I finally found the perfect metaphor to describe my disappointment with end-game World of Warcraft.

Before you hit level 60, WoW is a game that rewards effort and time played. You can log in for just a little while, do a little something, and know that you’ve made some progress (no matter how small) towards improving your character. And this is exactly how I played WoW before 60 – in small, daily chunks.

Once you hit 60 WoW turns into a slot machine. Rewards are no longer commensurate to effort or time played; they are now completely random. Not only does WoW become a slot machine, but you have to be willing to play the game for three to five hours straight to get one pull on the slot machine – and that pull will almost certainly be a loser. Sorry, you’re not a winner! Run UBRS again!

It was very disconcerting watching one of my favorite games become one of my least favorite. But Friday night I got my copy of Oblivion, so WoW can now kiss my ass.