The problem, imo, is that everything looks like a crappier version of this game or that game. What happened to the devs that created new content and new looks and feels? It's a slide downhill with a steadily increasing angle of descent, from what I am seeing.
First mmo I played was EQ. To this day, I still love the bard class jack of all trades status but I have yet to find another game with a character that has the skill set to be able to fit into just about any group and perform a needed role while not being limited to just one role. 2 years play time.
After EQ was DAoC. IMO they have/had the right ideas about pvp/pve game control. With the exception of a few bugs, which were fixed, you were not forced to deal with the chronic player greifers while you were grinding. When you were ready to go out into the world of pvp, you got to chose to do so. They started falling apart with the escalating add on abilities and chronic nerfing of classes that needed the damage output they had enjoyed to play the class as it was intended, e.g. assassin class types. There was one fundamental flaw in their game which pushed me away from it. Apparently, the lead designer or owner was a caster freak and had the CC set up in such a way that high damage wizardy types were pretty much running everything else on the game over. They never corrected this which is why I left. 1.5 years play time.
Went to L2 from there which was a step into the surreal. Having experienced the grindfest in EQ, I thought I could cope, but the amount of grinding and harvesting etc, to make a relatively low level item was insane. Add to that you have to deal with every player greifer in the game, whether you wanted to or not. 9 months play time
From there I shuffled from WoW look-a-like game to L2 look-a-like game for a while, until DnD online came out and enjoyed a 8 month tenure with them. However, once you have done all the missions, there is really nothing left to do but hang out in the arenas and that get's old quick. Shuffle to more WoW look-a-like and L2 Look-a-like games. Start getting into the more recent games and frankly, I am amazed they put this crap out attitude starts in.
I'm 24 now... I quit WoW before last summer and it pained me to do it. I felt close to my guild for a while then; the feeling wasn't exactly mutual though. We had fun together for a while... then they just dropped me from their raiding groups for little to no reason. I was one of the most reliable raiders -- on every raid night -- that half-regection was the last straw for me. I'd been feeling all the "blah" of the game's chorishness and had been playing other games on the side; only popping in to see how the guild and my professions were doing and waiting around for invites that never came on raid nights. I even considered leaving that guild for another... but it would only delay the inevitable.
After the guild benched me, indefinately, I felt it was time for me to go. So I wrote some, "I'm quiting WoW for a while... might come back" letters to my closer WoW "friends" and shoved off. Hadn't looked back since. I can't expect much from MMO friendships anymore because of how my guild -- even WoW and its calloused community -- hurt me.
I tried Rift next... got to level cap. Then I said to myself as I faced the raiding gear grind, "What's the point?" The people were quite kind and helpful in that one, but I couldn't bring myself to make any friends in-game anymore cause it was just the same old stuff all over again with a different paint job and people. I used to embrace that quality about Rift, but I just couldn't stomach the same old experience anymore than I already had through the questing. I unsubbed there too.
Now I'm just sitting here... alone with little of interest to play in the MMO sense. I've been replaying N64 classics and the like. I even considered picking up the Pokemon series again! What's up with that?! "I'm so bored that I have to go 'catch em' all' for the millionth time!" Someone needs to put something out that'll last more than a month to my boredom-fried brain; MMORPG, MMOFPS, even something completely different, I don't care. I'm sick of this rut. I want something great!
For the purposes of your survey questions at the end of the article, I am in my 30's and here follows my general outlook on the subject.
I feel the exact same hesitation and introspection at leaving a game, with the same detachment process leading up to the day I realize that I haven't logged in for a month. I also form attachments to the people I meet online and play with every day, but even when I leave, I try to stay in contact with some of them, via the forums, vent or other social networks.
Having said that, I normally spend a minimum of 2 years in a game before I even feel a hint of boredom and discontent. And expansions can easily hold it at bay for a further year or two. I rarely leave a game that survives the first 6 months, before I've thoroughly plumbed it for 3 or 4 years. (I should also mention that I avoid repetitive content like the plague and I manage to stretch my gameplay to those lengths simply by not rushing anything, taking time to perfect stuff and setting myself goals to achieve which are not necessarily related to levelling or end-game.)
But, I don't restrict myself to one game. I allow myself up to 2 at a time. More than that and I start to lose focus and then interest follows.
Oh, I also wanted to add that perfect gameplay can be completely ruined for me by a lack of community or a community which values different types of gameplay to what I'm interested in. This has lead to me leave a number of games which I initially loved, but just couldn't find my niche in.
Hello...I'm Barcrow...and I'm a WoW-coholic. I've been sober almost 10 months now...and though it gets hard at times...I just take it day by day. Now I await refuge in SW:TOR but until then get by with the occasional foray into RIFT or AOC and brief dabblings in various SPGs . Thank you for listening.
I used to feel this way when I left a game. I havent subbed to a game in a long time though. The feelings of boredom and having done it all before stretches to all MMOs for me now. I simply keep hoping for something different but it doesn't look like its coming.
So I started with UO. That was my introduction to MMOs, and such an MMO will never be again for me. Why? Community. There was a strong, vast, and wonderful role-playing dynamic in UO, and we all congregated on the now defunct Crossroads of Britannia forum site to trade stories about our characters, joke around, orchestrate events, and discuss things in general. I formed real friendships there, and even visited a few of these people irl. But, nothing lasts forever, and SWG came along to break us up a little bit while time and growing up and pending responsibilities worked to finish the job.
