General: MMO Puberty

SBFord

In his latest column for MMORPG.com, Bill Murphy talks about how MMOs have hit their collective stride in the last several years, finally breaking out of the initial mold of the 90s. Developers are finally reaching out and embracing new and different ways to entertain we who love to game collectively online. Check out Bill's thoughts about MMO Puberty and then voice your opinion on the forums.

The MMORPG genre (if it can even be called that) is quickly approaching its twentieth birthday. It’s aging, but until recently, it wasn’t really maturing. Maybe it was, in some slowly developing way like that kid you knew in high school who didn’t start shaving until the day before graduation and whose voice could have easily been that of a eunuch. But somewhere in the last few years the “puberty” of MMOs has really kicked it into high gear. These games, with every new incarnation, are changing and testing the boundaries of what developers and players alike find engaging and fun. For a long time I believe that we as fans found the industry in something of a stagnation period, and I honestly believe that we’re pulling out of that. Maybe it’s the optimist in me. Maybe I’m foolish and the games to which I’m referring in this article will crash and burn. I can’t possibly know for sure. But I can be hopeful, and I can explain why I think now is the best time to be an MMO gamer.

Read more MMO Puberty.

gaeanprayer

Wow I...actually really like this article o.O I Have nothing to bitch about.

 

...I'm sorry, that's never happened before.

TiiKii

Excellent read!

AND.. I understood it all!

Ceridith

In a business sense MMOs have been "maturing" in the sense they they are being altered and re-branded toward a broader audience. That does no necessarily make them better per their original intent, to create virtual worlds where players could be immersed in and have fun beign apart of. Instead MMOs have turned mostly into arcadey instant gratification games, where the game 'world' is nothing more than a side note backdrop that is largely disposable.

Nephaerius

Thanks for the great article.  Good read.

booskA

Well, I have mixed feelings about this. To me, the first two developments are *horrible*. They are pushing MMOs in directions i do not enjoy, closer to fighter or an FPS. These are genres I basically hate. In order to grow their audience, the current round of MMOs are alienating the entire fan base that made them popular in the first place. It also does not seem to be working, as teh last MMO to come out that was really successful was in 2004 or so, before any of these changes took place.

As for the third, the variety of themes, that is great! I can't wait to see more worlds based on original ideas, different laws of physics and reality. The more they change, the better. I mean, one fo the greatest strengths of the MMO is creating a world where you can "get away" and by changing the settings significantly it makes this all the easier to do.

Unfortunately, when I add it all up, I wouldn't say MMOs are maturing, though. The changes you pointed out are weighted to appeal to the immature. This would mean that MMOs are devolving, not evolving, which is unfortunate for all of us that originally made the genre successful.

Vantras

Found it to be an odd article since the general consenus seems to be that we are at a low point in the MMO genre with the last batch of AAA releases- The "innovations" and maturation the author sites can best be found in AoC, Warhammer, Aion, Final Fantasy, and other games like Runes of Magic, STO etc.  Most/many of which would be considered huge failures-not a single one of which met or exceeded expecations.

Kind of like eating at McDonalds every day and then writing an article about how food has "advanced" from having to wait for an actual server, for stuff to be cooked to order, and prepared just for you-to being handed a bag of pre cooked fries and burgers-and calling it an improvement/innovation or maturation.

Oddly disconected article .

mmosnark

Great article Bill!

Ramonski7

Originally posted by Bill Murphy

There's a growing mentality that MMORPG or MMO or MMOG should pretty much mean one type of game. But that's just not the way I see it. MMORPG started out as a very niche sort of acronym. Thankfully, with the success of its earliest games to the more recent chart toppers, the MMORPG has grown into a genre that encapsulates too many different types of games.

This here nails it for me. Every endeavor known to man started as a niche: cars, computers, cell phones, video games, movies, music, you name it. And were only enjoyed by a few until it was brought to the "masses". I'm sure the purist of those endeavors felt cheated that their "precious" was readily available to more people as well, but in the long run it's worked out for every last one of them.

