[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] Rewards

[Jean, Yannick]

On 4/23/07 Jeffrey Kesselman wrote :

>> On 4/18/07, Yannick Jean wrote:
>> (...)
>> Social reward is not the cup of tea of all players.
>
> Certainly, but to many of the kinds of player attracted to MMOs it is.,
>
> Less face it, MMO gameplay sucks rocks.  There are lots of good
> reasons for this but at the end of the day, thats the result.
>
> Why then are they hugely popular?  I'd argue because human beings,
> even the most socially retarded (and god we see those in any MMO) are
> inherently social beings.  And they come online for that social
> contact.
> (...)
 
I disagree.

I think a good part of actual MMORPG players prefer soloing or playing
in near total social isolation rather than the social playing so many
designers are promoting.

People who can play only 30-45 mins sessions now and then simply don't
have the time to bond with other players or idly chat. They do play with
their RL friends, but its pretty much the extent of their
socializations.

I tend to think WoW success is a direct consequence of its
solo-friendliness.

And yes, as sucky as you perceived it to be, gameplay does matter and
does have some appeal in some MMORPGs.

- Yannick jean