Andromedus1, thanks for this thread. You started with a well thought out proposal, and continued (along with many other posters) with thoughtful and insightful discourse. On top of it all, it's an interesting read, with which I can relate.
"By the data to date, there is only one animal in the Galaxy dangerous to man, man himself. So he must supply his own indispensable competition. He has no enemy to help him." -Lazarus Long
Pretty clueless post with respect to gaming in my opinion, having played MMOs of all types I would say if it is well coded then it is not an issue. No one want's to loose their loot, its a game; loot will be fun to get in DFO but developing a decent charachter will be even more fun. No one wan'ts to waste time, if you have a very limited mindset then DFO may be an issue. Some of us know how to have fun and aren't reliant on that next piece of loot . All in game time is a learning experience and if you can't appreciate that not sure you understand how to have fun. Everyone wants to level fast, Uhm again not true... longevity/complexity , community and variety. I guess some people can see no further than their own selfishness, and need to feel a false sense of acheivment sad really. When you say we don't include me I am nobodys fool.
I think you mis-interpreted my post.
You defended DFO from my comments but I wasn't referring to DFO, I was referring to the problems many gamers have in games today, and why linear games don't work. I'm hoping DFO solves these problems and is the MMO I've been waiting for. But I'm very skeptical, so I won't praise it until it's proven.
But you expressed exactly how I feel games should be played/enjoyed in your post. That was my point heh.
Hey Andromedus1, nice post. I have thought about the phycology aspect aswell and im glad that you extended on my post.
Some people may read the op's post and think hes over analyzing, alot of people tend to diregard posts when talking in depth about games. I myself am very much into games and have been since i was very young, and do believe there actually is a certain phycology to gaming patterns etc.
Anyway,
I would definatly agree and believe that in general people, especially the younger generation atleast, prefer to take a path where there are less situations of not knowing what to do and prefer the linear path of a themepark mmorpg like WoW for example.
Think about it how many people do you know who dont have a real interest in their life? They work but probably dont perticularly enjoy it, they dont have any lifelong hobbies that they actually really enjoy, they cant make the decision of what they themselves want to do or explore in their life or they simply dont know. (Ofcourse this last sentence can quite easily be compared to the young generation especially the ones at school)
I can tell you there are ALOT of people like this who dont think for themselves what really interests them, or atleast explore the world of information to find what interests them. Now obviously real life is alot more indepth than a game but its the same principle when it comes to a sandbox mmorpg because you have to think for yourself what you wish to do and what interests you the most. What kind of role interests you the most and that which you wish to follow.
To be honest i think theres alot of people that dont perticularly know which kind of role they wish to take, what their real interests are and prefer to go down the road where mistakes and wrong turns cant be made often rather than the adventurous road of mystery and self (character) exploration.
The Majority like objectives given to them (which is why most people in real life like a static day to day lifestyle, the same as a linear mmorpg) rather than finding which objectives interest them the most and which they would like to uptake.
This is just a possible reason why people prefer the themepark mmorpg's to sanbox mmorpg and to me it makes quite a bit of sense.
I think for the people who like to explore, who like to create there own objectives and acomplish them, who like to find their interests and try to excel in the area would really prefer a sandbox mmorpg than a linear one and should give it a try, you wont be dissapointed with the extra freedom.
Started playing mmorpg's in 1996 and have been hooked ever since. It began with Kingdom of Drakkar, Ultima Online, Everquest, DAoC, WoW...
You may want to take a good look at human history, as well as the psycological angle.
As well as our current state of affairs.
Firstly all the exploration has been done from a terrestrial perspective(or near as). I daresay, there are those gamers out there that would have loved to have trekked through an untamed wilderness, not knowing what dangers lay ahead, be it from native fauna or the tribe of pygmys watching from the shoreline licking their lips and rubbing their bellies. (Read as sandbox types).
Then there are the more socially integrated types that would rather go to the safari park and look at nature from a safe distance.
Truth be told adventuring/pioneering types are rare. Maybe this is more what we are seeing in regards sandbox vs themepark worlds in terms of popularity.
Well I am a pvp'er who likes to compete vs other people - so thats the only goal there is in WOW for me.
Then you have admitted it is more a problem on your side. You have intentionally restricted your scope of enjoyment of the game. You can say WoW is not built completely around your specific way of playing. Bashing the game or the gamers, however, is totally unjustified.
On the other hand, a good argument could be made that the sand box gamers are the ones who have deep psychological problems.
