Why i'm done with mmo's:
"What I hate about MMOs? The fact that gameplay that is fun is literally non-existent. Grinding is more of a chore. Socializing is better done through a game called "real life", and the leveling up system takes ages to get you any progress once you reach the upper limits. Its as if they intend to drag on the game so you'll pay more for the subscription fee.
If these problems are solved, especially the pay money every month for a grindfest part, I'll gladly play it. I think that's the problem plaguing MMOs now. Too many people are addicted a the grinding process that they just can't see how pointless it all is." -kkbbcute @ actionscript.org
"I dislike MMO games because by necessity they must dillute or completely remove a storyline. Dillution of the story means you're dilluting the sense of adventure, and good games should do more than make you "grind" your controller into a worthless nub. Games should enlighten, not drain. Games should give you spirit rather than addict you.
MMO's are notorious for tickling the part of the brain that wants social interaction and repetetive satisfaction, ignoring the part of the brain requiring complex problem solving, elaborate hand-eye coordination and motor skills, and as I said before, a storyline that takes you somewhere unique. You can only do so much with a MMO and in my opinion it's all been done to death.
People are starving for the games of old... the ones that revive a sense of playful adventure, quest, and creativity. Good games engage the frontal lobe and outer cortex of the brain. MMOs engage (more often than not) the "lizard brain"... the ancient core functions in the brain stem. (This is why people occasionally become so addicted that they forget to survive by eating and sleeping.) Crack cocaine is a big money maker, but that doesn't mean it's more inspiring for the spirit or healthy for the body. In the same way, MMOs are big money makers but that doesn't mean they're good games.
Some still believe that if you want to know what a "good" game is, you need to test it with children. And children are infamously bored by MMOs because their frontal lobes are churning non-stop... unless they are indoctrinated to MMOs through a phase of initial boredom, then become comfortable with the eyeball-draining fatigue, at which point their frontal lobes have turned off. (This is not a good thing!)
So in short, pretty much the whole psychological approach of MMO games bothers me and I would not recommend building one unless you can find a way to make it engage the frontal lobe of your players, otherwise you're just another game pimp selling an addictive, un-stimulating, lobotomy-inducing piece of software." - fenstalker @ actionscript.org
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