I've been trying to figure out what makes Wow so appealing to over 6 million people.

It's true that it's by far the most main stream MMO ever, so I wanna know why.

I think it does two things different.

1. The art style. Very cartoony and totally forgoing the realism factor. DAoC and EQ always tried for realism, and I don't think it's something that can be properly achieved. At least for me, when something gets close to real looking...my mind is always picking out what's wrong with it and reminding me that it's not real. WoW went for a complete cartoon look that also gives the violence a very Bugs Bunny feel. Hitting someone with an over sized weapon in a cartoon environment somehow isn't as violent feeling. Which is why I think women are so attracted to the game.

2. Quick rewards. I created a new character recently, and within one hour was lvl 6. I was constantly watching my XP bar fly across the screen and was being rewarded by lots of quests that were fast and easy to complete. Of course I understand that this curve slows down, but the game still just finds a way to reward players often for playing.

Ultimately though, I think most of the appeal of WoW could be found in any other good MMO experience. The games are extremely addictive, and WoW takes all the best parts from every MMO and bundles it into one package.