I have never been party to a community or guild quite as tight and personal as I had with UO. This reality (whether through my own inability at artful conversation or a disintegration of cohesive social elements within MMOs) has made it much easier to switch games for me as of late. The few bonds I do form are fleeting shadows in comparison. One friend that I've played with for more than a decade has passed away as best as I can tell (from medical reasons, I'm not THAT old).
I am back in WAR now, and in a friendly guild of good people, but I might be one of 3 on at any given time. The alliance holds more, and they are nice as well, but alliances are composed of disparate guilds and there is an artifical distance one must find the energy to surmount in order to connect meaningfully.
I always hope there'll be another MMORPG that recaptures that feeling I had with UO, but I know there won't be. Games have changed, gamers have changed, and while I tumble and flip through the winds of change and land where I will, the realization of what will never be is more than a little poignant.
I had a similar experience with EQ. Played regularly for 3-4 years, maybe more, haven't tried to figure it out. From just after launch until the launch of EQ2. But we had a great group of friends. When the community started to break up, that was the end, although it was a slow process that extended into EQ2.
I want to mention that contrary to the OP there is such a thing as games that stay fresh for a very long time...just no MMOs so far. Not simple games like Monoply. But take chess or duplicate bridge. I played chess competitively for 10 years or so, and compettive bridge for, well, from college until about age 50...roughly 30 years. Playing chess takes a ferocious amount of energy. Bridge is not nearly so bad because of the break between hands. But we've lost our bridge community so that we don't play any more --- but I still read the bridge columns, LOL.
I take exception to the last comments above quoted to the effect that the writer will never recapture the feeling that he had with UO. Well, if he finds the community, he will. It may not be online; but it can happen. I have to believe that. I am 62 and I am looking for a community, I am sure it is just around the corner.
At the same time I am absolutely certain that so-called "social" games (i.e. Zynga) will not produce such a community. The interactions are too superficial.
With the collapse of any meaningful social structure or coherent community, it is a wonder people play these games any longer at all. I used to play the same MMO for years, back when making friends was easy and lasting friendships were common. Nobody gives a shit about anyone else in these games anymore beyond your RL friends or the statistics of strangers' attributes.
The story and combat are okay. I can get those in single player games, and they are generally much better. When I log into a multiplayer role-playing game, I expect to meet interesting people and make friends based on common interests. The problem is, I don't care about loot or progression, so I'm already at a huge disadvantage when trying to intereact with 95% of the current crowd. If there is such a small chance to meet people and actually have engaging interaction with them, I'll save myself the time and money by playing other games. If I want engaging online social interaction, I come to this site.
Once you get past the combat and progression, there is very little left anymore to keep people playing. I used to feel bad leaving friends behind to play another game. The idea that I could meet another player in one of my friends' groups was enough to keep me going. I guess those types of players just don't play these games anymore. Leaving an MMO has become similar to throwing the trash away after eating a meal.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
With the collapse of any meaningful social structure or coherent community, it is a wonder people play these games any longer at all. I used to play the same MMO for years, back when making friends was easy and lasting friendships were common. Nobody gives a shit about anyone else in these games anymore beyond your RL friends or the statistics of strangers' attributes.
The story and combat are okay. I can get those in single player games, and they are generally much better. When I log into a multiplayer role-playing game, I expect to meet interesting people and make friends based on common interests. The problem is, I don't care about loot or progression, so I'm already at a huge disadvantage when trying to intereact with 95% of the current crowd. If there is such a small chance to meet people and actually have engaging interaction with them, I'll save myself the time and money by playing other games. If I want engaging online social interaction, I come to this site.
Once you get past the combat and progression, there is very little left anymore to keep people playing. I used to feel bad leaving friends behind to play another game. The idea that I could meet another player in one of my friends' groups was enough to keep me going. I guess those types of players just don't play these games anymore. Leaving an MMO has become similar to throwing the trash away after eating a meal.
Agreed fully. This is why I no longer play MMORPGs; though I am waiting to see how Guild Wars 2 unfolds. I will likely play that, since it won't require a monthly subscription.
I usually hit a wall, and if I can't overcome that wall in a few days I unsubscribe,
In EQ, it was being LFG for hours. It only took a few days of that and I was done.
In WoW, it was the BGs and lack of progression through the BGs at level cap. I loved BGs until level 80. I cancelled my sub a few days after being 80, because there is no progression through BGs only. Raiding and Arena play? Sure. BGs? Nope.
In DAoC, it was the lack of action. It started to decline pretty swiftly after ToA then NF and WoW was the nail.
Went back off and on to EQ, and every time is was the slow pace of leveling coupled with the fact that you had to do it on your own, since the pop was so low. I enjoy the content until level 70. The pace is just laughably slow and boring.
DDO. I reincarnated my monk to a fighter. Found out fighters are pretty boring to level. Got to 18, and just couldn't find any quest he could solo because of his horrid saves. With all the new quest out I'm sure I could do it, but I'm just not motivated. I'll never play a fighter again.
So, anyways, I usually hit some wall that stops progression, which saps my desire to play. I unsubscribe rather quickly.
I am soon to be 38. Started playing MMO's about 10 years ago roughly.