Those who play linear games recognize a sharp split between what they do in real life and what they look for in entertainment. This is not uncommon whether you are talking about video games or any other form of entertainment (vacations are another good example - one rarely tries to make them reflect the every day reality they live in).
Sand box gamers on the other hand are leaving a sand box real life environment for a sand box online one. Anyone who thinks about that for a minute wont have a problem identifying something being wrong. The fact that these people already have a sand box to play in (an infinitley complex and cool one) and they leave it to play in a fake sand box online would have any shrink filling out paperwork like mad.
That's a very interesting thought Andromedus1. I've never really thought about it like that before, but now that you've brought that up it has got me thinking.
I think it takes a very different gamer to play a sandbox game rather than a linear game like most are today. We are sort of shifting towards the linear games because:
No one wants to lose their loot - Better loot is fun to find, but if a game gets too item dependant then people don't want to lose their items they've "worked" so hard to get. Which is a problem in itself because if the items were fun to get/craft in the first place this wouldn't be a problem
No one wants to "waste" time - Everything now has to be to the point or it's a waste of time. Many people require teleporting or something along those lines because there's no fun in walking, there's nothing to see and discover that could be exciting. If the game world was rich and full of surprises and secrets it would lead for a much more enjoyable travel. Everyone wants to level up fast - Everyone needs to level up as fast as possible. why?...... well so you can get to the next level of course! This is why level based games are complained about so much. They just require you to put in tons of time before you can get to the fun parts of the game. And why? To hide the fact that there isn't enough content in the game to keep you busy if you weren't just blindly leveling. I could go on and on. I hope I didn't go too far off topic. I think my point is that maybe it's not the psychology thats determining which games people decide to play, but the way MMO's are evolving over time (in the wrong direction in my opinion) thats forcing the players into enjoying a different type of gaming experience for lack of any other choice.
On the other hand, a good argument could be made that the sand box gamers are the ones who have deep psychological problems. Those who play linear games recognize a sharp split between what they do in real life and what they look for in entertainment. This is not uncommon whether you are talking about video games or any other form of entertainment (vacations are another good example - one rarely tries to make them reflect the every day reality they live in). Sand box gamers on the other hand are leaving a sand box real life environment for a sand box online one. Anyone who thinks about that for a minute wont have a problem identifying something being wrong. The fact that these people already have a sand box to play in (an infinitley complex and cool one) and they leave it to play in a fake sand box online would have any shrink filling out paperwork like mad.
Yeah, reality from a pampered first world perspective. I'm sure those living on subsistence levels in the third world would love the opportunity to play an armchair pioneer.
Maybe some people just like the fantasy idea of having to live by their wits without the risk of getting jibbed in real life.
You cant just announce that people who play sandbox games have phycological problems lol. There are TONES of people who play themepark mmorpg's like WoW all day long the reason why some get hooked is the community and because its an RPG. With any RPG you will get people who take it to another level and get a little bit TOO into it, there is a difference between someone who just really enjoys a game or has an addiction.
I think if anyone has a problem and cant realise that a game is affecting their lives because they are on it too much thats a seperate problem to the game they are playing because in all honesty, people can get to into any RPG sandbox or not.
Sandbox mmorpg's are more immersive to alot of people because they have more freedom than a themepark mmorpg and this can mean people will play the game more like an RPG than a game, and so get into the game more, i agree with you on that little point but that just makes for a better RPG experience. Just because they are getting into the game more and roleplaying a character doesnt specifically mean they cant understand reality form a virtual world on a computer even if they are roleplaying a character, there are people who play sandbox's just like a game world too.
In the end, its a game, simple as that... just like any RPG out there but that doesnt mean you shouldnt try and immersive yourself for a better experience.
Started playing mmorpg's in 1996 and have been hooked ever since. It began with Kingdom of Drakkar, Ultima Online, Everquest, DAoC, WoW...
Think back to the late 1990s early 2000s when Ultima and Everquest came out. They greatly appealed to mainly high school and college kids like myself. Why? Because I had time to play and had the time to commit to a game that does not end. Young professionals with families and involved lives didn't play that much.
Hmmm thats funny because i actually found that most of the playerbase were older than you mentioned when i was playing these games. *shrug*
Started playing mmorpg's in 1996 and have been hooked ever since. It began with Kingdom of Drakkar, Ultima Online, Everquest, DAoC, WoW...
