WoW classic era? you casual young f*** learn to grow up you havent even experience the golden era of gaming of the 80s!
@@Velshin1986 80s just screams sarcasm. If you said 90's i'd believe you but it's really in the area around snes, n64, and gamecube (and of course the other consoles in that timeframe)
You were an absolute treasure to the game. Thank you for the feelings, emotions, nostalgia, and unparalleled quality of content. I wish you luck in your next chapter whatever it may be. Like many of us you fell in love with something that at its beginnings and peak was such an incredible experience to be a part of, but have now fallen out of love due to things out of our control. While people may brush off your achievements as “it’s just a video game” do not for one second doubt what you have created here. “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking” and your absolute passion in every detail of the game is shown on your channel immensely. Those who know, know…and as life goes on and chapters close, I will always come back to this channel for a trip down memory lane with a tear in my eye and smile on my face for the memories that we all hold. Thank you for your dedication and time, you are a true hero in this community.
I was a patron of yours for a few months until I couldn't afford it anymore, but I'd like to say im proud that my money went towards such a fantastic documentary
This is really how I picture the typical WoW player, completely dead inside, no passion left in your voice as you realize that the best time of your life is long over. Great video!
I remember my early days of WoW. Just running around with my friends in the world doing quests, and when we finally went into a dungeon (after the long journey to get there) it felt so dangerous and cool. When dungeonfinder came out and we had to level new alts, we wouldn't even quest in the world anymore. Just slap on some heirloom gear and spam dungeons constantly. The magical feeling was gone. I quit the game in cataclysm, and tried to come back a few times, but never for good. Classic got me back for a good while though.
Yah mine also. I still play, but it is definitely not a mmorpg anymore. Just a mmog now. More sense on getting to max level in 10 seconds, and in alot of cases, paying for max lvls directly, and just spamming buttons in order to kill stuff now. Go go go. Fast fast fast. At least wrath did more right than it did wrong, but overall, the game just isnt the same anymore. Been that way to me since cataclysm, and they deleted the old overworld, instead of just the revamp complimenting the old overworld, and having the old overworld still existing. And then you have CRZ, and alot of other stuff over the years.
It is just so sad, so insane, that this company has gotten so bad, and so horrible, that we do not even have a blizzcon. A staple of blizzard. I guess all the scandals do not surprise me of an american company in particular, but, it was hard to believe. It is going to be difficult to really get anyone back, or really, anyone applying for the lower positions, to actually apply and work there. Just really sad. World of warcraft is a fun game, but could be so much more fun and so much better.
Watching this made me realize, what a great honor it was to be apart of this game through out it's life cycle, especially the beginning. I had a blast playing classic again, but it wasn't quite the same as it was originally, and I've come to realize, that I just need to be fond of those memories, as we will probably never experience anything like that again. What wonderful memories. Thanks for putting together this incredible video Madseason, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
@@Cygnus888 After all of the bullshit that company has pulled you are still willing to give them money? If you want to play wrath there are private server with booming economies and players bases, warmanes ice crown server having 12k players online every day. It's not just you, but I genuinely wonder how people can be so stupid and continue to empower these corrupt businesses. They don't like you, but like a broken puppy you crawl back lol
@@Cygnus888 I did not diss you, I said I wonder how people can be so stupid. Stupid in that context refers to your action of considering giving money to someone that is intentionally screwing you. I also offered you a solution, take it or leave it. I do not think you are stupid, I think you had a stupid thought. There is a difference there sir. I will offer you something more, look up the word cognitive dissonance and do some self reflection. Just because you don't like what I said does not mean I am entitled, although in some applications it is entirely possible that I have entitled views, I do not think that this is that case.
That Bobby still at the end before he says, "I am truly grateful." just sends CHILLS and ROFL's me lol. Good work man, I love rewatching it over and over and over
This was so bittersweet to watch. I got hooked on WarCraft II: The Dark Saga for my PlayStation 1 back in 1998, as a sophomore in high school. I got so into it that it cemented my love of orcs as one of my favorite fantasy races, and I managed to earn the highest rank: "Designer". Naturally, I was really excited to get into WarCraft III when I bought my first PC in all its 512mb of RAM glory, and also got into Diablo II with it, having been a fan of Diablo 1 also on my PlayStation. Then when my D2 account got hacked and all of my items stolen in November of 2004, I called up a buddy of mine/fellow player to tell him about it. Then I threw out the idea, "Why don't we pick up World of Warcraft?" We agreed, and man... if we'd have known what a life-changing decision that was! We made new friends, we had laughs, and of course, tons and tons of fun. To no longer just command the Horde from above, but to be a PART of it, to fight for it... and to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to bond with a guild through good times and bad, to forge new friendships, and yes, even a romantic relationship, it was truly an experience that made one feel--dare I say--whole. WoW also kept me sane throughout the last half of college, where the stress was mind-boggling. Slaying Alliance filth always took the edge off...except when coming up against enemy premades in AB! I ended up tapering off in Cataclysm, when most of my friends quit playing. I did come back for most expansions for about a month or two, but again, got bored. It just wasn't the same as the fun I used to have with my old buddies up until I'd say the midpoint of Wrath. So to see the Blizzard I grew up loving and truly enjoyed being a part of sink this low... It really makes me sad. I do miss those days. Indeed... no king rules forever, my son.
Sounds extremely familiar. I quit just before release of Cataclysm and agree fully with you - this feels like the period in WoW where the downfall began. I am glad to have been part of WoW history up until that point but also glad that I quit just in time.
I remember playing vanilla wow and everything felt so new and exciting. Barrens chat. Making multiple races to experience their starting zone. finally hitting lvl 60 in the winter area. Being able to raid with my guild. Staying in AV for hours stuck on the stupid bridge. Playing wow up until cata is an experience I’ll never forget.
@Socucius Ergalla I remember me and a friend had a free pass and made a troll and tauren, he was like level 10 and I was level 1, and we went all the way to the fields with the Harvest Golems and into the Alliance starting zone baiting low level alliance players to attack me and have him run out of the trees. A whole 40 person clan spawned into town saying that horde have been killing low level Alliance and they assembled like if they were a mob about to kill a monster. Said they were going to kill whoever it was until they had to abandon their characters. Needless to say we got the fuck out of there, but something cool nonetheless. Clearly there was a sense of community back then.
To me best part of wow was in vanilla when i came to goldshire. I was so clueless about everything and it was fantastic... really felt that there is big war and i was just some random dude in this massive world. It was magical at the time.
@@dinoXAs2 yep it was magical. There are days it pops into my consciousness and I think about going back even for a weekend but none of my friends play it anymore and I've heard so much negativity about it playwise now I'm afraid it will ruin the memories
This is not a mere youtube video, it's a work of art. This intro with the Funeral of queen mary song, (making a reference to A clockwork orange) is just perfect.
Dude, what an emotional rollercoaster this video was. It was heartbreaking, breathtaking and devastating all at once. Thank you so much for this. Please never stop doing content.
This was a documentary masterpiece, everything was perfect - the cinematography, the pacing, the sound design, your beautiful voice of course - took me on an emotional roller coaster and perfectly summed up what every "veteran" is feeling right now. I wish I can someday return with a good conscience and high expectations, but until that day world of warcraft will be where it's at it's best - in my memories!
I miss it all.. being a kid and playing this game with my brother or just watching him play. Wish more than anything I could go back and enjoy it all again. Wish anyone reading this the best!
Same. WoW might be dead to me now but I'm not exaggerating when I say WoW, from 2004-2009, was probably the best time of my life. No game will ever feel like WoW did back then. Booting it up in 2005 after dinner and the login music hits you... it was magic. It briefly was again when WoW Classic launched, until I realised players were different nowadays and everybody was just spellcleaving and buying boosts to blow through the content as fast as possible, then logging off all week to save their world buffs. Just wasn't the same anymore. I too would give basically anything to go back, just for a week. The first week I ever logged in in 2004.
@@Calx9 Nah, I tried FFXIV and it just doesn't do it for me at all. Doesn't feel anything like WoW used to feel at all. Everything is too easy. I played for a whole week and didn't die one single time. No PvP danger in the world. No memorable areas. No memorable music. Didn't buy anything or use the auction house one single time in the whole time I played because you just don't need to. Got given the most amazing looking armor I've ever seen in like the first 3 hours after I started so there was never any sense of having to work for the good stuff. I just didn't like it. At all. Actually no, I liked the crafting system, but I need more than just good crafting for a game to be good for me.
I will never forget the euphoria wow used to get me in back in in the gold old days. It will forever be a part of me and of my life. I am edxtremely grateful for this "ride" which wow was almost my entire life long. I know that i am by far not alone with my love for the game and the company that blizz was.. and with love i really mean love. Today my love for the company is dead... - but the love for what the game used to be, i will never lose. I will keep the memories in holy halls for my entire life.
Since the day this game launched it has been the backbone to my life. Whenever I take small breaks or go hard and skip sleep, I've made life long friends from this game. I've had the chance to meet people from this game and have kept those friends today. We've progressed through the game and supported each other in real life itself. When this game launched I was just branching out on my own in a new city with no friends and I was very lonely. The very first time I logged in (after waiting hours in line in a que) I met my first wow friend, Dolorfinis, and many more. To this day I still play my beloved main toon that I created that day! ❤️❤️❤️
@Jeremy Smith so far I'm really enjoying the Dragonflight xpac. I love the flying ability but I wish I could use my regular flying mounts in those zones as well. What I find most boring right now is the waiting for Tuesday to roll around so I can progress further.
