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Polarization among MMORPGers
Koltrane
Member UncommonPosts: 1,049
Something I have noticed about MMORPG fans is how absolutely extreme most are in their attitudes toward various games in the genre, particularly the bigger titles. People tend to either completely love or totally despise a game. I'm curious as to why this is.
For example, EverQuest players speak fondly of Norrath, but there are just as many who would love to see EQ implode. There are people who hate Horizons as if it were bearing the plague while others sing its praises. Almost any major title has people on the ultimate end of either side.
It even extends to unreleased games. World of Warcraft was so highly anticipated it was astounding, but once beta got into swing, the detractors came out in full force. I predict the same will happen to EQ2. The funny thing is it seems that relatively minor issues can cause a title to incur the full wrath of gamers. One unimplemented feature can turn a true believer into a staunch opponent.
Why is it that this genre fosters such extreme attitudes? Is it the amount of time and money we invest in the games that breeds affection or resentment? I have no idea, but am curious to hear others ideas.
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There are 10 types of people in this world...those who understand binary, and those who don't.
MMORPG.com Staff
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Old timer.
Comments
Well I hate to be cynical but I think no one likes anyone with a different opinion. I have been flamed many times by people who dont care for my opinions. Some games I like some I dont but if you give your opinion people who dont have the same one for the most part will flame you. Also I think a lot of younger people seem to be the ones who flame you. (Or at least they act that way)
That which does not kill you only makes you stronger.
Do you think it has something to do with the fact you can really only pay for and invest time in one MMOPRG at a time. So devotion becomes more intense and writing off the ones your not playing more extreme. Like if you can only play one, you dont want to consider that another could be better and you've been wasting your time.
Or maybe us computer gamers are just more binary, its good or bad. Or is it something about folks that are drawn to these types of games. Then again I see flaming and obscenities on a chess chat room so... maybe endemic of any boards.
Koltrane, I do believe it is because so much more time is invested into any mmog or mmorpg compared to other types of games. You will find that among people who have graduated high school and/or college and have real world responsibilities, that, they only have time for 1 mmorpg, 2 at the most. This fact and that the mmorpg is a safe haven, a get away you might say, from our every day lives, a recreationally relaxation, that people tend to be vocal in what they like and dislike, want and don't want. Even those that have more time on their hands to devote to more than 1 or 2 mmogs and mmorpgs, whether younger or older, feel much the same way.
It is also in the nature of most of us to state our opinion if it is different than another's view. Some people are more mature and objective than others, but because the people that play these games are a cross section of our society when it comes to opinions on games and what people like or dislike, you get to see the full gambit of responses just as you would on politics, sports teams or what's the best beer.
It is fun to just watch and read the threads when you get a number of new mmogs and mmorpgs coming out, just like we have this year.
"The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action." Hartley's 1st Law
Not only is it time invested in the game in my opinion, but also, take a look at this genre. For the most part (except for a few games), most of the MMORPG's are pretty similar in the core asect, so people always take the bad side or the good side of the game because there is nothing new, so even when there is something new, people shun it or praise it, possibly because some aren't willing to see change. That's just my opinion.
New PR rep for the North American Version of RYL
www.planetwidegames.com
Yes the amount of time, people investigate in their hobbies is one major point, but i think it is not somehting special we see.
Look at sports! Look at cars! Look at food!
Our world is driven more and more black and white in every section. Life is complicated, getting more and more details and pepole love to have only one point: My car ? Horse powers or brand ! (Mine has 150hp or IS a BMW) My sports team ? The winner of course! MY food ? Lasagna rules ! (everyone saying another thing is a bum and has never had real food ... !) Ever heard this ? Sounds familiar ?
The poeple tend to make their own world, I dont want to speak about actual politics or religion where the world is divided in good and evil now (lets spare this topic off, were on hobby here..)
But all this is getting more undiscussed and plain, without letting others their space not speaking of respect and having fun just when others say THEY have fun on this ant this thing or game.
The society likes winners, the second one and even a fraction of second behind and a great profi is a looser ! (Who was the second man on moon again ? ....)
I think this is in games the same as it always was and will be. I dont do these dicsussion and only focus on facts why a game is not suited for me and if it HAS obvious breaking bugs or lack of design or fun we may discuss it. But I am not even special, just part of a getting smaller part of the community... :-)
Well bud. Heres my dislikes about certain games. I will tell you exactly why (I) believe they are completely worthless. These are my views so go ahead and be constructive towards them. Just dont flame because yer a fanboi.
In my opinion. The only reason certain people hate other games, is because MMOs are HUGE timesinks. So if someone has been investing all their time into one game, the other game HAS to suck, because they cant afford to lose what they've got in the current game. They cant risk the temptation of switching and starting all over in a new game. The way some people play these games, they shouldnt be labeled as a game to them. Work, is more adequate.