For the life of me I do not understand why so many mmo gamers refuse to swallow this pill. The genre will continue to move on with or without your approval and it's in your best interest to reevaluate your narrow viewpoint in order to see the bigger picture. Even if you don't think you like what you see at first glance.

BillMurphy

Originally posted by Vantras

Found it to be an odd article since the general consenus seems to be that we are at a low point in the MMO genre with the last batch of AAA releases- The "innovations" and maturation the author sites can best be found in AoC, Warhammer, Aion, Final Fantasy, and other games like Runes of Magic, STO etc.  Most/many of which would be considered huge failures-not a single one of which met or exceeded expecations.

Kind of like eating at McDonalds every day and then writing an article about how food has "advanced" from having to wait for an actual server, for stuff to be cooked to order, and prepared just for you-to being handed a bag of pre cooked fries and burgers-and calling it an improvement/innovation or maturation.

Oddly disconected article .

 

Here's where I quote myself, not because I don't value you're viewpoint but because this article is directed more towards the "future" of our pasttime. 

"For a long time I believe that we as fans found the industry in something of a stagnation period, and I honestly believe that we're pulling out of that."

BillMurphy

Originally posted by mmosnark

Great article Bill!

 

Thanks, Justin!  British praise is always welcome. 

Benthon

After this article I'll be paying much more attention to your articles in particular, Bill. Well done, well written. I love it!

Vantras

Bill,

First let me say the article was well written and interesting.  And I hope you are right i hope we are pulling out of the stagnation.  I hope that with each new release promising "new" ways of doing things-yet time after time I have been let down by the garbage that folks keep churning out.

Not sure which titles on the horizon give you the feeling that good days are ahead.  Rifts of Telera seems to be one of the only ones with real promise-at least to me.

wahala99

Originally posted by BillMurphy

 Here's where I quote myself, not because I don't value you're viewpoint but because this article is directed more towards the "future" of our pasttime. 

"For a long time I believe that we as fans found the industry in something of a stagnation period, and I honestly believe that we're pulling out of that."

 It is wonderful to hear someone on this site with hope for the future of ..... On Line Multiplayer Games (I Call em that so as not to upset the MMORPG purists).  I Too wanna see what is comming down the pike.  I too want the slump (poor quality gimiky productions and clones) to end.  If you are gonna make a clone. make it better than the origional.  People will come.

Billy Boy I hope you are right on target!!

(I am not gonna talk about Murphy's law)

Paragus1

I've been around this genre since the start pretty much and it is interesting to sit back and look at how various parts of the games have shifted and evolved.  I'm definitely glad to seeing a lot of companies experimenting with various forms of combat since it is the predominant activity most people engage in while playing.  Some of the changes I think are a step backwards for the reason you said: companies trying to reach a broader audience. 

I think Blizzard really changed everything when they made a game that was highly accessible and made a killing on it.   They really have helped the concept of MMOs become more mainstream by bringing in a lot more people.  Hopefully someone like Blizzard with a lot of money and developer talent will decide to invest in changing the game again instead of trying to copy previous models.    Imagine the possbility of a company with Blizzard's resources developing a sandbox game as their next MMO and having it be massively successful.   I would wager it was change the model drastically that new MMOs try to copy.

The only way things will change is if someone tries something new and it makes a ton of money.   Thats why I think we have to give some degree of credit to companies that try new things even if they don't always work out well.  Innovation will be key to changing the way we play, but we won't see it until someone proves there can be a huge financial benefit to breaking the mold.

NetSage

I liked the article and only hope your hopes become true :P.  Personally I never got the day of EQ so not really sure what it's like but I know I'm tired of the WoW style .

But, we are starting to see a return of more classic style I think.  With titles darkfall and eve(other titles of course like MO if it gets polished) brining a more modern version of be what you want how you want.  None of these games match the success of WoW though :P.  But, still I enjoy them more.