The 1st couple of MMOs i played I stuck with for years on end, DAoC i think I played solidly every day for 3+ years and then off and on for another 2 years. Played WoW pretty solid for a few years after that.
The older I get the less I feel inclined to play anything for that long. Maybe nothing has come out that has held my attention like the old games, or maybe I am just getting older. I am also not a person who feels a game is a commitment like some do. Once the fun stops then the sub drops.
For the past 3-4 years nothing has held my interest for more than 8-10 months at a time. I just one day find myself not that interested in playing anymore and dont log in. I chalk it up to every game thats out there gives me the " been there, done that, got the T shirt " feeling.
I am looking foreward to GW2. Until then there are some great single player games coming out.
I think the first time I left a great guild in WoW, it was a little tough. It was the perfect situation because we only raided 2 nights a week, but generally completed more raid content than many guilds who raided 4+ nights a week due to our heavy use of theorycrafting and planning on the guild forums during off nights (pre-youtube). It was also tough since I had met a number of the guildmates in RL for lunches and dinners in the Bosotn area.
However, since then, it's never been the same. I spent a year or so heavily invested in raiding, but after a while, I got that "been there, done that" feeling from each new tier. Each subsequnet game since WoW also seems like much of the same. Different graphics don't hide the fact that the game systems in the MMO genre haven't changed ery much over the past 7 years.
Basically, MMOs were fun when they were new, but there's really very little that interests me in MMOs anymore because the genre has become very stale. Unfortunately that mentality also permiates into how I feel about guilds. I'm willing to work through a little adversity, but I know that I'm not going to invest 6 months to 2+ years in any MMO anymore. I won't drop a guild at the first sign of problems like a PuG dungeon group, but I'm not going to stick it out with people who stand the fire or can't pay attention to boss emotes either ... and I'm not will to join a hardcore 4-5 night raiding group to play with competent players.
For example, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore player, but I binge on new games. I played Rift for 2 months and about half the first raid tier. By the time we cleared the third boss, I was about done with the game. New graphics, same tired content and a realtively weak playerbase.
Ok here I go. Im in the same boat as alot of you people, im currently playing Lotro. The Kinship I lead is basically waiting for the game that this great community is waiting for, going through withdraws per say. That game is Shadowbane. Yes I know that the servers are down the game has been down since July 09, but it will make a come back and it is close to it. Shadowbane is and will always be the best PVP game out there. I basically describe it as Risk. Total destruction total mayham. This is definitely a NO carebear game. the game revolves around pvp ,no quest (WOW) no story line, just straight in your face killing. Open pvp except in the starting areas and NPC cities, every where else is free game even in your own city. Shadowbane actually came out before its time. If it was to come out today with todays MMOS it would prosper far greater than WOW ever has. Thats why alot of people play mmos is for the PVP. So with all of this being said I would like for you to watch this clip from a preview of the game and its just a preview alot has been done to resurrect this great game.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErMEbBMmgQ PS here is the website to the EMU http://www.shadowbaneemulator.com/forum/index.php
Ok here I go. Im in the same boat as alot of you people, im currently playing Lotro. The Kinship I lead is basically waiting for the game that this great community is waiting for, going through withdraws per say. That game is Shadowbane. Yes I know that the servers are down the game has been down since July 09, but it will make a come back and it is close to it. Shadowbane is and will always be the best PVP game out there. I basically describe it as Risk. Total destruction total mayham. This is definitely a NO carebear game. the game revolves around pvp ,no quest (WOW) no story line, just straight in your face killing. Open pvp except in the starting areas and NPC cities, every where else is free game even in your own city. Shadowbane actually came out before its time. If it was to come out today with todays MMOS it would prosper far greater than WOW ever has. Thats why alot of people play mmos is for the PVP. So with all of this being said I would like for you to watch this clip from a preview of the game and its just a preview alot has been done to resurrect this great game.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErMEbBMmgQ PS here is the website to the EMU http://www.shadowbaneemulator.com/forum/index.php
Well... I wish you all the best, but its been demonstrated time after time after time, that FFA PvP (with or without full loot) is a *narrow* niche market at best. Especially in the modern western market. The idea that there is some great, untapped audience for that type of game, is simply not demonstrated by years of market research, and also the fate of those games that have tried FFA PvP. But if you can find enough people to sustain the game, then more power to you.
Ok here I go. Im in the same boat as alot of you people, im currently playing Lotro. The Kinship I lead is basically waiting for the game that this great community is waiting for, going through withdraws per say. That game is Shadowbane. Yes I know that the servers are down the game has been down since July 09, but it will make a come back and it is close to it. Shadowbane is and will always be the best PVP game out there. I basically describe it as Risk. Total destruction total mayham. This is definitely a NO carebear game. the game revolves around pvp ,no quest (WOW) no story line, just straight in your face killing. Open pvp except in the starting areas and NPC cities, every where else is free game even in your own city. Shadowbane actually came out before its time. If it was to come out today with todays MMOS it would prosper far greater than WOW ever has. Thats why alot of people play mmos is for the PVP. So with all of this being said I would like for you to watch this clip from a preview of the game and its just a preview alot has been done to resurrect this great game.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErMEbBMmgQ PS here is the website to the EMU http://www.shadowbaneemulator.com/forum/index.php
Shadowsbane will forever be a tarnished name due to the developer company and their mishandling of the game. It tried to make a come back once and failed miserably. It's date material now, with a bad rep, so the likelyhood of it ever becoming a popular mmo again is very slim. Perhaps if they change the name and retool the graphics so it looks totally different they might be able to publish it and have it go somewhere.
