Could I have been doing something better? Is the time I just spent playing this really worth it? These are the questions that come to mind these days after playing an MMORPG. I buy the clients. I get accepted to the betas. I play the games for a while and I wonder is it all worth it? Has my life been enriched by this experience? Could I have read that book I always intend on finishing instead? What do my "achievements" in this MMO really add up to in life? Was it worth the time? Why should I join a guild and make friends if either me or them will eventually just move on to a different game or just plain burn out "again" on this one? I look at the different titles out there and think too myself why...they all "feel" the same, they feel like a waste of time just like the dozens you have played before them.

The crazy thing is I don't feel this way about FPS adventure games I play. I actually feel very rewarded for some strange reason when I play these titles through. Even MMOFPS's like BF or WoT I don't ask myself the same questions as above or feel that I wasted my time playing it. I find them enjoyable and rewarding to play if rather stressful. Perhapes that is it, the simulation of placing my sights on another Human being and burning him down satisfies some deep rooted, if twisted, need I have. I don't know why MMORPGs put me off anymore. I use to love playing them but now...it seems like work...like manotunous work and a waste of time. What you guys think? Do you feel the same sometimes?

If you're not having fun, do something else.  Pretty simple concept if you ask me.

Originally posted by zeowyrm

If you're not having fun, do something else.  Pretty simple concept if you ask me.

You're basically saying that the problem lies not with the MMORPGs, but with the OP.

However, I don't think the OP is alone in his sentiment of feeling jaded with MMORPGs.  In fact, "jaded" would perfectly describe the mood of these forums in my opinion.  I think that MMORPGs really have gotten stale with their current emphasis on grinding, and the fact that nearly all of them rehash the same tired concepts.

But there is hope on the horizon...let's just have faith that titles like GW2 will usher in a new era for MMORPGs :).

New era or not . . .

If you are not having fun, move on. The more people move on and not play titles that aren't providing fun, the sooner those fall by the wayside. This will lead to games that are fun and people will play. As long as you hang out playing a game that isnt fun just to be doing something, the more you reinforce that developers need to make those kinds of games.

Probably because we've been playing them for 10+ years.

MMOs are no longer "new and different" they are common place, main stream...

And one of the things early adopters hate the most is when their beloved baby becomes main stream.

I'm not saying anything about the type of game or any sandbox/themepark debate etc. all I am saying is the genre is 10+ years old now.

Persistent online multiplayer games are now common place.

That, I think, is a lot of the reason why much of the "magic" is gone - MMOs in general are no longer new and special.

Originally posted by heerobya

Probably because we've been playing them for 10+ years.

MMOs are no longer "new and different" they are common place, main stream...

I don't think it's so much that they are no longer new. I think it's more that in 10 years MMORPGs have barely moved forward. In fact they have moved backward in their philosophy, richness, and experience. Early MMORPGs were complex world similators with rich systems and  in depth mechanics that created exponential amounts of content.

Now MMOs are just shallow rehashed single player games forced into a multiplayer setting.

It's time we get back to our roots. It's not about graphics and sparkles and loots... It's abut deep thought out core systems that make for mountains of gameplay possibilities.

Originally posted by heerobya

Probably because we've been playing them for 10+ years.

MMOs are no longer "new and different" they are common place, main stream...

 

And one of the things early adopters hate the most is when their beloved baby becomes main stream.

 

I'm not saying anything about the type of game or any sandbox/themepark debate etc. all I am saying is the genre is 10+ years old now.

Persistent online multiplayer games are now common place.

That, I think, is a lot of the reason why much of the "magic" is gone - MMOs in general are no longer new and special.

A valid point, but I would like to bring something up...

When UO came out, it was new and different (First MMO with mass appeal, unique housing system, gameplay etc.)

When EQ came out, it was new and different (Not the first 3D MMO, but it's wide variety of classes/races and gameplay made it fairly unique)

When DAoC came out, it was new and different (First game with good structured faction versus faction PvP, aka RvR)

When WoW came out, it was new and different (First game that featured quest-based leveling)

Can you say that about modern games?  The problem is lack of innovation.  In the "first generation" of MMORPGs, almost everygame brought something significantly new to the table.

Now all games are basically WoW with one or two differentiating factors.

Rift has the Rift invasions and a more flexible class system, but other than that it's a stripped down WoW.

WAR has crappy RvR and public quests (which didn't do well), other than that, it's a stripped down WoW.

Aion is a stripped down WoW where you can sometimes fly without a mount and participate in an RvR like PvP experience.

Once AAA MMORPGs start to bring significantly new and fun things to the table, I'll stop being jaded.  But until then, I'll be waiting.

Originally posted by Belight

Originally posted by heerobya

Probably because we've been playing them for 10+ years.

MMOs are no longer "new and different" they are common place, main stream...

I don't think it's so much that they are no longer new. I think it's more that in 10 years MMORPGs have barely moved forward. In fact they have moved backward in their philosophy, richness, and experience. Early MMORPGs were complex world similators with rich systems and  in depth mechanics that created exponential amounts of content.

Now MMOs are just shallow rehashed single player games forced into a multiplayer setting.

It's time we get back to our roots. It's not about graphics and sparkles and loots... It's abut deep thought out core systems that make for mountains of gameplay possibilities.

Yes exactly, it's seriously like we've moved backwards.

I read an article today on ign or something that was talking about the "next" generation MMORPGs.  In the article the author excitedly praised "new" design concepts like a level-less system based on skills (TSW) and a lack of quest NPCs that force players to explore the world (GW2).

The whole time I was reading I was thinking...wasn't that what MMORPGs were like 10 years ago?!?!?!

