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Reasons OTHER than social for playing MMORPGs

13

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  • Ocalypse0Ocalypse0 Member UncommonPosts: 19

    I can truthfully say that for myself, what kept me playing World of Warcraft for the 7 years that I did was the end-game raiding.

     

    I loved crunching the numbers of my stats, going over my gemming and enchanting. Could I edge out another 10 points of DPS? Would exchanging crit for haste allow me more casting during Bloodlust with my Potion of Speed allowing a more effective burn window, or should I do the opposite for a long-term DPS fight?

    I loved planning for the fights ahead. When should I use tranquility on Sartharion 3 Drake? When will my healers need the boost? Who will need my Innervate? Who should I plan on Battle-Rezzing?

    I loved working with 24 of my fellow raiders and integrating them into this planning.

     

    And most of all, I loved RAIDING! I loved playing to my max, pushing every bit of skill I could into the fight. Thinking ahead of how to deal with problems, reacting to sudden changes or unexpected issues, saving our attempts will a well placed Battle-Rez or popping out of Boomkin form to land a surplus heal on a needy target.

     

    I loved the 2% wipes.

     

    I loved the frustration of getting destroyed by a new boss.

     

    And I loved coming out with a hard-earned victory.

    Warrior/Druid - Level 90/90 - World of Warcraft
    GLD Level 27 - CNJ Level 15 - Final Fantasy XIV: ARR
    Jedi Guardian/Republic Gunslinger - Level 50/50 - SW:TOR
    Cleric - Level 48 - RIFT
    Illuminati - QL6 - The Secret World
    Trickster Rogue - Level 50 - Neverwinter
    Summoner Level 30 - League of Legends
    EGO Rating 363 - Defiance

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435
    I play them mostly for the progression, however more along the lines of skills and abilities and not gear.

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

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  • KaledrenKaledren Member UncommonPosts: 312
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Kaledren
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Kaledren
     

    I never said anything about forcing grouping. Just that MMORPG's are WAY more solo friendly now, and continue to add things of that nature while detracting things for grouping, or not adding things as well that promote or encourage grouping.

    Didn't the list of reasons OTHER than social explains the trend of solo-friendly MMOs? Obviously many players don't play MMOs for groups or social, but one of these other reasons.

    I don't see why MMO devs need to promote groupings when the preferences for OTHER types of interactions are there.

    Gee let's see ....maybe because it offers more options?

    Why would "promote" groupings offers more options? The grouping options are already there?

     

    Sorry...guess I should of added "can" in there.

    Not necessarily basic  dungeon grouping itself. But other game play options that allow for grouping in different ways...hence promoting it or encouraging possible grouping.

    I.E. Protect a caravan to a location, take out a bandit camp/fortress and assassinate it's leader, etc, etc, etc. Simply more variation in options to grouping that go beyond just dungeon crawls and/or raiding.

  • ThorkuneThorkune Member UncommonPosts: 1,969
    Crafting items and selling them to other players.
  • djazzydjazzy Member Posts: 3,578
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by djazzy

    Correct, the only reason to play mmorps is to play and/or be social with other people.

    mmorpgs are terrible games if you play it alone

    Obviously wrong.

    Did you actually read the topic? Many have listed many reasons OTHER than social for playing MMORPGs.

    Those may not be your reasons, but you can't deny those are reasons for others.

    I can't speak for others. But other than the social aspects and the community, mmorpgs are vastly inferior to single player games.

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Kaledren
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Kaledren
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by Kaledren
     

    I never said anything about forcing grouping. Just that MMORPG's are WAY more solo friendly now, and continue to add things of that nature while detracting things for grouping, or not adding things as well that promote or encourage grouping.

    Didn't the list of reasons OTHER than social explains the trend of solo-friendly MMOs? Obviously many players don't play MMOs for groups or social, but one of these other reasons.

    I don't see why MMO devs need to promote groupings when the preferences for OTHER types of interactions are there.

    Gee let's see ....maybe because it offers more options?

    Why would "promote" groupings offers more options? The grouping options are already there?

    Sorry...guess I should of added "can" in there.