I will always remember the ambitious GMs helping the players with their tickets who have been replaced by the automated "look it up in the wiki bitch" response they added shortly after patch 4.3.. you guys made this game special and I hope every single one of you found a better place to be and you earn the money and respect you deserve.. Where did all the money go Blizzard!?
This is completelu normal. Ive worked on many customer support projects, and in the begining we provide really good-PERSONAL support, but as soon as the "playerbase" increases such automated responses are implemented in order to reduce queue times and save money from employing new people.
I remember a GM spending a good amount of time to help me figure out a rogue quest that bugged for me he showed up above me as he whispered what could be done to fix the issue even had some small talk about games i was only a little kid back then and it was a very unique experience i havent seen since
Seriously, where is the money? I can forgive SO MUCH, but knowing they fired employees while the exec's got million-dollar bonuses is absolutely sickening.
Left me speechless. Amazing work, time, research, and effort into this. Over time, we really have just been “conditioned” to play - for those that still play.
Absolutely. I still get butterflies thinking about raiding ICC, and I spent three months of my life hunting the Time-Lost Proto Drake in the Storm Peaks. It was beautiful. And then all the cross-realm stuff started and it absolutely ruined everything, the whole feel of the game just died.
I started in wrath and my favourite memory was my level 80 father(resto druid), uncle(paladin) and their friend(warrior) running me (hunter) through the caverns of time to help me get 80. As we got there, there was a group of 3 Horde members coming out and we had a large open world battle with them. Being 79 I couldn't do much damage so I just stayed back and used concussive shot when they would try to attack our healer. We ended up wiping them and went on to get my first level 80 ever. That's my best memory of WoW.
wotlk is a joke. Rehashed naxx was the raid to do for months and months before ulduar came out, and during this time DKs were the hero class, vastly overpowered compared to everyone else. Ret paladins were also globalling people left and right. Right as you get 80 you can do all HCs with no problems. All the phasing and vehicle shit was awful. You'll quickly realize how shitty wotlk was in classic wotlk and the only reason you think of it so highly is because you were a dumb kid and now you have rose tinted glasses.
I never played WoTLK when it first came out, but a few months back I used Chromie Time and went back, and completed every single story chapter in every area in Northrend. It's by far the most fun I have had in WoW. WoTLK was incredible, even by todays standards. It was fun, engaging, and a fabulous landscape. *That* was fun. Not covenants. Not conduits. Not mythic pushing. I really hope whatever is after Shadowlands is good.
This is one of the best things I’ve seen on UA-cam in a very long time. I’m amazed at the time and effort you out into the research, writing, resource gathering, and editing of this piece. If there were UA-cam awards this would be up for “best long form content of the year.”
WoW was a massive part of my life.. made so many good friends I wish I kept in contact with. It hurts knowing no other game will replicate those same emotions and experiences I had.
seeing old classics like Morrowind, Deus Ex, Vampire: The Masquerade covered in retrospectives isn't uncommon on UA-cam (I love that shit), but I think Madseason has made the first WoW retrospective, in those terms. I expect other channels to be inspired by this seminal work.
I never watched anything from you before and I haven't played WoW or interacted with any of its content in over a decade, but this documentary is so well done and executed that I can't wait to see your future releases no matter the topic if they keep this same level of quality. Keep it up
@@1998wiwi so it's been a couple of weeks since I saw the video but I thought I remember him saying that he wants to do to more deep dive documentary videos like this one and that he would start with WoW since that's what he knows most about
Was watching some of your videos today and just had to say..... You were the GOAT man. Watching a lot of streamers become video reactors is so depressing. You did it right.
@@Naizirilolz Blizzard/Activision is going strong wow is shit. I say that as someone who started in vanilla beta. If you consider wow going strong as taking advantage of people you're correct.
@@Naizirilolz good. Would rather give my money to someone else other than Blizzard/Activision. And this video has over 1 million views so far.... the game and company that all of us loved is dead. You can say what you want.
@@MetaGuideMedia You're absolutely delusional. You think that a popular WoW channel getting a high number of views on a video means the game is dead? It doesn't matter if the video is positive or negative. Just the fact that you're this invested in trying to shit on a popular product should tell you that the product isn't dead, otherwise you wouldn't care enough to argue about it. Hopefully you find something more fulfilling in your life.
I fondly remember this from them early days: When WOW launched, one of our classmates had it with the subscription. Me and my friends all wanted a piece of the action, but paying each month was just a bonkers idea. We spent months figuring out a way to play via private/pirated versions, meanwhile using every spare second of time going to the classmate with the sub. One wednesday afternoon, the four of us finally succesfully logged into a private server, using the discs and a lot of illegal crap. It was the sweetest wednesday afternoon and evening we ever had experienced. Next day, the game was patched and we no longer had access to the private server...
@@vyrnius Occasionaly we´d get through the logon screen, into the private server. Which meant playing the game for dear life, not stopping because tou never knew if you´d get back into the server afterwards. In the end my brother got a subscription and I could play on the real servers while he was offline. We had a week shedule haha
Makes me appreciate the work that goes into giving us these experiences all over again. Thank you to those of you who still give us a way to play the old expansions!
I am proud and glad that i lived off the best times of WoW ( 2004-2012 ) This is one of the MMO that really still in my hearts today, whenever i remember the days of Vanilla and BC, i would just cry, it was truly a second life for me
I remember I got about a year of decent play in right at the very end of WotLK, and then in my freshman year of high school Cata came out and it felt like every aspect of the game got worse. Levelling, the best part of the game and really the core _of_ the game, got so easy I stopped having to think about it even as a complete noob. The customisation and skill trees I loved playing with got axed for no reason. The game world felt like got cheaper and more cartoonish, and more importantly more colourful, garrish, and full of distractions. It grew... ever more hollow, over the three years I stayed with it.
@@meidenjager haha mate I was doing the same thing before going to school... and then couldn't think about anything else for 8hours. That game was truly insane during Vanilla and BC. Even my dad got hooked to it and had his lvl 60 orc hunter... I was questing with my dad how cool was that.
Damnnnn same for me bois! I used to quest with my dad back in vanilla!! I ended up quitting after WOTLK and kinda glad I did, I played during the best times of this game, the memories are crazy. Honestly, nothing will ever beat it.
Thank you for bringing such nostalgia of my childhood. I literally grew up with WOW (which I think most of the people in the comments are as well) This video is just so soothing and a joy to watch. Didn't skip a second. Merry Christmas and bless everyone ;)
Have you tried the expanded Free Trial of our critically acclaimed MMORPG #FFXIV? You can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for FREE with no restrictions on playtime! 😲
Thanks for years of joy and entertainment on the MadSeasonShow! Dude if I could only show you the impact you have had on my life, through sickness and health. Some days your videos were a reason for me to get out of bed in the morning when I was really sick for a few years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a legend. I love you and will miss you on this channel - this is the best christmas gift a guy could ask for!!
@@madseasonshow I felt overwhelming happiness and gratitude to wake up and know you got my message. I'll be hanging out watching the BadSeasonShow for the foreseeable future so see you there. Happy Christmas.
Just came back to this today and this is still genuinely a work of art. The way the timeline of WoW is analyzed as a game, its development, its IRL context(s), the editing and cinematography. Everything in this video is a work of art.
From teenage dream to aboslute nightmare, what a story. Thank you for your amazing work on this movie. I felt like watching a Netlfix well produced documentary, seriously one the best youtube video so far.
This brought tears to my eyes. Wow is a big part of my childhood and i couldnt be happier it is. I Will never forget the countless hours ive spent in this game and memories it has made.
I mean he has literally made money off essentially rehashing this story for like, years. I wish him luck also. Probably highlights the best thing to arise from this game - that people were able to make money talking about how shit it is.
knowing you I can only imagine the hours of editing that went into this ... at least your love of editing videos has not faded in the years it seems cheers man Merry Christmas
@@madseasonshow i had no idea what this game was sometime ago and I came across your vids randomly and your vids instantly gave me nostalgia that ive never lived. I can see the passion put into your videos, keep doing what you are loving, it makes me feel good.
@@madseasonshow I absolutely agree with you. Your videos are always some must sees for me as soon as I get the notification. I'm sure you'll have many followers if you choose to focus on other topics, because your videos have surpassed the content in which you cover just like many others.
Thank you for this walk-through! I'm still heartbroken over this turn of events. I quit about 6 months ago and even though I miss WoW your video reinforces my decision. I actually can't belive a game like WoW could be destroyed - not to mention the company - in this fashion. Still cheering for the 'good' employees of Activison Blizzard though...
I know. It’s crazy to think that a game could decline so fast. I feel like they just got more and more pressure and cracked. Activision took over, and here we are.
ive never been more simultaneously impressed with a presentation, nostalgic of what once was, happy to relive memories, defeated by a timeline of mistakes - never learned from, and vindicated that this company is reaping what they have sown all these years. great work, madseason. Been watching you for a long time, and I cannot say honestly that I saw a day where you'd upload a video like this coming. What a strange time. Sad. Beautiful work, once again.
