[MUD-Dev2] Players are shallow [was: The Future of Quests]

[Mike Oxford]

cruise wrote:
> Players do not know what will be fun.
> People naturally prefer easy and shallow over complex and rewarding.
I cannot really agree with this.  The "instant gratification" and "just 
one more X" type scenarios are, just like gambling, "feel good hits" of 
serotonin and dopamine.  Easy can be quite rewarding. 

Where I see WoW succeeding where others have failed (and continue to 
fail) is that they own the vertical market.  The whole stack is theirs.  
No matter what your timeframe you can find something to do which, in the 
end, builds your character up.  Whether that "something" is skilling up 
a tradeskill, farming to supply raid materials or playing the auction 
house, it's all one big vertical column.

At its most easy and basic, "farming" groundspawn material, like ore 
nodes and herbalism.  Then using those in tradeskills or selling them.  
Then using that revenue to buy different materials to support the 
raiding environment, build a custom mount or work towards some other 
goal.  Everything is related in a vertical column, and if you can't do 
the "best stuff" right now, you can prep for it and get the feel good 
hits from quick accomplishments.  There's always something to do.  You 
long to come back because there's so much to be done; so much that could 
be done.  You subconciously want that interaction, those serotonin and 
dopamine hits.  You think about the upcoming raids and plan for the next 
set of encounters.  You wonder about your arena team(s) and how many 
points you can acquire from this week's play.  You scan gear lists.  You 
plan what you need from what instance.  Even when you're out of game 
you're thinking about being in-game and reading websites, scanning 
forums and posting about the game.

Once you're in the stack it's easy to get lost ... and you really don't 
mind being lost. 

And the worst part about it is trying to break free, because it's always 
there...always available...always inviting.  One moment of weakness and 
you end up right back in the stack.

It really is an addition; an addition to chemicals made by our brains 
and those hits don't come from long drawn-out quest chains, but by the 
accomplishment at the end.  Thus, the more "accomplishments" you do (the 
more times you press the red lever in the cage) the more good feelings 
you get from the food that drops out of the quest giver's dispenser.

There is one notable exception: epic quests.  The quests that are unique 
to your class.  Your race.  Your character.  If everyone can do it/get 
it then it's not special.

 From personal experience, anyways.

-mox