Stepping back into a living world that has had a lasting impact on our lives brings a feeling of nostalgia that is very pleasant. Like watching your favorite movie/show for the nth time, we find enjoyment in playing our favorite games again. It brings us back to a time when things may have been simpler, or more chaotic, and this game brought peace to our lives.

World of Warcraft: Classic released in 2019 and it is a re-release of the most popular video game in the world back in the mid 2000's. Many of the users that came back to it were children when the game originally came out. Some were never able to play it due to the $15/month subscription (which was a lot for most kids back then), some played when they were kids but were never able to become proficient and enjoy the hundreds of hours of content that game provides.

The Classic release was a hit. Released right when Covid was beginning to shut things down, it became a solace for millions. Giving us a space to interact and play with others. A space to work towards clear goals that were achievable through hard work and dedication.

This time, we were no longer kids. The users could dedicate as much time as they wished to a game that meant so much to them when they were younger.

The items which seemed nearly mystical and unobtainable were now understood and approachable. All it took was tons of hours of gameplay and bit of coordination with others.

But, that release was over five years ago. The game has become stale as it's moved from expansion to expansion, upgrading the maximum level and changing the content worth interacting with.

The developers left us a few servers that are called "Era", a place that is frozen in time with the maximum level and experience which is the same as the original Classic release. But, over the course of years, users reach max level, get the best gear, and accumulate massive quantities of in-game wealth. There is no challenge left, and few goals to look forward to. This becomes boring for most.

So here we are, in the year 2024, and Blizzard decided to release a new Classic experience, dubbed the 20th Anniversary Edition. It's nearly identical to the 2019 release, which is a near-carbon copy of the original version of World of Warcraft.

The world (of Warcraft) is alive again with millions of users running around, questing, killing monsters, and looking for other users to group up with and defeat difficult challenges. And the users are excited.