As survival games continue their rise in popularity, a Valheim player recreated World of Warcraft’s Stormwind harbor in the survival RPG. True to form, Valheim gives fans the ability to create impressive homes, like 7 Days to Die and the pixelated predecessor that maintains its dominance in the sandbox genre: Minecraft. As a creative sandbox, Valheim players can build many homes, putting their artistic and architectural skills to the test within the confines of the game’s limitations.
Artistic expression has become a much more important aspect of gaming during the lockdown due to COVID-19, with some fans showcasing their talent by reimagining Valheim as an epic comic book in some cover art. This outlet for artistry has contributed to Valheim selling of 5 million copies since its release in early February. Continuing the trend, another gamer has put their building prowess on display by bringing a little bit of World of Warcraft to the Viking sandbox.
Revealing their creation via Reddit, user ericxsg entered Valheim and erected one of the most recognizable landmarks from World of Warcraft: Stormwind harbor. Complete with the docks and longboats, the architectural triumph is a spitting image of its World of Warcraft original, with the back of Stormwind Castle lurking in the background surrounded by trees, mountains, and a body of water. However, the creator admits to losing massive amounts of frame rate when building such in-depth works, dropping from 90 FPS to 20-25 FPS when walking around the homage.
Survival games have increased in popularity since the onset of the pandemic. The creative license and the horror-thriller aspects provide an outlet for dealing with the strife of a real-life survival environment, albeit one that is watered down. However, more than the escape from reality, titles such as Valheim provide an environment where more creative gamers can shine, offering opportunities to display their talents to the world.
The trend will likely continue once the world reopens on a grander scale, as people have become accustomed to a new style of living, with the video game industry growing exponentially in terms of consumption and engagement. Valheim has become a conduit for innovation and has given players more than an escape from everyday struggles. More importantly, games like Valheim have awakened talents in users they may not have known they had. A desire to return to normal, while understandable, is unlikely when considering how many more gamers and artists now exist.
Source: ericxsg