old wow being inconvenient was the point

Old WoW wasted my time constantly and somehow that time became the game. You ran across half a zone because a quest description was vague. You waited for a boat. You realized your trainer was somewhere else. Your bags filled with six kinds of garbage and one item you were scared to sell. None of this sounds fun when written down. I know. But slow travel made locations stick in my head. Needing help made me remember player names. If somebody stopped to help with an elite quest, you added them because finding another competent human felt valuable. Barrens chat was annoying, stupid and alive. Guild drama happened because the guild was not just a menu that gave weekly rewards. Modern MMOs let me queue from anywhere, teleport in, finish without speaking, collect currency and teleport out. Very respectful of my time. I remember none of it. I do not want every old inconvenience back. Running to your corpse was not spiritual growth. Some drop rates were just cruel. Still, remove every reason to need the world or another player and you get a fast game that feels empty. Friction made stories because plans could go wrong.