Trackback Tuesday #2
mbp was a brave soul to come out & say what many might want to keep to themselves, the thought that maybe MMORPGs are just a passing fad. What we should all admit to ourselves though is that as long as we keep paying the subscriptions, most MMORPGs will remain active.
Surely there has to be a slow down somewhere along in the 2008/2009 period for MMORPGs & could it be something else may just come along & steal some attention. My previous thoughts on the decline of MMORPGs due to games like Spore does seem a little naïve on my part, but I will be keeping a close eye on events from September.
If I am being honest there are times I worry about my blogs content, usually right around the time I get writers block. Potshot dug up a story on the hazards of blogging & the pressure some bloggers put themselves under to get the next newest piece of content on their blogs. I’m all for self imposed criticism & pressure but for it to cause ill health…please?!
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April 15, 2008 at 3:23 am
In a lot of ways it’s too early in the development of computer games and virtual worlds to know if MMORPGs are a fad or not. Just look at how much literature has changed in the thousands of years it has been around, yet there are some things that haven’t substantially changed in all that time. The hero’s journey for example.
I personally don’t believe that MMORPGs are a fad, but a step in the evolution of ‘digital litertature.’ One thing is likely, the massive games of 2050 are likely to be very different from those of today, but will still be recognizable.
April 15, 2008 at 10:26 am
The first MMO I played was M59 back in 1996, 12 years ago now. So the genre is here to stay from the looks of things but I do hope that games companies don’t get stuck in the rut of churning these copy & paste virtual worlds too much longer.
As players & paying customers, we are subconsciously looking for ways to bring the world to us through the PC/Mac or console. I believe that, as players, we will always be demanding a higher standard of player interaction that essential requires more creativity.
Are we really seeing that at present? 2050? I’ll be 80…hoping I can still see, will be my main concern if I’m still around!
April 15, 2008 at 10:28 am
Hi DM, the figures on SirBruce’s latest MMOGchart seem to prove me wrong as they show WOWs rapid growth continuing unabated. I feel I better try and explain myself before I become the object of hate mail from rabid MMO fans
My bold statement was based more on musing than on any well thought out analysis but the blogosphere seems to be full of writers who are complaining about being bored with one mmorpg or another. At the moment the most common response seems to be “lets find another MMORPG to play”. What if at some day in the not so distant future gamers en masse realise that one MMORPG is much like any other and the problem is not so much being bored with a particular game as being bored with MMORPGS altogether.
April 15, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I highly doubt MMORPGs are merely fads. Given the progress gaming has made, not just on PCs, but on consoles as well, we see that the social aspect of gaming can arguably be one of the main driving forces in the development of the gaming industry as a whole. MMORPGs especially have drawn in a wider audience of gamers if you just examine WoW. This may not be a completely accurate, as I’m only speculating, but just from looking at the crowd in BlizzCon ‘ 07, many players are of the older age group and include more females than, say, other platforms and genres of gaming.
We should also consider that in this day, there are so many ways for people to entertain themselves. Just in games alone there are more than 5 platforms to choose from and pretty much infinitely more game titles to play. So it’s no surprise why people can get bored of titles pretty quick. But then there are also people who are looking to get their money’s worth and the replay (or just play) value out of the game. For me, it’d be great to be 68 and be able to play WoW or something like it because I’d actually have the time to risk being addicted to it lol.
So MMOs are here to stay, but I think so will the RPGs.
April 16, 2008 at 1:07 am
@ mbp never meant to imply that was your set thoughts on MMORPGs, I just thought it was good that someone threw it out to be discussed.
@ nshadowsong welcome to Sweet Flag! Congrats on breaking your SF posting cherry too…keep it up!
My point exactly…saturation of the market with too many new MMORPGs will only split the player base, considering we can’t all afford to play ever MMORPG out there, with some games losing out. Just look at PotBS…subscriptions are low & servers are being closed for a MMORPG that is unique in setting but just seems to be a cash in.