Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Interesting article about MMOGs (specifically WoW)

robbdn · 03-07-2006, 01:45 AM

First of all, supposedly WoW has six million subscribers now (soure: ludology.org). Second of all, I'm a little disappointed this thread has turned into an issue of media censorship, on the one hand we have people defending WoW and those who play it, and on the other we have we should change WoW for children's benefits...

I think the more relevant issue is how to make MMOGs better games for the people who play them. Supposedly WoW is the best MMOG ever made (I played it for all of 2 hours myself, so I might not be in a great position to criticize), but because of the quoted material I am convinced it could be better. The danger of MMOG is a stifling of creativity and experimentation in the realm of gaming, see the TOS examples, for example.

Anyhow, I've always wanted to play MMOGs, but the most I ever accomplished was level 20 in FFXI, and even that was the most excruciating not-fun experience I've ever had playing games. I take to heart the quoted materials complaints... why can't we play alone? Why can't we not specialize at one task? Why can't we do things differently from everybody else? Because if we don't our friends won't play with us...

That's the crappy thing about MMOs, and a crappy lesson to learn as well. For everybody content with doing things exactly the same way as everybody else, it works, but it doesn't work for me and countless others. And the fact remains that, even in the most hardcore MMO gamers, they will get bored eventually and move on. The problem is not that... this is a great thing... it's important to keep game companies innovating and pushing the envelope of play. The problem is that they tend to move on to the same product in a different superficial wrapper... MMOG is in dire need of a fundamental shake-up, in my opinion. It will probably not happen, however, until the masses start to get bored with WoW. I mean, I think the fans will agree, how could you possibly do the currently accepted format of MMOGs any better? It will take innovation and fundamental gameplay changes, and I look forward to it very much.

That's all.

03-07-2006, 01:45 AM	#24 (permalink)
robbdn Crazy	First of all, supposedly WoW has six million subscribers now (soure: ludology.org). Second of all, I'm a little disappointed this thread has turned into an issue of media censorship, on the one hand we have people defending WoW and those who play it, and on the other we have we should change WoW for children's benefits... I think the more relevant issue is how to make MMOGs better games for the people who play them. Supposedly WoW is the best MMOG ever made (I played it for all of 2 hours myself, so I might not be in a great position to criticize), but because of the quoted material I am convinced it could be better. The danger of MMOG is a stifling of creativity and experimentation in the realm of gaming, see the TOS examples, for example. Anyhow, I've always wanted to play MMOGs, but the most I ever accomplished was level 20 in FFXI, and even that was the most excruciating not-fun experience I've ever had playing games. I take to heart the quoted materials complaints... why can't we play alone? Why can't we not specialize at one task? Why can't we do things differently from everybody else? Because if we don't our friends won't play with us... That's the crappy thing about MMOs, and a crappy lesson to learn as well. For everybody content with doing things exactly the same way as everybody else, it works, but it doesn't work for me and countless others. And the fact remains that, even in the most hardcore MMO gamers, they will get bored eventually and move on. The problem is not that... this is a great thing... it's important to keep game companies innovating and pushing the envelope of play. The problem is that they tend to move on to the same product in a different superficial wrapper... MMOG is in dire need of a fundamental shake-up, in my opinion. It will probably not happen, however, until the masses start to get bored with WoW. I mean, I think the fans will agree, how could you possibly do the currently accepted format of MMOGs any better? It will take innovation and fundamental gameplay changes, and I look forward to it very much. That's all. __________________ I'm swimming in the digital residue of a media-drenched world. It's too cold.