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MMORPG.COM News: Editorial: Why?
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
Erich Von Hase has penned a debut editorial for MMORPG.com. In this article he discusses "why we play these games".
;) If youre visiting this website as a player, youve probably got a little bit of an interest in figuring out why this cycle is so common. People like to read up on the real reasons we do the things that we do, especially when we find out that we are not unique in doing them. However, there is another group that has a much more vested interest in why you keep paying to play MMOGs, and that is the community of developers. Their livelihood depends on your desire to keep your account active. Surprisingly, few players understand the lengths that successful developers go to to get players into and keep them in that subscribing Fascination stage. As youre about to find out, this article is about a lot more than just player sympathy. Im going to explain how it all works.
Lets start with the history of MMOGs. In the early 1970s a guy named Gary Gygax invented a little game called Dungeons & Dragons, which became responsible for pathetic grades all over high schools and colleges for the next two decades. The game, although an entirely imaginary table top and dice sort of thing, encouraged players to pretend they were someone else, such as a heroic knight or wizard, and weave the tale of their lives with a group of friends. So many people became so engrossed in playing this game that ministers declared it satanic. Truly, it was a phenomenon, and it sold millions and millions of books. But even then, the formula was not quite perfected. It still had two more elements to be added. |
You can read his full editorial here.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
1st !
Nice articule, should of mentioned Ultima online in there somewhere i think as it was the first real mmorpg and still one of the best out there.
Ultima online was my first mmorpg, and i had never played things like dungeon and dragons etc. II am a 39 year old woman who loves to game.
I fejl totaly in love with UO, the main reason was UO was not a game its a living world and life.It let you feel like you Lived in it.I started uo before trammel approximately 2 months after its original release of the game.To this date no game has been able to give that same immersion .Each game today has parts of it,but none realy is as in depth as UO in my eyes. Nowadays i love the eye candy games give us, However i still return regularly and keep a account in uo with its cute 2 d graphics.
I think your article is right on the different types of people that plays games. Now i find my self searching for a game that makes me go OH WOW, again,that leaves me thinking about it even when i am not playing it, and one i cant wait to come home to and hop on. I havent found it.I am a daoc 2 years,anarchy online 1 year,swg 2 months,shadowbane3 months,eq2 off and on since release,wow off and on since release,guildwars 1 month .horizons 2 weeks player And while they all satisfiy at some levels for a certain period of time none in my eyes captures me for the long haul. None lets me feel that satisfaction and awe that i first felt with UO.
Even now i buy every uo expansion and go back and play it,even now while off exploring new and Modern games i go back to uo. Developers in my eyes,should combine UO with the graphics of eq2,the pvp of Daoc . The problem with your statements is the reinforcement you describe only goes so far. And Developers should look further, to see what it is that will keep them after the initial "Rush"
Whomever can do that would have a following that would last decades. Just one womans opinion;]
Wow your like my new favorite person ever, I feel exactly the same way. I've played SWG,SB,COH,Horizon,WoW,EVE and guildwars. NONE of them has kept me interested as long as UO did which I played for almost 4 years, and like you still go back every now and then to check it out.
UO was the first and the best, but so many new MMO are trying to emulate EQ which is fine and all.....But god what I would give for one just one MMO to try and capture UO's Glory days (Pre-Tram)
Can't believe u didn't mention UO
First, I would like to say, another winner from the MMORPG Editorial team. Each new one peaks my interest a little more than the last, and I agree with everything said, as usual. I know why I hang out here so much now
Secondly, on the UO thing, I dont think its as much that UO is such a great game (im not saying its bad, its just outdated), but rather that it was your first. My first was D&D and let me tell you... I still play D&D, VtM and everything else I can get my hands on.
Please excuse my rudeness in example here, but I feel this is what people will understand best. Your affection to your first big game, is like your affection to the person you lose your virginity to. For anyone who has seen this first hand, or seen Wedding Crashers (as thats one of the big things in the movie) you will see that when people have a new experience that they find exciting, they tend to be drawn back to the same place, looking for the same thing.
You never lose your love for your first big game, because it was your first. It was what brought you into this whole new world, and showed you the way. But that doesnt mean you cant find a new game to satisfy you, you just need to look long and hard. I'm sure theres a game out there for everyone, its just a matter of finding it (And thats a hard journey). I still havent found mine, but thats why I finally started to create my own game to fit my thoughts on what would be great.
Once again, great article. I'm more of an Explorer myself.
- Rob
Ultmia was the first, not Everquest.
Good article nun the less.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Thanks for the kind words. This was my first editorial for mmorpg.com.
As for not mentioning UO, I left it and other games of the 2D genre (like Drakkar, Diablo, etc.) out for the simple fact that they were not crucial to the points that I made in the article. I skipped right to the phenomenon that happened when the MUD was mixed with a first person shooter.