I guess i'm different then you, Isabelle, sincemost MMOs I played, I played for over a year. I also become very attached to my characters and love to watch them grow and evolve.
Instead of learning how to play the game, what really turns me on is to have the character evolve. Have new abilities unlocked, be able to do new things, use new equipment, whatever...
I'm also a serial altaholic. Meaning that even though I do enjoy having alts, I tent to play a character until they are pretty high level or even capped before I begin giving the alt any serious thought.
I have also went back to a few games here and there, and played them for a considerable time before moving on again.
I guess it's because of this that I am very happy with the new f2p trend that is grabbing the MMO world. Before, whenever you quit a game, you either cancelled your subscription or kept paying it even without playing the game (I think I payed for AO for close to a year before I came to the conclusion I was not going to pick it up again). Then when you want to go back, you have to sign up again and sink money for another month.
With f2p you don't have that problem. You can jump in at any time, and in most cases, all the stuff you bought for real money is still there. So to me that makes a lot more sense. It also makes coming back a lot easier. And if you come back and decide it's still not for you, then you lost nothing.
I've been playing MMOGs for quite awhile, like you have (12 years for me), and I really understand not wanting to quit something that you've invested a lot of time and effort in (all the characters and intentions I have in WoW alone, believe me I get it!), as well as the relationships you may have developed, but the one thing I've never understood, is why anyone should expect a game to be entertaining for the rest of their life.
What I've found, personally, is that on occasion I just need to take a break from the entire genre. Don't check out another game, don't go back and play an old one, just. quit. playing. MMOGs. Maybe for 2 months, maybe even 6, but get away from therm all.
So far, doing that has worked to bring back the thrill for me. Of course it's not the same thrill, a veteran player should never expect to get the same type of thrill as he or she had just starting out, but there's a different thrill, and a re-kindled excitement, and an ability to enjoy things on a new level.
As far as it not mattering to the younger kids as much - maybe if you look at the personalitires instead of the age, you would understand better. A lot of the people playing MMOGs today are playing them on such a casual level that they have no meaning to them; their characters mean no more than the avatars in an arcade game. They simply have less invested ( and so get less out of) the game to begin with. The people in their guilds aren't even real (hence one of the strangest phrases ever to come out of the mouths of humanity "real life friends"). The question isn't why doesn't it bother them more to stop playing an MMOG, but why would they care if they left when they had so little invested anyway?
Have played: Everquest, Asheron's Call, Horizons, Everquest2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall
Frankly, I've been in flux game-wise the majority of this year. WoW doesn't really meet my gaming needs anymore and DCUO did not meet up to expectations.
I'm like many of you in that I am nearing my 40's (39) and have a work/life balance to maintain. I've gamed for a long time and spent my longest periods in AC and AO. Primarily due to the fact that their worlds were completely original and I always find that setting most engaging. Fortunately, my wife is also a gamer and looks for ways to make whatever time I do have to invest in a game enjoyable.
I really miss the days of games like EQ and AC where going to the next town over was easier said than done and some form of fellowship was needed to meet individual players needs.
I am hopeful for the new crop of games incoming as they appear to have embraced innovation. SW:ToR, GW2, and TSW each have something very unique to offer experience wise and I'll be interested to see how their respective companies implement them.
Good article. I started with Diablo II and Ragnarok Online about 8 years ago or so. I played RO for about 3 years, met some awesome, awesome people. I then found myself playing WoW, stayed there for about 4 years. Again, met some awesome people. Got really into raiding and making alts. Then... most of the awesome people stopped playing, and somehow the alts just didn't have their same zing anymore. It didn't help that WoW was going more and more toward everything being an easily-puggable token grind and less of a game where you needed a few friends to help you out occasionally.
I then spent about 6 months moseying from game to game without really finding anything I truly loved. I tried LotRO, AoC, Rift, and even FFXI. I play Rift the most these days. I raid a bit, and try to level alts, but there's... something deiniftely missing from the experience.
Both of the times when I left RO and WoW for good were not easy decisions. I kinda felt like I needed a sense of closure in both games, and that usually came from saying goodbyes, taking final screenshots, etc. The weird thing is though, I don't ever really consider going back to WoW. The closure thing really seems to help me move on.
I hope that someday I can find a game that really captures my interest again. Gonna be giving TOR a shot, and maybe GW2.
Yes this is what happens to me too, although it happens so much faster when there is no endgame to an MMO, cos I will make an alt or two but if getting them to cap proves fruitless why do it ?
Good Guilds have kept me in several MMORPG's far longer than I would have otherwise stayed. I have revisited a few titles once or twice in some cases after initially putting them down but usually the same issues that generally drove me away in the first place are still there.
Well I have to say boredom is what makes me move on from a game.
I agree on many points, when you have a full complement of an alt army, and there is nothing left to do. Then yes its time to find something else. The fact that you got your alt army maxed, means you been there and done it all. Some games that is easy to do others not so easy.
However the number one thing that makes me move on is bad developers. they do thinks and make the game totally unplayable. I am facing that right now in EQ2, we got the nge to eq2 this year with the velious xpac. Sweeping changes to the game, its almost unrecognizable. I am to the point where it is not fun, and at that point its time to let it go, I am just waiting for swtor as nothing else has me wanting to play it.
