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Originally posted by Metentso
I can't believe you are asking this and I can't believe nobody answered you.
MMORPGS are not for one month, or three months, MMORPGS are for years, so if you are done in one month that's a failure. This should be obvious to anyone.

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Also, I'm not trying to solve some sort of 'issue'...I'm really curious. Are mmorpg causing different behavior in players, or are mmorpg attracting a different kind of player?

I also recognize that forums are a small percentage of the players, so I don't know that the behavior I've noticed applies to mmorpg players in general so much as it seems to apply to mmorpg players who post on forums.

Think its because people want more out of MMOs.  It's a medium that has the potential to be a lot more than just another game, so people get crazy when it fails to come even close to living up to that.  Cost doesn't really have anything to do with it.

in my mind its pretty simple

Competition.  In MMO's its an ongoing competition to be the best or get the best.  People see 1 little change and cry nerf, or bitch cause their clerics cant be top dps, tanks and heal like gods.  Its always fun when you have a good guild and you find some sweet item nobody has seen, or reach a level that nobody else has yet.

Some people want to finish content first

Some people want to be the best geared

Some people want to be the best crafter

Some people want to be a top pvp'er

In single player games that doesnt exist.

So people complain at any little thing that slows them down, or keeps them from improving their characters once they reach their personal goals.  IE lack of endgame content, high end crafting, world pvp

Originally posted by Myrdynn

in my mind its pretty simple

Competition.  In MMO's its an ongoing competition to be the best or get the best.  People see 1 little change and cry nerf, or bitch cause their clerics cant be top dps, tanks and heal like gods.  Its always fun when you have a good guild and you find some sweet item nobody has seen, or reach a level that nobody else has yet.

Some people want to finish content first

Some people want to be the best geared

Some people want to be the best crafter

Some people want to be a top pvp'er

In single player games that doesnt exist.

So people complain at any little thing that slows them down, or keeps them from improving their characters once they reach their personal goals.  IE lack of endgame content, high end crafting, world pvp

 

I don't think competition is the reason why people will hate or fanboy on a game. I would say those are good reasons why people become no-lifers. They invest so much in to the game that they end up not having anything else but the game. To be first or number one in a fantasy world really means nothing but when it is all you have it means everything.

There are tons of reasons why people rage out on the forums I'm sure. Some might want to justify their stance on buying / not buying a game. Some want everyone to see and agree with their point of view. Some do it just to be trolls because they like the attention. The list of reasons why is going to be long and diverse. The OPs question can not really be answered by one person. You would have to interview everyone who you believe to be going "bananas" and hope they give you an honest answer as to why.

Originally posted by lizardbones

Also, I'm not trying to solve some sort of 'issue'...I'm really curious. Are mmorpg causing different behavior in players, or are mmorpg attracting a different kind of player?

I also recognize that forums are a small percentage of the players, so I don't know that the behavior I've noticed applies to mmorpg players in general so much as it seems to apply to mmorpg players who post on forums.

I see folks that show up to consistently to throw negativity on something I enjoy as a threat to its existence. If they only succeed at driving away .1% of potential gamers, that is still lost momentum for my game of choice.

This has happened twice since I started coming to MMORPG.com back in late 05.....first with EQ(all SOE products actually), and now with TOR. So naturally I am going to respond, especially since I dont spend my time on alternate game forums attacking them, and seeking to drive away potential customers. I see it as being rude to your fellow gamers, and feel a "Go fuck yourself" is sometimes warranted. Unfortunatly the mods dont look very kindly on  this response, even though it is a culmination of being antagonized.

Like the TOS of this site basically says......state your position then move on. Unfortunately it doesnt work that way here, thus to talk about the game I can deal with BS from a handful, or get into a whole nother level of clusterfrack on the O brds.

I'd agree with the comments MMO's are a long term investment, players are more likely to already be talking on forums and I'd also add the concurrent nature of multiple games add a barracking mentality. That is to say, games like skyrim etc are played sequentially and each game of the genre improves and you move on. MMO's over 5 years old are still being played in competition with others. Humans like to barrack for things like football teams.

This discussion made me hungry....

By the time people realize a single player game sucks, everyone who wanted to play it has ordered it.  There's no continuing subscription fee, so the rant is moot.

By the time people realize an MMO sucks, those who really wanted to play it are still playing it, and those who hate it want other people to know - rather emphatically - that they hate the game.  And keep letting them know.  And then, once they figure people know, they keep letting people know that "Hey - I hate this game!". 

In short, it's the fact that people subscribe to a game that keeps people ranting about MMOs - it's the long-term vs. short-term game "commitment".