You cant just announce that people who play sandbox games have phycological problems lol. There are TONES of people who play themepark mmorpg's like WoW all day long the reason why some get hooked is the community and because its an RPG. With any RPG you will get people who take it to another level and get a little bit TOO into it, there is a difference between someone who just really enjoys a game or has an addiction. I think if anyone has a problem and cant realise that a game is affecting their lives because they are on it too much thats a seperate problem to the game they are playing because in all honesty, people can get to into any RPG sandbox or not. Sandbox mmorpg's are more immersive to alot of people because they have more freedom than a themepark mmorpg and this can mean people will play the game more like an RPG than a game, and so get into the game more, i agree with you on that little point but that just makes for a better RPG experience. Just because they are getting into the game more and roleplaying a character doesnt specifically mean they cant understand reality form a virtual world on a computer even if they are roleplaying a character, there are people who play sandbox's just like a game world too.
In the end, its a game, simple as that... just like any RPG out there but that doesnt mean you shouldnt try and immersive yourself for a better experience.
No you cant just diagnose mental problems based on someone playing a (particular kind of) video game.
That's why the OP is really dumb.
My post on the other had was pointing out the obsurdity of reading into personaly entertainment choices (or certain ones any way) so much that we start diagnosing mental illnesses based on them. The OP (in that post and several after) really thinks there is a connection between playing theme park MMOs and having psychological problems.
That post i wrote was a reply to you gabrion2 from what you said earlier, i actually agree with the OP, i dont think he is talking about actual phycological problems. I think he is talking about the general thinking pattern of the players who play the specific mmorpg not people that have a mental problem.
Started playing mmorpg's in 1996 and have been hooked ever since. It began with Kingdom of Drakkar, Ultima Online, Everquest, DAoC, WoW...
That post i wrote was a reply to you gabrion2 from what you said earlier, i actually agree with the OP, i dont think he is talking about actual phycological problems. I think he is talking about the general thinking pattern of the players who play the specific mmorpg not people that have a mental problem.
Now you dodge the query by inventing an empty undefined term called general thinking pattern. What is it? Drawing conclusion on people based simply on the fact that they play a certain game is stupid. Whatever is it that you are trying to draw conclusion about. You can hardly guess the color of his skin, the height or body weight. For the heck of it, short of a ventrilo, you have no way of even telling their sex or age.
And you pretend you can draw conclusions on "general thinking pattern". Why don't you use your telepathic skills to catch the terrorist out there?
Those above have been too kind to you and those who talk in your line. In harsher terms, they can just call you BS.
Originally posted by Gabrion No you cant just diagnose mental problems based on someone playing a (particular kind of) video game. That's why the OP is really dumb. My post on the other had was pointing out the obsurdity of reading into personaly entertainment choices (or certain ones any way) so much that we start diagnosing mental illnesses based on them. The OP (in that post and several after) really thinks there is a connection between playing theme park MMOs and having psychological problems. Stupid much?
Mental problems? What? If you believe your argument against me has merit, then why do you feel the need to exaggerate my position in order to rebut it?
Everything is tied together, all of our choices, actions, decisions, philosophies, emotions, introspective meditations, everything, all of it is part of who you are. You are not one person at the video game store deciding how to spend the next 1,000 hours of your leisure, and someone else at Church (or whatever you do) trying to understand the meaning of your life, and someone again at school/work when you decide how to react to the asshole who just stiffed you. There is no part of you that walks alone into a situation separate from the rest of you. I'll admit that psychology sometimes seems like a stretch to me, and is often far more complex than I think many in the profession want to admit. However, does that mean that these things that we are discussing now are not connected? Just because I may have mis-interpreted them, not only are they not disconnected, a person's psychology/philosophy cannot escape being connected to his decisions.
Furthermore, given the aggregate of my replies on this thread, I have made it abundantly clear that I am not claiming to be sure of any of this, I am merely postulating it as one possible reason for the uncanny and uncommon hostility Darkfall has endured throughout the years. Is it merely an irony that Darkfall also happens to be the most revolutionary MMORPG in recent history? I'll leave that for you to decide - but when you decide, please explain your position without exaggerating mine.
That post i wrote was a reply to you gabrion2 from what you said earlier, i actually agree with the OP, i dont think he is talking about actual phycological problems. I think he is talking about the general thinking pattern of the players who play the specific mmorpg not people that have a mental problem.
Now you dodge the query by inventing an empty undefined term called general thinking pattern. What is it? Drawing conclusion on people based simply on the fact that they play a certain game is stupid. Whatever is it that you are trying to draw conclusion about. You can hardly guess the color of his skin, the height or body weight. For the heck of it, short of a ventrilo, you have no way of even telling their sex or age.