Have you tried the expanded Free Trial of our critically acclaimed MMORPG #FFXIV? You can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for FREE with no restrictions on playtime! 😲
This video is the perfect closure for so many people right now. I think now more than any other time, more people are "actually" done with WoW and it has a lot of people feeling lost. This has given, at least for me, the perfect closure needed to come to the realization that there is no more going back, and it's the first time I've had this thought and knew I meant it. Like saying a final goodbye to an ex at their funeral.
As someone who started mid BC it truly is a shame what happened to the game. Especially when you consider how *EASY* it would be for WoW to still remain on top with enjoyable game mechanics and systems. It has become corrupted to no end and BFA + SL were the expansions which made me truly numb to WoW. I still log in every now and then to see what's going on but i don't play nearly as much as i did for example in Legion. Edit: one of the things back in the day i LOVED was when a new xpac released and you saw those new abilities at the bottom of the talent tree and the rush i felt when finally unlocking that cool new ability, oh man it was good 90% of the friends i met on Argent dawn EU through RP and other activities have pretty much vanished.. But hey, atleast they changed some "Offensive" things and fruit bowled paintings, added 10 different convoluted pointless systems designed to keep you logged in as if it was a chore rather than design 1-2 enjoyable systems.
It wouldn't be easy as the game is fundamentally aging, even if WoW was at its core good, it can't escape being nearly 20 years old soon. Without change the game is just too solved and that would definitely kill it just the same.
@@shh532 You mean, they didn't invest all that money they made into developing an overhaul somewhere down the line to upgrade the game to modern day standards? Dear sir, I am so schocked... not. Some of my best mmo gaming memories are tied to WoW, but at this point? I'd rather they just let it die in peace, so that those who still cling on to the promises of a better future can move onwards to better games, as there are enough of those out there to choose from. And don't worry, the legacy of Azeroth will be carried on in the books, since most of the lore is already there anyway xD
This was very interesting. I played everyday from just a month after vanilla launch, to the end of WotLK. I then burnt out and quit, looks like I did at the right moment. The daily quests and the ever decreasing feel of community sealed the coffin for me, along with not wanting to start over again and have my hard earned gear become obsolete in the coming Cataclysm. It all started to feel like a second job really, it just lost the sense of wonder and exploration. I almost came back with the latest expansion to see what was going on, glad I didn't and any passing desire to do so is now no more after watching this.
@@frostedlambs They haven't fucked anything up. Classic is still as dumb as it was, while also being as good as it was. Current season of mastery is even somewhat better. But I agree with OP the community and hamster wheel/reset needs to stop.
Thank you for this video. I played WoW during the vanilla era, a little while before the launch of TBC. Stopped playing towards the end of WotLK, mostly due to just burnout. I revisited once during Mists, I think. And I was not happy with the state of the game. After leveling a new character for a bit, I decided to try out the dungeon finder thing for Shadowfang Keep, and was stunned when it instantly dumped me into the instance with a full group. I had run this dungeon sooo many times back when I played and leveled a bunch of alts. I remember putting in effort to find a group, running to the entrance myself, talking with my group during the run. But it was different this time; because now no said a single word during the entire dungeon. I stopped playing entirely after this and never came back. I had some interest in WoW Classic, but didn't end up going back mostly due to lack of time. I was still hoping to find the time to play it again... Especially when TBC Classic was going to come. But now after the inclusion of paid level boosters, I'm left giving up any desire to play the game again for a second time. I still wondered what exactly what happened to the game after I gave up on it. And this entire video answered all my questions while letting me relive a lot of fond memories too. Thanks again for this, and you've earned a sub from me.
Having now watched this, it's almost cathartic to listen to Madseason discuss some of the exact same things I've said over the years - particularly the erosion of sense of community. This is an excellent summarization of the History of WoW, condensed into a two hour video - of it's rise and decline. It's interesting to note how some of the greatest moments in this games history occurred during Classic by the way. I had always felt that the first three expansions of the game had a certain social fabric that made magical community moments happen - such a fabric that had been under attack for over a decade and only a few shreds of remain. Madseason holds a compelling grip on the narrative, it's impressive how he does a phenomenal job of faithfully recreating the actual community narrative as it was at the time for each segment here, without being caught up in the 20/20 hindsight that always comes afterwards - at least until it's respective time comes in the story. Digging up the 20/20 is easy, faithfully representing the narrative at the time? That's the best part of this. While some of my experiences were slightly different, everyone has their own relationship with certain aspects of the game that may prove to be popular, or not.
I miss this game, I started playing again and haven’t reached end game level so I guess I’ll see what’s going on when I get there. But the days of 40 man raids were just special, after weeks of raiding AQ40, struggling to kill C’thun and then finally beating him with the same group of people I’d been raiding with for years will forever be one of the greatest feelings/memories.
The best Christmas present is a 2 hour MadSeason vid, thanks for this… fantastic video, informative & engaging…. Awesome editing too. Thanks for the hard work and dedication so that we can enjoy such a masterpiece
Since we're going full nostalgia again, I'm gonna share my first memories - I found out about WoW from a magazine, one of those old PC magazines with reviews of games. It was still like 2003 or something so it was a super basic version they were reviewing, but it sounded like a proper sandbox. The way they described it you went out onto this world and just did things, whenever, wherever, everything was an adventure. When I bought it on the box the description hinted it was better than ever - I thought from the photo of Durotar that you could actually build towns. I logged in one night and created a character...then got bored and dropped it for 3 months. Started it up again, made a paladin, got lost and didn't know how to get back - deleted and abandoned for another month. My next character, the hunter, is what I played well into wotlk and never looked back. I'm not gonna go into my experience, it was just 100% positive and magical, but it hurts too much to give it now, I'm just gonna say one thing - we thought we did and we fucking did. But you ruined it, Activision boy. Because once the bad taste is out of my mouth, I'm still going to go for private servers where some random russian in a basement seems to be more competent at doing this than your big company with millions profit.
Already watched this a few times, now again on Asmons stream, and this masterpiece never fails to impress me. Your content is S tier.. I look forward to whatever you put out next.
A wonderful video Madseason. I'd forgotten so many of the twists and turns towards the present, but you stand in front, a lantern in your hand, showing me the path I travelled. Thank you so much for this.
I hope you read through these comments madseasonshow… look at all the love and care you give people and they give it right back! This was amazing, and I wish you the best in any of your future endeavors ❤️
When I clicked on the video and saw it was 2 hours long I was like wow! After watching the whole thing I have to say what a great video. Very detailed and well done.
From raiding xroads as a lvl 51 paladin to, the first time you hear "YOU ARE NOT PREPARED" to the epic feeling from the wrath gate.... Dajum, wat a memories this game gave me as a 37year boomer.
Thank you, Madseason. This video is such a great way to send off the game I once loved. It makes you remember how you felt during every expansion, as well as the insane things that went on while we were all playing it. Your content is amazing as always. Happy Holidays to you! This definitely made my Christmas amazing.
Madseasonshow was the reason I decided to start playing. This man is what started my biggest addiction and I will never regret it. Thank you Madseasonshow. Merry Christmas!
The MMO that redefined the genre.
If you are curious on status/progress of the next video, I post updates on my twitter: twitter.com/madseason_
Episode #2 - Rise of the Influencer: ua-cam.com/video/vRqHHAFlXJI/v-deo.html
Episode #3 - Star Wars Galaxies: ua-cam.com/video/RW22doSoe5w/v-deo.html
Episode #4 - The Ocarina of Time: ua-cam.com/video/sAXIAPC8pG8/v-deo.html
Welcome back!
@@RandMPlayz Thanks. It's good to be back!
good to see you back man
@@madseasonshow How can you not be back on WoW?? You have to know whats going on.
@@SticksAandstonesBozo I'm taking a break from the genre, WoW included. None of the MMOs out right now really appeal to me. Wish you & anyone else checking it out the best of luck though.
Can we all just take a moment to seriously appreciate the production elements with the news segments and the old CRT TVs... it adds a seriously awesome atmosphere to this docu
So hyped
Agreed. Awesome video!
A well done piece.
Mfer clearly spent ALOT of time on this, respect
Madseason gets 10 times the views of any other wow youtuber-but he's putting in ten times the work-it seems.
This is the definitive history of wow.
And it deserves a standing ovation.
For whom? MadSeason or Blizz? Because I, for one, will not give blizzard a standing ovation.
@@gamingpc5459 No one is applauding Activision Blizzard by the end of this video.
I agree with this even before watching the video from what i know about madseason
I’m 15 minutes into this video, and it’s interesting how quickly history is forgotten. This video so far has been wrong and bad. It’s like a child presenting a school project when they didn’t read the book. I was an MMORPG gamer before WoW and remember it well when it launched and I played. This guy is not presenting the story accurately AT ALL. His narrative of events is exaggerated and/or wrong in many instances.
@@derekirish5121 care to elaborate?
Absolute masterpiece.
It felt like a eulogy for a great friend that went insane and then slowly faded over years.
Thank you, as weird as it sounds, this is a form of closure I guess...
Haha perfectly described
@@siriusblack7714 I felt it was pretty on point.. The video was amazing, truly a masterclass, with the old school music creating those nostalgic tears and goosebumps in the start, and then transitioning away from it through out.. And so many other small things
I must be crazy because I still love the game haha.. that said I don’t disagree that it has many faults. But it’s still fun to me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@Zachsophone I mean good for you, hope you keep enjoying it.