Yilelien

I think for man of the older players the games have changed alot. In some ways good and bad.

 

 Im the same as Bill. EQ was my first love, i was 22-23 and had HOURS to play and wake up in the middle of the night for someones epic quest to kill who ever for what ever, stay online all day Sat & sun and grind for hours in the same spot killing the same mobs for exp, and haveing a great time.

 

 Games have changed, and so have i. Im now almost 35, married, kids, house, dogs & cats. No longer do i have hours. Maybe an hour at best.

 So while i dream of the good ole days, i also appreciate the fact that i can log onto some of these games and blast out a bunch of quests and get gear and lvls in a hour.

 

 On the other side of the coin, when WoW came out and the MMO market exploded IMO most of these newwer players were much younger than us "grizzly vets" They came in with their i want it now attitude and it frankly offended many of us. After all. We have been doing this for years and this is not how it works.....

 There were alot of growing pains between the new and old and lets fact it. Us "older" guys and gals were in the minority and still are. But again WoW has been out several years now. Alot of those 15 year olds are now 20+ Thats alot of growing up. WHile i look back at myself between 20 & 30 and see a huge differance, there is still alot of change from 15 - 20.

 While there are still alot oh A Hats out there alot of them have grown up. We are still getting alot of younger people into the MMO market but i think in general the age has gotten older and have grow up some.

 

 Sorry about the long ramble >.<

aleos

The only thing that will show if true progress is being made will be when these games release in 2011. 

GrumpyMel2

Yeah, I'm not sure I agree with the premise of the article. There is more money being thrown into MMO's these days then ever and there are more titles being released and more awareness of the genre in popular culture then before...so in that sense, it MAY have matured.

However, for the games themselves...they seem to have become much more formulaic then they were before....and much more risk averse toward trying to innovate. I'd also say that in general there was also a large trend toward "dumbing them down". I'm not talking neccesarly about allowing for people to play in smaller chunks of time or reducing time sink/grind (If anything I think that may have increased).... I'm talking about the actual complexity of mechanics/skill involved to play.

In other words, the games are becoming less like Chess and more like checkers to play. I wouldn't exactly call that more "mature". I'd also say that alot of the subject matter has become "Disneyfied".

Still there is a bit of hope. Fallen Earth I think is a good example of a game that tried to be more mature...even if it's struggling a bit. Some of the mechanics and design philosophy behind GW2 are quite intringuing. Even though I really don't like much of the direction SW-TOR is going in...the idea that the story choices your character makes have some moral consequences to them is a very interesting concept. So maybe there is a little bit of sunshine on the horizon... we'll see.

For now, I'm still mostly playing strategy/war games and the occasional FPS.

severius

Meh, the shift from tactical combat to "action-y" is a step backwards imo.  Communities become more like xbox live than an MMO community because of the kind of person that it attracts.  Its the difference between the person that prefers Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Planescape Torment on one side, and the diablo kiddies on the other (yes there is some overlap, and they are not mutually exclusive.  As someone that enjoys one style can still enjoy the other.  Its the preference that matters).

As you point out the controller being your preferred method of interaction with Champions, a not surprisingly mediocre game like AOC.

The problem is is that the games in general have become watered down clones of each other.  They all want to attract the casual facebook mouthbreathing crowd that is more interested in playing barbie dress up.  Now, there is nothing wrong with that if its your cup of tea, but the fact that it is sinking its incidious claws into everything is pathetic.

Far from maturation the genre is sinking to a lower common denominator as there are fewer and fewer games for those of us that have actually been playing since the dawn of multiplayer gaming.  The games take away far more than they have brought to the table. 

Want to know why they are trying to shift to your action-y bullcrap?  Now you need no thought, can play multiple mmo's at the same time, hell 2 people can run 20 man raids in WOW, controlling 10 characters each.  I know i run 3 characters in Lotro by myself.  The only way they can hide that their games are directed to the IQ deficient crowd is by "immersing you in never before seen action packed combat".

