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

[cruise]

On Fri, 9 Jan 2009, Mike Oxford wrote:
> It really is an addiction; an addiction 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.

For some, yes, it is strong enough to rival a chemical addiction, but for 
most that hook degrades over time. I think the word I should have 
originally used is "unfulfilling" - chocolate is "fun", but (with 
aforementioned caveat) isn't really something you can base your life 
around.

Humans require something...bigger, be it religion, relationships, 
philosophy, whatever, and it's that scale of fulfillment I want to aim 
for.

Too far? I don't see why it should be - books, films and music all manage 
it. We are getting better - Mass Effect, for example, comes close with 
some of the decisions you have to make - but we have a way to go yet. 
Unfortunately, the players demands (and buying habits) are often in 
opposition with achieving that goal.