But with aaaalllll of the fuckups blizz have made, both inside the game, and outside of it.. Wow is dead..
The first thing I thought after having watched the video was exactly that. I started playing the game 17 years ago, but I stopped playing retail in 2012. It's like I became best friends with someone 17 years ago but then somewhere along the line they changed for the worse, became self destructive, alienated those around them and is now but a mentally disturbed, tragic shadow of their former self.
I hope this video never becomes lost media. I don’t know why but I come back here every now and then because it’s genuinely one of the gems of this entire platform. Well done dude, the effort put into this is on par with some of the best documentaries I’ve seen.
Agreed. Let’s agree this not to become lost media
it’s a youtube video with 2 million views. do you even understand what lost media is
Every minute of editing, all of the hours it took you to make this, WORTH IT. Thank you for making this.
Have you tried the expanded Free Trial of our critically acclaimed MMORPG #FFXIV?
You can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for FREE with no restrictions on playtime! 😲
Dude i turn 23 today and i woke up and was like “what a great way to start today.” Thanks for some of the best content on UA-cam.
@@kyle3578 just gonna report all these for unwanted commercial spam
(0:00) Early MMO's and WoW alpha
(13:49) Vanilla WoW
(29:37) The Burning Crusade
(38:35) Wrath of the Lich King
(45:20) Cataclysm
(54:00) Mists of Pandaria
(1:01:18) Warlords of Draenor
(1:06:34) Legion
(1:12:18) Battle For Azeroth & Classic development
(1:31:15) Classic & Reforged
(1:36:25) Shadowlands
(1:40:19) TBC Classic
(1:46:50) All the latest scandals...
Thank you so much
He forgot to mention Rift. Which played a large role in WoW's fall during cataclysm. Bigger then Tor's effect.
What a god
You should title each part with "Maddseason shitting on....) followed by timestamps.
Game went down hill, from WOD, but I wonder what the game would be like if CATA and MOP was never the next direction and something else was in its place, I think the game would of been better
The intro was DOPE!
U R Dope.
Say what the music track at around 9:00 called?
@@Animaster89 Ur mom
@@Animaster89 it’s the vanilla nightelf theme! „Song of Elune“
The whole video was in fact
I just watched a 2 hour report on the history of WoW....i don't regret a single minute. The same as i didn't regret a single minute i spent playing this once glorious game.
Indeed!
hahaha the addiction is real isn't it brother. I just listen to the music sometimes to scratch my itch if I don't want to play/ am on time off from it. I'm more off than on. A 10 year break and came back and played 4 months shadow land then off then on a couple now off....might get to dragonflight this fall if time allows, shall see
@@MrMawnster Dragonflight slaps, best expansion since Legion for sure
@@dmt472 can confirm shit still slaps after a month in
@@dmt472Dragonflight best expansion since legion for sure, might even be better than legion by the end
Spending my first Christmas alone, Although i dont have presents to unwrap this year, this got me through my sad morning. Thank u madseason and cheers to crusade for making classic fun for me.
Have a christmas man. The world is in a weird place and I hope you get to deal with whatever is going on. ❤
@@Muckduck92 thank u that honestly made my day, i wish more people in the world were nice like u and the 10 ppl that upvoted that comment
I was there last year, I promise life gets better even when it feels like it never could. Hope you're well!
Merry Christmas, gamer! And Happy New year too ❤️
@@wardue we got your back homie stay up
Ah, nothing like a 2 hour mad season season special to make this season special. Thanks for making Christmas truly happen this year
Merry Christmas! Thank you for checking it out
To compete, you must release a 2 hour boulder session
You nerd you :-)
Go back to training and go send some V15s outside you nerd
I see what you did there
Such a sad story to watch knowing that I personally poured more than 10 years of my life into this game and company, only to watch them slowly sink their own ship 😢 My memories of BC & Wotlk will forever live in my heart as some of the greatest times of my life. Thank you for creating this video to pay homage to the entire journey.
Everyone always said "this game is the WoW killer!" Aion/Age of Connan/WarHammer/etc Turns out Blizzard is what killed WoW
Completely agree, and who else than the amazingly talented Madseasonshow.
Keep ahold of the friends you made, and the fun you had. I'm in much the same boat, 10-12 years of my life i did nothing but wow.
@@cigarr3870 yuuuuup, never again did we have the same fun we had while we got heroic ICC 25man on farm. I bailed on WoW after because I was burnt out so never experienced the subsequent expansions though I did come back to try Legion and did play for a solid 6 months. But it just wasn't the same WoW I remembered so I carry those vanilla, bc and wotlk days, which where its peak, memories like treasures.
same brother
I remember this like yesterday. Whole summer in 2005 from where I come from, it was rain and thunder almost the entire summer. It was so magical I almost cry thinking back...
I miss that magic...
I had a similar experience.
Rain storms outside, parents out and about, and me playing as if nothing else existed in the whole world. Cozy in my favorite blanket..
I feel like crying just thinking about it!
@@1BalBal1 Thank you for your wonderful comment!
@@1BalBal1 Thank you for your wonderful comment!
"You guys really take care of us." That hit me right in the feels. So sad to see the fall.
Im posting this on all the top comments but tell me this isn’t mad season show ua-cam.com/video/3za3Ez7uOrE/v-deo.html
100%
What’s the guy with the drink saying after him at 1:12? It sounds like “RNK queues all day everyday” but I know that’s not it
@Jeremy Smith Not the game, the company making the game. Took care of us, in the sense that they made sure their product was the best they could. It's not too hard if you think about for more than 2 seconds.
Rewatching for the Nth time, got to 1h42min mark about the Era/TBC cloning service fee.
Small update: turns out that if you paid for clone service but never logged into an Era realm with that character (before cloning service was discontinued), it was never properly "activated" and Blizzard customer service says it's gone forever. This happened to streamer, his rank 14 rogue was effectively deleted. I'd like to reiterate that he PAID for cloning service and it was not said anywhere that you have to also "activate" it before set date.
Playing wow for the first time everything felt so huge and promising, there was a cozy place for everyone, logging out felt like waking up from a good dream.
After a long time i realized playing an mmo was some sort of spiritual experience. The security and safety by being in your own world is truly magical and can also be found in buddhist traditions :)
I started 2012 and I completely relate. Felt like i'd entered a limitless magical world. Wish I could play it for the first time again!
@@PanGalacticGargoyleBlaster It can actually be achieved. Every moment we experience is new, which creates the feeling of endlessness. In our modern world the feeling for unexplained became less. Strengthen your connection with yourself and your experience will become more intense. I practiced this for years and can tell you that it's just a mindset thing. Understand your feelings, your longing and you will be able to feel the way you want to feel :)
@@pikpik42 I appreciate the sentiment but I really just meant I want to play one of my favourite games again for the first time haha like im sure you want to see your favourite movie or show or read your favourite book for the first time again?
@@PanGalacticGargoyleBlaster That's the thing. You can actually achieve it. Like I said, it's a mindset thing.
This video will go down as the final piece of closure to our WoW adventure for a LOT of us and I can speak for myself only, but I really needed this. Uninstalled the game half a year ago for good and always had this weird sense of "I might come back" in the back of my mind. After watching this I feel like that last part of me that was nostalgically clinging on to that world has finally let go. Thanks for the massive effort and great execution on this documentary my guy!
I'm 100% with you there! This video helped me let go and say my final goodbyes to a game i spent 15 years playing on and off.. But the next chapter begins for us all!
I stopped a year and a half ago and was thinking of giving it a chance, is it that bad now?
Nicely put fellow ex-player. In a way I am thankful to Blizzard for destroying thier own game.
After 15+ years of being shut-in besment dweller book exaple of a nerd - I feel free.
Great Video MadSeason, Farewell.
Same man, same.
Anyway, see you next expansion.
"Closure" is a perfect way to put it and truly, I feel it too. Since I quit (from Vanilla to WoD), I always hoped to come back later... But, I just couldn't. It wasn't the game I grew up playing. Guess that is the first step of grieving: Denial.
We're mourning the loss of something that deeply impacted us; that brought so much happiness into our lives. I didn't realize exactly how much it affected me until I watched a compilation of cinematics & trailers recently... The Vanilla trailer began, and tears flooded my face. The nostalgia was SO profound, knowing I'll never get to relive that experience. Knowing it's gone.
I'm pretty relieved too, to watch this. Great job to MadSeason on all sides. His material has always been high quality.
Miss this man.
Hope you are doing good wherever you are.
He should have another Pandora's Box series video out soon - it'll be focused on UA-cam and Social Media. If you want to see some more of his content that's more "casual", he has a Dark Souls 1 and Elden Ring playthrough series on his alt channel - BadSeasonShow
@@PeterDB90 Will the new pandoras box series be on this channel?
@@Verurteiler yes
@@PeterDB90 bro thank you. I needed that. He should really advertise that alt channel more.
@@PeterDB90 I mean, even over there on Badseasonshow, his last video was 3 months ago
You are literally the only one on youtube that can make a 2 hour long movie feel like 10 minutes.
Have you heared of Pyrocynical?
Have you tried the expanded Free Trial of our critically acclaimed MMORPG #FFXIV?
You can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for FREE with no restrictions on playtime! 😲
Yeah man, I wish there was more.
