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[Column] General: Holidays & Events A Welcome Way to Close the Year
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
As the end of 2013 rolls around, MMOs crack out winter / holiday events for players. In our newest Social Hub, we take a look at why we believe those events and celebrations are important for the community. Check out our thoughts and then add your own in the comments.
The holiday season has gotten me thinking about events. While holiday season in MMOs is in full swing, there are other types and some of the roles they play are important. That includes the types of events and some of the things it takes to make them effective and fun. Do today's games have to do something different or is it enough to freshen events from year to year? Events can be a good way to help player communities gather around a central occasion, but there are some potential downsides too.
Read more of Christina Gonzalez's The Social Hub: Holidays & Events – A Welcome Way to Close the Year.
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Comments
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
Nice column again. To the question at the end (event that bring me back) - nope. I love events and festivals, but I play them only in those games which I play anyways. I don't think I'd go back into a game just because it has a nice event. As you wrote, these events are great in bringing the community together, why would I play them in a game I don't play after the event is over?
Any that deserving more attention - dunno, the bigger ones get enough coverage I think. Maybe DCUO, Larfleeze has some funny lines indeed
"Having stepped into a couple of the holiday events again on a few games, I was repeatedly struck by how much fun they were, but also made acutely aware of the time squeeze on some of them." Indeed, that's a sad progression of the last 2-3 years... with several threads on the games' own forum as well usually. These event should be the place of fun, of getting together, and maybe some cosmetic or fun reward for those who like being rewarded. Instead of that, more and more games making these events a tedious, boring grind, sometimes even worse grind than the regular ones originally in the game.
A perfect example could be Neverwinter, since the launch every event in the game was way more grindier than the previous one.
An another candidate could've been LotRO, because last year they made Frostbluff a giant grind, but luckily they stepped back a bit this year (with not erasing the deed from last year, and this year putting the new steed to the 1st tier and not behind a huge grind-wall), so they got off the hook for now