A little while back, Syl mused about how World of Warcraft has changed her in an article thisaway. Others chimed in like Victor, over here, and Rakuno over here. I figured I’d jump in, since I haven’t done enough navel-gazing lately. To dig into what MMOs have done to me, I need to go back to the 90s, before I did anything with them.
I work in the game industry. I play games. A lot of different games. MMOs are just a small slice of my game library and vocabulary (though they tend to consume a disproportionate amount of time), but they have had some significant effects on me over the last 6 years or so.
My background is primarily in RPG games and tactical games. I’ve played RTS, FPS, driving, fighting, puzzle, and other games, but most of my gaming time before MMOs was with epic RPGs like Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger, Star Ocean 2 and the like. Back in… 2002? or so, I remember seeing an advertisement in a magazine for the upcoming World of Warcraft. It wasn’t the first online game I’d heard of (Sierra’s The Realm gets that honor, I think, and I was aware of Ultima Online), but it looked really good, and I liked the Warcraft IP, having spent many fun hours with Warcraft and Warcraft 2. That was the draw, really, the ability to prowl through the jungles at ground level as a single character, rather than the third person nonentity I was in the Warcraft RTS games. In short, I was captivated by the idea of exploring the WORLD of Warcraft.
Of course, the blasted thing is an online game, and the only place I had internet access was at school or work. Those were the only places I had a computer capable of then-modern gaming as well. Yes, I spent a lot of time with classics like Master of Magic, Master of Orion 1&2, X-Com (the old, good one), Privateer and the like well past their heyday. I’ve always been a late adopter of games, really. It’s better on the wallet. Anyway, while WoW looked appealing, there was no way I was going to be able to play it, so I ever-so-slightly wistfully pushed it aside and ignored it.
In the meantime, I graduated from college in 2003, then got a full-time job that let me buy a then-powerful laptop that I fully intended to play games with. I still didn’t have an internet connection (and to this day, I still think the darn things are too expensive), but I had a computer that could finally play Morrowind. I was hooked, finally happy to be wandering through a fantasy world that was so much more interesting to me than my FPS experience in Wolfenstein (the old one) and Doom (also the old one). I got lost along the shores outside of the starting town, died a few times, and then downloaded a few hacks. I found I wasn’t all that interested in playing the right way, I just wanted to putter around in a fantasy world. Imagine that.
It was while I was working in that first post-graduation job that I ran into someone actually playing that World of Warcraft thing. He played during lunch, mining, mostly. I watched him maneuver his zombie-ish guy around some barren-looking canyons, mining some sort of rocky nodes. I think, looking back, that it was maybe in Thousand Needles, one of my favorite locations in the game before the Shattering. He showed me around a little, noting that his “real” character was an Orc Shaman. He offered me a ten-day buddy key to try out the game, and I graciously accepted.
I still didn’t have an internet connection.
So, I installed it on my office computer and played a little during lunch like he did. Yes, we played games at work. We were working in the game industry, and every one of us were gamers. One guy played Magic the Gathering Online for lunch, and sometimes we all played the actual card game for lunch. And it was good. The bosses didn’t play games as much as we did, but they didn’t mind us playing, even with company assets like the computers and internet connection, so long as we got all our hours in and got our work done.
Anyway, I had ten days to play, only during lunch, only at work. It was little more than a taste of the game, really. I fired up a Tauren Shaman and puttered around. I learned what the WoW notion of quests were, and I followed some breadcrumbs around the hill to a small Tauren town, then made my way up the road to Thunder Bluff, still my favorite capital city in the game. I learned Skinning and Leatherworking, charmed with the ability to make my own gear. It felt like my Tauren was a self-sufficient adventurer in a larger world. It was good.
The game’s reality lurked in the wings, though. I wanted some more backpack space since I kept winding up with lots of junk I picked up off of the critters I killed, but I couldn’t buy anything from the auction house and vendor bags were too expensive. I figured I’d use Leatherworking to make some kodo hide bags, since there were kodos just downhill. Silly me, I figured it should be easy. Just go kill and skin a few kodos (they are huge, and should have plenty of leather apiece) and then stitch together a bag or four.
…the last three days of my trial were spent trying to make those stupid bags. I had to skin several dozen critters to qualify for skinning kodos. I had to kill dozens of kodos just to get one scrap of kodo leather. I needed six such pieces to make one bag. I stuck with it because it was my “endgame” goal for the time I had. I never actually did finish even a single bag.
It was stupid.
