[MUD-Dev] [SOC] A letter: Dear MMOG

[Corey Crawford]

Found this at F13.net, thought it might be of interest.

URL:
http://www.f13.net/2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1083893831&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2

[article start]
Dear MMOG
It's not you, it's me. Really. You see, I want to see other games,
and I don't feel right about seeing them while I'm with you. You've
been a great MMOG, but I'm a free spirit. I want to have fun without
getting tied down to one game. I'm just not ready for a long-term
relationship, and I don't think you are ready to share me with other
games.

At first, it was incredible. We ran through the levels and had so
much fun.  I felt like a kid on the playground again, a feeling I
haven't had for a long, long time. We killed orcs and rabbits and
got gold and shiny swords.  That time we went shopping for armor
together was just magical. I think I could have lost myself in your
eyes that night on the seashore.

But the magic started to fade. We didn't get levels as much, my
armor got rusty and this sword could use a sharpening something
fierce. I started to feel like we were just getting together out of
habit, neither one of us really having a good time so much as we
were trying to re-ignite the flame we once had. And every time I
tried to spend less time with you, I felt guilty about it for a
week. I should have been with you.

You kept asking me where I was, who I'd been with. You get so
jealous!  Pretty soon I felt like I had to be with you every
night. And then we started staying up so late when we got into that
dragon hunting. I never slept. The times I came into work on two
hours of sleep and was just exhausted! Even my boss started saying
something about the bags under my eyes. All day at work you'd want
me to talk about you on the message boards, read up on strategies
for leveling, and plan what we'd do together that night. I never got
a moment's peace.

You're just too controlling. I want someone who can treat me like a
natural gamer, who can put up with my moods and whims without trying
to change them.  I think what finally got me fed up was that time I
was at my mom's house.  There I am, enjoying some quiet family time
with my niece and you start messaging me repeatedly, talking about
some siege or some battle or something. Once was fine, even twice,
but you just kept hounding me until I finally came home and logged
in. You were so mean! It's not my fault I couldn't be there for the
fight, but you just burned down the city we built together without
even thinking of my feelings! We worked hard on that smithy, but you
didn't care. I wasn't there for one little thing and you just ripped
it to shreds.  What were you thinking? Then you still wanted me to
keep paying for everything, and you wouldn't even answer my calls
when I asked you about those gloves that disappeared. It took you a
week to get back to me!

Like I said, it's been fun, but I just can't give you what you need
anymore. I want to see other games without you interfering, without
you making me feel guilty for not killing that dragon again. That's
all you want to do now, kill the dragon, siege the city, it's been
done. What happened to your spontaneity? What happened to the dings?
What happened to just getting together and having fun looking at the
landscape? It's all about you, and I'm just there to make you look
better. I heard about you, bragging your little head off about
subscription this and concurrent user that. Wasn't I special? Didn't
my subscription matter or was I just one of a faceless hundred
thousand? It's ok if you see lots of other gamers, even two gamers
at once, but I try to play one other game and you get so
possessive. Then you start bringing up that whole second account
thing. I mean, I'm not good enough for you as I am, you want me to
get one of those robot buffers too? Do I not satisfy you?

That's it, I'm through with. I'm going to play what I want to play
how I want to play it and if you don't like it, that's something
you'll have to deal with on your own. I'm sure you can get one of
your little robot buffers to buff you to your heart's content. You
like them better than me anyway. Don't even think about sending me
one of those "Try me again for 15 days" emails either. I'm not
one of those "Try me again for 15 days" emails either. I'm not
one of those "Try me again for 15 days" emails either. I'm not
one of those "Try me again for 15 days" emails either. I'm not
interested in one of your quickies for old time's sake. Don't
cry. Don't make a scene. Let's make a clean break now, like ripping
off a bandage, in one swift motion.

Have a good life. I hope I won't see you in the future. I can only
imagine coming across you in the mall or something, all bloated with
expansion after expansion, tarted up with the latest come-on. You'll
look terrible, all kinds of horrid cosmetic surgery plastered on
your face in some vain attempt to hold onto that youthful vigor
while all these babies half your size are attracting all the good
gamers. It'll be really sad, so have some dignity. Don't let
yourself go like that.

Yours truly,

Haemish MacLennan
[article end]

---
Corey Crawford
ccrawford at seventh.net
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev