WoW fanatics like me are always eager to heap praise upon the beautifully rendered characters and backgrounds in our beloved game franchise. Until recently, however, few people would confuse the game’s stunning visuals with fine art. A museum in California recently unveiled an exhibit that blurs that distinction. The Laguna Art Museum in Orange County is running an exhibition titled “WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon.”
In the past, the game has been heralded for its addictive gameplay and the niche culture that has come to anticipate each World of Warcraft expansion release. The museum has chosen to focus on the elements that make the game visually unique. Fourteen artists have their work highlighted in the exhibition, and each has put his or her own spin on what the game means to our culture at large.
There are a lot of add ons out there that can enhance character performance in the World of Warcraft, and most do so through altering the UI, or User Interface, of the game. While Blizzard has taken some steps to provide a competent UI, most serious gamers opt to create their own custom UI from numerous different WoW add ons. There are a few essentials, often the most important being a threat meter. The threat meter provides an accurate threat count to ensure that no one pulls aggro off the tank. While the threat meter is more essential for DPS and tank classes, it can also be helpful for healers. The raid interface is another important add on, and is most important for healers as it allows them to view all of the characters in the raid, and provide healing to them as needed. The raid interface is also important for removing status effects such as curses, diseases, poisons, and magical effects.
The other essential add ons are more based on class than role in the raid. For example, a Paladin might want to invest in a WoW add on that shows their active auras and special abilities, and makes them easier to use. A Hunter might want an add on that provides accurate timers for all of their cooldown abilities.