Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the media only beta of the new Neverwinter MMO. While I have talked about the potential pitfalls of MMOs in the past, I do want to take the time to talk about how they can be beneficial and why some MMOs succeed where others fail. When I was a teenager I participated in text-based role playing forums. It’s actually much simpler than it sounds. People would go online and make stories together, each writing their own part in the overall play. It was a crude, childish art form that should never see the light of day, but it did help me to develop into who I am today. No, I am not a samurai with a giant sword who goes around fighting demons and making out with cat girls, but I am someone who wants to have fun doing what I love and help others along the way.
These types of storytelling activities have evolved over the years. In the early years of email, people would create similar stories and send the pieces to each other via email. Before that the same process was done but with traditional mail. Before that kids would make up stories in their backyards or in the wilderness. Now those types of storytelling events have evolved into Massively Multiplayer Online games. Instead of creating worlds via text, players create virtual characters and go on quests together. The medium has changed, but the overall picture is exactly the same. Players can be who they want, find new friends, and spend time together discovering who they want to be. And that’s really the most important part. The benefits of my time in “The Napping Cat’s Dream” go beyond practicing writing and developing social skills, it was a time to discover who I wanted to be in an environment where the consequences for social faux pas are minimal. The community knew nothing about you other than what you told them. It wasn’t about how you looked or where you lived, it was about who you made yourself out to be. MMOs work in almost exactly the same way. Characters create new versions of themselves and use their virtual selves to find new friends. The gaming element is important, but it isn’t necessary. It’s more about spending time with friends than going on quests. Gamers who would rather spend time on their own are much better served with single-player campaigns (of which there are an abundance). Games like Skyrim give lone-rangers a level of scale, realism, and customization that no MMO could match. And this is where many MMOs fail. The most important part of online games like World of Warcraft or Neverwinter isn’t the story nor the quests nor the environment. All of those are good to have, but the most important parts are the ability for the player to customize themselves and whether or not a player’s friends are participating in the game. Even if the player makes friends within the virtual world (usually via a “guild”), having one or two real world friends to play with makes the MMO worth playing for years. It’s why World of Warcraft has continued to be successful more than 7 years after its release. Most games last around 6 months before they’re considered “old hat” (some don’t even last that long). But World of Warcraft has stood the test of time because it has developed a massive community that have dedicated themselves not to the quests in the game (which could be completed millions of times over within the span of 7 years), but to their friends and fellow gamers within the world. Having tested out the Neverwinter MMO I can honestly say that I am not the kind of gamer that enjoys the MMO experience. For me, gaming isn’t about spending time socializing or enjoying people. I would much rather sit down and be drawn into a new world with a new story. I prefer to be the lone wolf out to save the world (or, in some cases, destroy it) without having to work with (or around) other real people. Computer characters are easy to deal with. They are my tools, my minions, expendable in every way. If they can’t keep up with me, they get left behind and I don’t have to worry about leaving someone disappointed. But then again, my period of “self-discovery” is over. For pre-teens and most teenagers, that time is just beginning. In that way, MMOs are an excellent realm for discovery and socialization in a non-hostile environment.
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The Legendary Carmine
Andrew Clayton (a.k.a. The Legendary Carmine) is SSG's Executive Editor. He toils at the stone to make sure this site brings its readers valuable content on a daily basis. Like what we do? Want to see more? Donate to the site using the button below!
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