Quitting MMORPG
Sunday, 24. April 2005, 09:04:52
MMORPGs are big time wasters. (And nobody knows more about wasting time than me.) Many MMORPGs are mostly rehashes of older games and badly executed. Despite the fact that this genre is designed with years of gameplay in mind, almost none of the games out now stay fun after a few months. So I've decided to throw in the towel after a disappointing three months of "playing" World of Warcraft. (I actually got bored after two hours in beta. I got the game to play with friends. I actually spent the bulk of the time making addons for the UI.)
MMORPG, for those who have been living under a rock for the last few years, is an acronym for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Hundreds of thousands of players (per game, if lucky) pay monthly fees to simultaneously engage and live a second life in a virtual world. Examples of this genre are EverQuest 1&2, Ultima Online (UO), World of Warcraft (WoW), Asheron's Call 1&2, Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC), Star Wars Galaxy (SWG), Final Fantasy XI, Lineage 1&2, and many others.
My first long-term residence in the fantasy online world was Asheron's Call 2 (AC2) when it first came out in late 2002. Before that, I have forayed into UO and EQ, but they didn't impress me. The thing that AC2 hooked me was their great combat system and the freedom to explore the continent of Dereth. Travel was quick with recalling magic and portal ringway system. It usually doesn't take more than five minutes to get from one location to any other place. All that was great for the beginning. In fact, I still think AC2 beats the competition from levels 1-15. But things start to slow down after that, and then you feel the grind.
Whenever a MMORPGer hears the word grind, it usually reminds them of tedium, boredom, and waste of time. Some use the word treadmill to describe a grind. Basically, you fight a bunch of enemies (which are affectionately called mobs) to gain experience points so that you get higher levels, more skills, and items, so that you can fight even tougher mobs--and the cycle starts over. Now, realize that this is the premise of most RPGs, so what's the big deal, right? Unlike single player RPGs that is meant for only dozens of hours of gameplay, MMORPGs are meant to keep players paying for months and even years. So, the treadmill is stretched out so that it takes a dedicated player months and even years to reach the top level. It becomes a problem if 1) you find the game not that fun or even downright boring and slow, 2) you don't have that much time to play the game, and/or 3) there is nothing to do once you have achieved the top level. Unlike single player RPGs, there is no final boss to kill to see the plot ending. A MMORPG is supposed to be endless. In many cases, this means endless grinding and tedium.
So, many MMORPGer talk about an endgame, which is sort of an oxymoron for this genre. MMORPGs are entertainent meant to last for years, and both fans and game developers don't want it to end, so how can one play the endgame? The players look for the endgame when they reach the top level. Since their characters can't gain any more experience, they need new activities to occupy their time. Usually the designers put in things like raids, player-versus-player (PVP), crafting, and rare items. Most of these things found in the endgame generally require a lot of time to setup and to complete, and getting the rare loot also requires a lot of luck. Either the rare loot is absolutely essential for your character to compete in future endgame events, or its advantage over your old gear is very marginal. Either way, it is a chore. I'd rather become a professional gambler than go through this tedium.
MMORPG, for those who have been living under a rock for the last few years, is an acronym for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Hundreds of thousands of players (per game, if lucky) pay monthly fees to simultaneously engage and live a second life in a virtual world. Examples of this genre are EverQuest 1&2, Ultima Online (UO), World of Warcraft (WoW), Asheron's Call 1&2, Dark Age of Camelot (DAoC), Star Wars Galaxy (SWG), Final Fantasy XI, Lineage 1&2, and many others.
My first long-term residence in the fantasy online world was Asheron's Call 2 (AC2) when it first came out in late 2002. Before that, I have forayed into UO and EQ, but they didn't impress me. The thing that AC2 hooked me was their great combat system and the freedom to explore the continent of Dereth. Travel was quick with recalling magic and portal ringway system. It usually doesn't take more than five minutes to get from one location to any other place. All that was great for the beginning. In fact, I still think AC2 beats the competition from levels 1-15. But things start to slow down after that, and then you feel the grind.
Whenever a MMORPGer hears the word grind, it usually reminds them of tedium, boredom, and waste of time. Some use the word treadmill to describe a grind. Basically, you fight a bunch of enemies (which are affectionately called mobs) to gain experience points so that you get higher levels, more skills, and items, so that you can fight even tougher mobs--and the cycle starts over. Now, realize that this is the premise of most RPGs, so what's the big deal, right? Unlike single player RPGs that is meant for only dozens of hours of gameplay, MMORPGs are meant to keep players paying for months and even years. So, the treadmill is stretched out so that it takes a dedicated player months and even years to reach the top level. It becomes a problem if 1) you find the game not that fun or even downright boring and slow, 2) you don't have that much time to play the game, and/or 3) there is nothing to do once you have achieved the top level. Unlike single player RPGs, there is no final boss to kill to see the plot ending. A MMORPG is supposed to be endless. In many cases, this means endless grinding and tedium.
So, many MMORPGer talk about an endgame, which is sort of an oxymoron for this genre. MMORPGs are entertainent meant to last for years, and both fans and game developers don't want it to end, so how can one play the endgame? The players look for the endgame when they reach the top level. Since their characters can't gain any more experience, they need new activities to occupy their time. Usually the designers put in things like raids, player-versus-player (PVP), crafting, and rare items. Most of these things found in the endgame generally require a lot of time to setup and to complete, and getting the rare loot also requires a lot of luck. Either the rare loot is absolutely essential for your character to compete in future endgame events, or its advantage over your old gear is very marginal. Either way, it is a chore. I'd rather become a professional gambler than go through this tedium.