And you pretend you can draw conclusions on "general thinking pattern". Why don't you use your telepathic skills to catch the terrorist out there?
Those above have been too kind to you and those who talk in your line. In harsher terms, they can just call you BS.
Im not a phycologist, i dont know the actual term when talking about the specific state of mind that a majority may have which may have a deciding factor on the populous of an mmo.
If you read my last posts, the ones that were a response to the OP's post, you may understand what i mean when im talking about someones decision's and their lifestyle in comparison to their choice in mmorpg (whether its themepark or sandbox in this case). Its just an idea that seems to have some correlation with varying factors to do with phycology and mmorpg's. No need to get so pissy.
This is supposed to be just a a topic to shed some positive light on and your just spewing negative dark everywhere.
Started playing mmorpg's in 1996 and have been hooked ever since. It began with Kingdom of Drakkar, Ultima Online, Everquest, DAoC, WoW...
Interesting read OP. It seems like you put a bit of thought into your ideas.
I do however disagree with you. There probably is something to what you said for a very small portion of the people playing MMOs but for most i dont think there was any Psychology involved in their choice of MMOs.
I will use myself as an example. I starting playing MMOs, video games really, in 1999 as a mid twenty something. I was not much of a gamer at all but a bunch of guys at work were talking about this game their playing called Everquest. I played a bit of D&D when i was younger and this game sounded just like D&D. And for those using D&D as a sandbox format i would have to disagree, D&D had classes and levels, it was far closer to EQ then UO, but i digress.
So anyway, i played EQ because that is what the people i knew were playing, if they were playing UO then i would have played that and probably would have liked it just as much as i liked EQ.
Thats just my story but what i think is a HUGE factor is simply availability. You can could the amount of Sandbox MMOs that have come out since UO on one hand and not use all your fingers, Linear games have been far more plentiful and for the most part more finacially popular. I dont say that because i support one over the other because i dont, it is just simple fact.
There were some very good points before about the new generation of gamers and alot of the old generation not wanting the "so called" "timesinks" that were in the older games and that sends them to games like WoW, LoTRs, etc because you dont have to put the time in that you did in the old games.
I have recently become interested in Darkfall but it isnt because i have changed my gaming style or had some kind of psycological change that has made me want to play sandbox games instead of linear games. Darkfall offers alot of these old "Timesinks" that the new games have gotten away from, and those are the things that really make me want to play games. Im hoping that Darkfall has the old school feel to it that i have been missing for so long.
People laugh about the graphics but i dont think the people who are interested in Darkfall care about graphics as much as they care about the old playstyle that has been sorely missing for a number of years (Plus the hardcore PVPers). And that includes Sandbox gamers and Linear players.
Comments
Andromedus1, thanks for this thread. You started with a well thought out proposal, and continued (along with many other posters) with thoughtful and insightful discourse. On top of it all, it's an interesting read, with which I can relate.
"By the data to date, there is only one animal in the Galaxy dangerous to man, man himself. So he must supply his own indispensable competition. He has no enemy to help him." -Lazarus Long
I think you mis-interpreted my post.
You defended DFO from my comments but I wasn't referring to DFO, I was referring to the problems many gamers have in games today, and why linear games don't work. I'm hoping DFO solves these problems and is the MMO I've been waiting for. But I'm very skeptical, so I won't praise it until it's proven.
But you expressed exactly how I feel games should be played/enjoyed in your post. That was my point heh.
Hey Andromedus1, nice post. I have thought about the phycology aspect aswell and im glad that you extended on my post.
Some people may read the op's post and think hes over analyzing, alot of people tend to diregard posts when talking in depth about games. I myself am very much into games and have been since i was very young, and do believe there actually is a certain phycology to gaming patterns etc.
Anyway,
I would definatly agree and believe that in general people, especially the younger generation atleast, prefer to take a path where there are less situations of not knowing what to do and prefer the linear path of a themepark mmorpg like WoW for example.
Think about it how many people do you know who dont have a real interest in their life? They work but probably dont perticularly enjoy it, they dont have any lifelong hobbies that they actually really enjoy, they cant make the decision of what they themselves want to do or explore in their life or they simply dont know. (Ofcourse this last sentence can quite easily be compared to the young generation especially the ones at school)
I can tell you there are ALOT of people like this who dont think for themselves what really interests them, or atleast explore the world of information to find what interests them. Now obviously real life is alot more indepth than a game but its the same principle when it comes to a sandbox mmorpg because you have to think for yourself what you wish to do and what interests you the most. What kind of role interests you the most and that which you wish to follow.
