How important is it for you to become "famous and rich" in your MMORPG?

Symone

This is just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

 

I notice a lot of people, myself included, are getting bored of the genre.

I wonder how many people are feeling like this because of the fact that MMO's are just a time sink now? People who play the most and basically have no lives, and live at home, meaning don't have a job or school to go to, become the richest and most popular in the game as a general rule.

 

I know people like this, and I have been a person like this... sadly I must admit I have been a "hardcore" WOW player with no job or life sitting and playing all day. Back when Blizz was releasing new servers all the time I would reroll and level up as one of the fastest on the server. When LOTRO came out we played 15 hours a day and were the best guild on the server, and did everything in the game first etc etc.

I know people (in r/l)  to this day who are the "best" on their servers. They still play 17+ hours a day, and raid day after day after day.

 

Obviously , if you want to have any sort of life a person just can't keep up with this kind of play. Sure you could also hold a job or school and come home every day and do nothing but raid, but it would still have the same effect of you having no life!

 

So now I am in a position where I don't WANT to sit and play a stupid game all day long. However if I don't sit and play all day long there is no real point in playing (for me) because I know the lifeless people will be far ahead in the game. Thus it is just boring, knowing by logging only a few hours at a time it would take ages to get anywhere in the game.

How many other people feel this way? or is it just that I am way to competitive in gaming? If you don;t have this problem, please state how you can play knowing that you'll never be number one in the game, and how this doesn't matter  to you?

I think a lot of people must feel this way somewhat or there would be no demand for powerleveling or gold farming.

 

TenBlue

This is what happens when time played rather than skill is the biggest discriminator in a game.  You might be happier playing Online FPS or RTS games where player skill decides the outcome, not just whoever can grind the longest.

 

edit to add:  I've never really been too bothered about this when I play MMORPGs.  As long as i'm having fun I don't give a hoot what anyone else has.  It doesn't affect my game time so why should I care?  It's just a video game, after all.

Neanderthal

I don't feel any great need to be the first to do anything.  I also don't need to be the best ( i.e. have the best stuff).

What I do need is to know that I at least have the chance to progress my character as much as anyone else.  My biggest gripe with mmorpgs, other than the fact that they are simplistic progression games, has been that it doesn't matter how much actual time you invest in the game if you don't invest it in large blocks with lots of people.  Although I guess that has been changing some...slowly.

If you have to do big raids to progress your character I could play the damn game for 50 years and never get anywhere.  And that just ain't right.  And if I know a game is like that then it makes me feel like playing the game is rather pointless.

Suvroc

I've never been interested in being neither the richest nor the most (in)famous.

I do however prefer to be apart of building something like a player city. I like being able to physically (as much as possible in a virtual world) change the landscape and make my mark upon the world. I want to be remembered for my contribution to a community rather then as a leader of that community.

Produde

It would be nice to become "famous and rich" in anything not just MMORPG's. I approach MMO's the same as all the other things I do in RL...Golf, Swimming, Physical conditioning, Painting, Pottery, writing and ALL the activities I do on a regular basis. To limit myself to one objective is not something that appeals to me.

To apply "famous and rich" to a MMO requiring the majority of hours in a 24 hour day is actually a bit sad an pathetic. There is so much more to existence on planet Earth. You really aren't challenging yourself to any extent at all if you apply all your energy to ONE thing.

Of course, everyone is an individual and free to do as they please but I choose to make my life broader and interesting than sitting in front of a PC most of the time.

To the OP, I don't think you are too "competitive in gaming" but I do think you are seriously limiting yourself with having a good time in life. Your description is so narrow. Anything done in excessive repetitive amounts will get "boring" eventually...

kidRiot

It is not important for me to become rich and famous...

 

It's important for my guild to become rich and famous or infamous.  I prefer the latter of the two.

PrebThor

I wish I had the same skills in making money IRL as in games... *sigh*

Becoming infamous is probably a lot more popular than being famous (by doing impressive stuff, "skillz dat killz") in MMOs. Most players who do stand out and really get noticed are pretty much clowns doing silly sh*t whenever they're online. There's enough proof on YouTube. Example given: 16 year-old British guy spends EVERY night looking for a real life girlfriend in Lion's Arch (Guild Wars), trying to impress "ze ladies" with the gear on his character(s). I don't think he's on YouTube tho, at least I hope not. *shakes head*

I think most people have an urge to become noticed one way or the other. If you can't do it in real life, then a game is the answer.

rishaki

I love to win, thats just it.  If my guild is one of the best i would devote myself to keep it that way. I dont not care about being rich in a mmorpg, thats just silly. I dont even care about money irl tbh :P Untill now this has kept me playing dota and sucha since i can win whitout spend whole day playing :P I do like to raid and sucha but i cant stand to do it with idiots who can't finde out how to play thiere class to the best in a group. The best time i have while playing is when i do it with nice AND skilled players. Its a great feeling to reach a goal as a group. I wish there was more games with instances like wow but MUCH harder, where skill really counts and a small group can acomplish something worth to be remembered, it should not take 20´+ players for sucha, just removes the idividual skill and creativity , also makes things much harder to do unplanned.

