said by McBrain:I think what makes all of us "elite" is our innate ability to understand the game, how it works, and how to manipulate its happenings in a way that benefits us or our group.
Let's be honest here, it's not like any of us can run a sub-10 second 100m or solve a Rubic's Cube at the world record pace. Like pandora said, WoW is recreational, and I think it's our ability to 'get it' that makes us seemingly better than others.
I've had moments where I thought I was on top Azeroth, so to say. When I killed Archimonde while it was current comes to mind, tanking and killing Al'Akir on my mom's computer with 5fps and 200ms latency is another time that I felt pretty awesome. Hell, just yesterday I won about 10 consecutive duels on my Enhancement Shaman, which felt really really good. But none of that stuff really makes me 'elite' in the grand scheme of things, just a champion in my own mind...which is all that matters in the semi-personal world of the internet.
I used to believe that I was elite when I was playing this game hardcore and got a full set of Tier 1 back when I was raiding 5 nights a week in vanilla. Now, I don't see myself as elite at all. I am 40 now, and my skills at the game are not as good as they once were. My reaction time is down, and I am just not the most skilled player. I am always looking to improve my skill, but that puts me behind the eight ball so to speak.
I have to agree with McBrain and others that WoW is recreational. I treat the game as such. I like getting mounts and pets, but those are just small accomplishments. I enjoy playing the game with friends, doing rated and regular battlegrounds, and otherwise just enjoying myself. I don't do dungeons anymore. I am pretty much all PvP. I may start doing dungeons again in the next patch when they make PvP gear more viable in dungeons.
My "elite" feelings come out more in real life. Like when I finished the Tough Mudder in April. 12 miles of hell with military grade obstacles in 50 degrees. Finishing that in 3 hours made me feel elite.