MMORPGs – Are We Having Fun?
In most MMORPGs, the goal of the game is to get to maximum level as soon as humanly possible. Those of us who are the type to race ahead are in a rush to get to that all-important, defining aspect of the MMO; the end-game. The end-game is what we’ve all been waiting for. The end-game, we might tell ourselves, is the point when the game truly starts to matter. The end-game counts, while everything preceding the end-game does not. The end-game is where the money is at. The end-game is where the fun is, not like this stupid not-so-end-game which really seems like nothing more than an extremely long tutorial.
Whether You’re Playing Grand Fantasia or Age of Conan. End Game is the Goal
So we race ahead, determined to get to the fun, to the real meat of the game. To get to that high tier PVP, or the end-game dungeons, or the raids, or the bragging rights, or all of the above. We’ll spend weeks glued to our computers, pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves to get whatever that other, higher level person has. We must get to where all the cool kids are. So, inevitably, if our endurance pulls through, we finally reach the destination. Our goal is met. The finish line is crossed, at long last, rejoice! Rejoice! We can finally have fun!
Or can we?
Soon we realize that, stretched out before us, is a vast, barren wasteland very closely resembling the long process it took us to get here. Go grind something, the game tells us. Go LFG. Go get crushed in PVP by those who have had the patience to acquire better gear. Go, go forth, and be ENTERTAINED. So we do, don’t we? This game is the greatest! Oh, sweet lady Gaga! The limitless opportunities to have fun! Here we come, gear grind! Here we are! Grind, grind, and grind some more! Don’t let up, don’t get discouraged. Watch the high quality drops slowly fill your bank. Do you see on this supplementary website that there is a fancy mount that strikes your fancy? Do you see, it has a 2% drop rate on a boss in a dungeon that takes six hours to get to? Do you see it? Don’t you want it? Of course you do!
World of Warcraft – Remember this mount? It has a 1% chance to drop off the boss in Stratholme. Used to be 1 in 5000.
We grind and grind. We get our epic lewtz. We collect a menagerie of exotic and rare mounts. We complete ourselves. We reach the point of MMORPG nirvana. We can enter into PVP areas and duels, slapping down the poor noobs with ease. We don’t care for their tears, for their cries of imbalance and frustration, for we were once them, and they too can rise to our level, if they only invest the time and the effort necessary. If they only show the dedication we have shown. So pitiless are we. We who have ascended into the heavens as digital gods, as number-crunching monsters.
Ether Saga Online – Don’t Worry. When you get to late game it’ll be fun!
Then there are those who whine and complain about the game in public channels. Those who resent the long grind and excessive time investment required to make progress. Those who “expose the system” to others, decrying it as a churning machine with a bottomless hunger for “progress”. What awful people, they are. If they don’t like it, they should quit the game. If they don’t like it, they can just go do something else. Write a damn book about it.
We’re having fun. Right?
By, B. Olivia
August 18, 2010
#
I remember farming the Baron mount in WoW back in the day. Running the dungeon took like 2 hours with my crappy pick up groups. Needless to say, I never got the awesome mount. =[.
It’s crazy though, we all strive to get to late game – and once we get there, we usually have fun for a bit, then move on to another game.
August 19, 2010
#1
Oh wow so deep and so true You are
August 18, 2010
#2
Well, you are not but I am
Seriously, why would you ever play a game if you don’t find it fun to play? What is the damn point of doing something you don’t like to get to something that is almost the same in the slight hope that you may like it? When the grind gets too much – just blow the game away and if you are having fun while levelling up – then go ahead and have fun.
August 18, 2010
#3
B. Olivia likes grinding as much as the next person, she just likes to write about random topics! hah.
I’m having fun when I grind =]
August 19, 2010
#4
I have nothing against the author I’m just wondering why some people do it – why the hell do people play boring games just to get to the “good stuff”. The chances are that the end game content is just as bland as the rest so why even bother if you are bored in the middle of the game already?
