People are often of two minds about the appropriateness of using a World of Warcraft leveling guide. Some see it as a simple way to enjoy the game more, while others see it as gaming the system. Whatever your belief, passions tend to run high about this topic and it's not uncommon to see online friendships ruined when people cannot come to terms with their disagreements.

Many individuals just don't care, they figure "I'm paying for this game, so why shouldn't I get to play the way I want to?" Fair enough; that's a valid point, after all the game does cost $15 a month to play so why shouldn't people have the opportunity to maximize their enjoyment while in game? Let's not forget the intricacies of World of Warcraft can be incredibly complicated for the uninitiated.

Essentially the game is statistic stacked on top of statistic; so for people who are new or not geniuses when it comes to making mental spreadsheets the subtleties of playing a ret pally can be difficult to grasp. Similarly when it comes to leveling some find the monotony of grinding too much to bear, and this is where most people fall in to the WoW leveling guide trap. The promise of gaining quick levels in World of Warcraft is too much for most people to resist.

The counter argument, of course, is that when people purposely game the system they end up irrevocably breaking the checks and balances that are put in place by crafty developers to ensure the general enjoyment of all players. Make no mistake no one is cheating by using a WoW leveling guide, but rather they are simply creatively attacking the game environment put in place by the developers. When the content creators envisioned the climb to level 80 they did not anticipate it taking five days, and yet with some of the more popular wow leveling guides this is within reach.

The end result of this can range from inflated auction house prices, an overabundance of epic gear, or even the bottom falling out of a particular market; really almost anything. Unintended consequences are the direct result of people using leveling and gold farming guides.

Honestly, I don't really care one way or another whether or not people use gold farming or leveling guides in wow. I understand the academic arguments about unintended consequences, auction house debauchery, and even the complete annihilation of fair player versus player matches due to the overabundance of epic gear. Yet to me it's an argument I just can't get passionate about.

I personally have never used a leveling or gold farming guide; mostly because I'm too cheap to buy one, but also because it's just not the way I like to play the game. I know there are inexpensive guides out there, and I know that they can make the game play a lot easier; but for me that's just not what the game is about.

I will say, however, that if I'm stuck on a quest or need to find out where to get a certain drop I'm certainly not above doing a quick Google search to get an answer. Is this the same as using a WoW leveling guide? Maybe, and if that's the case I'll be the first to admit it.