Keeping It Real is a weekly column that tackles various issues and thoughts regarding video games. Sometimes silly and other times thoughtful, Dana keeps it lighthearted but opinionated every Tuesday. One week it could be video games as art, and the next week it might be about furnishing your house in Lord of the Rings Online (okay, maybe not that).
In last week’s Keeping It Real, I mentioned how I was into Dark Age of Camelot before moving onto World of Warcraft. Both are MMORPGs, a now greatly-expanding genre that was once thought to be reserved for the geekiest of gamers. World of Warcraft has been around since the end of 2004, and though we are moving into 2011, I am still asked on a frequent basis: What’s the appeal of WoW?
One of my alter egos, Skyrixx. Female goblins are the real reason why I play WoW.
I think the better question would be “what is so appealing about MMORPGs?” because World of Warcraft isn’t exactly breaking any moulds. If anything, World of Warcraft is just another game in a very misunderstood and often hated gaming genre. Whether you play the original Everquest or Vindictus, you are playing a game that follows a basic formula: create a character, level him or her through quests and dungeons and obtain better gear. It’s an endless cycle and oftentimes it’s coupled with a $15 monthly subscription fee. Who could love such a thing?
It’s a good question and one that I wanted to explore myself in this week’s column. I logged into World of Warcraft to ask my roleplaying guild just why they chose WoW over the plethora of other MMORPGs and what makes it fun for them. As you would expect I ended up with a mixture of responses, but they all seemed to agree that the appeal was in the game’s quality and population. One of my guild mates stated: “I personally RP here due to population and quality. WoW is a very well made game with a responsive community and developers.”
Several of my guild mates mentioned that they preferred the back story and lore in WoW to other games such as Everquest 2 andAion. That doesn’t exactly explain just why the game has been a cultural phenomenon for years, though. Many of those who don’t understand the appeal of the game immediately point their fingers at the gameplay itself and denounce it as being stale or boring. While it might not be exciting for most people to watch their characters stand in place while throwing fireballs at their enemies until they die, the purpose of these games isn’t to play solo but rather make some friends and work as a team. There’s something to be said about the satisfaction one feels after killing a difficult boss with nine of their buddies on a Thursday evening. There’s also the Player vs. Player aspect of the game, while other players enjoy theorycrafting, which is doing math and experiments in order to do obtain more output.
Celebrating Christmas in Runes of Magic with my Warden/Warrior.
There are plenty of casual players who only log on for one or two hours at a time at most during the week, and World of Warcraft seems to be the most forgiving MMORPG out of the bunch due to its light difficulty curve. Let’s look beyond World of Warcraft for a bit though. Back during the days of the original Everquest, there weren’t many MMOs to choose from. There’s now a buffet of games to pick from and what someone picks is purely a preference according to what they hope to accomplish in the game. Some are quest based, such as Everquest II and World of Warcraft, whereas others allow you more freedom in what you choose to do, such as EVE Online.
An increasing number of MMORPGs are going in an entirely different direction; in an effort to draw in more console gamers, some developers are incorporating action-style gameplay to the mix. Games such as Vindictus and DC Universe Online are two prime examples of such a change, and TERA Online promises to add something similar.
If you’re already playing an MMORPG and enjoying yourself, then you probably already realize why so many people appreciate the genre. If you still can’t wrap your head around the appeal, then here’s a brief breakdown of some of the most attractive aspects in MMORPGs.
Becoming steeped in a fantasy realm
If you have a 9-5 job and work 40 hours a week, chances are things get pretty dull – unless you work on the Deadliest Catch crew. Many people choose to read fantasy novels by the likes of Tolkien or Terry Pratchett as a form of escapism, but some of us just don’t like to read.
Many gamers will pop a disc into their Xbox 360 and be content for hours, whereas some people just aren’t satisfied with having their destinies set in stone that way. BioWare has proven time and time again that they aren’t satisfied with the linear gameplay and limited character customization. But even Dragon Age and Mass Effect won’t last forever, even if I’ve put in 134 hours into Dragon Age thus far. Enter the MMORPG, where you pick a class (unless it’s a sandbox, like EVE Online), a faction, a name, a look – everything, and hit the “enter world” button.
Good atmosphere is an integral part of an MMORPG.
There may be a storyline in there somewhere, but for the most part what you do and how you do it is all up to you. If you’re playing a game like Aion, chances are relatively high that you’re going to be tweaking your character’s look for well over an hour. And once you’re in whatever world you picked, it acts as a sort of mini-vacation. I find myself going on hikes throughout Middle Earth in Lord of the Rings Online just for the sheer joy of it, and because the landscapes are beautiful. It’s about being a part of something massive and seeing things you wouldn’t normally be able to if you were to step outside on your front porch.
