One nice integration with the Hearthstone beta is that my WoW-playing friends still show up on my friends list in Hearthstone. At first, they seemed really excited that I was coming back to WoW… until they realized that “oh, you are playing that card game thing”.
Personally I am surprised at how many of the same people are still playing WoW. Most in the same guild, with a lot of the same people. It isn’t just WoW either I have a lot of gaming friends who are still connected in EQ. In both cases that is a lot of years playing the same games.
With the reoccurring arguments about community erosion in modern day MMO I am starting to doubt if that is entirely true. Sure, it is taking on new forms and shapes (cross-realm, casual raiding, etc. etc.) but you have to give some credit to the longevity that people are playing the same old games, often in the same old way, with much of the same old people.
I am looking forward to Warlord’s of Draenor so I can buy it, play it for 6 weeks and wait for the next one – even picky little me keeps going back. I suppose I’m more of a sprinter while my old friends are long distance runners.
I just don’t have that kind of Stamina for gaming.