If you're a content locust, then you'll have to switch MMOs rather often. Usually when a MMO launches there's just enough content for some 1-3 month, before the more advanced players run out of content.

Unfortunately there's not enough MMOs with readily consumable content to keep players happy. So I'd say that it's not a sustainable gaming-style.

Hybrid-MMOs are the best bet, where you can consume the themepark-content and then proceed with the sandbox while witing for new themepark-content to be released.
However, there's a lack of such MMOs, so you need to look elsewhere to fill the gaps.

I agree with the OP, content locust is increasinly sustainable. More MMO's come out now than ever before, many of them F2P and B2P is picking up steam.

Along with Gamefly, Steam and the consoles with their contant sales, there is a huge backlog of games to play - any adult with a full time job will have a difficult time consuming it all.

I was thinking about this the other day in regards to subscription based games. As more hybrid B2P/Cash Shop games come out, it is very possible to juggle 2-3+ MMO's and bounce between them for expansions/content patches.

I used to keep one sub MMO and just try out new ones, and toss in single player titles here and there, but I don't have the desire for a sub game anymore. Back in the day $15/month was very cheap entertainment, but now when sales come out, I can pick up a couple top tier games for $15, add in the F2P/B2P mmos and my $15 goes further than the sub used to.

We might be entering the second golden age of gaming, as content becomes cheaper for the players and a larger variety is available, developers will compete to catch our attention. So I think we're going to see better and better stuff over the next 5-10 years.

The only way you can make a sustainable game that will work with the content locusts is through player created content.  Neverwinter (http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/634/Neverwinter.html) is the first of many games that are really heavily shifting in this direction.  The content locusts devour content so fast that no sane developer team could ever keep up with it.

Where as a system in place that allows players to create dungeons & then invite their friends to play through those dungeons, supplies and endless ammount of conent for these types of gamers.  On top of that the new trend allows the players that play through these player created dungeons to recieve loot, in accordance with the difficulty of the dungeon, from the bosses, mobs, & traps insides.

Honestly I hope that this trend in MMO gaming catches traction, because it's one of the few ways I see the MMO industry being saved from the spiral it's in.

Originally posted by Rusque

... developers will compete to catch our attention. So I think we're going to see better and better stuff over the next 5-10 years.

The former does not necessitate the latter.

Moreover that it is used as a excuse for rushed or sloppy projects more often than not.

As for the question of sustainability... depends on your expectations, a content locust may spend 60 bucks on a box every 2 weeks, or he might be playing free games, and that is just the money, then comes playstyle preference (or lack of), environment preference (or lack of)...

Now if it sustainable for the game, that is a completly differnet argument.

Flame on!

:)

Originally posted by ragz45

The only way you can make a sustainable game that will work with the content locusts is through player created content.  Neverwinter (http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/634/Neverwinter.html) is the first of many games that are really heavily shifting in this direction.  The content locusts devour content so fast that no sane developer team could ever keep up with it.

Where as a system in place that allows players to create dungeons & then invite their friends to play through those dungeons, supplies and endless ammount of conent for these types of gamers.  On top of that the new trend allows the players that play through these player created dungeons to recieve loot, in accordance with the difficulty of the dungeon, from the bosses, mobs, & traps insides.

I'm surprised newer MMOs over the past few years haven't caught on to that. Neverwinter 1 and Titan Quest are two incredible examples of how player created content can extend the life of an MMO.

Eventually there will be an MMO dev who is going to look at Roll20, D20Pro and Open RPG and build from there. When they do, I expect to see many others follow suit.

Originally posted by cosy

 

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Originally posted by jpnz
'can your style sustain itself?'

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Nope, unless you agree to pay 10USD per every DLC and a monthly subscription

There are so many F2P MMOs, i don't think a) i would ever pay a sub again, and b) i will never run out of content even if i play each only for a few month.

Ultimately it boils down to the specific players, what he like, what he is willing to pay for, and how much free time he has.

Personally, i am a content locust and my gaming style not only is very sustainable, i have been doing it for years.

I always have less time to finish all the games i want to. I always have less time to "proper play" quite a few of MMOs (including STO, DDO, even PS2).

