Have we simply outgrown the mmorpg?

FredomSekerZ

http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/articles/122/1225088p1.html

Very interesting read from Gamespy.

sagil

I think many have. There is no evolution in mmos and the trend was always from the beginning to show off pvp in youtube clips. Then it went over to PvE and people outgrew that. Now, for me at least, it's pure competitive gaming I want. No silly quests or anything. But I'd buy any SOCIAL mmo, which there are none of right now. I want to communicate to build a ship or argue that my neighbour is planting seeds on my yard. :P MMOs were built for social, not competitive gaming. Who wants to play an unfair game just because someone spent more time NOT PvPing, but PvEing...?

maplestone

I have two criticisms of the article:

1) is focused on one particular model of MMOs - essentially the WoW dungeon-and-raid clones.

2) It doesn't distinguish between the size of the actual core player base  vs the unrealistic expectations of exponential growth that fueled the wave of WoW-like games.  These games take a long time to get from the initial pitch to the market and could it not be argued that we're only now getting the last of a wave of bubble investments out of the system?

 

AlBQuirky

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Originally posted by sagil
I think many have. There is no evolution in mmos and the trend was always from the beginning to show off pvp in youtube clips. Then it went over to PvE and people outgrew that. Now, for me at least, it's pure competitive gaming I want. No silly quests or anything. But I'd buy any SOCIAL mmo, which there are none of right now. I want to communicate to build a ship or argue that my neighbour is planting seeds on my yard. :P MMOs were built for social, not competitive gaming. Who wants to play an unfair game just because someone spent more time NOT PvPing, but PvEing...?

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You are a bit confused...

YouTube did not exist when MMORPGS came out. They were actually created to interact with another world which included both PvP and PvE.

MMORPGS used to be astoundingly successful with 100,000+ subscribers. Then came WoW, cable modems, and the latest consoles. Suddenly, everyone and their dog was playing games, not just MMORPGs. Many console gamers came into the MMORPG arena and e-peen sports were featured in a more prominent way. Gamers now had easy access to MMORPGs and these were no longer nerd games. MMORPGs started to change.

MMOs have evolved. They went from being living breathing worlds to massive gathering hubs which lead to instances where soloers go. Graphics have improved ten-fold. Technology has improved ten-fold. GMs are almost non-existent now, replaced with AI driven events. The journey from point A to point B to point C has become a super highway with fast travel, streamlined quest hubs, and worlds filled with instances. Death penalties are now just a finger shake (not even a slap on the wrist).

The players who find all the downtime and slower leveling unplayable are in the majority and new games cater to them. Players who had to have the time to invest in the games have found lives *gasp* that tend to take up more of their time. Games now cater to the player with 30 minutes to 1 hour to spend online in one shot. Today's society is about being on the move, all the time. There are many time consuming activities competing today where there were few just a mere 13-14 years ago.

MMOs have changed. Some of us (I have a mouse in my pocket) feel out of place now.