A mmorpg that fits all should have instances based on level, when you defeat first level of  that instance you can choose to play lvl 2, same instances but a bit harder, than after defeating that you can do lvl 3 , lvl 4 ect ect. Every time the drop remains the same but with a small uppgrade and everything should be BOP ofc. This would make grind allot more fun if the game had advanced combat, teamwork setup.

A few instances like this could keep allot of people occupied and to clear a high level instances it would req people to be AWAKE and good. There should not be a restriction on how high level a instances can be , This would make people develop thiere skill and pushing thiere limits. Even a laddar could be made for sucha system. The reason i like this system is since it allowas casual  or noobs to take part in all content but thos who are really skilled gets a challange from the same thing.

Dauthix

I agree with TenBlue.  The point of playing the game is to have fun.  You're not really becoming famous anyway, since you don't use your real name...and no one will remember you in six months. 

0k21

Totally agree with Tenblue as well

I personally think the very REASON that developers think gamers want to play to be rich and famous in MMORPG's is why the industry is failing so terribly in bringing in something new, I mean, I see it even in the single player games now, it's all about your reputation, it's all about getting that major 'goal' in the game. Hardly any of these games that follow that rule are fun in my view and it shows in the way the community acts, look at WoW, the game encourages people to raid for loot that's supposed to be extremely powerful, to level up to be the best and what has it gotten them? A community that practically hates itself, I remember in Pre-Cu SWG when there was none of that and it was for the most part the best community I had ever experienced and because the areas were so wide and vast you could easily find your own little corner without being bothered by any random morons and create entire cities for yourself.

Fun is what this industry needs to focus on more, not fame or money and that goes for developers too, not just gamers.

Astralglide

Originally posted by dauthix


I agree with TenBlue.  The point of playing the game is to have fun.  You're not really becoming famous anyway, since you don't use your real name...and no one will remember you in six months. 

Same here. What happened to just having fun? If part of the fun for someone is to be the best or most famous in the game, then that is what is fun for them. As far as these people having no lives... who cares? The onlything more pathetic than people who have no lives are the ones who have the time to bitch about them.

Symone

Is there not some part of you, when you see that person in your game with all the "epic" or best gear, or the person ranked super high, that wants to get to that point?

I guess maybe i have to admit I have a bad "all or nothing" attitude about this, I am kind of glad to know so far more people say they don't feel this way, then they do.

 

It's just, it seems, the thing thats kept me playing MMO's so long is the "challenge" to be #1 in the context of the little world, IE the people you play with on your server.

Otherwise I get extremely bored in a short period of time with the game. Like was already said I guess thats because the devs aren't catering to "fun" but more to being "rich and powerful" within the game which I am starting to care about a lot less.

Anyways I see people calling down others as fhaving no lives when they brag about their game accomplishments or whatever but I don't see a lot of people admitting they actually want to be there themselves.. which I think they must a bit or why would they be calling others down like that in the first place.

CleffyII

I like to play for fun, and part of that fun is getting known by a wide amount of people.  One thing I particularly liked about older mmorpgs was that gaining fame factor.  It made a community.  Like in Ragnarok Online there was a guy name Stook who always vended outside of Izlude for 5 years.  Everytime a swordy would leave Izlude they would see a merchant on the side of the road with a sign that said Stook's Goods.  After time passed there was alot more people there, and they were all lined up nice and organized.  It really added a depth to an area of the map that would typically have nothing there.

ianubisi

It isn't very important to me. But play the way you want to play.

Umbrood

Originally posted by Symone


Is there not some part of you, when you see that person in your game with all the "epic" or best gear, or the person ranked super high, that wants to get to that point?
I guess maybe i have to admit I have a bad "all or nothing" attitude about this, I am kind of glad to know so far more people say they don't feel this way, then they do.

I doubt anyone here do NOT want that gear, or rank, but it seems most people do a quick calculation and asks themself.

"What does it need to reach that point?"

Anyone can do it, wich kinda takes away a bit of the allure for me, it all boils down to how many hours you can put in per day.

Most people come up short in that equation, realising they just do not have that amount of time, nor would they spend it on something so trivial if they did.