To be honest i think theres alot of people that dont perticularly know which kind of role they wish to take, what their real interests are and prefer to go down the road where mistakes and wrong turns cant be made often rather than the adventurous road of mystery and self (character) exploration.
The Majority like objectives given to them (which is why most people in real life like a static day to day lifestyle, the same as a linear mmorpg) rather than finding which objectives interest them the most and which they would like to uptake.
This is just a possible reason why people prefer the themepark mmorpg's to sanbox mmorpg and to me it makes quite a bit of sense.
I think for the people who like to explore, who like to create there own objectives and acomplish them, who like to find their interests and try to excel in the area would really prefer a sandbox mmorpg than a linear one and should give it a try, you wont be dissapointed with the extra freedom.
You may want to take a good look at human history, as well as the psycological angle.
As well as our current state of affairs.
Firstly all the exploration has been done from a terrestrial perspective(or near as). I daresay, there are those gamers out there that would have loved to have trekked through an untamed wilderness, not knowing what dangers lay ahead, be it from native fauna or the tribe of pygmys watching from the shoreline licking their lips and rubbing their bellies. (Read as sandbox types).
Then there are the more socially integrated types that would rather go to the safari park and look at nature from a safe distance.
Truth be told adventuring/pioneering types are rare. Maybe this is more what we are seeing in regards sandbox vs themepark worlds in terms of popularity.
Then you have admitted it is more a problem on your side. You have intentionally restricted your scope of enjoyment of the game. You can say WoW is not built completely around your specific way of playing. Bashing the game or the gamers, however, is totally unjustified.
Awesome thread.. I like your approach
On the other hand, a good argument could be made that the sand box gamers are the ones who have deep psychological problems.
Those who play linear games recognize a sharp split between what they do in real life and what they look for in entertainment. This is not uncommon whether you are talking about video games or any other form of entertainment (vacations are another good example - one rarely tries to make them reflect the every day reality they live in).
Sand box gamers on the other hand are leaving a sand box real life environment for a sand box online one. Anyone who thinks about that for a minute wont have a problem identifying something being wrong. The fact that these people already have a sand box to play in (an infinitley complex and cool one) and they leave it to play in a fake sand box online would have any shrink filling out paperwork like mad.
Those are some of the reasons why I quit MMOs.
www.oblinq.com/SnowmonkeysTemple/
Yeah, reality from a pampered first world perspective. I'm sure those living on subsistence levels in the third world would love the opportunity to play an armchair pioneer.
Maybe some people just like the fantasy idea of having to live by their wits without the risk of getting jibbed in real life.
You cant just announce that people who play sandbox games have phycological problems lol. There are TONES of people who play themepark mmorpg's like WoW all day long the reason why some get hooked is the community and because its an RPG. With any RPG you will get people who take it to another level and get a little bit TOO into it, there is a difference between someone who just really enjoys a game or has an addiction.
I think if anyone has a problem and cant realise that a game is affecting their lives because they are on it too much thats a seperate problem to the game they are playing because in all honesty, people can get to into any RPG sandbox or not.
Sandbox mmorpg's are more immersive to alot of people because they have more freedom than a themepark mmorpg and this can mean people will play the game more like an RPG than a game, and so get into the game more, i agree with you on that little point but that just makes for a better RPG experience. Just because they are getting into the game more and roleplaying a character doesnt specifically mean they cant understand reality form a virtual world on a computer even if they are roleplaying a character, there are people who play sandbox's just like a game world too.
In the end, its a game, simple as that... just like any RPG out there but that doesnt mean you shouldnt try and immersive yourself for a better experience.
Hmmm thats funny because i actually found that most of the playerbase were older than you mentioned when i was playing these games. *shrug*
No you cant just diagnose mental problems based on someone playing a (particular kind of) video game.
That's why the OP is really dumb.
My post on the other had was pointing out the obsurdity of reading into personaly entertainment choices (or certain ones any way) so much that we start diagnosing mental illnesses based on them. The OP (in that post and several after) really thinks there is a connection between playing theme park MMOs and having psychological problems.
Stupid much?
That post i wrote was a reply to you gabrion2 from what you said earlier, i actually agree with the OP, i dont think he is talking about actual phycological problems. I think he is talking about the general thinking pattern of the players who play the specific mmorpg not people that have a mental problem.