    Not necessarily basic  dungeon grouping itself. But other game play options that allow for grouping in different ways...hence promoting it or encouraging possible grouping.

    I.E. Protect a caravan to a location, take out a bandit camp/fortress and assassinate it's leader, etc, etc, etc. Simply more variation in options to grouping that go beyond just dungeon crawls and/or raiding.

    Which is what RIFT, GW2 and other new MMOs have been doing. What I haven't seen many do is cater to one of the most common group sizes - TWO.

    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

  • NagelRitterNagelRitter Member Posts: 607

    Definitely agreed with many of your points, OP.

    Trading with a large playerbase has always been interesting to me, especially when paired with crafting and locating the components for the craft. Sometimes I would do it for a guild, and sometimes for the whole server, I just enjoyed the idea of supplying people with stuff they wanted to use.

    I can also definitely relate to the feeling of being alone in a crowd. I often feel isolated and alone in single player games.

    There are two other points that I think are worth mentioning:

    One is world scope and size. MMO's often have very large worlds full of things to do, that are hard to deplete. Many players can easily perceive them as open world RPG's. Open world RPG's in general are not terribly common and often not well done, or don't cater to a particular player's interests, or are easy to finish. Sometimes, an MMO can fit the bill just as well, if not better.

    The other is world persistence and dynamism. The understanding that the world you are currently in is "live" makes it feel different from a static world in a single player game. The players themselves, of course, add to the dynamic of it, but also developers could implement things and run events.

    Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
    Currently playing: GW2, EVE
    Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?

  • BatCakezBatCakez Member Posts: 127

    For me:

    (1) Crafting ~ Though, no game except for EQ2 and now FFXIV ARR have a reasonably appealing crafting system.

     

    (2) PvP ~ I'll admit, I hated it when I was younger. Now, it actually spices things up a bit. It's that 'something else to do' when everything else fails to amuse you.

     

    (3) Being able to immerse/interact in a world that otherwise just could never exist. I think we all know what I'm talking about here.

     

     

    Now, whether the OP likes it or not, the social aspect of an MMO is what makes a real MMO. Otherwise it wouldn't be 'online' with 'other people'. It's sharing an experience, and the memories that follow. MMOs these days have just let it spoil, and guess what... the game loses its soul, the community sucks, it just makes it less fun for everyone. It's just how it works.

  • AkulasAkulas Member RarePosts: 3,004
    Only as a time sink that is it. Anything else which comes from it is a bonus. First to find some red named one of a kind item which only lasts a week although it's nice it's not necisary for the whole server to know. Or who did what first. I just use it to waste time and that's it.

    This isn't a signature, you just think it is.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by djazzy
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by djazzy

    Correct, the only reason to play mmorps is to play and/or be social with other people.

    mmorpgs are terrible games if you play it alone

    Obviously wrong.

    Did you actually read the topic? Many have listed many reasons OTHER than social for playing MMORPGs.

    Those may not be your reasons, but you can't deny those are reasons for others.

    I can't speak for others. But other than the social aspects and the community, mmorpgs are vastly inferior to single player games.

    Uh?

    How about trading on AH? It is not possible to do so in any SP games, except diablo 3. And don't tell me MMO AH is "vastly inferior" to D3's AH.

     

  • MasterfuzzfuzzMasterfuzzfuzz Member Posts: 169
    You play for other than social reasons? Ok. Play single player. Take EVERY SINGLE PERSON out of an mmo. PVP is social. Anything involving other people is social.
  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by BatCakez

     

    Now, whether the OP likes it or not, the social aspect of an MMO is what makes a real MMO. Otherwise it wouldn't be 'online' with 'other people'. It's sharing an experience, and the memories that follow. MMOs these days have just let it spoil, and guess what... the game loses its soul, the community sucks, it just makes it less fun for everyone. It's just how it works.

    Obviously wrong.

    I have more fun in modern MMOs that does not care for community than the old traditional MMOs.

    You don't speak for everyone.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by NagelRitter

    The other is world persistence and dynamism. The understanding that the world you are currently in is "live" makes it feel different from a static world in a single player game. The players themselves, of course, add to the dynamic of it, but also developers could implement things and run events.

    I don't think it is ONLY "world" persistency.

    I think character and progression peristency is a big part of it. Hence there are many games with no persistent world, but persistent characters.

    In fact, the rise of instance gaming pretty much shows that persistency of the world is less important than persistency of character & progression. If you instanced the world, or use phasing, few complains, and many will applaud. If you take away the persistency of the characters (resetting, roll-back, what-not), everyone will cry bloody murder and rage-quit.

  • NagelRitterNagelRitter Member Posts: 607

    I am not speaking in terms of what most people like, I haven't collected a census.

    This is just what I see as one of various reasons, especially for myself, personally. I strongly dislike instances of any sort, as can be easily guessed.

    Progression can effectively achieved in many non-MMO games, such as Diablo II. The persistency of such progression is a separate concept - playing Diablo II single player differs from playing it multiplayer.

    Furthermore, a lot of MMO's do not have progression.

    Favorite MMO: Vanilla WoW
    Currently playing: GW2, EVE
    Excited for: Wildstar, maybe?

  • HatefullHatefull Member EpicPosts: 2,502
    Originally posted by nariusseldon

    Some seems to think that socialization is the ONLY reason for playing MMOs for everyone. That is clearly not true. I am a good counter example. In addition, since most MMO support solo-ing, and solo-ing is quite popular, it shows that many do play MMO not to social.

    So this thread is created to clear that up and list all the OTHER reasons why one want to play MMOs, instead of a single player game.

    Here is my some reasons i have observed.

    - Trading on AH. You cannot do that on single player games.

    - Unique settings. There are quite a few settings that you just cannot get from SP games. In fact, i would play those MMOs as SP games. Example. STO. There is no Star Trek (TNG era) RPG aside from this one game. TSW is another good example. It is hard to find a RPG with a modern conspiracy setting. There are many more like Marvel Heroes (granted you can get almost the same thing in Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and i do prefer MUA over MH .. but i finished MUA. So i have no alternative but MH)

    - PvP (Obviously, and you don't need to social to pvp)

    - Showing off and compare gear. Progression means more when you can show it off. The fact that wowprogress, wow-hero, and similar "show off" cites are so popular shows that this is one reason. Gearscore is used by almost every WOW player for a reason.

    - There is some people argue that people like to be alone in a crowd. That is not my reason, but certainly it is a preference and i will not write it off just because i don't have that preference.

    Any other reasons?

     

    Fun/Waste time...no reason to over think it...video GAMES, sort of self explanatory.

    If you want a new idea, go read an old book.

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  • RydesonRydeson Member UncommonPosts: 3,852
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by BatCakez

     

    Now, whether the OP likes it or not, the social aspect of an MMO is what makes a real MMO. Otherwise it wouldn't be 'online' with 'other people'. It's sharing an experience, and the memories that follow. MMOs these days have just let it spoil, and guess what... the game loses its soul, the community sucks, it just makes it less fun for everyone. It's just how it works.

    Obviously wrong.

    I have more fun in modern MMOs that does not care for community than the old traditional MMOs.

    You don't speak for everyone.

    So says the person that thinks S/he speaks for everyone.. lol 

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by Rydeson
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by BatCakez

     

    Now, whether the OP likes it or not, the social aspect of an MMO is what makes a real MMO. Otherwise it wouldn't be 'online' with 'other people'. It's sharing an experience, and the memories that follow. MMOs these days have just let it spoil, and guess what... the game loses its soul, the community sucks, it just makes it less fun for everyone. It's just how it works.

    Obviously wrong.

    I have more fun in modern MMOs that does not care for community than the old traditional MMOs.

    You don't speak for everyone.

    So says the person that thinks S/he speaks for everyone.. lol 

    I don't believe I've ever seen or read a post where he stated or implied that he speaks for everyone. Can you link to the post you are basing that accusation on? 

    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

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Loktofeit
    Originally posted by Rydeson
    Originally posted by nariusseldon
    Originally posted by BatCakez

     

    Now, whether the OP likes it or not, the social aspect of an MMO is what makes a real MMO. Otherwise it wouldn't be 'online' with 'other people'. It's sharing an experience, and the memories that follow. MMOs these days have just let it spoil, and guess what... the game loses its soul, the community sucks, it just makes it less fun for everyone. It's just how it works.

    Obviously wrong.

    I have more fun in modern MMOs that does not care for community than the old traditional MMOs.

    You don't speak for everyone.

    So says the person that thinks S/he speaks for everyone.. lol 

    I don't believe I've ever seen or read a post where he stated or implied that he speaks for everyone. Can you link to the post you are basing that accusation on? 

    Never claim that.

    I speak for myself. I may even speak for  a majority of players (for example, LFD is popular and used by most and so i am also in that group). But never EVERYONE.

    As opposed to BatCakez who claimed "it just makes it less fun for EVERYONE". He is obviously wrong. In fact, he does not even dispute that. Since he  can't find an argument, and he has resort to personal attacks.

     

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by NagelRitter

    Progression can effectively achieved in many non-MMO games, such as Diablo II. The persistency of such progression is a separate concept - playing Diablo II single player differs from playing it multiplayer.

    Agreed. MMO has no claims to all the desirable features of video games. It is just that progression persistency is in a majority of MMOs, and is a feature people usually associated with MMOs.

     

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    I think MMORPG need to be first and foremost a fun game whether other people are there or not. I've heard a lot of talk about how games used to be more social, but a lot of that just seemed to be making players hang around in one area waiting for something to do, so they are forced to talk with each other or look weird.

    When I think of a social aspect to a game, I think of things that bring people with common interests together, or things that bring people with opposing interests together so they can argue. Sticking a bunch of random people together with nothing else to do just makes people bored. It works, because people get so bored they talk to each other, but still. Bored.

    So, anyway, games should be fun, whether there are other people there or not. An MMORPG should be more fun with other people around, but it should be a fun game regardless.

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by lizardbones

    I think MMORPG need to be first and foremost a fun game whether other people are there or not. I've heard a lot of talk about how games used to be more social, but a lot of that just seemed to be making players hang around in one area waiting for something to do, so they are forced to talk with each other or look weird.

    When I think of a social aspect to a game, I think of things that bring people with common interests together, or things that bring people with opposing interests together so they can argue. Sticking a bunch of random people together with nothing else to do just makes people bored. It works, because people get so bored they talk to each other, but still. Bored.

    So, anyway, games should be fun, whether there are other people there or not. An MMORPG should be more fun with other people around, but it should be a fun game regardless.

    Very much so. MMORPGs are entertainment products. Social is just a by-product.

     

  • Brabbit1987Brabbit1987 Member UncommonPosts: 782

    Well, the main reason I ever started playing MMOs wasn't for the social portion. It was more of the whole virtual world that you can do anything in that caught my attention. I am a big VR enthusiast. It's always been my dream to be able to play in a Virtual reality world.

    .hack or Sword art Online is great examples of what I am looking for eventually. For those of you who do not watch anime, just use google =^.^=.

  • crack_foxcrack_fox Member UncommonPosts: 399

    I certainly don't play to be social. When I first started playing MMOs, I was a much more social player. This was partly out of necessity - those games were not so solo-friendly. It was also due to my perception that MMO games, as a niche genre, appealed to players with a particular mindset; players with whom I felt I had something in common.  This is no longer the case, and so I feel less inclined to socialise. Frankly, you only need to cast a cursory glance over the content of most game forums or chat channels to come to the conclusion that other players are, by and large, complete cretins. 

    The reasons I keep playing these games are 1. force of habit, and 2. a love of virtual worlds. 

     

  • BjelarBjelar Member UncommonPosts: 398

    To me, MMOs compete with the telly.

     

    I don't consider watching TV as being "social" and I don't consider playing computer games as being "social".

  • nariusseldonnariusseldon Member EpicPosts: 27,775
    Originally posted by Bjelar

    To me, MMOs compete with the telly.

     

    I don't consider watching TV as being "social" and I don't consider playing computer games as being "social".

    Telly, movies, novels, manga, anime .. all forms of entertainment compete for my time, including MMOs. And yeah, i totally see your point.

This discussion has been closed.