General: A Twilight MMO: Why the Hate?

Stradden

MMORPG.com columnist Justin Webb takes some time to talk about the idea of a Twilight MMO and why he thinks it's not such a bad idea after all.

New Moon (the second movie in the Twilight series) has grossed to date well over 250 million dollars at the box office, and made megastars of its tween-friendly trio of lead actors. A third movie is due in June and the hoopla surrounding the Twilight series shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the premier of Eclipse (the third movie) will probably be a tinseltown tweengasm visible from space. Regardless of whether you personally like the books or the movies, there can be no doubt that there is a massive market for anything related to the Twilight franchise. The second movie arguably proved that the tween-girl demographic could single-handedly "open" a movie and keep it at #1 for several weeks ... a scary thought indeed given that Hollywood just loves to recycle whatever is hot at the moment. Get ready for the rip-offs!

Read A Twilight MMO: Why the Hate?

sazabi

why all the hate?

for the same reason we didnt have mmos for any other teenager movies.

and... im grateful for that.

Archemorous

If there is a game that could foster a community any worse than WoW's this would be it. Of course it makes sense financially, but there are many things that make sense financially that are just plain wrong.

Having said that, I will try about any game, and if its any good I can see myself playing it. But who cares if it gets made or not? Its not like it will break into your house and turn you into a shallow teenage girl (although it would certainly try to =P). If it gets made and its a good game, I'll be there to give it a try, if not, I wont. Its all so simple

MMO_Doubter

"However, as a developer, I'm also really interested in making an MMO that's going to be popular in addition to being a great game."

I have come to the opinion that those goals are mutually exclusive.

Phry

Not sure about why the hate, about all i could come up with is why the interest at all..  maybe it would have young girls running to play it, but chances are, probably not, its just the latest craze thing, and i doubt whether they'd even remember it by the time a game could be developed from it... and just what would the game even do, teen angst is hardly a recipe for action packed gameplay, seriously, i can't see any mmo developer picking up the gauntlet on this one.

MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Phry


Not sure about why the hate, about all i could come up with is why the interest at all..  maybe it would have young girls running to play it, but chances are, probably not, its just the latest craze thing, and i doubt whether they'd even remember it by the time a game could be developed from it... and just what would the game even do, teen angst is hardly a recipe for action packed gameplay, seriously, i can't see any mmo developer picking up the gauntlet on this one.

 

It seems more approriate for a Facebook addon.

Scrogdog

I'm sure all of those folks who argue that we should just accept the "evolution of gaming" as a really good thing will be along any moment to inform us why we should all like this.

Phry

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Phry


Not sure about why the hate, about all i could come up with is why the interest at all..  maybe it would have young girls running to play it, but chances are, probably not, its just the latest craze thing, and i doubt whether they'd even remember it by the time a game could be developed from it... and just what would the game even do, teen angst is hardly a recipe for action packed gameplay, seriously, i can't see any mmo developer picking up the gauntlet on this one.

 

It seems more approriate for a Facebook addon.

 

now that seems to me to be more viable, just leave it to zynga then to turn it into yet another i've got more friends than you have kind of thing.. im pretty sure with a bit of rewording then farmville could probably fit the bill

Aevenath

A vampire MMO based off of the World of Darkness ruleset with multiple races such as Brujah, Tremere, etc.=Hell yes.

A vampire MMO with shiny vampires and werewolves=lolno.

brostyn

Why the hate on Twilight? Are you serious?

 

Some moron comes up with an idea about fairy vampires that glitter in sunlight and make love to tweens, and you ask WHY THE HATE?

 

Vampires are blood sucking killers, that DON'T GLITTER IN THE SUN. They BURN. They don't fall in loves with tweens, they don't take on the vampire nation, and the certainly DO NOT GLITTER IN SUNLIGHT.

 

This book/movie has effectively killed vampire lore that has existed for thousands of years. Vampires will no longer be seen as blood sucking, vicious killers. They will be known as glittery, wonderfu,l majestic creatures that fall in love with tweens.

maskedweasel

 I really can't see why the series is so popular to be honest.  My wife wanted me to get through at least the first few books, and after halfway through the first book I couldn't take it anymore.  The only draw this book actually has is the strange taboo this age has for some vampire, werewolf feud.  Apparently, thats what is "in" right now.  Lets not get into the entire underworld series, which would be a better overall setting for a game.  In any case, its very doubtful that a twilight MMO, or even a twilight game would do well.  Games made from movies have been notorious for not doing well on sales, and such a lackluster and worn out concept would be lost in the gaming community, MMO or not.  It may draw a small following of lonely, homely, middle aged librarians (nothing wrong with that) but the major gaming demographic would bypass it without a second thought.

 

I think we'd be more apt to see a harry potter adaption well before twilight.

Mithios

I say promote the idea of a Twilight MMO. Maybe all the teenagers will flock to that game and leave the real MMOs to the rest of us.

phobox

If this is all it will take to get someone who doesn't play mmo's into mmo's then i am for it. Even if it turns out to be a horrible one. At least they might ask - I wonder if there are better mmo's.

 

Fadedbomb

Sooooo, you would endorse a HighSchool Musical MMO?

 

 

 

Didn't think so...

LynxJSA

"If a Twilight MMO released tomorrow, how many girls do you think would be running to use their mom's credit card to sign up?"

None. Mums and Daughters like to watch hot teen boys rip their shirts off. The books and movies sell because they are passive fantasy-feeding entertainment. Mums and Daughters also aren't completely stupid. If there isn't a press release about some male escort service signing up their staff for the game, there's no way they are going to sign up for a game where the only males there are ones that want to chat with tween girls.