I am older as well...I was in the beta for the original EQ, if that gives you a clue as to how old that might be
I think I have played just about every MMO out there. Not at once mind you, but usually one at a time. Once in a while, two, but that is very rare.
There have been a few games that keep my interest for longer than 2 months, but only a few. Generally, those come with some form of GOOD (and trust me it's hard to find one that has a good system) crafting AND merchanting system. Crafting, keeps me "invested" into the game. A reason to come back and see if I made a profit, or if my goods were popular.
A few games that have kept me going were games like A Tale in the Desert, or the ever popular WoW-EQ-AO etc or even less known and played games like Luminary (Goonzu).
Games that give me something to invest into, keep me longer. A house, a pshop, some form of unique something...armor that shows that I made it because my name is listed on it etc. Too few games do this, so most times I find myself burning out and moving to the next game of interest after a couple months.
I am not big into PvP, but I do enjoy it here and there but I won't play forced PvP style games. Memories of the original UO comes to mind here...that game was very painful when it first came out, so I avoid most the games with conflict without choice.
I do feel sad when I leave...and I always think, I will come back one day. But it's rare that I re-visit a game once I have left. Some days I play a game for one day and think, nope...no reason to even play further. It's missing what I want in a game. It's that one moment, when you first log on and start...that grabs you or not.
I have tons of fond memories from the friendships that were built in EQ. That game was open to making friends easily....shouting in OOC... Looking for more for the Crypt Camp...etc. Social was so much easier and no so broken down as it is in games now. So many of the item mall games make you play for that ability (which to me, is one reason so many don't play them). After EQ, I remained in contact with every single friend I had made, for years. Eventually, I lost touch. The new friends I have made, are not really friends. We are fast groups made by the game...not by our effort. It's not the same, and to me, it's one reason why social connections are not as available, nor as fun.
I miss those moments, and I still look for them in every game I visit. But staying in a game...that...would take better social interactions easily available. More investment for me to care about...(crafting, equipment, homes etc).
Long term, games fade because it's the same thing every day. If they would just freshen up loot, add more or different styles monthly, that would help to motivate folks to stay...to constantly gain something new and different. They don't always have to add a whole new area...just change things out, and make it fresh. And...don't tell them you are doing it. Let that group hunting it find it out and shout it to the world.
Comments
The problem, imo, is that everything looks like a crappier version of this game or that game. What happened to the devs that created new content and new looks and feels? It's a slide downhill with a steadily increasing angle of descent, from what I am seeing.
First mmo I played was EQ. To this day, I still love the bard class jack of all trades status but I have yet to find another game with a character that has the skill set to be able to fit into just about any group and perform a needed role while not being limited to just one role. 2 years play time.
After EQ was DAoC. IMO they have/had the right ideas about pvp/pve game control. With the exception of a few bugs, which were fixed, you were not forced to deal with the chronic player greifers while you were grinding. When you were ready to go out into the world of pvp, you got to chose to do so. They started falling apart with the escalating add on abilities and chronic nerfing of classes that needed the damage output they had enjoyed to play the class as it was intended, e.g. assassin class types. There was one fundamental flaw in their game which pushed me away from it. Apparently, the lead designer or owner was a caster freak and had the CC set up in such a way that high damage wizardy types were pretty much running everything else on the game over. They never corrected this which is why I left. 1.5 years play time.
Went to L2 from there which was a step into the surreal. Having experienced the grindfest in EQ, I thought I could cope, but the amount of grinding and harvesting etc, to make a relatively low level item was insane. Add to that you have to deal with every player greifer in the game, whether you wanted to or not. 9 months play time
From there I shuffled from WoW look-a-like game to L2 look-a-like game for a while, until DnD online came out and enjoyed a 8 month tenure with them. However, once you have done all the missions, there is really nothing left to do but hang out in the arenas and that get's old quick. Shuffle to more WoW look-a-like and L2 Look-a-like games. Start getting into the more recent games and frankly, I am amazed they put this crap out attitude starts in.
I'm 24 now... I quit WoW before last summer and it pained me to do it. I felt close to my guild for a while then; the feeling wasn't exactly mutual though. We had fun together for a while... then they just dropped me from their raiding groups for little to no reason. I was one of the most reliable raiders -- on every raid night -- that half-regection was the last straw for me. I'd been feeling all the "blah" of the game's chorishness and had been playing other games on the side; only popping in to see how the guild and my professions were doing and waiting around for invites that never came on raid nights. I even considered leaving that guild for another... but it would only delay the inevitable.
After the guild benched me, indefinately, I felt it was time for me to go. So I wrote some, "I'm quiting WoW for a while... might come back" letters to my closer WoW "friends" and shoved off. Hadn't looked back since. I can't expect much from MMO friendships anymore because of how my guild -- even WoW and its calloused community -- hurt me.
I tried Rift next... got to level cap. Then I said to myself as I faced the raiding gear grind, "What's the point?" The people were quite kind and helpful in that one, but I couldn't bring myself to make any friends in-game anymore cause it was just the same old stuff all over again with a different paint job and people. I used to embrace that quality about Rift, but I just couldn't stomach the same old experience anymore than I already had through the questing. I unsubbed there too.