They love to play with numbers… lots of them
Those who hate CCP’s EVE Online have accused it of being “a spreadsheet in space.” This is a game that is appealing to a niche audience and most of its elements revolve around money and community. For the EVE lovers, running a virtual business in space is their kind of fun. For others, it’s boring and unpleasant. I’ve run into plenty of people who played World of Warcraft just for the auction house. They chose to spend their time and money figuring out the best ways to control the economy.
There is also theorycrafting, where players number crunch their statistics to get the most out of their characters. I personally can’t stand math and never will get any pleasure out of playing around with numbers but I understand that these people exist.
Bloodthirsty? Hate guns?
Some people just really hate first-person shooters but still like to kill things. Count me among those people who can’t understand why so many people fawn over Black Ops or Halo. No disrespect to those games, by the way – I can recognize a quality franchise when I see one, even if they aren’t necessarily my cup of tea. Just like you probably don’t want to worry about collecting gear for your PvP set, I don’t want to be fussed over buying new map packs and shooting people with guns.
Flying in Aion adds an extra layer of intensity to the PvP.
For me, it’s the fact that I don’t want to play anything too realistic. I loved me some Bioshock and I can get into Global Agenda every now and then, but it comes down to personal preference – a variety of gamers enjoy different varieties of games.
The social aspect
Remove the social aspect from an MMORPG, and you no longer have any real reason to play the game. There are people who prefer to solo to level cap, but the majority of players enjoy being a part of a community. Sometimes a community of like-minded individuals just don’t exist out there in their own hometown or city, and the game they’re playing is their only real way of connecting with others.
I think most of us can agree that getting all of your social activity online is not a healthy thing – just look at the people who hang out on Facebook all day long. I oftentimes wondered to myself if the MMORPGs that I currently play would be fun if they weren’t massive, and I always conclude that it would not. Multiplayer modes in most games are there in addition to the single player campaign, and when done incorrectly, they feel tacked on. That is not the case with MMOs, as they are built specifically for multiplayer.
A group of friends play some music outside of the Prancing Pony Inn.
They’re just plain addicted
Some people play MMORPGs not for the joy of playing them or even because they have friends playing them, but because they got hooked and now can’t pry themselves away. This is always a sad reason because these people are usually neglecting the parts of their life that truly matter, such as friends, family or their careers. The game no longer becomes something for fun or recreation, but becomes almost a matter of necessity, taking precedence over other aspects in their lives.
If I were to sit here and rattle off all of the reasons why someone may play the particular game that they do, this would end up being as long as the dictionary. While I don’t agree that World of Warcraft will be on top of the market for another 20 years (unless they overhaul the engine entirely), I do think there is something to be said for the number of subscribers they have managed to keep throughout the years. Obviously there is something likable here, but I don’t buy into the notion that 12 million people couldn’t possibly be wrong, either. There are a few good reasons why people choose not to heed Blizzard’s call:
- Monthly fees
- No time to get invested in an MMO (job, kids, limited play time, school, other games)
- Fear of addiction
There is always room for improvement no matter the genre, and MMORPGs are no different. Many are plagued with bugs and glitches and some just have a stale, unintuitive combat system. If they have the resources available, some developers strive to fix the things that might keep potential new players away. For example, Blizzard revamped their entire world with Cataclysm. But there’s also the worrisome trend that has been surfacing within the past couple of years: The subscription fee plus cash shop model, such as with Cryptic’s Champions Online store and SOE’s notorious money grabbing that has spurned controversy. This industry is far from perfect, that’s for sure.
With that said, if you’re curious as to what all the fuss is about I can comfortably give a recommendation to Runes of Magic and Lord of the Rings Online, two outstanding free-to-play MMORPGs that still manage to surprise me. As a roleplayer myself, I choose to play an array of MMORPGs for the different lore and environments each one provides. I don’t have friends that live close by, and so getting together for the traditional pen and paper style games just isn’t in the cards for me. If you play an MMO, what are some of the reasons you play? If you don’t and have a strong opinion against them, share it in the comments section below!
Dana is a book worm, nerd and video game enthusiast living outside of London, Ontario. She owns a Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and a Playstation 2 that is missing its controllers. Her favourite gaming genres include adventure, RPG and MMORPG.