Lineage 2 : Why play a game that involves so much hardcore grinding to get anywhere, that you could possibly go braindead by the time you hit max level?. Fanbois of this game say " Man, it's going to be so awesome when we hit max level to start doing castle seiges!". Ok smarty, how are you going to do castle sieges when 90% of the population will drop out because of:
a.) People will leave because of better and MORE FUN game on the market. Guild wars for example, doesnt involve extreme grinding to have fun. I had more fun in 3 days of Guild Wars than I did the few months I played Lineage 2. Nuff said.
b.) Lineage 2 grind is painful. I dont understand these people who play it. They must be masochists. I am in a clan that currently plays L2 and uses Teamspeak. Whenever I log on to talk, every 5 minutes somebody sighs or groans and complains about the grind. Wth? Just quit already if you hate it that much. Gaming shouldnt be work, should be FUN.
c.) In North American L2, there will NEVER be enough people to do castle sieges. Because of what I stated above. Sorry fanbois. The game will only be a grind and a select few braindead will reach the top only to notice they've wasted an incredible amount of time for nothing.
EverQuest : This game is odd for me. Both a love/hate relationship. When it first came out, I loved it. I loved the level 50 cap. I loved when Nagafen and Lady Vox were bad mofos. When the expansions came out, it went downhill. Few things bug me:
a.) The game is to big for its own good right now. The majority of the areas arent even in use. Its empty-paid for content that most will never see.
b.) Newcomers unless they are friends with a higher level are done for. Been to steamfont lately? any newbie gnome who creates is doomed. Nothing there to fight at level 1 or 2. I remember when newbie grounds use to be inviting and had plenty to kill. Now, only a select few places are even kept up on maintenance.
c.) Casual gamers have no chance in EQ above 55-60 IMO. Maybe some raiding on the weekends. But anyone with a real life cannot be in an uber guild.
Ultima Online : BEST GAME EVER ( before Electronic Arts took over). Once they introduced Trammel. It was over. Game went downhill. Converted into a pile of carebear junk.I hope whoever made that decision in EA dies of a heart explosion while on the toilet in a public restroom with no stall door. Nuff said.
City of Heroes : Where to begin. This game, for the first week is very neat. After that you burn the disk. Its another grind but with less of a point than lineage 2. Look! I can get my hero to level 40!. FOR WHAT!?. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to get the hero to 40. Probably never will be until city of villains comes out. But guess what?! better games will be out with less grinding and better FUN!. Once again a lost cause.
Anyways. Flame on if you want to.
-Linchpin
-Chiram Sin
Old School PK'er of UO. Too many murders to count.
oki linchpin :-)
One point you posted here, is directly related what I said before. I dont want to offend you, but imho you are (as you said by yourself) not understanding why other people have fun on L2. But this is ok !
Yes EQ IS (or was) a immense timesink! Friends of mine are playing still up to 20 and more hours a weekend and do not play anything else. same with one friend on camelot.
Let them play, they are not forced to do that and if they are missing MORE fun because of not playing others games (in our opinion), ok... let them go.
I spotted the same phenomena in camelot and ths may one more interesting point. You wrote that there may be no castle siege because of some problem. But the most people are not aware of such things! They want catsle siege and play towards it, even it may not come. (housing or spellcrafting in camelot: Same thing, they discussed it half years before and trained even chars toward something, mythic may even change or never implement.)
And you are saying people, casual, have no chance in EQ ? You are totally right! I spotted the same in AnarchyOnline. Both games seem only be supported for the ever same in-game highlevel community and this is the reason why they will at some day be the last dinosaurs.
In your post I detected another ting: You seem to know more about the game than others ever wanted to know. Let me explain: I know people in camelot, they dont even heard of the story, they dont know about quests or tasks, they just doing leveling to go to borderlands.... nothing else ! With ever the same char type !! One day in albion some of them asked me "king arhtur ? who is he ? Campacorentin forest ? Where is this ?" arrrgh! they dont even know the most basics of the game.
But they have fun on their little line of gameplay they are doing. Seems the same type of player you described for L2.
I think this has to do more with the fact that these types of games have matured along with their audience (no i dont think all of said opinions are stated in a mature manner though
)
Many have had the chance to play several mmrpg's by now and have had a chance to see what flavors they like. Do you like Sci-Fi or fantasy? Skill based leveling or Class based leveling? A game with lots of adventures or a slugfest? A game with a character you need to work to develop or something with instant gratification?
There's no 1 right answer to any of these questions or many more you or I could list. Even game to game that can change. Heck I hateded tradeskilling in EQlive but I was sort of enjoying it in Ryzom. However as our own likes and dislikes develop it becomes harder for us to understand someone who enjoy's the opposite of what we dislike.
I also think some of these more vocal opinions are from fans of games that just want to see a bigger player base in the game they like. Knowing that most people only play a few of these games at once they want those people in their own game. Sometimes they have a valid reason to dislike a game but when they get too vocal you generally see them saying "x" game is better. What they often mean is "Come play here and you'll have to agree..dont waste time on that game..you wont enjoy it because i dont".
I personaly dislike the flaming posts but do enjoy a good critique. Even when I have never played a game I love reading the reviews from someone that has recenty started it. Sometimes this even sway's me to pick the game up and try it to see what it's like.
Anyway. I've rambled on a bit ... Basicically each to their own.
Have fun in game, whichever flavor you choose
I think it just seems like people have extreme views because only the poeple with extreme opinions on a game voice thier opinions loudly.
I played EQ for a while, I don't think it is the best or worst game out there. It was fun while I played it. I feel that way about almost all of the games I played.
But, I also don't jump into threads where people are bashing it, because I did not love it enough to defend it. And, I don't jump into threads about people saying how great it is and start bashing it, because I didn't hate it.
Only the people with extreme opinions are going to be extremely vocal about the games.