I certainly enjoyed those old gems as much as most of you, so please don't take offense at my leaving them out. This article was not meant to be a history of the MMOG so much as it was an explanation for the genre's success, and why we play them.
lol, Then you forgot Meridian 59, But an MMO is an MMO, 2d or 3d... makes no difference, most systems cross, The 2d or 3d is just a different way of presenting it, Everything still applys.
Everquest was not the first....by any means, just the most sucesfull.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
You never lose your love for your first big game, because it was your first. It was what brought you into this whole new world, and showed you the way.
The Newbie Awe, everyone has had it. I played many, many games after my first mmorpg where I walked in wide eyed and awed and didn't think I'd find it again. Lost Innocence some call it. I actually finally found my Awe again in the game I can currently playing, but ya know, it's not really that it's a better game than any other, it's that it's a better game for ME, and the psychological place I am at in the article, the type of gamer that I am. Another gamer who is less social more conquerer for example, might rate a totally different game higher for Awe factor than I would.
I started with first edition AD&D by the way, 46 yr old female gamer who now spends most of my free time playing mmorpg's with my hubby. Met him online in Everquest, actually.
Now there's an article, how many people have met and become serious (even married) through online gaming? I remember reading an EQ article that one of the devs met their wife in EQLive, they met playing in the same guild.
Vonhase,
Great article. It was a well-written editorial that disected and analyzed the psychology behind the MMO gamer. I, like many here, have not been able to truly become immersed in a game since my first big game. I started EQ a few months after it first came out. I purchased a new computer when it didn't work just right and I went through a few modems trying to solve connectivity issues. That game ruled my life, it was all I really thought about. I ended up losing a really beautiful girlfriend because at the time EQ was more of a priority.
Now, I'm several years older, and I have a full-time job and family. And, although I'm hungry, maybe starving, for a comparable experience, it is probably better that I have not yet found one. Sure, I tried EQ2, and it was neat for a few months, but it just lacked the flare, the addictive nectar, the PULL that EQ had.
-Cyriss - Eugene, OR, USA
-My system: P4 3.0 GHz, ATI 9600xt, 1 GB PC3200 DDR, SB Live, Cable connection
-My current game: (No MMO's right now)
My past MMOG's: EQ 1 - 2.5 yrs, EQ2 - 7 months, CoH - 1 month (too redundant =( ), AC2 - tried it, couldn't really get into it, Neocron 2 - beta tested it, way too buggy but a great idea that had a lot of potential
Excellent Article!! Keep them coming!
D&D brought me into this journey. Let's see how far it goes....
I would have to agree with others saying that the whole sense of community just isn't there today. The MUDs,MUSHes and original graphic interface games such as Ultima Online just had that big "WELCOME" sign written all over them. I am however starting to get that warm "MUSH"y (<---sorry I couldn't resist) feeling with the upcoming LOTR Online and thought I had it with EQ.
Now how would you characterize a chronic PVP player? I suppose most PVP players could be placed in the "congueror" category, but I'm quite certain you should add a "parasite" category in there somewhere.
Not that I'm a "socializer" as I am definitely more of an "explorer" as people in other games such as EQ will testify (You may have seen me wandering as a lvl 1 in lvl 60 lands with frost giants "eyeballing" me for their first snack break). Damn!....now I'm categorizing myself....great...just great.
They need to get a mental health warning on the box somewhere...
MMORPG's are best played as part of a balanced and varied life, not instead of.
Interesting article, but I think you left out some of the main groups of players. For example, I see many PKs replying to this thread, and their motivation is not directly related to the game at all.
All this has been researched an analysed at extreme depth in the Daedalus Project:
http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus
Anyway, the formula is obviously not complete since most people don't keep subscribing very long, maybe 6 months at most per game. The dynamic is explained well in Daedalus, but to make a long story short, most players play for the story and goals, and when those run out, they begin to leave. Then socialisers leave too because there are too few people left to talk to, and PKs leave because there is nobody left to fight. So what is missing is a solution that extends the story forever. The only solution of this kind that exists right now, RvR and conquest PvP, only works on PKs. And they are not the main player base.
The solution, player created (and rated) content, has been used in MUDs and games like Neverwinter Nights, but most game companies are afraid to implement it for various reasons, not the least of which are legal considerations. Apparently a player who has created lots of new content for a game could sue the company based on minimum wage laws or something. As long as this threat looms above the heads of online game developers, no game will ever last longer than they do now; we all know that creating new content even nearly as fast as players use it up is an impossible feat for any company.
98% of the teenage population does or has tried smoking pot. If you're one of the 2% who hasn't, copy & paste this in your signature.
Why we play....I ask myself that quite often..and as of late I've had a hard time justifying that "why". I played MUD's back in the mid-late 90's then I started playing Everquest wayyy back when Kunark was just released and continued for nearly 2 years. A few key friends left EQ and I moved on...SWG, FFXI, Horizons, AC, SB, WoW, GW, EQ2....Currently I'm subscribed back to FFXI..For the third time.
