2. World of Warcraft
Why Its Controversial: Over the years, World of Warcraft has attracted more than its fair share of boycotters for one undeniable truth: its highly addictive. Its true, Warcraft has been designed specifically to make you addicted, and as a result, many have forgotten their lives in the real world, their jobs, their schoolwork, their friends and family, and forsaken everything for their in-game toon. One person even died as a result of an inhumanely long stint at the keys, and many, many more have made themselves ill due to unfettered over-exposure. As a result of this addictiveness, groups have sprouted up worldwide to boycott WoW, to warn people of the dangers of MMO addiction, and even to support sufferers through their actual real withdrawals from the game.
Why It Influenced Gaming for the Better: MMOs had existed before WoW, and you could even argue that games like Ultima Online were the original and best. While its true that WoW wasnt the original, it was the first to go to such lengths to create a fully immersive 3D experience, whose prettiness was matched only by its sheer, staggering depth. WoWs formula is imitated by nearly every single MMO that hits the market, and although its beauty and depth have since been matched (in Warhammer: Age of Reckoning for example), none have ever managed to oust it from pole position. Suffice to say, as a result of WoWs amazing success, the MMO market is so packed with choice, variety and attempted innovation (each new title still hopes itll be the new WoW, but guess what, it never is) that one could quite easily lose their entire life to the genre if they so desired. WoW certainly wasnt the original, but its arguably the best and without it, who knows what state the MMO market would be in today.