Want to know how awesome your actiony combat is?   Go to the first group of mouthbreathers that introduced it to us.  Chris Cao, John Smedley and Jeff Freeman.  YAY THE NGE! *cough* sorry, I think I puked a little saying that statement.

severius

Originally posted by Vantras

Found it to be an odd article since the general consenus seems to be that we are at a low point in the MMO genre with the last batch of AAA releases- The "innovations" and maturation the author sites can best be found in AoC, Warhammer, Aion, Final Fantasy, and other games like Runes of Magic, STO etc.  Most/many of which would be considered huge failures-not a single one of which met or exceeded expecations.

Kind of like eating at McDonalds every day and then writing an article about how food has "advanced" from having to wait for an actual server, for stuff to be cooked to order, and prepared just for you-to being handed a bag of pre cooked fries and burgers-and calling it an improvement/innovation or maturation.

Oddly disconected article .

 

Very nice points

adam_nox

mmos like UO, DAoC, and EQ were the parents of horrible horrible children who learned nothing from their parents.  They were crybabies who when they were old enough to walk ran in front of moving vehicles whenever possible. 

There were Maybe 3 that turned out okay in the last 8 years.  Think about that for a minute.

Luckily there are several games within 2 years of release that look to redeem the genre from it's duality of complete failure/wow success. 

Ozmodan

My opinion is that MMO's are regressing, not progressing.  When you can look back at games like UO and AC1 and find those games offered far more freedom of choice then the present new age stuff.  And don't try to pawn off TERA's combat as something new, both Utlima and AC1 used the exact same design.

The MMO's of today are dumbed down to be almost boring.  No one plays these games very long because of that.  We just keep hoping from one game to the next hoping that something will entertain us.

The suits are interesting in only one thing, that is appealing to the broadist audience, hence it has to appeal to the "I want it now crowd".  No one wants to take the time anymore to work for something.

The genre is in a very sorry state and there looks to be few bright spots in the future.

stayontarget

I find the comments posted here to be quite amusing.  Not because of what they say but the clear cut line between the two parties.

 

Perhaps the gaming community needs to evolve also...

 

Nice article Bill.

Kyleran

Originally posted by Ozmodan

My opinion is that MMO's are regressing, not progressing.  When you can look back at games like UO and AC1 and find those games offered far more freedom of choice then the present new age stuff.  And don't try to pawn off TERA's combat as something new, both Utlima and AC1 used the exact same design.

The MMO's of today are dumbed down to be almost boring.  No one plays these games very long because of that.  We just keep hoping from one game to the next hoping that something will entertain us.

The suits are interesting in only one thing, that is appealing to the broadist audience, hence it has to appeal to the "I want it now crowd".  No one wants to take the time anymore to work for something.

The genre is in a very sorry state and there looks to be few bright spots in the future.

I have to agree, in terms of being virtual worlds, MMO's have defintitely regressed into exactly what the OP said, quick hit gaming experiences that appeal to a broader, more casual player base.

It might be inevitable, it might be good for the genre from a financial perspective, but it isn't something I'm going to be happy about regardless, and fortunately, I have the internet as my forum where I can bitch about it. (even if no one gives a care what I say)

I've decided, until I see DAOC 2 I'm never going to be really happy, so might as well take some small enjoyment from what is out there now and in the future.

Oh yeah, greetings from Israel, where I'm vacationing for a few weeks.

erictlewis

I have to say I don't see them evolving.  yes a couple of guys like FE and AOC tried something new with combat. Cant speak to DC yet as I have not tried it.  MMO are regressing now days.  You still have the big guys and the copy cats.   You still see more copy cats and very little innovation that works.

I think mmo's are starting to become stagnant.

Sorry but thats the way I look at it.