No he isn't. However, any youtuber with that skill is certainly appreciated for that rare talent.
@@kyle3578 yikes
This was heartbreaking to watch. A perfect summary of how the game we all poured years into slowly became something we could no longer recognize but still tried to love. Time to close his chapter - again.
Love how you snuck the Monkey Island theme in.
I fear its no longer the chapter we closed my friend, I think it's finally the book.
Totally agree. I'm still a bit stuck on fully closing it, though i wish i could. I host a few private servers (of different game versions) me and friends play on a few times a week still lol. BUT, retail / live, at least i'm done with that haha
I’m watching this a second time, gets sadder the second time you watch it
Well said. I second this
I've played in the Blizz universe since WC3/Diablo 2, and I had AOL dial-up back then. My WoW subscription dates back to December 2004 (got it for my 12th bday). I have been playing WoW since it's release, not hardcore by any means but always something nice to come home to. This video is frankly so good, better than any movie I have seen in the past few years. It's truly the perfect timeline of how we felt as players through the journey of WoW. I stopped playing "retail" when Classic came out, so this was even a good way for me to see what went wrong in the retail version.
I have a hand written letter from Chris Metzen (which he signed) when I wrote Blizz in middle-school for a project. I'm almost 30 now, and I look back at that letter with a bit of sadness for what was once a great company and game. I hope Blizzard finds itself someday soon, but I know it won't. Cheers to all those memories that we all made together in this beautiful game. It may be destroyed now, but nobody can take away what that game did for all of us.
Thank you Madseason, for making this video for the community.
Thank you for sharing this ❤️
Good mini story. 🧡
What a great way to put it. Very similar story to my own experience with the game. Thank you
next time dont leave a comment
@@erictim9052 u mad bro
I had never heard of you, I only played wow for about 3 years but they were awesome and this video gave me chills, I can just imagine putting 16 years in it, how it must feel. The end of the video when you say"Let them in" and the door opens felt like void opening and reminded me of the movie The Wall when he finally breaks out the wall and moves on
This was a heartbreaking walkthrough of Blizzard's rise and fall. I played World of Warcraft from the open beta until just before the release of Shadowlands. I was 18 when the game released. For better and for worse, this game has been part of my identity for a large chunk of my life. Absolutely heartbreaking how they allowed it to wither away like this. Once you've watched the video, I recommend going back to 00:10 and rewatching the intro. It's an absolute tear-jerker once you've got the proper context for all the clips.
This.
"What's it like to see all your favourite franchises go down in flames?"
idk its pretty fun now lots of classic/hc realms for those folks and retail tww is well recieved and enjoyed
This man comes out of the woods with a 2 hour video, let me get my coffee. Gonna be a good one boys.
For a game that was integral to so many of our lives to be destroyed in this way is utterly heartbreaking.
empires rise and fall, same old story
I came back after 8yrs to play Classic & could not believe what they did to WoW since I couldn't figure out how to only dl Classic without dl'ing WoW also. I was so glad I quit around 2011-12. I DO NOT play any game that has a cash shop, period, end of discussion. If it has a cash shop, it ain't for me. Also, I will NEVER play another Blizzard game ever again not cuz how they treat their employees but how they turned WoW into a cash grab. One of the greatest games of all time back in 07'-08'. What a joke Blizz turned into & so glad I didn't contribute to it. I did play Classic & TBC(since I never got epic flying) but will NOT play Wrath if they have cash shop either. FUK BLIZZ to the grave, dead company
@@jaredkinneyjr fully understand your cash shop policy, very principled. As a FF14 player I'm not a huge fan of the cash shop either, but the community and devs seem pretty good from what I've seen. Hopefully YoshiP can keep running a tight ship.
@@jaredkinneyjr kinda messed up that you care more about how the game turned out rather then the real peoples lives being ruined but alright
@@jaredkinneyjr it's your choice to buy their sh*t from shop. As a game it's actually way better than it used to be, but you guys are deluded by nostalgia. You guys take the worst take out of people who actually have a decent reason to quit. Also, you guys need to realize that Blizzard is not the fault, it's Activision. Blizzard that we knew was really great.
I think whats really special about your documentaries is that, in the first 24 minutes, I came away truly feeling like I'd always been a fan of WoW, like I feel like I really *undesrtand* it, just the way you paint the picture is masterful dude.
What an absolute masterpiece of content. Sad to see the demise of such a huge part of my childhood, but many will tell you it's been easy to foresee. I've always been tempted to go back, but this helped provide a sense of closure. Great work.
Go and play AYAYA cringe instead then.
@@AICabal Been playing Tarkov instead, good game.
@@AICabal How expensive are the weekly tanks of copium?
You were a child during warcraft and WoW classic era? you casual young f*** learn to grow up you havent even experience the golden era of gaming of the 80s!
@@Velshin1986 80s just screams sarcasm. If you said 90's i'd believe you but it's really in the area around snes, n64, and gamecube (and of course the other consoles in that timeframe)
Watching this heart broken. Unbelievably well made man. I’ll love WoW forever for what it was to me at the time, and always have those memories.
I grew up with it too I’m playing classic again finally but it’s not like it wass when I was younger and seeing the swifty videos and shit
2 Hours of Mad Season? Let's go.
Santa came early for me!!!
Im afraid you mispoke, I think you meant:
" LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!! "
Well I'll be damned if it ain't CHEFPK
Go...where?
I was the 666th like.
I've never played WOW, but my goodness mate, that intro is one of the most iconic for one of the most iconic games ever
You're the only who could have made this documentary and done it justice, really good work bro
You were an absolute treasure to the game. Thank you for the feelings, emotions, nostalgia, and unparalleled quality of content. I wish you luck in your next chapter whatever it may be. Like many of us you fell in love with something that at its beginnings and peak was such an incredible experience to be a part of, but have now fallen out of love due to things out of our control. While people may brush off your achievements as “it’s just a video game” do not for one second doubt what you have created here. “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking” and your absolute passion in every detail of the game is shown on your channel immensely. Those who know, know…and as life goes on and chapters close, I will always come back to this channel for a trip down memory lane with a tear in my eye and smile on my face for the memories that we all hold. Thank you for your dedication and time, you are a true hero in this community.
Beautifully said. This put my feelings into words. Thank you.
I was a patron of yours for a few months until I couldn't afford it anymore, but I'd like to say im proud that my money went towards such a fantastic documentary
Good work
I'm ashamed I haven't been a patron. but i wish I was... This documentary was so f'ing great!
This is really how I picture the typical WoW player, completely dead inside, no passion left in your voice as you realize that the best time of your life is long over. Great video!
I remember my early days of WoW. Just running around with my friends in the world doing quests, and when we finally went into a dungeon (after the long journey to get there) it felt so dangerous and cool. When dungeonfinder came out and we had to level new alts, we wouldn't even quest in the world anymore. Just slap on some heirloom gear and spam dungeons constantly. The magical feeling was gone. I quit the game in cataclysm, and tried to come back a few times, but never for good. Classic got me back for a good while though.
Are you me?
Damn bro same her literally almost exactly the same.
So sad I missed classic
@@dontblockthebox There's still time with TBC! I
@@Waff3n Det kan ikke udelukkes ;-)
The game will always be in my heart and it’s just so sad how they destroyed it
its not that serious though
@@erictim9052 To you know but many are passionate about the game.
Yah mine also. I still play, but it is definitely not a mmorpg anymore. Just a mmog now. More sense on getting to max level in 10 seconds, and in alot of cases, paying for max lvls directly, and just spamming buttons in order to kill stuff now. Go go go. Fast fast fast. At least wrath did more right than it did wrong, but overall, the game just isnt the same anymore. Been that way to me since cataclysm, and they deleted the old overworld, instead of just the revamp complimenting the old overworld, and having the old overworld still existing. And then you have CRZ, and alot of other stuff over the years.
It is just so sad, so insane, that this company has gotten so bad, and so horrible, that we do not even have a blizzcon. A staple of blizzard. I guess all the scandals do not surprise me of an american company in particular, but, it was hard to believe. It is going to be difficult to really get anyone back, or really, anyone applying for the lower positions, to actually apply and work there. Just really sad.
World of warcraft is a fun game, but could be so much more fun and so much better.
@@Atreyufolife i am sure they are passionate, still doesnt make it serious though. oh humans are so vapid.
Watching this made me realize, what a great honor it was to be apart of this game through out it's life cycle, especially the beginning. I had a blast playing classic again, but it wasn't quite the same as it was originally, and I've come to realize, that I just need to be fond of those memories, as we will probably never experience anything like that again.
What wonderful memories. Thanks for putting together this incredible video Madseason, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I played classic (and tbc) more before i unsubscribed than the current expansion. Might come back for Wrath.
@@Cygnus888 After all of the bullshit that company has pulled you are still willing to give them money?
If you want to play wrath there are private server with booming economies and players bases, warmanes ice crown server having 12k players online every day.
It's not just you, but I genuinely wonder how people can be so stupid and continue to empower these corrupt businesses. They don't like you, but like a broken puppy you crawl back lol
"we didnt realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun"
@@tylerk9455 Don't diss someone you don't know. What an entitled pos. I said I might, not that I will.
