Conventional Thinking

MMORPG.com's Free Zone columnist Richard Aihoshi writes this look at MMO concepts that people often take for granted.

The MMOG space has many things people generally seem to take for granted. We're accustomed to them being the way they are, and we accept that as the natural way of the universe. We seldom if ever ask how or why they came to be, or whether it would be possible to find better alternatives. I do this myself much of the time, but every once in a while, I do wonder about various questions. As it happens, the past week or so was one of those periods. The two main topics both had to do with leveling.

Character levels

Why does it seem that so many games developed in this hemisphere launch with their level caps set at 50? Is it some kind of sacred number among designers? Unlike a lot of gamers and writers, I've never had the urge to be one, and am not privy to the special handshake, the workings of the decoder ring or any other any secrets of the trade. So, maybe the reason is revealed only to those who gain entry into their closed circle and swear a blood oath never to divulge it to mere players.

Read Conventional Thinking.