Recently I was having a convo with another gaming friend when they mentioned all the games they were currently playing. There was a closed beta and Everquest 2 mentioned, I said I have been playing EVE steady since I started two months ago. Then she (yes, hot gamerchick, relax) bragged, “You are playing one game while I am playing FIVE!” I quickly defended myself, unsure why, but I started to explain how I am just about to finish up a skill that enables me to fly battleships.
She asked me if I had the loot to buy one, I responded yes. And one of the only reasons why I had that money is that I dedicated time to gathering it. If I was jumping from game to game I might have the hundred million Isk or I might not.
I explained how I am an endgame player and like to see things through, how I wish I had the hours in the day to play five games. Then it occurred to me, that even if I had the time, I wouldn’t. Same aspect as EVE based skills, focusing on one until its finished then start another. I wouldn’t dare take out a skill from the queue until it finished unless I desperately needed another one, or it was a quick level one.
I tailor my gaming hobby in the same fashion; I don’t need another game once I settle into a good one. I usually meet a good group, which I have and try to get the most out of the game and my new relationships. I spoke about my corp, nice core group of guys and I was trying to share her enthusiasm, meanwhile my friend goes on to blab about how her guild in EQ2 is the oldest guild on the server. I was getting nowhere, I chalked it to her being happy about her games.
I know quite a few people that play multiple games, are they really progressing or just playing as a casual gamer with hardcore habits. Not judging. I feel that variety is the spice of life but also dedication is the mother of mastery. Nick Yee over at The Daedallus Project posted an interesting article on the lifespan of a mMO gamer in a chart form. How the discovery period arches up into the mastery portion, simply to nosedive into burnout and ultimately tapering off into casual gaming. And I know this person has left a few well geared top level characters in the dust, so have I.
This could be why many gamers burn out in general, too focused and not diverse enough. I love pizza but would get sick of it if I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week. Why do some not have the same reaction to video games? I could play (insert game here) for one week and still be excited about day eight and nine. I do get to a point in mmo’s that I feel that I’m just grinding to be par with the joneses and just keep replacing good gear with good gear but with slightly better stats.
MMORPG’s are tough games to master, they take time and commitment to progress; there really is never an “endgame” since game companies continue to add content. Once you hit a certain level and think you have it licked, game developers release a patch or an expansion to “keep you on the treadmill”. It’s all about growth and customer retention to them. That is the focus of every business out there, keep your clients and get new ones.
This might be shades of the dichotomy between the “’ardcore” and the “casual”. For me personally, I am a commitment-phobic person, however, when I finally do commit it is for a long time. I have a graveyard of mmo’s that I have played casually, some I just can’t bring myself to delete. I have maybe…five mmo’s installed on my rig as we speak and play one. I am committed to EVE, for now, although I am looking forward to a few games for the future. My skillplan spills into 2010 and by the time it finishes I will have almost every bell and whistle for my fleet of cruisers and battleship. One thing that I loved about EVE from the start is that I don’t have to be online to progress; it just takes time, not pressing W or a mouse. Better yet, I can stack market orders and make money while I sleep, that’s a good thing.
I do not have tunnelvision, looking forward I am really excited to play Dragon Age in November and Epic Mickey is going to be announced next month. There is an article in this month’s Game Informer as a teaser. Don’t ask me why I am looking forward to it, I just have a hunch that it’s going to be cool. I’ll keep you posted.
Until then…
Play safe,
Frank