@@Cygnus888 I did not diss you, I said I wonder how people can be so stupid. Stupid in that context refers to your action of considering giving money to someone that is intentionally screwing you. I also offered you a solution, take it or leave it. I do not think you are stupid, I think you had a stupid thought. There is a difference there sir.
I will offer you something more, look up the word cognitive dissonance and do some self reflection. Just because you don't like what I said does not mean I am entitled, although in some applications it is entirely possible that I have entitled views, I do not think that this is that case.
That Bobby still at the end before he says, "I am truly grateful." just sends CHILLS and ROFL's me lol. Good work man, I love rewatching it over and over and over
This was so bittersweet to watch. I got hooked on WarCraft II: The Dark Saga for my PlayStation 1 back in 1998, as a sophomore in high school. I got so into it that it cemented my love of orcs as one of my favorite fantasy races, and I managed to earn the highest rank: "Designer". Naturally, I was really excited to get into WarCraft III when I bought my first PC in all its 512mb of RAM glory, and also got into Diablo II with it, having been a fan of Diablo 1 also on my PlayStation.
Then when my D2 account got hacked and all of my items stolen in November of 2004, I called up a buddy of mine/fellow player to tell him about it. Then I threw out the idea, "Why don't we pick up World of Warcraft?" We agreed, and man... if we'd have known what a life-changing decision that was! We made new friends, we had laughs, and of course, tons and tons of fun.
To no longer just command the Horde from above, but to be a PART of it, to fight for it... and to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to bond with a guild through good times and bad, to forge new friendships, and yes, even a romantic relationship, it was truly an experience that made one feel--dare I say--whole. WoW also kept me sane throughout the last half of college, where the stress was mind-boggling. Slaying Alliance filth always took the edge off...except when coming up against enemy premades in AB!
I ended up tapering off in Cataclysm, when most of my friends quit playing. I did come back for most expansions for about a month or two, but again, got bored. It just wasn't the same as the fun I used to have with my old buddies up until I'd say the midpoint of Wrath.
So to see the Blizzard I grew up loving and truly enjoyed being a part of sink this low... It really makes me sad. I do miss those days.
Indeed... no king rules forever, my son.
Sounds extremely familiar. I quit just before release of Cataclysm and agree fully with you - this feels like the period in WoW where the downfall began. I am glad to have been part of WoW history up until that point but also glad that I quit just in time.
It's amazing how many people quit during Wrath. I did. Came back a few times for a month or two. Memories man.
I see only darkness... before me
I remember playing vanilla wow and everything felt so new and exciting. Barrens chat. Making multiple races to experience their starting zone. finally hitting lvl 60 in the winter area. Being able to raid with my guild. Staying in AV for hours stuck on the stupid bridge. Playing wow up until cata is an experience I’ll never forget.
Barrens chat!
@kuntlicker kuntface yeah everyone min maxing isn't the same as the OG experience. sorry.
@kuntlicker kuntface times have changed I got more on my plate now so I can’t play for a extended period of time.
Recommendations for a good oceanic private server?
@Socucius Ergalla I remember me and a friend had a free pass and made a troll and tauren, he was like level 10 and I was level 1, and we went all the way to the fields with the Harvest Golems and into the Alliance starting zone baiting low level alliance players to attack me and have him run out of the trees. A whole 40 person clan spawned into town saying that horde have been killing low level Alliance and they assembled like if they were a mob about to kill a monster. Said they were going to kill whoever it was until they had to abandon their characters.
Needless to say we got the fuck out of there, but something cool nonetheless. Clearly there was a sense of community back then.
The nostalgia is unreal. What I wouldn't give to go back in time to 12 years ago and just play the end of WotLK
To me best part of wow was in vanilla when i came to goldshire. I was so clueless about everything and it was fantastic... really felt that there is big war and i was just some random dude in this massive world. It was magical at the time.
@@dinoXAs2 yep it was magical. There are days it pops into my consciousness and I think about going back even for a weekend but none of my friends play it anymore and I've heard so much negativity about it playwise now I'm afraid it will ruin the memories
@@WhimsicalShark it will ruin the memories and harm your soul.
@@randomname766 agreed don't taint them. And they will be tainted.
@@dinoXAs2 for real warcraft universe felt infinite now looks like i'm stuck in a public toilet
This is not a mere youtube video, it's a work of art. This intro with the Funeral of queen mary song, (making a reference to A clockwork orange) is just perfect.
Dude, what an emotional rollercoaster this video was. It was heartbreaking, breathtaking and devastating all at once. Thank you so much for this. Please never stop doing content.
I felt the same.
This was a documentary masterpiece, everything was perfect - the cinematography, the pacing, the sound design, your beautiful voice of course - took me on an emotional roller coaster and perfectly summed up what every "veteran" is feeling right now. I wish I can someday return with a good conscience and high expectations, but until that day world of warcraft will be where it's at it's best - in my memories!
I miss it all.. being a kid and playing this game with my brother or just watching him play. Wish more than anything I could go back and enjoy it all again. Wish anyone reading this the best!
Same. WoW might be dead to me now but I'm not exaggerating when I say WoW, from 2004-2009, was probably the best time of my life. No game will ever feel like WoW did back then. Booting it up in 2005 after dinner and the login music hits you... it was magic. It briefly was again when WoW Classic launched, until I realised players were different nowadays and everybody was just spellcleaving and buying boosts to blow through the content as fast as possible, then logging off all week to save their world buffs. Just wasn't the same anymore.
I too would give basically anything to go back, just for a week. The first week I ever logged in in 2004.
@@Aethelhald will forever hold
Those memories as some of the best times of my life it was so simple yet so great!
Just play FFXIV
@@Aethelhald play on Warmane
it's a screenshot of all the stuff you loved most about the game. right before the crap
@@Calx9 Nah, I tried FFXIV and it just doesn't do it for me at all. Doesn't feel anything like WoW used to feel at all. Everything is too easy. I played for a whole week and didn't die one single time. No PvP danger in the world. No memorable areas. No memorable music. Didn't buy anything or use the auction house one single time in the whole time I played because you just don't need to. Got given the most amazing looking armor I've ever seen in like the first 3 hours after I started so there was never any sense of having to work for the good stuff.
I just didn't like it. At all. Actually no, I liked the crafting system, but I need more than just good crafting for a game to be good for me.
A masterpiece. Hats (and Helms) off to MadSeason. You're the real legendary reward!
He’s a king 👑
I will never forget the euphoria wow used to get me in back in in the gold old days. It will forever be a part of me and of my life. I am edxtremely grateful for this "ride" which wow was almost my entire life long. I know that i am by far not alone with my love for the game and the company that blizz was.. and with love i really mean love. Today my love for the company is dead... - but the love for what the game used to be, i will never lose. I will keep the memories in holy halls for my entire life.
Can't imagine how much time this must have cost to put together. Kudos, although saddening, it really gives a full picture.
Since the day this game launched it has been the backbone to my life. Whenever I take small breaks or go hard and skip sleep, I've made life long friends from this game. I've had the chance to meet people from this game and have kept those friends today. We've progressed through the game and supported each other in real life itself. When this game launched I was just branching out on my own in a new city with no friends and I was very lonely.
The very first time I logged in (after waiting hours in line in a que) I met my first wow friend, Dolorfinis, and many more.
To this day I still play my beloved main toon that I created that day! ❤️❤️❤️
This is beautiful!
@Jeremy Smith so far I'm really enjoying the Dragonflight xpac. I love the flying ability but I wish I could use my regular flying mounts in those zones as well. What I find most boring right now is the waiting for Tuesday to roll around so I can progress further.
Are you still friends with dolorfinis?@@ree_ree
Still to this day, watching the announcement videos for the first few expansions, still gives me chills.
I will always remember the ambitious GMs helping the players with their tickets who have been replaced by the automated "look it up in the wiki bitch" response they added shortly after patch 4.3.. you guys made this game special and I hope every single one of you found a better place to be and you earn the money and respect you deserve..
Where did all the money go Blizzard!?
to abusing their employees and shitty games xD
This is completelu normal. Ive worked on many customer support projects, and in the begining we provide really good-PERSONAL support, but as soon as the "playerbase" increases such automated responses are implemented in order to reduce queue times and save money from employing new people.
I remember a GM spending a good amount of time to help me figure out a rogue quest that bugged for me he showed up above me as he whispered what could be done to fix the issue even had some small talk about games i was only a little kid back then and it was a very unique experience i havent seen since
Seriously, where is the money? I can forgive SO MUCH, but knowing they fired employees while the exec's got million-dollar bonuses is absolutely sickening.
I always liked on RP servers, the GMs would do it too when they responded to your tickets. Really showed they cared.
i just want my favorite game back :(
It was the whole era imo.
The timing of the game's release with where I was with my life was perfect
But there's no going back
You won’t get it.
The problem is that the players got older and grew out of gaming 24/7
You can't go home again OP
Left me speechless. Amazing work, time, research, and effort into this. Over time, we really have just been “conditioned” to play - for those that still play.
This is the greatest Christmas gift ever. Thank you, MadSeason, I love you.
I am forever going to miss WoTLK. One of the most memorable gaming days in my life. Every region and event which occurred was pure bliss.
My sentiment exact
Absolutely. I still get butterflies thinking about raiding ICC, and I spent three months of my life hunting the Time-Lost Proto Drake in the Storm Peaks. It was beautiful. And then all the cross-realm stuff started and it absolutely ruined everything, the whole feel of the game just died.
