Why the old school MMO players were awful

Wizardry

There is one problem the OP is over looking,that is the FACT that NOTHING has changed and that is why old school gaming and community was better.

You cannot COPY and do the exact same thing ONLY dumb it down to a lesser degree and call it better.Example Hand holding has seriously got out of hand,is that what we are calling an improvement on old school gaming,i surely hope not because using the OP's own words,even a 5 year old kid knows better.

Here is the other problem,because gamer's have already done it seen it several times before,they are now bored to death,so i see a LOT more bored people hang out in chat making a nuisance or just saying the stupidest things to pass time.

I remember during the early years of FFXi i almost NEVER saw any dumb chat,it was only people looking for help to do so and so content or looking for a linkshell.Even in FFXI it started to get out of hand,i sort of blamed a little on the newer crowd that was not around before filtering into the game but a bigger factor was probably that many players had by that time done it,seen it and were again bored.

There was this whole new ELITIST crowd of gamer's forming,those bragging about end game raiding and we ALL saw it in every game.That kind of ME ME stuff just did not happen,so as i said it wasn't so much gaming was better it most certainly was the community and copying that started it.

I can use examples to also PROVE it.EQ2 took most of it's game and began dumbing it down,FFXI dumbed the game down,GW2 no mounts or housing,Eve no avatars that is just lazy and cheap game design and now we have Wildstar AGAIN doing the exact same things but ONLY adding the change of a visual red carpet to tell you when to move.LMAO is that what is improving gaming,a red carpet to tell us when to move,i don't remember needing anyone to tell me when to move my player to improve my gaming experience.

Jinxys

Originally posted by PerfArt
Please qualify your assertion that older players did not admit to being mmo players and were embarrassed about it. This sounds like a made-up fact. There were FEWER players back then and the market was small, so our opinions were not as publicised as are those of modern gamers in a huge market. To create a strawman version of a community that you were not a part of is dismissive, inaccurate, and illogical. In my EXPERIENCE as an old school mmorpg player, the community I played in was always proud of their hobby.

^ This

I don't ever remember that being the case here. When I got my first PC and tried to load up Merdian 59 . My family were amazed at the concept of connecting to a strange thing called a "server" located 9000 miles from me and playing a game with others. My Dad at the time couldn't even grasp the concept . I never once felt shunned or ashamed to admit I was playing mmorpgs. It just wasn't mainstream as it is today. I know many of my friends would of LOVED to of owned a PC back then. But the price tag was a huge barrier for them, and as prices dropped the PC became just a standard household thing. 99% Of the people i knew back then wouldn't of even had a clue what an mmorpg was.

It reminds me of how I used to gaze in amazement at the Brick cellular phones that exclusive business men would have. Opening them up like mission impossible out of the brief case LOL. Now they are as common as a blow fly.

In my experience the gamer hasn't really changed that much. I still remember the cruel and heartless players from Shadowbane, but I also remember the good ones as well. The reason I think we felt communities were better back then is perhaps because gaming was a niche thing? I am certain in niche mmo games these days the communities are smaller and more close knit just as us vets remembered them.

I just can't see how WoW has made it more socially acceptable to play mmorpgs. If anything I get boo'd off the chats in other games if I mention I have played it. But I don't ever remember being sneered at for playing games/mmorpgs prior to WoW. Funny thing is I feel more ashamed to say I play WoW these days to my family/friends than I ever would of during the early days of online gaming.

 

I think I should leave it at that. I'm going off track and not really sure what point I am trying to make now. I apologize if I am not as articulate as the other posters who have made some very valid points here in this thread.

 

- Jinxy

 

 

iridescence

Originally posted by jpnz

 

Having enough self confidence to poke at one's hobby is a good thing.

So how is that different from people poking fun at older MMOs? When people do it to WoW you can laugh it off but when they did  it to an old game you were like "OMG! I don't want to be associated with those losers!" I really don't follow your logic.

 

TheCrow2k

Originally posted by jpnz

There seems to be this line of thinking of 'Back in my day.. UO / EQ / DAOC.. we had a community and games were better and was virtual worlds.. yada yada yada.'.From someone who started with WoW but knew about MMOs before, this is just really bad history reversioning that even a 5 year old kid would be embarrassed about.Games are subjective and what I find fun might not be what you find fun. That's fine and I'm not here to discuss 'game design'; there's stickies and thread #10001 by bittervet #1916 on 'why the modern MMO suck'. But you know what the 'bittervets' absolutely failed on? Was to actually say 'I play MMOs' and not be embarrassed by it. Talk to the general public why MMOs wasn't the worst thing a parent would want for their child.Look back to when UO / EQ was considered 'big'. Yeah... Telling someone that you play MMOs = 'So you are a virgin in your parents' basement?' It was worse than saying "i'm the captain of our school's debating / chess team' At least the head of the debating team got good grades. That 'basement dwelling' perception didn't go away until WoW when the new generation had players that said 'Yeah so?'MMO players were made fun by gamers back in the day. Now? After the new generation? MMO players are just like any other gamers.So the next time you want to remember your past glory, remember that the bittervets absolutely blew it and it took the new generation of players to get us to say 'I'm an MMO player' and not be shunned by society.

 

Lol even WoW is still considers a game for basement dwelling nerds by the bulk of gamers who buy every anual installment of COD/Halo. Popular media still paint MMO players as such. If anything more people are now aware the genre exists than "the old days".

Your perception is also painted by your age & life experiences. I was playing UO when I had already begun my professional career & had no such concerns as the ones you tabled.

Hanthos

Originally posted by jpnz

From someone who started with WoW but knew about MMOs before, this is just really bad history reversioning that even a 5 year old kid would be embarrassed about.

 

I think it's spelled, "revisionist", something most 1st to 2nd graders are taught in English.

But please, rant some more. I enjoy proof reading juvenile literature and experiments in psychological deficiency deflection.

Hero_Alpha

That South Park episode was 10yrs ago.

Darkages

No it was about 7 years ago http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0850173/

Hero_Alpha

I think WoW only dumbed down MMO's so the slow "general masses" could even begin to fathom  the genre. Thats the only thing you are proving OP.

Aldous.Huxley

Originally posted by jpnz

There seems to be this line of thinking of 'Back in my day.. UO / EQ / DAOC.. we had a community and games were better and was virtual worlds.. yada yada yada.'.

From someone who started with WoW but is just really bad. Even a 5 year old kid would be embarrassed about.

Games are fun. That's fine and I'm a virgin in your parents' basement. Yeah so?

So the next time remember I'm shunned by society.

This is all I got out of the original post.