Now I'm just sitting here... alone with little of interest to play in the MMO sense. I've been replaying N64 classics and the like. I even considered picking up the Pokemon series again! What's up with that?! "I'm so bored that I have to go 'catch em' all' for the millionth time!" Someone needs to put something out that'll last more than a month to my boredom-fried brain; MMORPG, MMOFPS, even something completely different, I don't care. I'm sick of this rut. I want something great!
@Isabelle
For the purposes of your survey questions at the end of the article, I am in my 30's and here follows my general outlook on the subject.
I feel the exact same hesitation and introspection at leaving a game, with the same detachment process leading up to the day I realize that I haven't logged in for a month. I also form attachments to the people I meet online and play with every day, but even when I leave, I try to stay in contact with some of them, via the forums, vent or other social networks.
Having said that, I normally spend a minimum of 2 years in a game before I even feel a hint of boredom and discontent. And expansions can easily hold it at bay for a further year or two. I rarely leave a game that survives the first 6 months, before I've thoroughly plumbed it for 3 or 4 years. (I should also mention that I avoid repetitive content like the plague and I manage to stretch my gameplay to those lengths simply by not rushing anything, taking time to perfect stuff and setting myself goals to achieve which are not necessarily related to levelling or end-game.)
But, I don't restrict myself to one game. I allow myself up to 2 at a time. More than that and I start to lose focus and then interest follows.
Oh, I also wanted to add that perfect gameplay can be completely ruined for me by a lack of community or a community which values different types of gameplay to what I'm interested in. This has lead to me leave a number of games which I initially loved, but just couldn't find my niche in.
Hello...I'm Barcrow...and I'm a WoW-coholic. I've been sober almost 10 months now...and though it gets hard at times...I just take it day by day. Now I await refuge in SW:TOR but until then get by with the occasional foray into RIFT or AOC and brief dabblings in various SPGs . Thank you for listening.
I used to feel this way when I left a game. I havent subbed to a game in a long time though. The feelings of boredom and having done it all before stretches to all MMOs for me now. I simply keep hoping for something different but it doesn't look like its coming.
I had a similar experience with EQ. Played regularly for 3-4 years, maybe more, haven't tried to figure it out. From just after launch until the launch of EQ2. But we had a great group of friends. When the community started to break up, that was the end, although it was a slow process that extended into EQ2.
I want to mention that contrary to the OP there is such a thing as games that stay fresh for a very long time...just no MMOs so far. Not simple games like Monoply. But take chess or duplicate bridge. I played chess competitively for 10 years or so, and compettive bridge for, well, from college until about age 50...roughly 30 years. Playing chess takes a ferocious amount of energy. Bridge is not nearly so bad because of the break between hands. But we've lost our bridge community so that we don't play any more --- but I still read the bridge columns, LOL.
I take exception to the last comments above quoted to the effect that the writer will never recapture the feeling that he had with UO. Well, if he finds the community, he will. It may not be online; but it can happen. I have to believe that. I am 62 and I am looking for a community, I am sure it is just around the corner.
At the same time I am absolutely certain that so-called "social" games (i.e. Zynga) will not produce such a community. The interactions are too superficial.
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Rose-lipped maidens,
Light-foot lads...
With the collapse of any meaningful social structure or coherent community, it is a wonder people play these games any longer at all. I used to play the same MMO for years, back when making friends was easy and lasting friendships were common. Nobody gives a shit about anyone else in these games anymore beyond your RL friends or the statistics of strangers' attributes.
The story and combat are okay. I can get those in single player games, and they are generally much better. When I log into a multiplayer role-playing game, I expect to meet interesting people and make friends based on common interests. The problem is, I don't care about loot or progression, so I'm already at a huge disadvantage when trying to intereact with 95% of the current crowd. If there is such a small chance to meet people and actually have engaging interaction with them, I'll save myself the time and money by playing other games. If I want engaging online social interaction, I come to this site.
Once you get past the combat and progression, there is very little left anymore to keep people playing. I used to feel bad leaving friends behind to play another game. The idea that I could meet another player in one of my friends' groups was enough to keep me going. I guess those types of players just don't play these games anymore. Leaving an MMO has become similar to throwing the trash away after eating a meal.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Agreed fully. This is why I no longer play MMORPGs; though I am waiting to see how Guild Wars 2 unfolds. I will likely play that, since it won't require a monthly subscription.
I usually hit a wall, and if I can't overcome that wall in a few days I unsubscribe,
In EQ, it was being LFG for hours. It only took a few days of that and I was done.
In WoW, it was the BGs and lack of progression through the BGs at level cap. I loved BGs until level 80. I cancelled my sub a few days after being 80, because there is no progression through BGs only. Raiding and Arena play? Sure. BGs? Nope.
In DAoC, it was the lack of action. It started to decline pretty swiftly after ToA then NF and WoW was the nail.
Went back off and on to EQ, and every time is was the slow pace of leveling coupled with the fact that you had to do it on your own, since the pop was so low. I enjoy the content until level 70. The pace is just laughably slow and boring.
DDO. I reincarnated my monk to a fighter. Found out fighters are pretty boring to level. Got to 18, and just couldn't find any quest he could solo because of his horrid saves. With all the new quest out I'm sure I could do it, but I'm just not motivated. I'll never play a fighter again.
So, anyways, I usually hit some wall that stops progression, which saps my desire to play. I unsubscribe rather quickly.