If you want to compare yourself against other people there is, as someone said, a lot more "real" ways to do it, ways that actually means something.

daylight01

i was like the OP for quite a few months,Always wanting the best gear and items but I felt quite the opposite I started not enjoying playing anymore and tbh felt more like a 2nd job than a game,So left that guild and joined a much more friendly casual guild and started having fun again,No more "hey your 2 mins late for the raid thats -10 dkp"'what you mean you need to goto the toilet thats -10 dkp"and "ffs it is only 1am its not my fault u need to be up in 4 hrs for work thats -20dkp" I am sure some can relate to this(or maybe not).I guess it is a players choice and if you want to be"famous"in a game then you have to give up ur real life to some extent.Just like someone else posted to never be remembered after a couple of months after you stop playing.

Orca

I reckon getting renowned within a certain community gives a great feeling for me.

It could be with the majority of the whole server playing on, or just within my own guild.

That's really why I'm playing MMORPG's... If it wasn't for the community, I could just aswell play a singleplayer game, where I would become the king of everything, no matter what. You can't become a king of anything that easily in any MMORPG.

Dauthix

I guess there's a difference between having a famous character and being well-liked, personally.  I'm pretty well known on a couple of games (most notably Guild Wars, Runescape and Marvel Ultimate Alliance) because I'm friendly, have a good sense of humor and I'm always willing to help people out.  I like having a good reputation in the gaming community...but my characters aren't that impressive.

Symone

Originally posted by Orca


I reckon getting renowned within a certain community gives a great feeling for me.
It could be with the majority of the whole server playing on, or just within my own guild.
That's really why I'm playing MMORPG's... If it wasn't for the community, I could just aswell play a singleplayer game, where I would become the king of everything, no matter what. You can't become a king of anything that easily in any MMORPG.

 

EXACTLY!

MMORPDEATH

My goal is usually "competence" and I tend to fall far short of that.

Bealzagre

Personally, I play games to get away from people. The only reason I've ever enjoyed online role playing games has been so that I could play off and do my own things, and then work on my stories, with people I do not have to, physically, hear, see, or smell. It removes the "human" in human-interaction, and makes it all in your control, making people seem like nothing more than AI. Control is the answer. But when people get hooked on the game to the point where all they do is play it, with the same lust that crackheads feel when they need their fix, then you've lost control, and things have gotten bad.

I've never been one to go for the "Best" gear, only the gear I liked. In SWG, I never even wore armor, to level, if I did not feel like having it on. I think, ignore people, and do what makes you happy. If being the best in a game does, do that, I suppose. If you want to be popular, do that, as well. But you should never feel forced to go along with the crowd, or hassled, when you just want to do your own thing, which can and does happen, often, in current online games. Never play because you feel you have to, in order to make a name for yourself, or you'll get hooked. That's just my thoughts on it, though, and my opinions.

CactusmanX

Fame or renown isn't a factor for me, actually i prefer to go the other way and be rather unknown and mysterious, the unknown soldier so to speak.

Likewise riches, be it money or big shiny swords, really do not interest me either, although I always strive to have a character that is strong enough to go just about anywhere and do most everything without trouble.

I really only play with one or two people and I prefer to focus on adventure more than anything else.

The problem with most MMOGs is that they are so hierarchal focused that you have to get involved with the petty game of more and better gear/levels and/or the world of guild popularity that it almost ruins every game before too long.

sonicsix

I am so sick of games that make you compete with every other player for status or gear, etc.

afroburzing

i think eve is the only game where you can really be famous.. known to every player in the game because it isnt sharded

Produde

Originally posted by CactusmanX


Fame or renown isn't a factor for me, actually i prefer to go the other way and be rather unknown and mysterious, the unknown soldier so to speak.
Likewise riches, be it money or big shiny swords, really do not interest me either, although I always strive to have a character that is strong enough to go just about anywhere and do most everything without trouble.
I really only play with one or two people and I prefer to focus on adventure more than anything else.
The problem with most MMOGs is that they are so hierarchal focused that you have to get involved with the petty game of more and better gear/levels and/or the world of guild popularity that it almost ruins every game before too long.

Yeah, that sums it up well, especially the 'adventure' aspect...

Illius

I'm with Produde and CactusmanX. 

I tend to creep around in the background, picking who I want to interact with, at what point and so on.  I also like to point my character in a random direction and just go.  I want to see what's out there and experince the game to it's fullest without the bothersome nonsensical spam you find in the main cities or hubs where people gather.  Those usually tend to show the more vocal people whom I really don't care for.  All the "friends" I accumulate in game is the ones I find out in the middle of nowhere doing about the same thing I am doing.  That way I know that they are out there mostly for the same reasons I am and I can get of on common interests.

Also, regarding rank and highest armor....I tend to play games where the armor and "big shineys!" don't play that big of a role.  Maybe that's why I quit wow after 9 months.  As mentioned by one of the posters above as long as I'm capable of taking care of myself it's all good.

If I could take that lurking in the background a bit further I'd like to be able to go out, find a small group of enemies, mangle them completely and utterly and then just disappear, leaving them to wonder wtf just happend and who it was but never being able to find out.