The Psychology of Playing MMOs
- Thread starter Greg Tito
- Start date
As someone who similarly quit WoW and played the TOR beta.
Don't.
Save the money, invest it, or just buy a dozen more fun games on Steam. You'll still be following the same quest-by-quest gameplay, the same 15 Bioware characters that they've been using in every game ever copypasted endlessly, and mirrored classes (so only really 4 to choose from).
It's not worth paying $15 a month when for $15 a month you can buy one or more complete games to have fun with. Hell, Section 8: Prejudice is a freaking $15 game that's basically a small-scale version of Planetside with 100% more jetpacks and orbital dropships.
Subscription games will and should go the way of the Dinosaur once the TOR craze wears off...and it will within a year.
Don't.
Save the money, invest it, or just buy a dozen more fun games on Steam. You'll still be following the same quest-by-quest gameplay, the same 15 Bioware characters that they've been using in every game ever copypasted endlessly, and mirrored classes (so only really 4 to choose from).
It's not worth paying $15 a month when for $15 a month you can buy one or more complete games to have fun with. Hell, Section 8: Prejudice is a freaking $15 game that's basically a small-scale version of Planetside with 100% more jetpacks and orbital dropships.
Subscription games will and should go the way of the Dinosaur once the TOR craze wears off...and it will within a year.
I'd say you're a sucker (since you asked). I went through the exact same motions as you did with WoW. Watching films and TV-series while I did my dailies was my standard morning routine when I was an undergrad. Halfway through Lich King though I realised I wasn't enjoying it; raiding had become a chore, especially when I had to quit what I was doing because it was "raid time", or because I had to farm mats for raid consumables etc. It just wasn't proper fun. So I stopped raiding and said I'd just play with my alts and level those up. A month later, I just let my subscription expire and I never looked back.
I think the point I was absolutely certain that I was done with WoW was when the Coliseum patch hit (I was still playing at the time) and I wasn't even the slightest bit curious to see the new content. I just couldn't be bothered.
Since then, like you, my Steam account has been growing. I started looking up games I had only heard about during my 3 year WoW "career" and I slowly began to realise how much quality gaming I had missed.
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret experiencing WoW to the extent I have; I made some friends with which I had some awesome times with. I don't find it "sad" that my experiences with certain people only existed in a virtual world. I just don't feel like I can get caught up in all that again. I have enough trouble keeping up with game releases as it is (not to mention work/studies/research).
I am a big Star Wars fan and TOR would have been an awesome game to have 10 years ago. If it survives beyond a couple of years and for some weird reason I can afford the time, I *might* consider giving it a chance, but currently, I cannot bring another WoW into my life and I think, given your experience with WoW, you shouldn't either.
I think the point I was absolutely certain that I was done with WoW was when the Coliseum patch hit (I was still playing at the time) and I wasn't even the slightest bit curious to see the new content. I just couldn't be bothered.
Since then, like you, my Steam account has been growing. I started looking up games I had only heard about during my 3 year WoW "career" and I slowly began to realise how much quality gaming I had missed.
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret experiencing WoW to the extent I have; I made some friends with which I had some awesome times with. I don't find it "sad" that my experiences with certain people only existed in a virtual world. I just don't feel like I can get caught up in all that again. I have enough trouble keeping up with game releases as it is (not to mention work/studies/research).
I am a big Star Wars fan and TOR would have been an awesome game to have 10 years ago. If it survives beyond a couple of years and for some weird reason I can afford the time, I *might* consider giving it a chance, but currently, I cannot bring another WoW into my life and I think, given your experience with WoW, you shouldn't either.
I was reading this article, and then got to the bottom and was like, zomg, Greg Tito wrote this?! Kudos for being honest!
Definitely makes it more relatable and down to earth. Yeah, WoW and pay to play MMOs have always kind of intrigued me. Mostly because I was too cheap to join in, and thus, could only observe it from the outside. (something about paying per month to play made me queasy).
But yeah, I did always wonder about the whole virtual world thing. I tried some f2p stuff; could get fun, but never really was much more fun than good sp games.
I'm not sure about the legal-ness of private servers (I heard they exist), but moving on to my point, I sometimes wonder if the actual 'price' of the game makes it more addictive. League of Legends is free, and I usually feel like I have to play at least once to get the Win of the Day, but I NEVER feel compelled. Maybe a little, but I don't itch. I can do other stuff when I get bored.
Is this because it's free? Or does it have to do more with the way Blizzard sculpted WoW. It's all a conjumbled mess of theories, but my main conjecture as of now is that something about 'paying per month' makes it more addictive, leading it to that 'meh, so dull kill me now; make it stop' feeling.
Definitely makes it more relatable and down to earth. Yeah, WoW and pay to play MMOs have always kind of intrigued me. Mostly because I was too cheap to join in, and thus, could only observe it from the outside. (something about paying per month to play made me queasy).
But yeah, I did always wonder about the whole virtual world thing. I tried some f2p stuff; could get fun, but never really was much more fun than good sp games.
I'm not sure about the legal-ness of private servers (I heard they exist), but moving on to my point, I sometimes wonder if the actual 'price' of the game makes it more addictive. League of Legends is free, and I usually feel like I have to play at least once to get the Win of the Day, but I NEVER feel compelled. Maybe a little, but I don't itch. I can do other stuff when I get bored.
Is this because it's free? Or does it have to do more with the way Blizzard sculpted WoW. It's all a conjumbled mess of theories, but my main conjecture as of now is that something about 'paying per month' makes it more addictive, leading it to that 'meh, so dull kill me now; make it stop' feeling.
Fully and completely agreed on almost all counts.Greg Tito said:
Subscription MMOs began to feel like a job. The up-front payment made me feel if I wasn't playing X hours, I was "wasting" Y dollars. And the problem was that the games were containing less of the activities that kept me "busy" in earlier games -- there was combat, and that was it. No robust crafting, no house decoration... but for some reason, I felt that even logging in and standing around was somehow better than playing something else and wasting my subscription fee.
The one thing different for me is that I can pinpoint exactly when I stopped enjoying WoW: The first time I missed a raid.
When I started raiding, I wasn't exactly enjoying it, but it was novel and impressive. I mean, forty people coordinated for one purpose? Kinda cool. I was a healer, so it was so much watching bars grow and shrink, and then hearing folks bid for loot. That was the first thing I didn't like: I found I was going to have to run the same multi-hour raid dozens of times to get a full set of gear for myself. The second thing I didn't like: What does that gear get me? Into the next raid. I was Sisyphus finally realizing I wasn't actually getting anywhere.
And then life happened. I had to miss a raid one night. I let the guild leaders know in advance, apologized profusely (alarm bells there), and went to my required life event. When I came back, I had been completely replaced. They subbed me for that one event, and then decided, "Well, it's just going to come up again next month, so we switched him out. You can sub sometime." So I decided, "Okay, I'm going to respec for PvP and just kick around until that happens." I was promptly told if I respecced, I wouldn't even be subbed -- they didn't need another shadow priest, so I'd be cut totally.
And that's when it hit me: I felt like time spent not playing was wasting my money. In the same way, these other people felt like if I wasn't playing on their schedule and in their way, I was wasting their money, too.
I unsubbed, started taking a fencing class, and got married. Haven't looked back since.
Darnit Greg, now you made me wish that this game was Free-to-play right now...
Personally I enjoy the main plot, but feel the plot is sidelined by all the normal MMO sidequests. Which are interesting, but can get tiring very easily.
In relation to your question, that's something you'll have to decide for yourself while reviewing the game. I'm sorry if that doesn't sound helpful, but the best judge of which game you should play is yourself.
Personally I enjoy the main plot, but feel the plot is sidelined by all the normal MMO sidequests. Which are interesting, but can get tiring very easily.
In relation to your question, that's something you'll have to decide for yourself while reviewing the game. I'm sorry if that doesn't sound helpful, but the best judge of which game you should play is yourself.
@Dastardly: That's some real hardcore shit right there. Thankfully my guild was a bit more casual and missing a raid or two was expected. On the other hand, I never raided during vanilla, where I believe things were more demanding. Still, my raiding career was a pleasant one, to say the least.
First note: interesting psychology difference between forum posters and facebook posters. We all agree with the writer and the facebook crowd doesn't get it. I don't know what that means but facebook is too cool to comment about gamer psych.
Second: totally understand the writer here. I played some pay to play games back in the day (city of heroes, FF11) and I always felt the need to play. The monkey on my back that said "you're paying for this play damn it!" But the magic for me was always the beginning. When everything was new and kind of gave you vertigo when you first played from figuring out all the things you could do. Watching with a dropped jaw as a BAMF rolled by while you were smacking wild boars with your wooden sword. Then once it all becomes about "the grind" or "mat hunting" i try to be the big gamer and tell myself that i'll be a badass if i keep playing. Then i go get laid and realize there's alot more out there then this. Not to bash MMO's i still play some FtP ones (shout out to my LOLers). But I can come and go with those as I please. I'd like to think there will be some harmony out there between the game devlopers and the gamers. because as it stands game developers are trying desperately to make us into gluttonous gamers that will play until our eyes bleed and our wrists fall off. Gamers want a game they like to play but don't have to feel the need to play but will always be fun to play (paradox?). Its a tough issue.
Second: totally understand the writer here. I played some pay to play games back in the day (city of heroes, FF11) and I always felt the need to play. The monkey on my back that said "you're paying for this play damn it!" But the magic for me was always the beginning. When everything was new and kind of gave you vertigo when you first played from figuring out all the things you could do. Watching with a dropped jaw as a BAMF rolled by while you were smacking wild boars with your wooden sword. Then once it all becomes about "the grind" or "mat hunting" i try to be the big gamer and tell myself that i'll be a badass if i keep playing. Then i go get laid and realize there's alot more out there then this. Not to bash MMO's i still play some FtP ones (shout out to my LOLers). But I can come and go with those as I please. I'd like to think there will be some harmony out there between the game devlopers and the gamers. because as it stands game developers are trying desperately to make us into gluttonous gamers that will play until our eyes bleed and our wrists fall off. Gamers want a game they like to play but don't have to feel the need to play but will always be fun to play (paradox?). Its a tough issue.
Yeah, I know what you mean, I quit WoW three years ago and its what I imagine quitting smoking or drinking is like. I would remember the fun I had hanging out with friends and playing while talking on the phone with guild members. It sucked to quit but I am so glad now that I did.
Don't go back, man. It'll just repeat and you have to deal with pulling the plug again.
Don't go back, man. It'll just repeat and you have to deal with pulling the plug again.
I cancelled WoW not too long after Cataclysm came out. I never was into raiding (simply didn't have a regular enough schedule for it) so once I hit the level cap it all was very boring. I got Cat for some holiday or another and played it for a while, never even hit level 85. I was just having too much fun with other games.
Like a druggie lusting after another fix, I kept getting the urge to play again. I finally broke down and did the "commit to a year, get diablo free" thing and played for a little while. It was still the same, I still wasn't having fun. I was just dicking around and wasting my time.
So I haven't played it since. My sub's still active, but even something like TF2's nine classes four maps all the time gameplay is more fun than that grind.
Just... don't. MMOs are a scourge.
Like a druggie lusting after another fix, I kept getting the urge to play again. I finally broke down and did the "commit to a year, get diablo free" thing and played for a little while. It was still the same, I still wasn't having fun. I was just dicking around and wasting my time.
So I haven't played it since. My sub's still active, but even something like TF2's nine classes four maps all the time gameplay is more fun than that grind.
Just... don't. MMOs are a scourge.
I think the in-game community is the only thing that trumps your fears of MMO = work. I usually feel like I have to play not because I paid for it, but because my friends are waiting for me in another world. I've managed to retain friendships with people I've never met over the course of 15 years simply by keeping in touch and agreeing to meet up when a new game arises.
Shout-out to Apoco, Zodd, Cabzorz, Qwai etc.
Shout-out to Apoco, Zodd, Cabzorz, Qwai etc.
What? But you could very easily spec back to a healer. I don't see the big deal with you respeccing for PvP. I'm aware this was long before dual-spec but I played Vanilla WoW and if anything, respeccing was just a minor inconvenience because you had to set your bars back up. I don't understand your guild's line of thinking.Dastardly said:
This is the main reason I ultimately quit playing. As the good friends I'd made playing WoW slowly began moving on with their lives, I had less and less of a desire to login. Towards the end I'd actually ignored end game content all together and just levelled new characters and loaded them up with heirloom gear. I finally realised I was paying a monthly subscription for a game I wasn't playing and just quit.Nasrin said:
Wow... I mean, I've heard stories from people who got addicted from MMOs before, but never so first-person and self-aware.
I've never been susceptible to the siren's call of the genre, though.
I quit World of Warcraft when my main was level 49, absolutely could not stand the grind. Ironically, the only thing I really enjoyed in WoW was reading the stories behind my quests (well, there was that one time I roleplayed through the end of the Ghostlands and blew someone's mind... but that was an isolated incident). City of Heroes started earlier and lasted longer thanks to altaholism, but after thoroughly exploring every powerset and every mission up to issue 16, I took one look at "powerset proliferation", and promptly canceled my subscription.
Before those I dabbled in EverQuest and Star Wars: Galaxies, neither of which really caught my interest. EQ was a bit too hardcore for me, and the grind in Galaxies was second to none (though I did enjoy collecting and leveling exotic pets. Creature Handler was the only skillset I really enjoyed). Aside from that, there was Motor City Online. As a gearhead, I absolutely loved that game and its part-swapping system. It was a little odd, using the same intake manifold for all Chevy smallblocks (seriously, ya can't take one off of a 283 and use it for a 400), but it was the closest I've ever seen to realistic hotrod tweaking in a video game. I was online the day the servers shut down, and it still saddens me.
So... when people describe The Old Republic as "an MMO for people who hate MMOs (and love Star Wars)", I see that as a massive positive (plus, I enjoyed the hell out of the beta).
I've never been susceptible to the siren's call of the genre, though.
I quit World of Warcraft when my main was level 49, absolutely could not stand the grind. Ironically, the only thing I really enjoyed in WoW was reading the stories behind my quests (well, there was that one time I roleplayed through the end of the Ghostlands and blew someone's mind... but that was an isolated incident). City of Heroes started earlier and lasted longer thanks to altaholism, but after thoroughly exploring every powerset and every mission up to issue 16, I took one look at "powerset proliferation", and promptly canceled my subscription.
Before those I dabbled in EverQuest and Star Wars: Galaxies, neither of which really caught my interest. EQ was a bit too hardcore for me, and the grind in Galaxies was second to none (though I did enjoy collecting and leveling exotic pets. Creature Handler was the only skillset I really enjoyed). Aside from that, there was Motor City Online. As a gearhead, I absolutely loved that game and its part-swapping system. It was a little odd, using the same intake manifold for all Chevy smallblocks (seriously, ya can't take one off of a 283 and use it for a 400), but it was the closest I've ever seen to realistic hotrod tweaking in a video game. I was online the day the servers shut down, and it still saddens me.
So... when people describe The Old Republic as "an MMO for people who hate MMOs (and love Star Wars)", I see that as a massive positive (plus, I enjoyed the hell out of the beta).
For my character, it was expensive, and the price went up each time. I didn't "game the market" as often as they did, so I wasn't rolling in gold. But it was more that they were saying, "As long as you're a shadow priest, we won't even put you on the waiting list." I was "working" for them, in their eyes.Micalas said:
I can also agree with this, to an extent. I kept in contact with many friends that I originally met in MMOs... but the thing a lot of MMOs have forgotten is that community is portable. Like you've indicated, you can bring it to another game when one gets tedious.Nasrin said:
Nowadays? I hang out with the same friends on TeamSpeak, but we all might be playing different games at the same time. The staggering thing? It doesn't feel any different. I still enjoy my time talking with them just as much, which really tells me how little the games themselves contributed. They were perhaps the catalyst, but nothing more.
I'll say you're a sucker and leave it at that. 15 bucks for a lifeless RPG with an Bioware story isn't a good sell for me.
I don't have any WoW stories to tell, I only briefly played the free trial out of curiosity and could quickly recognize it for what it was, an endless grind. I don't mean to be arrogant here, if it came out 5-7 years earlier I probably would have been hooked, but I already spent my two years with a different MMORPG from 99-01.
But anyways where I'm getting at, this is more or less why I scoff at the games inclusion to any top 10 list. Sure it has over 10 million players and has made tons of money, but I just don't see it as a game that's good for the industry because it's more or less a gaming black hole. Of it's 10+ million players many probably play WoW exclusively, and rather than being innovated all it really does is spawn imitators that do nothing but fail to live up to the original.
Blizzard crafted a compelling Skinners Box, while still a good game I don't think it should be mentioned along the likes of Half Life or Shadow of the Colossus as one of gaming's best.
But anyways where I'm getting at, this is more or less why I scoff at the games inclusion to any top 10 list. Sure it has over 10 million players and has made tons of money, but I just don't see it as a game that's good for the industry because it's more or less a gaming black hole. Of it's 10+ million players many probably play WoW exclusively, and rather than being innovated all it really does is spawn imitators that do nothing but fail to live up to the original.
Blizzard crafted a compelling Skinners Box, while still a good game I don't think it should be mentioned along the likes of Half Life or Shadow of the Colossus as one of gaming's best.
The introductory month of WOW I played gave me enough warning signs that I did not sign up for further months. I prefer games where I don't feel I am wasting money when I don't play them for a period of time. Subscription games just have life disruption written all over them. Would rather you buy hours on the games, but can spend those hours when you like. Or free to play obviously...