Agree 1000%.
hmmmmmmmmmmm
I think the first time I left a great guild in WoW, it was a little tough. It was the perfect situation because we only raided 2 nights a week, but generally completed more raid content than many guilds who raided 4+ nights a week due to our heavy use of theorycrafting and planning on the guild forums during off nights (pre-youtube). It was also tough since I had met a number of the guildmates in RL for lunches and dinners in the Bosotn area.
However, since then, it's never been the same. I spent a year or so heavily invested in raiding, but after a while, I got that "been there, done that" feeling from each new tier. Each subsequnet game since WoW also seems like much of the same. Different graphics don't hide the fact that the game systems in the MMO genre haven't changed ery much over the past 7 years.
Basically, MMOs were fun when they were new, but there's really very little that interests me in MMOs anymore because the genre has become very stale. Unfortunately that mentality also permiates into how I feel about guilds. I'm willing to work through a little adversity, but I know that I'm not going to invest 6 months to 2+ years in any MMO anymore. I won't drop a guild at the first sign of problems like a PuG dungeon group, but I'm not going to stick it out with people who stand the fire or can't pay attention to boss emotes either ... and I'm not will to join a hardcore 4-5 night raiding group to play with competent players.
For example, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore player, but I binge on new games. I played Rift for 2 months and about half the first raid tier. By the time we cleared the third boss, I was about done with the game. New graphics, same tired content and a realtively weak playerbase.
If you don't worry about it, it's not a problem.
Ok here I go. Im in the same boat as alot of you people, im currently playing Lotro. The Kinship I lead is basically waiting for the game that this great community is waiting for, going through withdraws per say. That game is Shadowbane. Yes I know that the servers are down the game has been down since July 09, but it will make a come back and it is close to it. Shadowbane is and will always be the best PVP game out there. I basically describe it as Risk. Total destruction total mayham. This is definitely a NO carebear game. the game revolves around pvp ,no quest (WOW) no story line, just straight in your face killing. Open pvp except in the starting areas and NPC cities, every where else is free game even in your own city. Shadowbane actually came out before its time. If it was to come out today with todays MMOS it would prosper far greater than WOW ever has. Thats why alot of people play mmos is for the PVP. So with all of this being said I would like for you to watch this clip from a preview of the game and its just a preview alot has been done to resurrect this great game.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErMEbBMmgQ PS here is the website to the EMU http://www.shadowbaneemulator.com/forum/index.php
Well... I wish you all the best, but its been demonstrated time after time after time, that FFA PvP (with or without full loot) is a *narrow* niche market at best. Especially in the modern western market. The idea that there is some great, untapped audience for that type of game, is simply not demonstrated by years of market research, and also the fate of those games that have tried FFA PvP. But if you can find enough people to sustain the game, then more power to you.
Shadowsbane will forever be a tarnished name due to the developer company and their mishandling of the game. It tried to make a come back once and failed miserably. It's date material now, with a bad rep, so the likelyhood of it ever becoming a popular mmo again is very slim. Perhaps if they change the name and retool the graphics so it looks totally different they might be able to publish it and have it go somewhere.
I guess i'm different then you, Isabelle, sincemost MMOs I played, I played for over a year. I also become very attached to my characters and love to watch them grow and evolve.
Instead of learning how to play the game, what really turns me on is to have the character evolve. Have new abilities unlocked, be able to do new things, use new equipment, whatever...
I'm also a serial altaholic. Meaning that even though I do enjoy having alts, I tent to play a character until they are pretty high level or even capped before I begin giving the alt any serious thought.
I have also went back to a few games here and there, and played them for a considerable time before moving on again.
I guess it's because of this that I am very happy with the new f2p trend that is grabbing the MMO world. Before, whenever you quit a game, you either cancelled your subscription or kept paying it even without playing the game (I think I payed for AO for close to a year before I came to the conclusion I was not going to pick it up again). Then when you want to go back, you have to sign up again and sink money for another month.
With f2p you don't have that problem. You can jump in at any time, and in most cases, all the stuff you bought for real money is still there. So to me that makes a lot more sense. It also makes coming back a lot easier. And if you come back and decide it's still not for you, then you lost nothing.
I've been playing MMOGs for quite awhile, like you have (12 years for me), and I really understand not wanting to quit something that you've invested a lot of time and effort in (all the characters and intentions I have in WoW alone, believe me I get it!), as well as the relationships you may have developed, but the one thing I've never understood, is why anyone should expect a game to be entertaining for the rest of their life.
What I've found, personally, is that on occasion I just need to take a break from the entire genre. Don't check out another game, don't go back and play an old one, just. quit. playing. MMOGs. Maybe for 2 months, maybe even 6, but get away from therm all.
So far, doing that has worked to bring back the thrill for me. Of course it's not the same thrill, a veteran player should never expect to get the same type of thrill as he or she had just starting out, but there's a different thrill, and a re-kindled excitement, and an ability to enjoy things on a new level.
As far as it not mattering to the younger kids as much - maybe if you look at the personalitires instead of the age, you would understand better. A lot of the people playing MMOGs today are playing them on such a casual level that they have no meaning to them; their characters mean no more than the avatars in an arcade game. They simply have less invested ( and so get less out of) the game to begin with. The people in their guilds aren't even real (hence one of the strangest phrases ever to come out of the mouths of humanity "real life friends"). The question isn't why doesn't it bother them more to stop playing an MMOG, but why would they care if they left when they had so little invested anyway?