Its kinda like when you are out partying and you meet someone.

Your adrenalin is pumping, you are slightly buzzed, you are excited and infatuated about this new person. They look awesome. You are Hyped

Then you wake up with them next to you in the morning and realize they are really a shallow, broken, hideous troll

Here is what I percieve, though some have already stated some of these points:

1. Social – MMO players are social by the nature of the genera. They want to be online talking to people, be it in a game or on a forum.
2. Economic – $60 is a one-time thing on a single player game. With most MMO’s its $60 for the box, plus sub fees (GW2  aside), plus $60 expansions. They demand more value for the premium they are paying.
3. Expectations - People’s expectations of a single player game and MMORPG differ. Single Player games have a tangible end, with an expectation of little replayability.  MMORPGs are (supposed to be) persistent worlds, without an end, but with a social and engaging world that will last years, not 4 weeks. IMO this is the major problem of modern themepark games. Yes, they are casual friendly, but for more hardcore (which I would consider most on this forum to be), an ‘end game’ that is just a repetitive gear treadmill is offensive. Once you have killed that big bad boss 20 times and can’t get any more shiny, it makes people mad that they have nothing left but to wait 6 months to pay another $60 for an expansion. SOME love this or do not mind it.

Because they are beautiful

Everyone gets upset if you critizise something to which they've commited. Look at console fanbois, you will defend your brand if you've bought it for 500€ and then pay 10€ a month for gold membership or alternatively buy another console for 800€ (when it first came out) and have to buy overpriced games to do something with it.

Some people have spent years to these games - hundreds of dollars, euros and pounds. Peoples lives have been severely affected. Think of the work, homework, spouses and children that have been neglected. You can't just say that MMOs are shit and get away with it, oh no sir. They must be something amazing for all that, and you are dead wrong if you do not agree. And they never let you forget.

I'm only joking here ofcourse. ...well mostly.

Because in MMOs you have

WoW

WoW with a lightsaber

WoW with cheap random events thrown in

WoW, but better graphics

WoW, but with more PvE

WoW, but with more PvP

MMO that was different, but changes to WoW

Indie MMO that sucks because 90% of the features aren't in or are a buggy mess, and the MMO itself is a buggy unfinished mess

Only very few MMOs are actually good that are modern (or relatively modern)

MMOs that copy WoW, are like call of duty.

At least singleplayer games, you have tons of choices and while some may copy each other, there is a lot that are actually different. Even indie singleplayer games are really good.

Originally posted by kostoslav
single player games are for fun, mmo is a way of life ;D

Because people love to follow what everyone else is doing...

Mostly due to the fact that most MMORPG players want a game they can enjoy for longer periods of time and right now even the newer casual crowds are asking for more depth and complexity as it prelongs the gametime by alot.

I think personally that the Themepark crap has gone too far and people are starting to open their eyes to the old school and sandbox alternatives.

For starters.  No one visit the dragon age forum so no point complaining there...

Originally posted by lizardbones

[...] If players buy a game (Dragon Age 2) and it blows, players don't spend weeks on forums complaining about the game incessantly. If they happen to like the game, they don't spend weeks on forums declaring the virtues of the games either.

[...]

First, thats wrong. People do that all the time. The amount of wasted time I spent on bashing Gothic ...

Also, MMORPGs are played much longer and much more intensively than singleplayer offline games. Even really enchanting titles like Baldurs Gate 2 do not make you keep playing for years. MMOs do so on a regular basis.

Thus its no surprise that MMORPGs, on average, do yield more emotional responses than singleplayer offliners.

Trying to pick the responses that do not depend specifically on someone being dissatisfied with a game, I've seen the following responses that make a lot of sense to me:
* MMORPG, in general and by default have more playable hours than almost every other type of game, especially console titles. There is a higher level of commitment from the player who purchases an MMORPG. This extends to the financial aspects of the games as well. Players often commit to spending $15 a month, every month to play.
* MMORPG are by nature social games. The players who would purchase an MMORPG are probably more social in nature, and therefore are more likely to talk about the games, whether they are actively playing them or not.
* MMORPG are already online and the default location for seeking help when you're stuck or are wondering something is the forums. The forums for an MMORPG is a location players are more likely to visit compared to the forums for a other types of games.

These are enough reasons (to me) to make the more intense and more vocal (on forums) behavior of MMORPG players make sense.

Some other random observations:
* It's nice to wake up in the morning and see your thread still there.
* Not many people question the validity of the idea that MMORPG players are (in general) more 'bananas' than people who follow other types of games.
* I'm really glad I used 'bananas' and not '@pesh!t', because that one post with the picture of the banana would have been really horrible.