I am starting to realize what my problem is...I want to play these games I want to enjoy them, but the demographics have changed...The players have changed, the community has changed...When I first started playing these games it was mainly adults, around 24 years of age plus. Around 2000 maybe 2001 I started seeing more main stream people start popping in...college kids, housewifes, carpenters..you name it...but the age stayed around 18+...Starting in 2003-2004 I started seeing more and more "younger" kids playing and that is when I feel the community really started taking a nose dive.
I see kids as young as 10 years old playing these games, they have no social skills to speak of really. They aren't on there to meet people and make friends or help build the community. Its really a shame, I see more and more adults driven away from these games because of the younger generations.
The Magic is gone for me now...I bounce back and forth between these games now hoping to find that friend to hook up with and adventure with every night. I beg my RL friends to join up and play but most have wrote the Genre off now, just marking it up as a glorified day care center for kids now.
Well I've ranted long enough....This Old farts outta here, back to FFXI to hopefully find an adult to play with...
I didn't see a reference to Richard Bartle. For those of you who don't know, the majority of this entire artical is based on Bartles work.
I assume that the link to Bartles articals was just hard to find. If that is the case, could the references in your work be made more obvious?
Because I'd hate to think that the intention was to plagiarise someone elses work.
Erich,
Nice work, and it is formed from Bartles work with some expansion added in with the overlay of obsessive behavior.
The more I look at articles like this (and others up on Terra Nova), the more I realize that most folks have taken the wrong lessons from history in terms of gaming and the marriage of technology to these shared literary events like Dungeons and Dragons.
The big breakthrough was not Dungeons and Dragons per se. It was the supplement to a miniatures rules called "Chainmail" which was a tabletop miniatures rules for medieval battles. The supplement of all two pages gained more interest than the miniatures rules. The interesting question is "Why?". Why was this so important? When Arnson and Gygax then created that first three booklet set of Dungeons and Dragons, and started a movement that exists today; the question to answer is why is this so important that millions of folks flock to it and ultimately why did this and fantasy in general provoke such a cultural shift?
I think you are right that some of this behavior can be explained using behaviorist theory and citing some examples of interval reward sequences. I do not think that this is the whole answer, but a smaller piece of the whole answer.
enough for an open letter that may never be read..
Regards,
Saxondragon
Have these games ruined lives? Can they?
Gambler's Anonymous was mentioned in the article. A person in the posts mentioned something about keeping the games and life in balance. Another person said it ruined a relationship of his.
Is that the issue?
Growing up my parents would tell me I watched too much TV. Are we playing too much of these games? Would they tell me now that I play too many video games?
I have a life - a business, a fiance (despite the fact that I'm a gaming nerd), family etc. These games are so involved and there is so much to do, that I have no idea how anybody can get sick of them within 6 months.
I played DAoC for a year until, and I still haven't scratched the surface of it. Especially after the added content of Trials of Atlantis. For the year that I played I gave up my exercise and a lot of socializing. (BTW I find it ironic that there are socializers in MMO's. Just call up your friends and go out with them or find a party or go to a film festival or something to socialize in RL) I was able to squeeze in about 12 - 20 hours a week in playing time. And yet, I could still not keep up with fellow guild members. They would have 4 level 50's while I was still struggling to get to 45.
It was truly frustrating. If I spent that much time studying I could have gotten my Master's degree. Obviously, time spent playing the game is substantially more fun. But that's the other thing - my priorities got all screwed up.
These games are so awesome, and so much fun, and so involved -- that's why I play them. But in order to be uber successful it requires a huge commitment. A commitment that I'm not sure I want to make. And I'm not sure that people should ignore their real lives for.
"I have live my life by these nine simple words: It sounded like a good idea at the time."
--Livingston Taylor
Anyone involved in behavior that plays to obsessive and compulsive tendencies, real or induced, can lead to real life issues. These issues primarly are time based, though at one time years ago when the foreunner of the MMO were $3.00 an hour, it was financial trouble as well. I know one guy who lost his wife, kids, car, house and job due to the original NeverWinter Nights on AOL at $3.00 an hour. So the direct answer to your question, is a resounding YES.
Is this the issue? It is not *the* issue, but it is *an* issue. What you touch on here is one of the key questions that providers are struggling to solve. The question is "How can the casual gamer (lets define these folks by their playtime in a game to less than 10 hours a week), compete/be relevant to/work/play with hard core gamers (lets define this as folks who spend upwards of 40 hours a week playing the same game)?
Balance is the key, but how to balance the demands of real life with the demands of being relevant in a virtual world is an interesting, and as of yet unsolved, question.
Saxondragon
Balance IS the key. For me, I have merely exchanged the time I would have spent watching TV each night and traded it for something more interactive, gaming.
It's something I do with my husband, we duo together in whatever mmorpg we are playing, and if you've ever beta'd these games, there's a huge group of couples that duo and make our voices heard during beta to make sure content is there for solo/duo/small groups that are casual players and that a game isn't merely geared for huge raiding guilds of leet doodz with nothing to live for but live at the keyboard and raid raid raid till their eyes bleed.