I started in wrath and my favourite memory was my level 80 father(resto druid), uncle(paladin) and their friend(warrior) running me (hunter) through the caverns of time to help me get 80. As we got there, there was a group of 3 Horde members coming out and we had a large open world battle with them. Being 79 I couldn't do much damage so I just stayed back and used concussive shot when they would try to attack our healer. We ended up wiping them and went on to get my first level 80 ever. That's my best memory of WoW.
wotlk is a joke. Rehashed naxx was the raid to do for months and months before ulduar came out, and during this time DKs were the hero class, vastly overpowered compared to everyone else. Ret paladins were also globalling people left and right. Right as you get 80 you can do all HCs with no problems. All the phasing and vehicle shit was awful. You'll quickly realize how shitty wotlk was in classic wotlk and the only reason you think of it so highly is because you were a dumb kid and now you have rose tinted glasses.
I never played WoTLK when it first came out, but a few months back I used Chromie Time and went back, and completed every single story chapter in every area in Northrend. It's by far the most fun I have had in WoW. WoTLK was incredible, even by todays standards. It was fun, engaging, and a fabulous landscape. *That* was fun. Not covenants. Not conduits. Not mythic pushing. I really hope whatever is after Shadowlands is good.
This is one of the best things I’ve seen on UA-cam in a very long time. I’m amazed at the time and effort you out into the research, writing, resource gathering, and editing of this piece. If there were UA-cam awards this would be up for “best long form content of the year.”
WoW was a massive part of my life.. made so many good friends I wish I kept in contact with. It hurts knowing no other game will replicate those same emotions and experiences I had.
Sad but true.
You might enjoy ff14 or GW2.
seeing old classics like Morrowind, Deus Ex, Vampire: The Masquerade covered in retrospectives isn't uncommon on UA-cam (I love that shit), but I think Madseason has made the first WoW retrospective, in those terms. I expect other channels to be inspired by this seminal work.
Glad you enjoyed it - a lot of heart went into it!
@@madseasonshow There’s a lot of videos talking about WoW but there is no other video that feels this much like a documentary. Amazing work.
@@madseasonshow it's obvious to me just how much heart went into it. You did an exceptional job with this video. Thank you.
I never watched anything from you before and I haven't played WoW or interacted with any of its content in over a decade, but this documentary is so well done and executed that I can't wait to see your future releases no matter the topic if they keep this same level of quality. Keep it up
This isbsuppose to be his last video AFAIK
@@1998wiwi so it's been a couple of weeks since I saw the video but I thought I remember him saying that he wants to do to more deep dive documentary videos like this one and that he would start with WoW since that's what he knows most about
Happy to of lent my art, animation and voice to this master piece!
Was watching some of your videos today and just had to say..... You were the GOAT man. Watching a lot of streamers become video reactors is so depressing. You did it right.
I got a long drive to my parents’ house for Christmas Eve- gunna listen to my man the whole way
Your creativity is off the charts. You really captured the rollercoaster of emotions the community has experienced.
Meanwhile WoW is still going and people like Madseason are still getting paid off shitting on it.
@@Naizirilolz Blizzard/Activision is going strong wow is shit. I say that as someone who started in vanilla beta.
If you consider wow going strong as taking advantage of people you're correct.
@@MetaGuideMedia Cool story. Player engagement for WoW is up. Stop believing UA-camrs that are just out to make a buck off your outrage.
@@Naizirilolz good. Would rather give my money to someone else other than Blizzard/Activision.
And this video has over 1 million views so far.... the game and company that all of us loved is dead. You can say what you want.
@@MetaGuideMedia You're absolutely delusional. You think that a popular WoW channel getting a high number of views on a video means the game is dead? It doesn't matter if the video is positive or negative. Just the fact that you're this invested in trying to shit on a popular product should tell you that the product isn't dead, otherwise you wouldn't care enough to argue about it. Hopefully you find something more fulfilling in your life.
I fondly remember this from them early days:
When WOW launched, one of our classmates had it with the subscription. Me and my friends all wanted a piece of the action, but paying each month was just a bonkers idea. We spent months figuring out a way to play via private/pirated versions, meanwhile using every spare second of time going to the classmate with the sub.
One wednesday afternoon, the four of us finally succesfully logged into a private server, using the discs and a lot of illegal crap. It was the sweetest wednesday afternoon and evening we ever had experienced. Next day, the game was patched and we no longer had access to the private server...
damn hahahah this hurts - when did u got on the next private server? or did u start paying for a subscription?
@@vyrnius Occasionaly we´d get through the logon screen, into the private server. Which meant playing the game for dear life, not stopping because tou never knew if you´d get back into the server afterwards. In the end my brother got a subscription and I could play on the real servers while he was offline. We had a week shedule haha
@@KaizenB As a child? Yes it is.
@@KaizenB unless you have b-day every month that won't help with the subscription fee.
@@KaizenB screams condescending privileged kid.
Makes me appreciate the work that goes into giving us these experiences all over again. Thank you to those of you who still give us a way to play the old expansions!
I am proud and glad that i lived off the best times of WoW ( 2004-2012 )
This is one of the MMO that really still in my hearts today, whenever i remember the days of Vanilla and BC, i would just cry, it was truly a second life for me
I remember I got about a year of decent play in right at the very end of WotLK, and then in my freshman year of high school Cata came out and it felt like every aspect of the game got worse. Levelling, the best part of the game and really the core _of_ the game, got so easy I stopped having to think about it even as a complete noob. The customisation and skill trees I loved playing with got axed for no reason. The game world felt like got cheaper and more cartoonish, and more importantly more colourful, garrish, and full of distractions. It grew... ever more hollow, over the three years I stayed with it.
I wake up earlier before work so i can play wow 1 hour lol
That is 13 years ago
@@meidenjager haha mate I was doing the same thing before going to school... and then couldn't think about anything else for 8hours. That game was truly insane during Vanilla and BC. Even my dad got hooked to it and had his lvl 60 orc hunter... I was questing with my dad how cool was that.
Damnnnn same for me bois! I used to quest with my dad back in vanilla!! I ended up quitting after WOTLK and kinda glad I did, I played during the best times of this game, the memories are crazy. Honestly, nothing will ever beat it.
Thank you for bringing such nostalgia of my childhood. I literally grew up with WOW (which I think most of the people in the comments are as well)
This video is just so soothing and a joy to watch. Didn't skip a second.
Merry Christmas and bless everyone ;)
Same here brother. Been a rough one quitting wow and seeing all the guildies decide it’s time to go as well.
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@@kyle3578 No just.... no
Just makes me sad and angry. I don't think I'll ever figure out a way to get over it completely.
Same, memories of old good times
Thanks for years of joy and entertainment on the MadSeasonShow! Dude if I could only show you the impact you have had on my life, through sickness and health. Some days your videos were a reason for me to get out of bed in the morning when I was really sick for a few years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a legend. I love you and will miss you on this channel - this is the best christmas gift a guy could ask for!!
Some days, making the videos is the reason for me to get out of bed, so thank YOU for watching them dude
@@madseasonshow Played wow for years since vanilla and though I dont play anymore i enjoy watching your videos man. Just a chill down to earth dude.
@@madseasonshow I felt overwhelming happiness and gratitude to wake up and know you got my message. I'll be hanging out watching the BadSeasonShow for the foreseeable future so see you there. Happy Christmas.
Just came back to this today and this is still genuinely a work of art. The way the timeline of WoW is analyzed as a game, its development, its IRL context(s), the editing and cinematography. Everything in this video is a work of art.
watched the whole thing, thanks for making this. must have taken a lot of time. The start made me nostalgic, and as always just sad after wrath
From teenage dream to aboslute nightmare, what a story. Thank you for your amazing work on this movie. I felt like watching a Netlfix well produced documentary, seriously one the best youtube video so far.
a 2 hour madseason video OMG
thank you so much for this christmas gift mads, i hope you are doing great
This brought tears to my eyes. Wow is a big part of my childhood and i couldnt be happier it is. I Will never forget the countless hours ive spent in this game and memories it has made.
This is your magnum opus, MS. It must be heartbreaking for you to tell this story. I look forward to witnessing your future ventures.
I mean he has literally made money off essentially rehashing this story for like, years. I wish him luck also. Probably highlights the best thing to arise from this game - that people were able to make money talking about how shit it is.
knowing you I can only imagine the hours of editing that went into this ... at least your love of editing videos has not faded in the years it seems
cheers man Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas thank you dude. My love for editing and making stuff for everyone will never fade - I feel it's why I was put on this Earth
@@madseasonshow i had no idea what this game was sometime ago and I came across your vids randomly and your vids instantly gave me nostalgia that ive never lived. I can see the passion put into your videos, keep doing what you are loving, it makes me feel good.
@@madseasonshow I absolutely agree with you. Your videos are always some must sees for me as soon as I get the notification. I'm sure you'll have many followers if you choose to focus on other topics, because your videos have surpassed the content in which you cover just like many others.
Thank you for this walk-through!
I'm still heartbroken over this turn of events. I quit about 6 months ago and even though I miss WoW your video reinforces my decision. I actually can't belive a game like WoW could be destroyed - not to mention the company - in this fashion. Still cheering for the 'good' employees of Activison Blizzard though...