I personally think of myself as a MMO locust – going to any MMO that seems atractive, eat while it is green and leave when all that is left is dying grass and mud. Looking for the next pasture might take some time but right now I have found a pretty green meadow that I intend to feed off for quite a while
August 19, 2010
#5
The whole “MMO locust” concept really demonstrates the notion that MMOs have no endearing element of fun or enjoyment. The current paradigm of the MMO genre is inherently a reward-for-suffering experience, masked by the players’ single-minded pursuit of the next goal (that shinier sword, the next level, the end game so that one may continue pursuing an even bigger, shinier sword). One may think it’s fun since they only have a goal in mind. But once the player reaches that ephemeral goal, what’s next? Another, vapidly similar goal. If these rewards at the end of the MMO tunnel were completely removed in their design, it would be readily evident that there is little fun to be found in these games.
The best games are often the ones where people can determine their own sense of enjoyment, but it really isn’t the case with MMOs. The rewards and the veil of enjoyment are propped up on shoulders, upon one’s avatar and ranking boards, and on the ill-monitored recesses of a glorified IRC channel.
August 18, 2010
#6
I prefer fps games because there’s progress but it’s not just working for that next level. I’m waiting for vindictus to come out because that doesn’t look like just trying to get to that next level, going up this 10 levels, it looks like fun with some progress.
August 19, 2010
#7
Yea, Its almost like that. Vindictus is really a fun game and as many Close Beta Testers have seen already, there is much to come.
But as far as grinding to the next level, I think its about that time that alot of players start having that “Oh man, is it gonna be like this all game round?” attitude. For me, I don’t mind the grind, but its the grinding for HOURS that really gets to me.
I usually make up my mind about a game after I give it at least a week of gameplay to see if I’m going to venture out of it and move to another one. I have played alot of Mmorpgs and most of them haven’t really caught my interest. I played WoW but, eh… trial ended and I didn’t want to pay subscriptions…. lol
August 18, 2010
#8
I have that mount in WoW lol took me 78 runs
August 18, 2010
#9
If you dont like grinding but like to level up fast, Soul of Ultimate Nation Online is the game your looking for.
The thing is if i find a game where i have friends to play with, the game itself relies on solo then if i find a game that i like to solo, the game itself encourage and relies on party. . Also my mood always change, when i play adventurous i would play something like World of Warcraft or Voyage Century Online but sooner or later my mood will change to ” today i like to pvp” so i go play FPS games.So overall i never reach high level because i keep switching games to play and never stay in one.
August 19, 2010
#10
Pretty much my situation.
August 19, 2010
#11
Seriously thou it’s true I mean we spend months to get the the end then quit or find it boring. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother? I mean we ment to quit eventually why not just do it!! Just saying, right now there’s not many uber fun games.They are all coming soon… hopefully(blade and soul, vindictus, tera, Guild war 2, (Diablo 3 in 2045) will it change everything? Because so far it’s all the same grind get gear then own ppl that play less. Think 1 second if we spent the same time we do in game in the gym and taking care of our body we would be way better off lol and some ppl could actually get a life and be happy !
August 19, 2010
#12
Never liked MORPGs because they are so boring…I play fps or rts. Since the amount of fun you get in a fps/rts is ten times better than a morpg imo.
August 19, 2010
#13
Oh, the poetry. This felt like the digital version of Allan Poe.
I like the kind of MMO that has a plot-based progression. (And when I say plot, I really mean it. I see no plot in killing x monsters to help some random NPC do a random trick.) Then the MMO could expand the “Massive” part by leaving the player in an eventful and open world where the player can chose either to improve himself by repeating the same process over and over or move to the next step thus creating a barrier between “casual” endgame and “hardcore” endgame…and something between.
August 19, 2010
#14
I got max level with atlantica online I pretty much rushed it up. Because I wanted the new and strongest mercs. When I got there and finally had those mercs! I was like this is it what else can I do :S I am not into money farming like most people that want to get rich. I got everything I want. Got my max gear, got my nice looking mount and thats it. I got bored after I while. I wasnt having anymore fun :S
August 19, 2010
#15
This is what I like about WAR everything even including lvl 1 content eventually affects the end game.
August 19, 2010
#16
usually, sometimes, there is no end game to games sometimes, like for example.
)
on fusionfall, the last boss is some monster named fuse (who is the problem to the big situation). when you defeat fuse (with friends of course), guess what, no end game. some npcs might say that monsters are still on the move or almost conquering a town or something like that, but still, no end cutscene?
YES OF COURSE. there should be an ending on every… single… game.
ppls goals of a game:
1. lvl up until they reach max
2. defeat all bosses and finish all levels
3. geting the best equipment
4. upgrade the best weapons till its MAX (uber
5. remember marriage on mmorpgs, maybe marriage is the goal to few players : \
6. get more kills than deaths (thats why few players are called “pros”)
7. last but not least, fight till the game has a sequel. ???
August 19, 2010
#17
Um… actually, come to think of it… Is there really an “End-game”? Some games are always continuing; alot of patches and updates and level caps keep going up in alot of games online. I think that and “End-game” is basically when a player either gives up or quites the game. I’ve seen players reach the current max level and achieve every power up on items and weapons, then start a new character. While they grind to level up a new class, and update patch comes up and voila, they go back to their old high level characters. So, for my opinion, I think that and “End-game” doesn’t really exist; probably depends on the imagination of the Devs to create one.
August 19, 2010
#18
I do not like grind, so I use to do another thing when I am grinding, so I am not losing the time. XD
August 19, 2010
#19
This is why I quit Runescape a long time ago. I stopped at level 72. After that, I felt like I completed the game. Since the max level in Runescape is 140, I am pretty sure that level 72 is pretty good place to stop. What I do now on Runescape is only play the holiday events. The quests are decent and quick, and it happens every 3 or 4 times a year. So yeah. I never played another MMORPG since. Ok, maybe that one time when playing a bit of Tibia. But then I realized it sucked too. I guess that is why I hate RPG games in general now (Like Fallout 3, Oblivion, Fable, Bioshock). The ONLY RPG game I like so far is Deus Ex 1. Thats it. But that is because it has a great story fun leveling system.
In non-action MMORPGs (Like Runes of Magic), it takes no skill. It takes up lots of free time. For MMOFPS, now that takes skill! At only take up a bit of a free time. Just a quick 2 or 3 rounds and your done! Not only that, but its fun and rewarding to get those GP and spend it on some new weapons! Plus its tensely cool, because you get to research the weapons before you buy them! In fact, I learned more about modern weapons today (Thanks to F2P shooters), than I did before! But, yeah RPGs suck! I don’t know why anyone would play them! I would think after the player got to a certain level at realize it takes hours to get to the next level, I would think they would give up (like me). But I guess MMORPG companies do something with their game to keep majority of players hooked. Who knows maybe they set up a translucent “Hypno Toad” in their game to make them hooked. Guys when we look at our computer monitors and play a video game, you know that the game company always insert a ‘Hypno Toad’ in their game so you can play it hours on end!
August 19, 2010
#20
Back in the day I hated any form of ‘basic’ grinding on mobs … now after about 10 years, I actually enjoy it …. and the games with exp only from quests are getting annoying.
Weird, I know….. I would like a game when I gain decent exp from mobs, and quests so it would be a mix of those two and depend on the mood I would only grind or immerse myself in the story.
Is there anything like that? Because recent games that I’ve tried were either about all quests (you know you get 1000 exp for killing 5 boars, but for killing actual boar you get like 50) or full grinding …
August 19, 2010
#21
I agree 100% with the sarcasm in this article. That’s why I haven’t played an MMORPG in 6 months. Grinding is boring. Sitting there, clicking a monster, and pressing keys is boring. End Game is fun. For a Week. Than it’s boring. I can’t wait for TERA, where every monster you kill is an actual FIGHT. You have to actually dodge, and swing your sword, it’s not just some chance. Until then, I’ll stick to my PS3.
August 19, 2010
#22
Hence why, while I play a ton of MMOs, I rarely stick to them. I especially DESPISE the grind system involved. In a JRPG, okay, part of the appeal is farming, right? Sit down on a road trip or for a long wait, press a few buttons over and over, okay. But there, it isn’t to deliberately ensure you HAVE to pay several months of sub fees. With free mmos, I try to stick with what’s fun, but with games like Europe 1400, where my whole goal at first was, “TOP TEN IN THE CITY!”, and I got there, easily. It was cool and satisfying, but once I got to what was even considered “Decent” for my workshops….it was boring and monotonous. Eh. Hoping Divine souls (Beta was fun), Vindictus, and some DOTA clone or other they’re making can hold me (like LoL has.)
August 20, 2010
#23
Well written article, I find the same problem with mmo’s nowadays, but I guess that’s truly what an mmo is. I keep playing all the new mmo’s and such, but I’ve never hit max level in one. Usually, the last 3/4 of the game or so, just takes way too long to overcome. Eventually I grow bored, or I realize that it’s not worth spending my time on a game that might not have amazing end-game content.
August 20, 2010
#24
In a nutshell, grind Is a meaning to repetitive. And repetitive doesn’t mean “fun”. And when the game gets too repetitive, It’s grindy.
Most of those who claims “grind” as “entertaining” really needs to remake their conceptions. Or seek some serious help.
August 21, 2010
#25
the thing is. what we strive for is the end-game. that’s all what people thinks, end-game. wihout realising the fun we had on the way to the end-game.
for me i’m having fun at the place and lvl i am till i get to end game and there having more fun.
August 21, 2010
#26
I’ve never reached the endgame for any game because it just takes to long and to much devotion for to little gain.
So now I usualy play shooters and other games like FoM that don’t have levels, they’re alot better.
August 21, 2010
#27
Buy starcraft 2. End of story.
August 22, 2010
#28
I don’t understand the surprise myself. Most peoples lives are just that, a grind to get to the next level…….promotion………..graduation………..heaven. During this time what do we do, jump and scream, “She loves me and you are single.” “My car is more comfortable than yours!”, “Well mine is faster!”, “Welll my car is a jet!…………private of course.” Those of us new to the game or not particularly good at it stare at us and think, “I want that girl!”, “I want that car!” “I’ll work harder too!” The problem with this is the more people playing the game gets harder. Things like money and food drop much less. Those who started grinding first and maybe those who grind the most, collect the most pining for their desires of more just like the little guy. All the while touting and dangling their “prizes” if only to prove to themselves that the hunt was worth it. Then it comes, the inevitable end and none of it matters. If only simply because game over is the last message you see, whether you win or lose. So I ask you why would people’s fantasy be any different than an easier version, with elves. Now just like life there are those of us who have learned to enjoy playing, knowing the race ends like it began. With us wanting more and not being able to have it no matter what we do.
September 10, 2010
#29
So true, even though most people seem to ignore your post, probably because they would not want to admit that life in itself is very repetitive; a grind – as you say – for the next promotion, the next “better” level of some kind of commodity that is supposed to make our lifes that much better (at least thats what the advertises want to make us belive). Thats something I like about movies like “Fightclub”, as it deals in parts with the crazyness that is involved in the way “modern” humans live.
Anyway, coming back to the original topic, for me gaming, as for most other aspects of living, is about diversity, at times I like to shoot things up (well, in that case most of the times I like shooting other players characters), at other times I like to play other kind of games (I can find a liking in each and every genre of games). As some readers already stated, playing with friends makes the online experience that much better so it does not really matter to me if it is a FPS, RTS, RPG or whatever because all type of games can be fun and each game becomes repetitve anyway.
August 22, 2010
#30
To me its the type of game you’re playing. I never had fun with MMORPGs like i have fun with MMOTPS or FPS. I like shooting things and getting new things to shoot with. ^^
August 23, 2010
#31
To be honest, I’m always excited about end-game content, and I don’t like the really early parts of a game, but if a game is good enough, I’ll enjoy and focus on all of it, and not just trying to make it to the end as fast as possible.
Usually, if I get bored before I even get to the end game or before I even reach the middle, I quit.
August 23, 2010
#32
This is why no MMO sticks. Even though Dragonica and DDO Unlimited were entertaining, I couldn’t help but feel like what I wanted out of them could be gotten from my massive library of PS2 games. Sure, none of those are online, but the social elements often aren’t enough to drive the muddy mechanics for me.
If there was a free game with the customization and combat of Champions Online, I would play the heck out of it. They have the right idea (though the system reqs are too high for my cruddy laptop anyways).
August 24, 2010
#33
B. Olivia your article is really true.
I remeber when I was still playing Lunia and I was grinding myth for months on end to go to the next myth which looked the same but I do more damage… well my point is most games I play now is the same. Just lvl and then grind then enchant your weapons so you can see bigger numbers while doing the same thing for hours on end.
actually I believe Lunia is the truest example of end game grind its never ending IJJI only releases the next myth stage so ppl can grind them days on end to get the 15% chance to get a item box and even lower chance of getting what you actually want.
August 25, 2010
#34
I agree! WoW (in my opinion) has become a prime example of this. I used to play it, but quit eventually because I was simply getting no where! And having no fun what so ever!
The quests were repetitive. The dungeons were all the same in my opinion. And you had to grind and farm just to get better gear than the other guy in your guild. Too many MMO and MMORPG’s nowadays are WAY to hyped.
People only think they’re good because of the playerbase.
August 26, 2010
#35
totaly agree, i left wow because of the lack of fun. a good game should be fun from the first click of your mouse, you should be anxious to get in there and grind those monsters, if not why bother playing? to reach the END GAME? wow a week or so of constant grinding for loot and fighting amongst yourselves? i must rush to that!!
i used to play myth of soma back in the day and loved it not for the repeated quests, the naff loots of endgame aditions no, i loved it because not once was i boared, i chatted, partyed, battled and had a riot.. thats how an mmo SHOULD be, no cash shop wrecking games no forcing players to buy things to be any use to the game nope they should be FUN, the clues in the name, Role play GAME
August 27, 2010
#36
Friends are what make games fun for me ^^ I played conquer online for 3 years, and the gameplay was painfully boring, but I had some of the most amazing friends ever in that game, and they made my overall experience there just really, really enjoyable. I have countless fond memories of that game because of the people I played it with ^^
August 27, 2010
#37
I’ve been playing Dragonica for 1 year now. IMO, it’s amazing. It gets boring sometimes, and I didn’t know why til I read ClassicCrime’s post. So true. My friends in-game are the reason that I’m still playing DO. When they aren’t online, everything gets boring.
“Friends are what make games fun for me ^^”
August 29, 2010
#38
Thing is i dont grind i mess about and slowly make my way up. I make about 500 friends then find that my friends who started the same time as me have finished the game and moved on while im still just 1/20th of the way through and i’ve probably had more fun than them. Thats why i like MMORPGs.
September 4, 2010
#39
I gots a question. Does she/he mean it when she/he says that thing about Ether Saga?
September 5, 2010
#40
I played fiesta for months till i had a lvl 40+ archer then i got bored of my archer.So i decided to make a cleric got it to lvl 40+ and was like wow this is so boring like why am i doing this. every time i go back to play it i uninstall it my first day
September 6, 2010
#41
i dont mind grinding as long as i have a big world alot of levels and alot of skills
December 2, 2010
#42
To me deciding if I’m going to play a game is like deciding if I’m going to read a book. If I’m not interested after the first chapter, than I’m not going to read the rest no matter how good the ending might be.
February 6, 2011
#43
ill be honest i envy the end-gamers. they always have shiny stuff @_@. but i never have the Patience to reach end – game..my highest till date has been 34 >.>…..i grind and grind and then i get bored and then i see some new mmo cmin up and i jump to it. this repeats.
this is the reason why private servers exist. xD