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What is the most motivating gameplay factor? (poll)
Phaserlight
Member EpicPosts: 3,072
Let's assume the game is fun (why else play it?).
That aside, what is the biggest motivating gameplay factor for you in any MMORP game? It could be new or old, real or imagined, experienced or looked-forward-to.
Is it...
Progress - gear, statistics, accomplishments, standing...
Influence - other players, guild-members, enemies...
Skill - muscle memory, situational awareness, strategy, practice...
Wealth - becoming a benefactor, heir, steward...
Discovery - revealing the world, research, exploration...
Design - seeing an original plan come to life...
Fame - recognition, monuments, legacy...
The particular games I've played aren't important to this poll, but I've played a few and spent nearly a decade in my game of choice. These are the primary motivating factors I could think of to continue playing any MMORPG. I'm interested in hearing what motivates others in their gameplay activities.
Comments
Once upon a time....
Does the OP not play games for the enjoyment of the act of playing games?
Because only "skill" refers to the actual act of playing -- everything else refers to surrounding metagame -- and skill is only part of what makes the actual gameplay fun.
The games which keep me playing are the ones that attach those fun metagame elements onto a game which is fun unto itself. But if it's not fun in the first place, no amount of metagame elements are going to make it fun.
Meaning: the fun itself is the most motivating factor.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
Progress.
In skills paticulary. When I unlock all the skills i usually quit the game.
Which makes me especially pissed with GW2.
Do you even know what you said?
progression.. meaning cap, meaning end game?
Hey people, there is another solution. Sandbox gamers have been slapping you in the face with it for over a decade now. Time to wake your asses up and smell the roses.
You are left with that feeling because you apparently only think that you can progress in a way that makes you stronger. I'd say, start a profession, Except most games now use crafting as a means to progress in combat. I'd say, build a home and decorate it. Or become an in-game real estate agent. Buying plots low and selling high. Become rich through a variety of means and gain fame among your peers. Oh wait, megaservers are destroying community. Build a ship and sail around the oceans (most games don't have explorable oceans), destroy other ships, kill sea monsters, have a fishing expedition or claim islands as your own. Ah, can't do that either. Go tot he local tavern and RP with some friends, Ah, most games frown upon this. Explore your world! Damn, dungeon and group finders that teleport you instantly ruins that too. Sit down in the park and play chess or checkers with a friend or even stranger. Nope, most MMO's think mini-games are a waste of time. Build a castle and rent out vendor NPC slots to reputable players and create the first server player made shopping mall. Ah, not possible in most games. Tame wild animals! Wolves! Bears! Dragons! Nope, taming wild animals isn't possible because most games don't have wild life or taming in general. Oh, but you get battle pets! Woopy! You could be a rare collector! Go around purchasing or finding all of the rarest items in the game! Ah yes, there is no such thing as rare items anymore. Literally all items are rare in todays games. Be a survivalist! Live only off the land, no cities, no NPC's, only player interaction and what you find in the wilderness. Can't do that, NPC cities are vital to progression. Hell, in some games you can't even obtain skills or levels unless you visit a NPC. Capture an enemy keep, making a name for your guild and yourself. This is possible in some games. Open world PvP anyone? Once in Everquest, I knew a guy who sat in a pumpkin patch every single day. He roleplayed a blind old man. Every single day. Sad? Perhaps. Awesome as well? Agreed. Journy to the bottom of a dungeon for no other reason than to see whats there. See that mountain? What's at the top? Oh sorry, invisible wall, no climbing skill. Be a great theif! Nope, can't do that in most games.
Sigh...
There is more potential for video games than what most of you could ever imagine. There is so much more than endlessly chasing a carrot on a stick. I feel sorry for the people who only care for 'pew pew pew'.
That you missed Socializing, Combat and Story leads me to believe you either recently read something that you interpreted poorly or you're asking your question in a very strange and unclear way.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Exactly. I'm not even going to bother voting.
+1
Story / lore,
Dive into the world (maybe that could fit into OP's discovery, but not an exact fit since it doesn't have immersion) and
RP / Socializing would be my top 3 votes in any rpg. (and socializing is not OP's influence btw... I mean, seriously, influence? lol... paired with wealth and fame? Dude, you have some gaming issues I think
)
Im first and formost an explorer/adventurer/dicoverer in games thats why i love Elder Scrolls games and Darkfall 1 exploring AGON gameworld was realy nice.