Originally posted by jpnz

Ever since I proclaimed that 'I am a content locust', I've had discussions around it; offline and online.

One of the questions asked in a recent conversation was 'can your style sustain itself?'

I didn't give a justifiable answer to that question at the time as I haven't thought much about it.

I just naturally assumed content will keep on being produced by company X then company Y then company Z and on on on.

As long as there are players like me who'll buy / sub for content, content will be produced; demand / supply thing.

But is it sustainable?

 

I believe it is and one of the reasons for that is my ever-increasing-gaming-backlog that I will never ever clear.

I talked to a few gamers and they all have backlogs that they know they will never clear as well.

PS2 is where my MMO gaming lies right now but after me and the folks I play with get bored, we'll move on.

We can sub back to an MMO we left a few months ago to see the new content since (like SWTOR), finish it, cancel sub and jump to another MMO etc.

Question to the MMORPG.COM community is, do you think this is sustainable? Or is there a flaw in my reasoning?

Well seeing as a content locust is someone who devours all content and then moves on to the next content, your thread and OP don't truly add up. You point out that you have a backlog of game content that you will never clear. By definition that is contrary to what a locust is. You are more likely a content collector and of course content collectors are a sustainable gaming style. You are why games continue to be made, but in reality all of us are content collectors with a backlog of game content. There isn't a flaw in your reasoning, only in your premise.

Of course you will point it out as irrelevent, which is your favorite catch phrase for any view not in line with yours. An individual game will reach a point where content is unsustainable.It occurs sooner  IF you were to play only that one game,but someone playing only one game is highly unlikely, self-proclaimed locust or not. We all play multiple games at multiple times at various immersion levels. Those playing a slower pace give sustainablity to an individual game more than a "locust". However content collectors or "locusts", if that is the badge of honor you prefer, sustain the gaming industry as a whole.

Originally posted by cheyane 

I do this with other things in life too including games I tend to savour or things I love or like and try to make them last but often this makes me take too long and I often do not complete something because I took too long. I am perhaps the exact opposite of the op and I end up not reaching the end of the game because I am too busy trying to replay parts I like or trying to by rolling 8 characters in SWTOR experience every single story and having my highest toon only at 28. I suppose we all do things differently and I am wondering which of  our playstyles is in the majority and I suspect mine isn't.

I do this. In a way it's a more extreme form of content locust in that i'm trying to experience every aspect of a game i like from every possible angle. By the time i finally got my first EQ character to the original max level 50 i must have levelled at least 40 other different race/class combos to around level 30-ish over the years in between.

You can't really do that if a game has no depth though.

I know that I am a content locust and I do not like it.  I have played 6 different MMOs throughout this year and have seen probably about 90 percent of what each has to offer.   At the end of the day, I do not feel a strong connection to any of the games' worlds or to the "friends" that I made in those games.. 

I would much rather find a home that keep my attention for longer than a few months at a time.  I know that it is not sustainable for me because I will probably quit gaming altogether if I can't find something that I can truly enjoy. 

Originally posted by Killgores

I know that I am a content locust and I do not like it.  I have played 6 different MMOs throughout this year and have seen probably about 90 percent of what each has to offer.   At the end of the day, I do not feel a strong connection to any of the games' worlds or to the "friends" that I made in those games.. 

I would much rather find a home that could both keep my attention for longer than a few months at a time.  I know that it is not sustainable for me because I will probably quit gaming altogether if I can't find something that I can truly enjoy. 

Because you have this notion that you need a "home". May be that is your problem. I have no such needs. I finish a game and move on. In fact, i logged the games i have finished in a file, as a kind of trophy.

I can enjoy SP games, MMOs, and other types for its content. That, i think, is the definition of a content locust. You have to enjoy it .. otherwise, why bother?

How to beat content locusts to the ground

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Increase the amount of experience to level up by a factor of 10.

Originally posted by Castillle

How to beat content locusts to the ground

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Increase the amount of experience to level up by a factor of 10.

Then we will play other MMOs. Competition is a wonderful thing.

I play until I get bored, which usually happens because I run out of goals to achieve that I find viable.

