As a avid MMORPG player, I love to try new games from time to time. However, I instantly get turned off by games with only the 3 cookies cutter classes: Mage, Warrior, and Archer. I thought of it as a lack of effort on the developers to come up with more gameplay variety for the gamer. That is until I read this fantastic article on Violent Acres (probably the only blog I bother to read everyday). Then I started to consider. Is too much really a good thing?

I used to dislike traditional MMORPG character creation, where you end up looking just like the person next to you. Then I came across Perfect World, which allows you to customize your avatar's appearance to whatever you want. The amount of customization allowed for the avatar's appearance is staggering. Given enough time and effort, you can get your character to look like whatever you wanted. Like really, WHATEVER YOU WANT.

I ended up spending a lot of time customizing my character's looks, but I quit after a short while because I found the game content incredibly dull. Then I booted up old Diablo II, and had a blast for hours. Now that I think of it, I start to wonder why Perfect World, with its fancy graphics and whatnot, cannot capture my attention as well as a decade old game?

Take Everquest 2 for example. It features a staggering amount of races and classes to choose from. I remembered considering to pick it up, but changed my mind, because there is simply too much to choose from.

Then it came to me that sometimes, by limiting options for players at in the game can make games more enjoyable. I know this might sound crazy, but having fewer decisions to make, means I can get to the fun part quicker and continue to have fun without getting sidetracked all the time. People like me, play games to relax and the last thing we need, rack our brains trying to make tough choices.

Simplicity in a game can be addictive as well. Take for example, games like Bejeweled or Snake. The game play elements are so simple, and yet even non gamers can pick up and know how to play. This makes it accessible to a massive audience, even those not familiar to gaming. I know people who are not gaming let themselves sink into Bejeweled and play it all the time.

It would however be unfair to compare a game like Bejeweled to a MMORPG. MMORPGs cannot afford to be overly simple. A MMORPG made too simple will be deemed boring, uninteresting and will not attract gamers. But developers can take a few pointers. The key is not about boasting about the features, the graphics, the storyline or the franchise it is based upon. One shouldn't aim to develop games just for gamers, but for everyone with a remote interest in gaming of any kind. The idea is that if a person who doesn't like gaming can pick it up and have fun anyone and possibly everyone will want to. A perfect example would be the Wii, and how it is being marketed to the public.

Sigh... easier said then done though ^^;