Gameworld for me must be huge and one open free roaming world to explore other wise im not realy interested.
Though some have claimed the OP ommited certain aspects that they felt really should have been mentioned. I see them as easily inferable by what the header terms would denote. especially since there is the use of "..." at the end of each description for the category titles (which may be taken to be synonomous with "etc." when occuring at the end of a running sentance).
While there is such a thing as not knowing how to write well. The other side of that coin is there being such a thing as not knowing how to read well. I think any lack of full description for brevities sake would had only been remedied by something so long and descriptive, that the OP would have gotten a TL;DR from the same people who complain about lack of descriptivness.
For my own part, I voted for Discovery. I really don't like a locked door, or closed off area. and especially so when I see others access it. I strongly compelled to look behind the curtain. And, new-to-me discoveries in an MMOG keep me going. I rarely even level cap in a game because I only progress by what is needed to get into an area, and then into the next. my first activity in an MMOG is to try and get to some object or landmark I really shouldn't be able to get to or have no good reason to be on top of, or to break the map barrier, and things along those lines.
Yeah .. it is funny the OP Is missing the gameplay element that most players spend most of their time on.
Really? I never met anyone in a MMO trying to meet women. In fact, most of my ex-guildies (since i already quit) are married.
And to be honest, it is totally inefficient, if meeting chick is your game. You are much better off going to a love forum, or a dating site.
Really? I never met anyone in a MMO trying to meet women. In fact, most of my ex-guildies (since i already quit) are married.
And to be honest, it is totally inefficient, if meeting chick is your game. You are much better off going to a love forum, or a dating site.
I mentioned that i play for fun in teamspeak before, you could hear a pin drop because they others didnt quite understand anything beyond trying to meet women. Im married myself and i was scratching my head, why do you need to play video games to meet women?I chose Other because the reason I'll log into a game and play for hours is because I'm thoroughly engaged. When hours fly by, I'm into it and that's why I'll log in again and again. What I'm engaged in can change from minute to minute; discovery, challenge, design, wealth, group endeavors - these are the "what" rather than the "why".
It could be that I'm asking the question in a strange way?
The background to this is that I was designing an event which had a successful first run, but one player complained that the reward wasn't high enough. This got me thinking about why it is that people play online games at all; I'm very interested in psychology and game design, and have some schooling in mathematics and social theory. I expected one player's reward could be another player's per-diem. Anyhow, that's what led me to ask this poll.
Regarding combat: I consider this to be even too general for what I'm asking. There can be many aspects to combat; i.e. is the enjoyable aspect finally having the right sword, ability, stats or whatever to defeat a powerful enemy (progress)... or is it more about developing the right muscle-memory, "connecting" to the game in the right way (skill)...
Take a look at an older game like Contra; most of the "boss battles" involved memorizing the enemy's "pattern" and dodging in the correct manner or sequence. Pretty archaiac in one regard, but I don't think I'd be too far off the mark by setting this up as an adjacent design philosophy to a game like... Final Fantasy, where one's ability in combat involved managing character's health bars, mana, etc.
Similarly with socialization, one could say that even socialization is a means to an end. Over the years certain games have built up entire virtual societies, complete with their own economies, castes, backgrounds, what have you... my poll is aimed more at the question why socialize? Is it the feeling of helping others on their way, making their journey easier, or keeping an eye on something valuable (wealth)... or perhaps rising through the ranks in a regimented military structure (progress)... being part of a secret society pulling the strings behind the scenes (influence)...
Likewise, story might be about discovery, or it could be more about design or fame given the structure of any game...
It's not a perfect poll, and I expect there to be some cross-over between categories, but I think the key-words provide a decent cross-section without having one or two "obvious answers".
Thanks for the responses so far! The results are pretty enlightening, and some of the answers have been very insightful.
"The simple is the seal of the true and beauty is the splendor of truth" -Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
Authored 139 missions in Vendetta Online and 6 tracks in Distance
Other.
Variety of gameplay.
If the game locks me into a limited view, that means the ability to play how I want, when I want and no amount of progression or anything else will make up for it. Nothing is worse than a game made by someone that feels they must guide every step a player makes.