Now you dodge the query by inventing an empty undefined term called general thinking pattern. What is it? Drawing conclusion on people based simply on the fact that they play a certain game is stupid. Whatever is it that you are trying to draw conclusion about. You can hardly guess the color of his skin, the height or body weight. For the heck of it, short of a ventrilo, you have no way of even telling their sex or age.
And you pretend you can draw conclusions on "general thinking pattern". Why don't you use your telepathic skills to catch the terrorist out there?
Those above have been too kind to you and those who talk in your line. In harsher terms, they can just call you BS.
Mental problems? What? If you believe your argument against me has merit, then why do you feel the need to exaggerate my position in order to rebut it?
Everything is tied together, all of our choices, actions, decisions, philosophies, emotions, introspective meditations, everything, all of it is part of who you are. You are not one person at the video game store deciding how to spend the next 1,000 hours of your leisure, and someone else at Church (or whatever you do) trying to understand the meaning of your life, and someone again at school/work when you decide how to react to the asshole who just stiffed you. There is no part of you that walks alone into a situation separate from the rest of you. I'll admit that psychology sometimes seems like a stretch to me, and is often far more complex than I think many in the profession want to admit. However, does that mean that these things that we are discussing now are not connected? Just because I may have mis-interpreted them, not only are they not disconnected, a person's psychology/philosophy cannot escape being connected to his decisions.
Furthermore, given the aggregate of my replies on this thread, I have made it abundantly clear that I am not claiming to be sure of any of this, I am merely postulating it as one possible reason for the uncanny and uncommon hostility Darkfall has endured throughout the years. Is it merely an irony that Darkfall also happens to be the most revolutionary MMORPG in recent history? I'll leave that for you to decide - but when you decide, please explain your position without exaggerating mine.
Now you dodge the query by inventing an empty undefined term called general thinking pattern. What is it? Drawing conclusion on people based simply on the fact that they play a certain game is stupid. Whatever is it that you are trying to draw conclusion about. You can hardly guess the color of his skin, the height or body weight. For the heck of it, short of a ventrilo, you have no way of even telling their sex or age.
And you pretend you can draw conclusions on "general thinking pattern". Why don't you use your telepathic skills to catch the terrorist out there?
Those above have been too kind to you and those who talk in your line. In harsher terms, they can just call you BS.
Im not a phycologist, i dont know the actual term when talking about the specific state of mind that a majority may have which may have a deciding factor on the populous of an mmo.
If you read my last posts, the ones that were a response to the OP's post, you may understand what i mean when im talking about someones decision's and their lifestyle in comparison to their choice in mmorpg (whether its themepark or sandbox in this case). Its just an idea that seems to have some correlation with varying factors to do with phycology and mmorpg's. No need to get so pissy.
This is supposed to be just a a topic to shed some positive light on and your just spewing negative dark everywhere.
Interesting read OP. It seems like you put a bit of thought into your ideas.
I do however disagree with you. There probably is something to what you said for a very small portion of the people playing MMOs but for most i dont think there was any Psychology involved in their choice of MMOs.
I will use myself as an example. I starting playing MMOs, video games really, in 1999 as a mid twenty something. I was not much of a gamer at all but a bunch of guys at work were talking about this game their playing called Everquest. I played a bit of D&D when i was younger and this game sounded just like D&D. And for those using D&D as a sandbox format i would have to disagree, D&D had classes and levels, it was far closer to EQ then UO, but i digress.
So anyway, i played EQ because that is what the people i knew were playing, if they were playing UO then i would have played that and probably would have liked it just as much as i liked EQ.
Thats just my story but what i think is a HUGE factor is simply availability. You can could the amount of Sandbox MMOs that have come out since UO on one hand and not use all your fingers, Linear games have been far more plentiful and for the most part more finacially popular. I dont say that because i support one over the other because i dont, it is just simple fact.
There were some very good points before about the new generation of gamers and alot of the old generation not wanting the "so called" "timesinks" that were in the older games and that sends them to games like WoW, LoTRs, etc because you dont have to put the time in that you did in the old games.
I have recently become interested in Darkfall but it isnt because i have changed my gaming style or had some kind of psycological change that has made me want to play sandbox games instead of linear games. Darkfall offers alot of these old "Timesinks" that the new games have gotten away from, and those are the things that really make me want to play games. Im hoping that Darkfall has the old school feel to it that i have been missing for so long.
People laugh about the graphics but i dont think the people who are interested in Darkfall care about graphics as much as they care about the old playstyle that has been sorely missing for a number of years (Plus the hardcore PVPers). And that includes Sandbox gamers and Linear players.
Ramblings over.