What's keeping me in WoW?

There's apparently a lot of people leaving WoW for greener pastures, I've known a few who've done that and they'll be missed.

As for me, I'm fairly committed (or addicted) and don't see myself heading to any other MMORPGs any time soon. So what keeps me sticking around?

In my case, mastering crafting professions plays a huge part. I like to be overly self sufficient. And currently I'm one of the few people I know that has 4 crafting professions over the 350 mark. I can make my own raid consumables for any one I'm using, give them any needed armor kits, provide me and my hunter friends with ammunition that's better than any other pre-revered with the Violet eye, make any of the specialty cloths (though I haven't specialized yet, but it's gonna be shadowcloth), and I can Disenchant almost any item that's not a level 70 epic. And I didn't get any help from anyone, I achieved all those things on my via a lot of pushing myself and being sly in the Auction House...and soloing more than a few level 50-60 instances.

Another part is progression, naturally, but currently that's not happening due to scheduling issues that I'm not going into details about. Let's just say that living on the West Coast is preventing me from raiding with Dramthar's guild.

I've also been given the privilege of being able to teach my younger brother the ways of the Hunter as he works his way up in WoW. I give him advice, have taught him many different aspects to being a Hunter, including the Pull-shot macros, what stats he's looking for in gear, what talent spec he should use as a BM hunter while leveling up, what pet he should be using for best aggro holding (he's currently using Bellygrub), and any time he needs directional quest help he asks me. It's been fun to watch him climb through the levels playing his hunter by himself and I'm glad to help whenever I can.

Plus I just really enjoy playing my different toons. I love my hunter dearly, my rogue's stealth-tastic and I enjoy that, my warlock's got a Felguard so he'll be hitting 60 rather soon, and I've got a buttload of alts that you may or may not hear about eventually. Having cool and unique Hunter Pets is thoroughly enjoyable (I am so totally gonna go tame a Soulflayer from Zul'gurub later today(Hurrah for Petopia!)).

But it's the people that have kept me from wandering off into different fields in search for greener pastures. Social interaction, helping them out, being able to figure stuff out that people want to know and being liked all helps to keep me in the game. Also: I'm apparently hilarious. Don't ask me how, or deny it, just take comfort in the fact that I don't try to use my hilarity in my blog...it wouldn't work out very nicely. Trust me.

And on that note I'm gonna header...possibly to go tame me a new and improved wind serpent to replace the carrion bird I never use.

Good Hunting,
Tox