"Thinking about it, it should offer "Mums and Daughters" dual-subscription packages. I would imagine that the makers of Hello Kitty Online are similarly rubbing their hands together in glee."

HKO created a social environment for people who want to actively interact, which is the opposite of the Twilight crowd. They are more than comfortable gathering with women that they already know, squeeeing in unison to the wee hours of the morning. However, the first time 'Enrico' wanders onto their screen with a 'Hola', a wink and a whipcrack sound they're just going to plain find it creepy.

 

 

streea

People like twilight because they want to BE Bella. They want to pick their "team" and run off and have lots of super half-vampire/etc. babies. They want to be rescued from their humdrum lives where their freakish attitudes scare off normal guys (not that anything normal would be good enough for them).

Twilight would make a great single-player game. It might even make a pretty entertaining multi-player, where people get to pick different characters and run around in teams.

But as for an MMO? All these girls/mothers want is their fantasies fulfilled where lots of guys throw themselves at them. That's not what MMOs are about though. You're not forming relationships with NPCs (at least anything beyond one-sided relationships). You're not getting rescued. You're rescuing. You're doing.

The Twilight audience doesn't want to be the heroes of their own story. They want a story written around them. Which regular games are more than capable of (you can even pick who you want to have sex with). But MMOs are about community. Growth. Cultivating. Generally killing. Adventure.

Not sitting around fussing over why Edward didn't like the boar meat you gave him after he sent you out to kill 15 boars.

blooblob

Because if they made a twilight MMO the percent of rape would probably go up by 1000% because they are putting all the little girls in one place.

LynxJSA

 

Well said, Streea!

Palebane

I wouldn't be against a Twilight MMO, but I'd much rather see The Masquerade/ Apocolypse or Underworld themed MMORPGs. Preferrably one with at least 3 factions that don't particularly care for one another. And maybe some kind of mercenary faction.

Vampires

Werewolves

Spirits

Demons

Humans

Lexiscat

I can see a Vampire MMO being just like Starwars: The Old Republic.

Instead of Jedi and Sith, you have Vampires and Werewolves.

Different universe, same metrics.

Seriously, you could almost  adapt every class in SW:ToR into a Vampire themed class.

 

Sith Warrior = Werewolf Warrior

Jedi Knight  = Vampire (Deathdealer, Knight, or whatever script you want)

Sith Inquisitor = Werewolf Elder

Jedi Counsler = Vampire Elder

Then all the humanoid classes would make up a third faction that could be allied with either side, or independent.

Hmm, put in some Ancient Relics of Power relating to Vampire/Werewolf lore with locations that can be captured, controlled and you have an RvR game that could rival DAoC in its hay day.

Vampire guilds could be Covens.  Vampire controlled keeps could be Bloodbanks.

Werewolf guilds could be Packs. Werewolf controlled keeps could be Dens.

Human guilds could be (drawing a blank, secret societies?). Human controlled keeps could be hideouts or strongholds.

 

Sorry to be so far off subject, but i guess i can see a Vampire MMO being the best RvR PvP game ever created.

 

 

ThomasN7

I guess the game would wok as a mmo but the community would be just as bad as World of Warcraft's.

Scrogdog

A "serious" vampire mmo might not be bad though. Perhaps based on Vampire: Bloodlines.

There were even different classes of vampire in that game.

ZodiaEclipse

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Originally posted by Phry


Not sure about why the hate, about all i could come up with is why the interest at all..  maybe it would have young girls running to play it, but chances are, probably not, its just the latest craze thing, and i doubt whether they'd even remember it by the time a game could be developed from it... and just what would the game even do, teen angst is hardly a recipe for action packed gameplay, seriously, i can't see any mmo developer picking up the gauntlet on this one.

 

It seems more approriate for a Facebook addon.

 

Pretty much what's already been said before. The market that Twilight appeals to isn't a market of MMO starved would-be gamers. Anything with more depth than a Facebook addon wouldn't hold their attention long enough to make money before they were shrieking and throwing themselves over the next hot thing they read about in Tiger Beat (or whatever the kids are into these days).

Better to make a real supernatural MMO that could appeal to a wider audience than to pigeon hole yourself into a flighty, ever changing tween market that isn't even interested in your product beyond the name.

Comnitus

Originally posted by Lexiscat


I can see a Vampire MMO being just like Starwars: The Old Republic.
Instead of Jedi and Sith, you have Vampires and Werewolves.
Different universe, same metrics.
Seriously, you could almost  adapt every class in SW:ToR into a Vampire themed class.
 
Sith Warrior = Werewolf Warrior
Jedi Knight  = Vampire (Deathdealer, Knight, or whatever script you want)
Sith Inquisitor = Werewolf Elder
Jedi Counsler = Vampire Elder
Then all the humanoid classes would make up a third faction that could be allied with either side, or independent.
Hmm, put in some Ancient Relics of Power relating to Vampire/Werewolf lore with locations that can be captured, controlled and you have an RvR game that could rival DAoC in its hay day.
Vampire guilds could be Covens.  Vampire controlled keeps could be Bloodbanks.
Werewolf guilds could be Packs. Werewolf controlled keeps could be Dens.
Human guilds could be (drawing a blank, secret societies?). Human controlled keeps could be hideouts or strongholds.
 
Sorry to be so far off subject, but i guess i can see a Vampire MMO being the best RvR PvP game ever created.
 
 

A Vampire MMO.

Not a Twilight MMO.

phobox

Originally posted by Fadedbomb


Sooooo, you would endorse a HighSchool Musical MMO?
 
 
 
Didn't think so...

 

I am not saying I would play it, I am not saying I endorse it... I only think that if it brings people into the mmo world... that is a good thing.

Teala