I know. It’s crazy to think that a game could decline so fast. I feel like they just got more and more pressure and cracked. Activision took over, and here we are.
I have watched this video 3 times and I only really played WoW via proxy. So incredible and it is better than most documentaries. Hats off to you.
ive never been more simultaneously impressed with a presentation, nostalgic of what once was, happy to relive memories, defeated by a timeline of mistakes - never learned from, and vindicated that this company is reaping what they have sown all these years. great work, madseason. Been watching you for a long time, and I cannot say honestly that I saw a day where you'd upload a video like this coming. What a strange time. Sad. Beautiful work, once again.
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@@kyle3578 also guild wars 2 is a vibe
@@kyle3578 FF14 fucking sucks
Just when the world needed him most. The madlad himself returns!
This video is the perfect closure for so many people right now. I think now more than any other time, more people are "actually" done with WoW and it has a lot of people feeling lost. This has given, at least for me, the perfect closure needed to come to the realization that there is no more going back, and it's the first time I've had this thought and knew I meant it. Like saying a final goodbye to an ex at their funeral.
As someone who started mid BC it truly is a shame what happened to the game.
Especially when you consider how *EASY* it would be for WoW to still remain on top with enjoyable game mechanics and systems.
It has become corrupted to no end and BFA + SL were the expansions which made me truly numb to WoW.
I still log in every now and then to see what's going on but i don't play nearly as much as i did for example in Legion.
Edit: one of the things back in the day i LOVED was when a new xpac released and you saw those new abilities at the bottom of the talent tree and the rush i felt when finally unlocking that cool new ability, oh man it was good
90% of the friends i met on Argent dawn EU through RP and other activities have pretty much vanished..
But hey, atleast they changed some "Offensive" things and fruit bowled paintings, added 10 different convoluted pointless systems designed to keep you logged in as if it was a chore rather than design 1-2 enjoyable systems.
Retail is gay
It wouldn't be easy as the game is fundamentally aging, even if WoW was at its core good, it can't escape being nearly 20 years old soon.
Without change the game is just too solved and that would definitely kill it just the same.
@@shh532 You mean, they didn't invest all that money they made into developing an overhaul somewhere down the line to upgrade the game to modern day standards? Dear sir, I am so schocked...
not.
Some of my best mmo gaming memories are tied to WoW, but at this point? I'd rather they just let it die in peace, so that those who still cling on to the promises of a better future can move onwards to better games, as there are enough of those out there to choose from. And don't worry, the legacy of Azeroth will be carried on in the books, since most of the lore is already there anyway xD
shh wow players will never be happy. The lost fickle user base in gaming
Old talent trees ruled.
This is an outstanding documentary, thank you for taking your time to craft this.
This was very interesting. I played everyday from just a month after vanilla launch, to the end of WotLK. I then burnt out and quit, looks like I did at the right moment. The daily quests and the ever decreasing feel of community sealed the coffin for me, along with not wanting to start over again and have my hard earned gear become obsolete in the coming Cataclysm. It all started to feel like a second job really, it just lost the sense of wonder and exploration. I almost came back with the latest expansion to see what was going on, glad I didn't and any passing desire to do so is now no more after watching this.
your right, classic was amazing too but it looks like theyve fucked that up now too
@@frostedlambs They haven't fucked anything up. Classic is still as dumb as it was, while also being as good as it was. Current season of mastery is even somewhat better. But I agree with OP the community and hamster wheel/reset needs to stop.
Thank you for this video.
I played WoW during the vanilla era, a little while before the launch of TBC. Stopped playing towards the end of WotLK, mostly due to just burnout. I revisited once during Mists, I think. And I was not happy with the state of the game.
After leveling a new character for a bit, I decided to try out the dungeon finder thing for Shadowfang Keep, and was stunned when it instantly dumped me into the instance with a full group. I had run this dungeon sooo many times back when I played and leveled a bunch of alts. I remember putting in effort to find a group, running to the entrance myself, talking with my group during the run. But it was different this time; because now no said a single word during the entire dungeon. I stopped playing entirely after this and never came back.
I had some interest in WoW Classic, but didn't end up going back mostly due to lack of time. I was still hoping to find the time to play it again... Especially when TBC Classic was going to come. But now after the inclusion of paid level boosters, I'm left giving up any desire to play the game again for a second time.
I still wondered what exactly what happened to the game after I gave up on it. And this entire video answered all my questions while letting me relive a lot of fond memories too.
Thanks again for this, and you've earned a sub from me.
Having now watched this, it's almost cathartic to listen to Madseason discuss some of the exact same things I've said over the years - particularly the erosion of sense of community.
This is an excellent summarization of the History of WoW, condensed into a two hour video - of it's rise and decline. It's interesting to note how some of the greatest moments in this games history occurred during Classic by the way. I had always felt that the first three expansions of the game had a certain social fabric that made magical community moments happen - such a fabric that had been under attack for over a decade and only a few shreds of remain.
Madseason holds a compelling grip on the narrative, it's impressive how he does a phenomenal job of faithfully recreating the actual community narrative as it was at the time for each segment here, without being caught up in the 20/20 hindsight that always comes afterwards - at least until it's respective time comes in the story. Digging up the 20/20 is easy, faithfully representing the narrative at the time? That's the best part of this.
While some of my experiences were slightly different, everyone has their own relationship with certain aspects of the game that may prove to be popular, or not.
I miss this game, I started playing again and haven’t reached end game level so I guess I’ll see what’s going on when I get there. But the days of 40 man raids were just special, after weeks of raiding AQ40, struggling to kill C’thun and then finally beating him with the same group of people I’d been raiding with for years will forever be one of the greatest feelings/memories.
Realm?
I must say that this is the single best WoW video on this website. Nothing else comes even close to this level of quality and depth.
This was so well made, paced, and written. I have had very few interactions with WoW yet this was still incredibly entertaining to watch. Great job!
As always with MadSeason, that video was honestly a masterpiece that will serve as a perfect time testament of what happened at the time.
Thanks you.
My goodness this is such a masterpiece. Every rewatch just makes me so impressed by a different facet of the editing and attention to detail.
The best Christmas present is a 2 hour MadSeason vid, thanks for this… fantastic video, informative & engaging…. Awesome editing too. Thanks for the hard work and dedication so that we can enjoy such a masterpiece
Dude…hitting lvl 60 in just 2 weeks when the game had just come out is nuts…I mean, they had the alpha and beta..yea, but it’s nonetheless insane!
yea I saw that too lol I played vanilla and when I heard that , it made my eyebrows raise I'll always be that vanilla kid :)
some people are on another level :)
If by another level you mean unemployed then yes.
Since we're going full nostalgia again, I'm gonna share my first memories - I found out about WoW from a magazine, one of those old PC magazines with reviews of games. It was still like 2003 or something so it was a super basic version they were reviewing, but it sounded like a proper sandbox. The way they described it you went out onto this world and just did things, whenever, wherever, everything was an adventure. When I bought it on the box the description hinted it was better than ever - I thought from the photo of Durotar that you could actually build towns. I logged in one night and created a character...then got bored and dropped it for 3 months. Started it up again, made a paladin, got lost and didn't know how to get back - deleted and abandoned for another month. My next character, the hunter, is what I played well into wotlk and never looked back. I'm not gonna go into my experience, it was just 100% positive and magical, but it hurts too much to give it now, I'm just gonna say one thing - we thought we did and we fucking did. But you ruined it, Activision boy. Because once the bad taste is out of my mouth, I'm still going to go for private servers where some random russian in a basement seems to be more competent at doing this than your big company with millions profit.
Already watched this a few times, now again on Asmons stream, and this masterpiece never fails to impress me. Your content is S tier.. I look forward to whatever you put out next.
Im posting this on all the top comments but tell me this isn’t mad season show ua-cam.com/video/3za3Ez7uOrE/v-deo.html
A wonderful video Madseason. I'd forgotten so many of the twists and turns towards the present, but you stand in front, a lantern in your hand, showing me the path I travelled. Thank you so much for this.
That's a really good way to put it. I felt much the same and this reminded me of it all and reinforced why I no longer play retail nor classic.
Well said sir
I hope you read through these comments madseasonshow… look at all the love and care you give people and they give it right back! This was amazing, and I wish you the best in any of your future endeavors ❤️
When I clicked on the video and saw it was 2 hours long I was like wow! After watching the whole thing I have to say what a great video. Very detailed and well done.
From raiding xroads as a lvl 51 paladin to, the first time you hear "YOU ARE NOT PREPARED" to the epic feeling from the wrath gate.... Dajum, wat a memories this game gave me as a 37year boomer.
Thank you, Madseason. This video is such a great way to send off the game I once loved. It makes you remember how you felt during every expansion, as well as the insane things that went on while we were all playing it. Your content is amazing as always. Happy Holidays to you! This definitely made my Christmas amazing.
Phenomenal.
The attention to detail in the editing is fantastic. I'm gonna recommend this to people I know that don't even play WoW.
Im posting this on all the top comments but tell me this isn’t mad season show ua-cam.com/video/3za3Ez7uOrE/v-deo.html
Madseasonshow was the reason I decided to start playing. This man is what started my biggest addiction and I will never regret it. Thank you Madseasonshow. Merry Christmas!
For whatever reason I find it very compelling that you played the Age of Conan soundtrack while discussing Final Fantasy XIV