[MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] Rewards

[Sean Howard]

"Mike Sellers" <mike at onlinealchemy.com> wrote:
> Yes, some solo more than others, but overall socialization is a huge
>(and largely untapped) motivation for playing MMOs.

But how are you defining socialization? For instance, I would say that the
main reason I play MMORPGs, as opposed to single player games, is that
there are other people on it. That's what makes it unique. But one can
socialize indirectly. One does not need to be forced into social
situations to promote socialization. It happens all by itself. You need
not reward it any more than you would reward breathing.

I think game designers have a VERY narrow appreciation of social
interaction. It's not unlike someone who thinks that a relationship is
measurable by sexual activity. With the way MMORPGs are designed, it's
like someone is trying to improve my relationship by forcing me to have
more sex. There's a bigger picture here. It's not about soloing versus
grouping. It's about missing that big picture. It's about having a shallow
appreciation of why people socialize in the first place, and then forcing
unnatural conditions for all the wrong reasons.

-- 
Sean Howard