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Fantasy vs Everything Else
Takodan
Member UncommonPosts: 161
After i have been playing several MMOs and constantly monitoring news about the world of MMOs it is obvious to me that people prefer to play fantasy over anything else. Only explaination i can find for this is that fantasy is not based on reality, and as such makes it possible for players (and developers) to do basically whatever they desire (anything is possible). This is of course constrained within the rules of the game and the world we play in but i really don't understand this super-obsession about fantasy?
Don't get me wrong, i love fantasy and have been playing WoW for a long time but i also love sci-fi like SWG and EVE. I'm really looking forward to Pirates of the Burining Sea and i'm considering trying out City of Villains too, so what is your take on this, or am i completely wrong?
Comments
Weird thing is though, most people will play a character in fantasy MMOs which will resemble humans, either humans or elves are always preferred
. If I play something, I wonna be something else then I already am IRL 
(ok an elf is still something different in a way).
I think that the saturation of fantasy games leads people to believe that SCI-FI games are not popular. There has not been a WOW/EQ caliber sci-fi game released in a long time. (I am not counting SWG'S expansion.) Of course that leads companies to believe that is where all the money is and so they release even more Fantasy games.
I for one like both genre's, but I am getting tired of all the friggin elves!
If there was a sci-fi game that came out that was decent I think it would be very successful.. of course it would have to be one that is at least fairly well know to the gaming community. The top three that I think would do well are ...
1. STAR TREK (it's coming...... someday)
2. MECHWARRIOR ( lot of gamers played the FPS games)
3. SHADOWRUN
Funny how 2 of the games are old FASA games, Other honorable mentions would be
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
WING COMMANDER (old game I know, I think would make a good RPG)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (had to throw this one in)
AND
HAMMERS SLAMMERS! (Love these books but I don't think they are well enough know to draw a lot of players... a shame...)
Witty saying to amuse you goes here.
Hmm, I think the next gen of Fantasy does sound pretty interesting. To point a few games (Yeah they're Korean) SUN Online, Zera Online. Both follow the "pretty looking character" thing. Both dont have elves!
Upcoming titles...Huxley, MMOFPS. Its sci-fi. This will be the next big Scifi game IMO. Alongside Startrek Online
Age of Conan, a more realistic fantasy (no elves).
Some devs are getting the message (We've had enough of elves and XAragornX !!!)..some arent
Fantasy is what all of this is. Even Scifi is a fantasy of sorts if you think about it.
"1. STAR TREK (it's coming...... someday)"
NOOOOOOOOOOO.... Say it isn't so... hehe:)
I love being an elf, I think that is the main reason I play mmo's:) Elves are great:) I wish they had more fairies/sprites in games though:)
Educator, writer, and Gamer.
Follow me at: MMOG Musings and MMOGology
It's the same thing in fiction, at least to a degree. With few exceptions, fantasy novels tend to sell more copies on average than science fiction. I'm not sure what the current numbers on this are (I'm sure they're available someplace), but this was absolutely the case about a decade ago when I worked in the billing department of a book wholesaler called Pacific Pipeline. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because intelligent science fiction such as Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke tends to feature quite a bit of science along with the fiction, which isn't everyone's cup of tea; contemplating the gravitational force of a distant black hole and its effect on the trusty hero's smuggling frigate isn't as user-friendly as a guy with a sharp bit of metal and a girl with some fiery voodoo magic. I like both, but I do find fantasy a bit easier to slip into than science fiction.
There is one thing...
The further advanced technology we have, the better able to slay people efficientlyfrom afar we are? I think that open PvP with availability of machine guns might be a little too fast paced for the MMORPG system. Maybe I'm wrong. But I think that technology and kill rates might have something to do with it. In fantasy settings, the melee warriors are more feasible.
But without regard to this, fantasy seems simply to be more popular. I know.
The future: Adellion
Common flaw in MMORPGs: The ability to die casually
Advantages of Adellion: Dynamic world (affected by its inhabitants)
Player-driven world (beasts won't be an endless supply of mighty swords, gold will come from mines, not dragonly dens)
Player-driven world (Leadership is the privilege of a player, not an npc)
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