That, in a microcosm, is the WoW experience, I think. Fascination with the world and its potential, ownership of your own little avatar in that world, seeing new sights and new monsters… then running face first into the soul-crushing time sinks that the game uses to suck people into that next sweet month of subscription money. I learned enough about the game to know I still loved the idea of the World of Warcraft, but that the game itself got in the way. Even if I had internet access at home at that time, I still wouldn’t have bothered with the game because of the absurd subscription business plan… and to be honest, I did want to keep playing, but I was already getting burned out a bit, just because of the stupid grindy pacing of the crafting system. It was probably good that I didn’t keep going at that point, since I was still on the edge of still liking the game for what it could be, and could go on pretending that it was exactly what I hoped it was.
Soon after that, I found Puzzle Pirates, and it was like I had found a home I never knew I was missing, and I didn’t have to pay a sub for it. It’s still my MMO home. I was hooked there by the gameplay, not so much the sense of the world, though I did love “memming” the ocean solo, still scratching that Explorer itch. It helped that I was pretty good at the game (skill is more important there than time investment), and that I got my own ship without reaching some arbitrary “endgame”. I didn’t much mind that I was missing out on the WoW craze. I had something that fit me better, and really, it still does, seven years later. In fact, last night I finally won my first Swordfighting tournament. Sometimes it’s the small goals that make the most fun. It is also the only MMO that my wife has played with me for more than a half hour. She gave Guild Wars a good try, but it just didn’t stick.
It wasn’t until… 2008 or so, when the ten-day passes were obsolete and anyone could just sign up for a ten day trial, that I tried the game again. I played another ten day trial, this time with my home desktop and internet connection (albeit a cheap one, which made the game laggy… which didn’t help). The game still looked nice, and it was fun to make a new character, hoping for good times. This time I did a little more research on the game and fired up a Druid. I’ve loved Druids ever since. I have a soft spot for Hunters and Shaman still, but I’m a Druid player at heart. I had fun, learned Bear form, messed around a bit shifting between forms as necessary… then my time ran out. I still mostly liked the game, but still wasn’t going to pay to keep playing. I was mad enough that I had to pay $50/month for the internet connection.
The wider world of MMO gaming had been opened to me, though. I tried a bunch, from Dungeons and Dragons Online to Guild Wars to Lord of the Rings Online to Atlantica Online to Star Trek Online to Allods Online to Wizard 101 to Neosteam to Free Realms to City of Heroes to DC Universe Online to my latest experiment, Pirates of the Burning Sea, and others in between that I’m not remembering at the moment. I (quickly) grew tired of the DIKU grind, always chasing levels and loot. I decided that playing with others can sometimes be OK, but that I’m still a soloist at heart. I studied game design, business models and the game industry. I found some MMO blogs as I studied the silly things and their communities, and eventually started a blog of my own. This is why this blog still has a backbone of MMO analysis, but it’s not devoted to any one game or even stuck solely on games at all. I came to this blogging world because of MMOs.
I may not be a MMO groupie, but I still find value in the sociality involved with the games and blogging in general.
So that’s what MMOs have done for me. They have introduced me to bloggers I consider friends, they have increased my knowledge of the game industry and game design, and given me well over 6000 screenshots that I can use for inspiration (I’m an artist, after all). My knowledge of games, my chosen career, has been enhanced by the wider world of the internet and how games work in that shared social space, whether or not they are designed for it.
My life is richer, not necessarily for having played MMOs, but for what they have led me to.
…but I still hate subscriptions.
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I am surprised that someone says they hate subscriptions. Not because I disagree but just because most of the vocal people on the subject defend the subscription-only model as the only true way for a quality MMORPG to be made. Even to the point of calling those who prefer the non-subscription model as “freeloaders”.
I guess it also reminds me of the irony of my own MMORPG trajectory. When I started (whenever that was… been so long) I was a teenager, without my own credit card, much less an international one (necessary evil since I don’t live anywhere near North America). So I stuck to what I could play for free, open betas and private servers of korean MMORPGs. Looking around for a free to play alternative back then not only wasn’t very encouraging but some times felt like searching for the Big Foot.
Eventually I got my own international credit card, giving in to subscriptions. Still stuck to only korean games since at most I only had to pay for the base game and subscription. After that all updates would be free.
Games where I had to pay for the box then the expansions? That is crazy! Plus they were usually western games where I had to import the boxes too. No digital download versions at the time. Yeah, importing was another thing I didn’t like back then (and still don’t, only making exceptions from time to time).
Eventually I came to accept that idea too, when my brother imported the World of Warcraft and the Burning Crusade boxes. I got to see him playing it, borrowed the boxes and eventually subscribed myself for a short while.
Fortunately digital download versions of games became more common shortly later so that made things better. From then on I just accepted the idea of subscription + expansions as the status quo.
Nowadays, years after that, I am just going back to my roots and being wary of subscription-only games or “hybrid” ones where the “free-to-play” version is no more than a glorified trial. I guess all the badly disguised grind and the addition of cash shops on top of the subscriptions is what burned me out of the whole subscription model.
