Legacy Code and Warcraft

Legacy code. Two words that can make any engineer groan. It’s messy, it’s clunky, and it often feels like it was written by someone with a grudge against future developers. I get it—voicing frustration is normal. Today’s you isn’t always on the best terms with yesterday’s you. But when you’re new to a team, griping about the state of the codebase can come across as tone-deaf. That code—flawed as it may be—is what got the company here. It deserves a little respect.

When I hear an engineer complaining about legacy systems without appreciating the context that created them, I like to pull out an analogy from video games. Warcraft (or Starcraft, for the RTS fans) is my favorite example. Here’s why.

Legacy Code Through the Lens of Warcraft

In Warcraft, you don’t start with a perfect base. You begin with limited resources, pressing demands, and tough decisions to make.

• The Early Game: Survival is the priority. You need defenses, resource generation, and maybe some tech upgrades. But you can’t do everything at once, so you make tradeoffs. That’s how legacy code often begins—built quickly with whatever was on hand to solve the immediate problem.
• The Mid-Game: By now, your base is functional but chaotic. Walls are thrown together, resource nodes are scattered, and your tech tree is all over the place. Why? Because decisions were made to address immediate threats and opportunities. It’s not elegant, but it worked.
• The Endgame: Finally, with more resources and stability, you can optimize. You can rebuild defenses, reorganize your base, and refine your strategy. But you don’t get to this stage without the scrappy work that got you through the early and mid-game.

Legacy Code: A Record of Tough Choices

The same logic applies to business and code. In the early days of a product, every decision is a tradeoff. Do you prioritize speed to market or long-term scalability? Can you afford the best tools, or do you make do with free ones? Do you refactor old code, or build the next feature to keep the lights on?

Every piece of legacy code is a snapshot of those decisions. Maybe it’s not what you would choose today, but it made sense then, given the resources and constraints. And while hindsight makes it easy to criticize, the reality is this: we’re here because of those decisions, not in spite of them.

Why Legacy Code Deserves Respect

Instead of treating legacy code as a burden, view it as an opportunity. Here’s why:

1. It’s Proof of Progress: That code—no matter how frustrating—is the foundation of everything the company has accomplished so far. It worked when it needed to.
2. It’s a Learning Tool: Legacy code offers insight into the tradeoffs and priorities of the past. It helps you understand not just what was done, but why.
3. It’s a Chance to Improve: Your job isn’t to rewrite history—it’s to build the future. By improving what’s there, you can leave the codebase in a better state for the next generation of developers.

Play the Game You’re In

Like in Warcraft, you don’t start with infinite resources or perfect conditions. You inherit code, much like you inherit a base. Your job isn’t to tear it down out of frustration—it’s to build on it, improve it, and keep moving forward.

So, the next time you’re tempted to complain about legacy code, pause and consider the bigger picture. Appreciate the work that got you here. Understand the tradeoffs that shaped the system. And then, roll up your sleeves and get to work. Because in this game, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress.