This article has been in my head for ages. Massive multiplayer online games, any subgenre from sandbox to themepark, do not show well at conventions. I’m not one to make blanket statements, but I’m fully confident with this one after traversing the convention circuit for half a decade. MMOFPS combat the notion, but ultimately falter.
Let’s set the stage of your general show and showgoer. There’s an insane amount of visual and audio noise when you hit the floor. There are options left, right, upside down and in every nook. Most of the offerings are visceral experiences that focus on the hook, something in the game that you’ll remember, ideally, when the game approaches release a few months down the road. Perfect for single- or normal multiplayer games.
The most disciplined of showgoers will get to their target games early and camp the line, assuming there is one. Finally, the moment comes where showgoer gets to jump on the open desktop. For most MMOGs the machine is set to offer some combination of: grind a few mobs, kill other showgoers, play with some new abilities or a character class or roam a new area. Before showgoer knows it time is up and the flabbergasted gamer is ushered out the back door. Maybe showgoer had 30 minutes. Probably less than 15 minutes.