It's funny that the "revolutionary" features of today, were the run and mill features of yesterday.

Originally posted by Styij

Has my life been enriched by this experience?

You're here talking about it aren't you?

Originally posted by heerobya

Probably because we've been playing them for 10+ years.

MMOs are no longer "new and different" they are common place, main stream...

 

And one of the things early adopters hate the most is when their beloved baby becomes main stream.

 

I'm not saying anything about the type of game or any sandbox/themepark debate etc. all I am saying is the genre is 10+ years old now.

Persistent online multiplayer games are now common place.

That, I think, is a lot of the reason why much of the "magic" is gone - MMOs in general are no longer new and special.

 This is a truth.  People  talk about how their first mmorpg was the greatest experience and now they can't find a game to replace it.  But how many of these people approach new games with the open mindfulness they had for the first game?  Most of the people complain about this that and other thing instead of just trying to enjoy what's offered.

Originally posted by acidworm

Originally posted by Styij

Has my life been enriched by this experience?

You're here talking about it aren't you?

I could talk about my four hour wait at the DMV, but that doesn't make it an enriching experience ;).

MMORPGs have become so mainstream now. I think that's the biggest problem. I'm really hoping to see some improvements in the Genre in my lifetime.

~Miles "Tails" Prower out! Catch me if you can!

Nah, i just tend to think we no longer have designers who can think for themselves and are just happy to shove something together whether it works or not and throw it out to be bought by unsuspecting players. Its not just online games its the whole lot, single, multiplayer and subscription based ones.

Existing ones are see'ing their playerbase drop (yes that includes wow) due to boredom, new games come out but are either extreamly buggy, crap or just a rushed job. Playing some games of old are actually way greater than the current tripe ones been getting for the past 8yrs.

Originally posted by Creslin321

Originally posted by acidworm

Originally posted by Styij

Has my life been enriched by this experience?

You're here talking about it aren't you?

I could talk about my four hour wait at the DMV, but that doesn't make it an enriching experience ;).

 Thats gold Jerry, GOLD!

Originally posted by Creslin321

Originally posted by acidworm

Originally posted by Styij

Has my life been enriched by this experience?

You're here talking about it aren't you?

I could talk about my four hour wait at the DMV, but that doesn't make it an enriching experience ;).

You could but you're not.

I think it's like being a virgin and not being a virgin anymore. You'll always remember that day you've lost virginity and base your future experiences on that.

I guess most people had a super hot mmorpg to start with (deep complex and fun game like Ultima Online) and then moved on to some baby-retarded-stupid-easy-mind-controling game like world of warcraft and were destabilised by it's suction into getting the item you want.

After that people realised the scam and said: I won't be scammed anymore, I used to have fun now I'm just grinding, no thanks!

Well, I guess it's like the first love affair vs grinding for first nights with unknowns. Gets boring, then you want to get back to the love affair.

Developers are in a rut.  Happens all the time.  Innovation in videogames is often a burst of inspiration, followed by stagnation, followed by more innovation.  Right now MMO's are deep deep into a period of stagnation, but somebody will pull it out of it's funk.  I'm predicting it will be a FPS MMO developed by ATVI/Blizzard/Bungie, but who knows where it will come from...

Originally posted by Manestream

Nah, i just tend to think we no longer have designers who can think for themselves and are just happy to shove something together whether it works or not and throw it out to be bought by unsuspecting players. Its not just online games its the whole lot, single, multiplayer and subscription based ones.

I can't help but to think of Black Ops when I read this.

Looking back at the original Counter Strike which was a free game, you could host your own servers, play non-developer created maps that were automatically downloaded when you visited the server, and the gameplay was arguably better than modern FPS games.

With Black Ops you have to have your server hosted by 1 company that only has a few locations around the world which severly impacts ping times, you have to buy official maps from Treyarch, which after the next map pack, players will have paid almost as much for add-on maps that they did for the original game. 

Sad really... I mean with all of the micro-transactions built into all facets of onlline games today how did developers ever make money before this trend started? 

Oh that's right, by making good games.

The problem is that MMOs are too similar to eachother. Doing the same thing is just fun for so many years.

Either you try one of the few games that differs from the rest (like Eve) or you take a break, preferably a long one.

If you want a rush, try some pen and paper RPGs instead (of course you need around 4 friends for that as well), it is rather different but still hold the same basics.

MMOs will change, you can always come back and try out games like WoDO, TOR, GW2 and TSW, maybe one of them differs enough to give you the rush back.

I am frankly in almost the same thing myself, I have only enjoyed GW the last 6 months or so.

Originally posted by lunatis

I think it's like being a virgin and not being a virgin anymore. You'll always remember that day you've lost virginity and base your future experiences on that.

I guess most people had a super hot mmorpg to start with (deep complex and fun game like Ultima Online) and then moved on to some baby-retarded-stupid-easy-mind-controling game like world of warcraft and were destabilised by it's suction into getting the item you want.

After that people realised the scam and said: I won't be scammed anymore, I used to have fun now I'm just grinding, no thanks!

Well, I guess it's like the first love affair vs grinding for first nights with unknowns. Gets boring, then you want to get back to the love affair.

 I'm not sure I agree with this.  I can give lots of examples where subsequent generations of a game or gametype blew me away.  Take Civilizaton franchise.  Civ 4 totally blew me away and I played Civ's 1-3 as well.  And take FPS genre.  I've been playing since it was invented, and had several OMG moments along the way.  Castle Wolfenstein -> Doom -> Half Life -> MW, each one of them raised the bar.  FPS games are in a bit of a funk as well, which is part of the reason I think the big breakout for both genres will be a AAA developed MMO FPS.  Will innovate both the MMO and FPS genres by merging them...