Have played: Everquest, Asheron's Call, Horizons, Everquest2, World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer, Age of Conan, Darkfall
Frankly, I've been in flux game-wise the majority of this year. WoW doesn't really meet my gaming needs anymore and DCUO did not meet up to expectations.
I'm like many of you in that I am nearing my 40's (39) and have a work/life balance to maintain. I've gamed for a long time and spent my longest periods in AC and AO. Primarily due to the fact that their worlds were completely original and I always find that setting most engaging. Fortunately, my wife is also a gamer and looks for ways to make whatever time I do have to invest in a game enjoyable.
I really miss the days of games like EQ and AC where going to the next town over was easier said than done and some form of fellowship was needed to meet individual players needs.
I am hopeful for the new crop of games incoming as they appear to have embraced innovation. SW:ToR, GW2, and TSW each have something very unique to offer experience wise and I'll be interested to see how their respective companies implement them.
Good article. I started with Diablo II and Ragnarok Online about 8 years ago or so. I played RO for about 3 years, met some awesome, awesome people. I then found myself playing WoW, stayed there for about 4 years. Again, met some awesome people. Got really into raiding and making alts. Then... most of the awesome people stopped playing, and somehow the alts just didn't have their same zing anymore. It didn't help that WoW was going more and more toward everything being an easily-puggable token grind and less of a game where you needed a few friends to help you out occasionally.
I then spent about 6 months moseying from game to game without really finding anything I truly loved. I tried LotRO, AoC, Rift, and even FFXI. I play Rift the most these days. I raid a bit, and try to level alts, but there's... something deiniftely missing from the experience.
Both of the times when I left RO and WoW for good were not easy decisions. I kinda felt like I needed a sense of closure in both games, and that usually came from saying goodbyes, taking final screenshots, etc. The weird thing is though, I don't ever really consider going back to WoW. The closure thing really seems to help me move on.
I hope that someday I can find a game that really captures my interest again. Gonna be giving TOR a shot, and maybe GW2.
Yes this is what happens to me too, although it happens so much faster when there is no endgame to an MMO, cos I will make an alt or two but if getting them to cap proves fruitless why do it ?
Good Guilds have kept me in several MMORPG's far longer than I would have otherwise stayed. I have revisited a few titles once or twice in some cases after initially putting them down but usually the same issues that generally drove me away in the first place are still there.
Well I have to say boredom is what makes me move on from a game.
I agree on many points, when you have a full complement of an alt army, and there is nothing left to do. Then yes its time to find something else. The fact that you got your alt army maxed, means you been there and done it all. Some games that is easy to do others not so easy.
However the number one thing that makes me move on is bad developers. they do thinks and make the game totally unplayable. I am facing that right now in EQ2, we got the nge to eq2 this year with the velious xpac. Sweeping changes to the game, its almost unrecognizable. I am to the point where it is not fun, and at that point its time to let it go, I am just waiting for swtor as nothing else has me wanting to play it.
I am older as well...I was in the beta for the original EQ, if that gives you a clue as to how old that might be
I think I have played just about every MMO out there. Not at once mind you, but usually one at a time. Once in a while, two, but that is very rare.
There have been a few games that keep my interest for longer than 2 months, but only a few. Generally, those come with some form of GOOD (and trust me it's hard to find one that has a good system) crafting AND merchanting system. Crafting, keeps me "invested" into the game. A reason to come back and see if I made a profit, or if my goods were popular.
A few games that have kept me going were games like A Tale in the Desert, or the ever popular WoW-EQ-AO etc or even less known and played games like Luminary (Goonzu).
Games that give me something to invest into, keep me longer. A house, a pshop, some form of unique something...armor that shows that I made it because my name is listed on it etc. Too few games do this, so most times I find myself burning out and moving to the next game of interest after a couple months.
I am not big into PvP, but I do enjoy it here and there but I won't play forced PvP style games. Memories of the original UO comes to mind here...that game was very painful when it first came out, so I avoid most the games with conflict without choice.
I do feel sad when I leave...and I always think, I will come back one day. But it's rare that I re-visit a game once I have left. Some days I play a game for one day and think, nope...no reason to even play further. It's missing what I want in a game. It's that one moment, when you first log on and start...that grabs you or not.
I have tons of fond memories from the friendships that were built in EQ. That game was open to making friends easily....shouting in OOC... Looking for more for the Crypt Camp...etc. Social was so much easier and no so broken down as it is in games now. So many of the item mall games make you play for that ability (which to me, is one reason so many don't play them). After EQ, I remained in contact with every single friend I had made, for years. Eventually, I lost touch. The new friends I have made, are not really friends. We are fast groups made by the game...not by our effort. It's not the same, and to me, it's one reason why social connections are not as available, nor as fun.
I miss those moments, and I still look for them in every game I visit. But staying in a game...that...would take better social interactions easily available. More investment for me to care about...(crafting, equipment, homes etc).
Long term, games fade because it's the same thing every day. If they would just freshen up loot, add more or different styles monthly, that would help to motivate folks to stay...to constantly gain something new and different. They don't always have to add a whole new area...just change things out, and make it fresh. And...don't tell them you are doing it. Let that group hunting it find it out and shout it to the world.