Activity Duration in MMOs (was: [MUD-Dev2] [DESIGN] Spore andMMOs)

[Mike Sellers]

Michael Hartman wrote:
> So no, raiding in WoW is not significantly different from EQ or from any
> other fantasy RPG raiding. It is just as boring and just as tedious as
> it is everywhere else. You spend 3 hours listening to one person give
> orders over TS/Vent and have virtually zero free will whatsoever. You
> don't get to "think on your feet" at all. You do exactly as the raid
> leader tells you, or the raid wipes.

On one hand, I agree with you: I find very little "fun" in raiding as
constructed in WoW.

OTOH, clearly many others disagree, as shown by their behavior (how many is
open to dispute, but that's not my point).  For that matter, I find the
whole "grind" concept unappealing -- but again, clearly many others,
probably millions of others, disagree. Maybe this should tell us a bit about
how much we can generalize from what we as individuals consider to be fun.  

As another example, I don't gamble much.  I might play blackjack or poker
now and again, but something like slots?  Please.  You put in a coin and
press a button or pull a lever.  That's it.  It's not even "playing" in that
you're not making any decisions *at all.*

And yet -- millions of people play them all the time, and will board a bus
or airplane to travel many hours just to be able to sit and 'play the
slots.'  

This may seem ridiculous to you or me, but before we go declaring things to
be "not fun," it might be a good idea to see if others, by their behavior,
might be showing how subjective such an assessment really is.  

Mike Sellers