How many people buy things they think they need and they don’t read the label? My guess is plenty, and I see it more and more in the MMO genre. MMOs are not a trend, or should be considered as something that will fade out anytime soon. Games like Ultima, World of Warcraft, and Everquest have popularized the genre by having a large amount of players. But that doesn't mean it's for everybody.

Experience vs Content

"I hate grinding", "This quests are boring", "There is nothing to do after level 70" do any of these phrases sound familiar?  I bet they do. As consumers we get more picky when we have many choices. We raise our standards rapidly, and we demand lower cost for our entertainment. We indulge in complaining to the game developers the game publishers and anybody else behind the game.

From the point of view of a game developer/designer designing a perfect five star game is a nightmare. We are like little children, we are mean, and nothing ever pleases us. Sometimes we cry for an expensive luxurious toy, and when we get it we prefer to play with the empty box where it came in.

So, how do you please  one million customers? first, developers set a target market, Such as fantasy players, of sci-fi gamers. They cater to a specific type of player rather than trying to invent a universal marvel that will please any kind of online gamer. For example, a hardcore Counter Strike: Source player won't be very comfortable playing Fairyland. Even though it is not impossible that there is such player that enjoys both games, it is easier for developers to "catalog" the kinds of players into specific types.

Moving along, we have the game design problem of completion. How long should it take for players to finish the game? In conventional single player games there is a certain amount of time, that skipping all the content that is not necessary for the main plot of the game you might be able to finish it in a matter of hours. But that is not the case for MMOs, more specifically MMORPGs.

Exercise:

On your PC, or your console play your favorite First Person Shooter for about one hour. Then when one hour has passed, sit immediately on your computer and log into your MMORPG.

It is going to be like driving a car at full speed and suddenly slowing down to 15 MPH because there was a school sign on the road. There is a very different time pace between them and I think many players are expecting a faster game pace on a basis of instant gratification. If what you need is instant gratification or achievements in shorter time then the casual MMO should be your first choice.

Then, we have a dilemma about experience versus the amount of content. If you level too fast in the game, you might skip doing the quests and just grinding the monsters, because there wouldn't be any point on you doing Fedex quests if you can stay on the same spot and get the same experience in the same amount of time. That is a waste of writing an animation because many players won't do the quests.

    If you level too slow and you have no content to support your long hours, that is also a problem, because you will get bored with the game very fast. In conclusion, there must be a balance between content and experience so that we can enjoy a game, let's say for a couple of years with a nice guild we made, without going trough a hell of grind and/or a starvation for content.

MMORPG Math

I like math, not crazy about it, but I don't mind doing some fancy graphs and playing with a few formulas to make a program. However, I do not enjoy doing math when I am playing video games. Some basic "I have one item and I need three more to open the gate" (4 - 1 = 3) is fine, but having to do it to calculate my hit rate, my level, my defense, my magic attack, my poison attack effective rate, my agility response, my critical hit, and my mana regeneration average is a royal pain.

Regardless, the last time I played the longest on a game I didn't even make it to 1/3 of the top level when I quit due to the never ending harassment of "What level are you now?" I mean it's fine to ask now and then, I do it too sometimes, but it can become as offensive as asking "How much do you earn?" to a stranger. I don't feel all that bad to say I'm a newbie just starting the game and poking everything that walks around me with my sword. But some people (usually kids) think they are gods because they are super high level. If you are retired and live on the mountains with nothing else but a thick pension and an MMORPG well it's safe to assume that you have invested a large amount of time in your game and therefore you’re a high level. But it's not rare to hear stories about "I lost my Job/Spouse/College Opportunity because of an online game". That is straight forward irresponsibility and those people deserve their losses.

Fortunately, more and more MMOs that are coming out are offering different options for the leveling rather than just success based on gaming time. Because whenever I hear "I got  level 59 in one month!"(or it's derivatives)  I feel sorry for that person, because I imagine him/her grinding in the middle of the night depriving himself/herself of sleep just to fulfill the obsession.

Just like in real life a person that has an account with two million dollars is not necessarily a better person than you, in that same manner I don't like that greatness in 99% of the games is based on "The more the better".

 The sad truth is we are all victims of peer pressure, just like at work, at school, and even with our friends. Online it's the same story, and you can't teach people to stand up by themselves and just logoff and do what they need to do to avoid their lives from crumbling. That is, you can't teach anybody how to be mature, let them learn from their mistakes and then realize what they lost; they will have to open their eyes sooner or later.