Ooo! I smell a controversial topic.

In this three-page editorial, Ten Ton Hammer News Editor Cameron Sorden examines the impact of raiding on World of Warcraft and asks an interesting question: Would WoW serve its players better if it didn't have raids?

WoW made such a splash in the industry for a number of complex reasons: great timing, unprecedented polish, an established IP, plenty of hype, and mass migrations of players, to name a few. One especially key thing that drove its success was that it was accessible to the solo and casual player. Anybody could jump in and make meaningful progress on their character while playing just a few hours each week. That's the thing that kept and still keeps many players involved in the game when they would have been turned off or burned out with the steep time and grouping requirements of many prior-generation MMOs.With WoW recently hitting the 9.3 million player mark, it's obvious to everyone that they're doing something right. But is raiding really part of that recipe for success, or is it something that's an unnecessary resource hog for the majority of the WoW population?

• Op/Ed: How Raiding Hurts WoW More Than It Helps
• Raiding--what's it to you? Discuss this topic in our forum!