In many ways, MMOs are virtual pubs. Meet people and just hang out, or there are things to do if you want to do things with friends. You can pop in and see who’s there and have shared experiences. But on top of that, it has the benefit of book clubs or other interest groups, in that if you’re there, you already share an interest.
MMOs also become very comfortable to play, much like fast food joints. The experience is consistent, and if it’s not, you have plenty of people to commiserate with. Also like fast food joints, the rewards are instant.
It almost becomes like a home for people – they log on as soon as they get home – and is undoubtedly what Sony was going for with Home.
Great piece Dana!
I’ve always been a casual MMORPG player, though I could never get into WoW.
I’m a vet of EVE Online, Final Fantasy XI, LotRO and Age of Conan. Only two of these games really innovated in my opinion.
EVE Online was great because it absolutely broke the mould of all the fantasy based MMO’s I’d played before. There was always a sense of danger and risk associated with flying your ship into low-security space or taking part in large fleet engagements. The game had very tangible political and economic facets, which were mostly player-generated. EVE’s narrative could be whatever you made it, it’s the Grand Theft Auto sandbox to WoW’s linear, scripted, tightly focused Call of Duty.
Age of Conan on the other hand was the first MMORPG I played that incorporated action elements. Combat felt brutal and very interactive. Executing powerful moves required timing and key combinations… combat was far more tactical than any other MMO. I could play that type of game so much longer than a click-and-stand MMO like WoW.
As you mentioned, DC Universe Online features action elements as well… I’m in the beta right now and enjoying it thoroughly. I think this style of play has a great future in the genre.
Although I’ve played a lot of MMO’s in my time, I freely admit that the games are for the most part horrible, horrible time sinks. They are designed to suck the player in and keep them in the game… the social elements also draw players in (many of whom may not have the most satisfying social lives in the real world), which can be a good thing, but also a bad thing. These games create absolute recluses out of some people, and there is no way anyone – the players or the developers – can justify this behavior as healthy or normal.
So yeah, it’s kind of a love/hate relationship I have with MMO’s. Look forward to your next “Keeping it Real”.
Thanks Will!
EVE Online is definitely innovative and I always thought that it did nothing but push the genre forward. I played it all spring and summer long and enjoyed myself. Their official magazine, E-ON, is also incredible and high quality. I love CCP, and I can’t wait to see what they do with World of Darkness. I’m actually very comfortable with them handling that IP because of EVE, and hope they produce another quality MMO that does something new and different.
And yeah, I love the new action MMOs that are starting to surface, too. Are you familiar with The Secret World? If not I recommend checkig it out, though information has been sparse lately.
Great article, Dana! As someone that dislikes MMORPGs, I found the article to be rather interesting.
Personally, I don’t feel that MMORPGs offer me a gaming experience that I cannot find elsewhere, minus the subscription fee. For instance, I can co-operate with friends to overcome a difficult boss in Borderlands, or participate in player vs. player arenas in Unreal Tournament, Halo, or Gears of War. Even class-based, goal-driven arenas exist in games such as Battlefield 2, Modern Warfare, and Team Fortress 2. Furthermore, I personally feel that these games rely more on the development of skill, rather than pressing macros while your avatar stands still. I have voiced this opinion before, and I know it’s not a popular one, but it’s what has kept me from truly enjoying any MMO that I have tried.
That being said, I bought the EVE Online client recently on Steam, for $5. I fully expect not to like it, but my love of spaceships and the sci-fi genre, plus Steam’s outrageous prices, got the better of me.
If you don’t like traditional MMOs where you press a button and watch your avatar do something, you might actually be surprised with EVE Online. It has a steep learning curve, but if you tap into it, it becomes a very rich and diverse experience that you can’t really find elsewhere. Plus, all their expansions are free. Incarna is coming up in the (hopefully) near future, which should really make EVE an even better experience. Let me know what you think of it!
Also, having played all the games you mentioned, there is nothing in those games that matches the organization, strategy, and planning needed from 25 people than was required with raiding in an MMO, at least in WoW. Not that it’s necessarily a required experience (and maybe not even a good one), but it’s just something that I haven’t seen from those other games.
Not on that scale, no. However, the amount of planning and strategy that goes into tournament/ladder matches of games such as Halo, Modern Warfare, and Battlefield 2 is also very impressive. These strategies also need to be flexible, due to the unpredictability of facing a team of human opponents vs. scripted AI. Sure, the AI may change things up from time to time and throw the odd curve ball, but human opponents can communicate and learn.