I don't like massive grinds with no real purpose.

I like working towards goals a few hours at a time and feeling like those hours are meaningul progression.

One of the greatest motivators for me in terms of goals is really "owning" a specifc avenue of gameplay.

If its PvP, I want to be fully decked out and blowing up fools left and right.

If it's PvE, I want to be the best at whatever role I choose (Tank/DPS/Healer) as I'll never settle for being less than 1st place.

So in summary, I am not a content locust I am a systems guy.

I don't care if I have to run the same 8 dungeons over and over again if the rewards are measurable and the activity gives me opportunity to improve upon and prove my dominance of whatever role I've chosen.

I can't do the exact same thing over and over again like grinding quest hubs or farming a particular instance or battleground etc.

I do really, really miss what I'd consider to be "meaningful" open world PvP, but I haven't really experienced it since the Factions system in UO post-Trammel split - and even that was very elementary in hindsight.

So no, I don't think content locusts can last forever with pure content consumption - you have to have systems in place that encourage retention and longevity and in 12+ years the best method I've found for that is a combination of continual change and updates and goal based carrot-stick game systems.

Originally posted by nariusseldon

Originally posted by Castillle

How to beat content locusts to the ground

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Increase the amount of experience to level up by a factor of 10.

Then we will play other MMOs. Competition is a wonderful thing.

You are a bit against youself, everyone can trade or craft items from endgame dungeons, and everyone does, grinding out lower to mid range items the jocks up there have no real interest in but leveling people will be happy with is a nice solo experience, and a nice source of cash sometimes, if the leveling people are not at endgame in a week...

Flame on!

:)

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Originally posted by nariusseldon

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Originally posted by cosy  

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Originally posted by jpnz 'can your style sustain itself?'

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  Nope, unless you agree to pay 10USD per every DLC and a monthly subscription

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There are so many F2P MMOs, i don't think a) i would ever pay a sub again, and b) i will never run out of content even if i play each only for a few month.

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One of the repeating theme about this is this notion that one wants a 'home' or 'community' they want to connect with and you can't do that if you are a 'content locust'.

Think it is worth while to repeat that I don't need to create a 'home' or connect to a community when playing a video game cause I already have one.

I go to a community site to get involved in the community stuff and play video games with them.

Kinda like how I go to a steakhouse to eat steak. Same here, I go to a good community site to get involved with community stuff.

I think it is interesting that there is a shift of perception in this behaviour and hopefully, smart businesses can take advantage of this. Players get content and businesses get paid. Win / Win.

Originally posted by cosy

 

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Originally posted by nariusseldon

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Originally posted by cosy  

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Originally posted by jpnz 'can your style sustain itself?'

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  Nope, unless you agree to pay 10USD per every DLC and a monthly subscription

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There are so many F2P MMOs, i don't think a) i would ever pay a sub again, and b) i will never run out of content even if i play each only for a few month.

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if nobody is making money nobody will make that type of games again

 

Lucky me .. there are lots of whales spending money and subsidizing my games. So yeah, i don't see content running out any time soon, do you?

Originally posted by nariusseldon

Originally posted by cosy

 

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Originally posted by nariusseldon

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Originally posted by cosy  

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Originally posted by jpnz 'can your style sustain itself?'

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  Nope, unless you agree to pay 10USD per every DLC and a monthly subscription

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There are so many F2P MMOs, i don't think a) i would ever pay a sub again, and b) i will never run out of content even if i play each only for a few month.

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if nobody is making money nobody will make that type of games again

 

Lucky me .. there are lots of whales spending money and subsidizing my games. So yeah, i don't see content running out any time soon, do you?

As long as those not paying are good with what they get for free, not constantly complaining, it's a win/win and a great thing.  One idea to keep in mind though is that if the flow of money comes from the "whales" giving you your play for free then you really follow them.  If a polorizing game comes out and a lot of whales swim over you may have less options available to you.  Hopefully that doesn't happen as this would mean layoffs or heftier monetization for older games but either way you'd need to become a whale or follow them over.

There's a high chance what I just said didn't make any sense and if so that's okay