I will still play a game with only the option of a subscription. As long as I believe the game does feel like it is doing its own, interesting, stuff. If the only option they offer me in terms of gameplay is “level up, getting stronger so you can get stronger to kill stronger things to level up more” then I will most likely skip it, look for a free to play alternative that provides me the same thing and at least will be more honest about the grind.
It’s really interesting to hear about how MMOs have influenced you. I feel like I have a better appreciation for your point of view and play style now.
I used to play subscription MMOs when I was a teenager and in college. I was never one of the obsessed 8+ hours a day players, but I usually played a few hours each day and then sat down for a longer gaming session maybe once or twice a week. I felt like the $15/month was worth it.
Now as a 25 year old with 2 kids my opinion of subscription games is much more in line with yours. For the amount of time I’ll actually get to play a game in a given month the $15 price is stupid. I would much rather pay for content that I can play at my own pace. That way I don’t feel like I’m wasting money. I’ll gladly pay for good content, as long as it’s not a monthly subscription.
I love the trend of MMOs going F2P. Games that I wouldn’t have considered paying a monthly sub for are ones that I’ll happily try once they make the switch. I’m especially interested in trying out SWTOR if it ever goes fully F2P. I’m also definitely buying GW2 since it has no sub fee and seems like it will keep me interested for awhile.
Subscriptions always frustrated me in terms of getting value for money. It always felt like hiring a movie, but only watching about 30% to 40% of it.
On another subject, I think you should consider making a text based (ie, text and static images) browser game. Here’s a tutorial series that I learned how to do it from: http://indie-resource.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4163
It’d be interesting to see what you’d do once your freed from being stuck in an audience position.
Doesn’t even need to be multiplayer or use a database, can be more like a pick a path adventure like age of fable: http://www.apolitical.info/webgame/
[I’m typing on a laptop I don’t use much, please delete the other version of this where I boned my name]
I like WoW enough to play it to the new cap whenever an expansion comes out. Of course with Blizzard’s tepid release schedule that means I play it two months or so roughly every tow years.
In any case, the first time I played WoW I crashed and burned in a way very similar to what happened to you. I made the mistake of trying to level as a blacksmith. By the time I realized that I should have been selling all of my ore on the AH instead of dumping it it into an idiotically grindy crafting skill, I was a mid level character with crap gear, no money, small bags, and no hope of affording my mount at 40. Frustrated as hell, I quit and didn’t take if up again for at least a year.
The next time I played it, I started with two gathering skills (mining and skinning), and spent my entire playtime rich and well geared without having to work at it at all. WoW has some of the least useful gear production professions of any MMO I have tried. It’s like they were designed as a trap to screw the finances of newbies that choose poorly.
Rakuno,
I have a history of strongly opposing subscriptions. I concede they have value for some, but they are a Very Bad Deal for me. I think they are unhealthy for game design, too, incentivizing time sinks, addiction and grinds. You see abuses with any business model, to be sure, but the sub model annoys me the most.
Void,
Good to hear. I was hoping this might help show that I’m not just a random curmudgeon… I have my reasons. 🙂 I’m definitely a Guild Wars business kind of guy. I kind of like F2P in general, but I’m most fond of just buying the game and playing it.
Callan,
An interesting proposal. I shall investigate when I get time. I’m all for creativity that doesn’t require me to learn much coding.
Yeebo,
I’ve decided that crafting is the part of WoW that I’m most annoyed with. Yes, I’m irked by level gating and raiding that kill my Explorer and storyreading groove, but crafting is just poorly designed all the way through. It could be *so* much better, but it just doesn’t work very well at all. I’m not sure I’d attribute much malice to it, but man, it’s easy to want to.
Truth is I’m not sure how i found your blog, but I’m happy I did. Truthfully I haven’t played video games in a long time – 3 years ago I started up again. Since money is always tight I didn’t really like spending when I didn’t have to. I don’t like buying myself regular stuff. I did play some games on systems that were handed down to my son from my ex. I’ve always liked Area 51 the best.
So the older my son got the moreinterested I got, especially since it was a chance for us to play together.
Venturing out the first game I played alone was Dead Frontier – its an MMO that is free to play. I did get a subscription for a while, but canceled it when the pay stuff came free. Now I’ve been Alpha testing a game called City of Steam and I love it so far.
I’ve seen WOW and wasn’t interested, as well as Shaya. I would like to buy the Secret World, but I don’t think I’m ready for that.
Welcome aboard, Sunny! I’ve heard good things about The Secret World, but it has two strikes in my book. One, it’s M-rated, so it’s off my list, and two, it’s a subscription-based game. I’ve played a few sub games, notably WoW, but it’s not something I do all that cheerfully.
You might take a look at Allods Online. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a pretty solid fantasy free-to-play MMO. Puzzle Pirates is also well worth playing. I’ll go check out City of Steam, thanks! I do love a good steampunkish game.