When MMOGs Ruled The Quickies 40
This summer it seems like Massive games are the only good news going, and this week has been busy. R. Spencer writes "1UP explores MMO addiction and, in true confessional style, opens the floor to heavy users and recovered junkies. It's especially interesting how much the mechanisms of MMO addiction have in common with other forms of addiction. The primary source of addiction nowadays seems to be World of Warcraft. If you're jonesing right now, you might want to check out this Guide to the Creation of the Scarlet Monastery on the official site. Additionally, Mogg writes "For new players, GamerGod has a up part one of a guide to the game World of Warcraft." This is Tobold's first writerly foray at the new site. Luck to him. For something a little different, 1up explores the world of Sociolotron...a Sex MMOG. Speaking of sex, SOE has been busy lately. The end to the Quest for Antonia search is almost here. They've put up new details on future EQ2 content, and announced a dramatic downsizing of The Matrix Online. See, when no one plays, you don't need as many servers. The new content mob is rearing his head all over with Secrets of the Syren in the works on Star Wars Galaxies, CoH Issue 5 coming up soon, and screenshots from the next Guild Wars update available. MMORPG.com continues to put out interesting editorials, with a look at the stories in Massive Games. Finally, the highly respectable Nick Yee has published a new edition of The Daedalus Project. The seminal source of MMOG statistics on the web has articles on participation in games at the level cap, introductions to the genre, and the stress of loot. As always, participation in the survey helps ensure future issues have good data.
A Different Kind of Addiction (Score:2, Interesting)
This was exactly the case for my friends and I in high-school. Looking back now it is painfully clear that we were addicted to Everquest. Many of us lived for new raids, more levels, and better gear.
There is a reason however that I don't rank "MMO" addiction up with addictions to drugs or alcohol like so many in the media. This is because MMO addictions run their course and leave you largely immune to falling into your old habits with a new game. Like Frasier and his friends, noone I know still plays Everquest, also like him and his friends noone I know, after trying numerous new games to try to recapture the feel, was able to get as drawn in as we were with Everquest. It's not because EQ was that awesome a game, it's because after being so taken with a game for such a long time you aren't able to later find something which doesn't "pale in comparison".
You probably won't hear many recovering alcoholics or drug users tell you they tried their damndest to get back on the wagon and today's booze/drugs simply "pale in comparison" to what it would take to pull them back into their old ways.
Addiction to MUDs (Score:3, Interesting)
We have realized this problem and have created a http://www.medievia.com/addiction.html [medievia.com] Medievia Addiction Page for the assistance of those players that need it.
In addition, it is not uncommon for players to realize their problems and they request to be frozen for an extended period of time or have their playerfile purged altogether. We of course don't deny their requests. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't.
Re:And WoW still hasn't fixed the classes... (Score:3, Interesting)
The funny thing is that when I played on a server where Alliance was at a 3 or 4 to 1 advantage, the Horde was still more successful overall at PvP. They were organized, could control themselves in raids, knew how to play their characters, and could quickly mobilize their players to defend against incursions. As an alliance player myself it didn't take me long to figure out that my fellow players wouldn't respond to any sort of coordination in PvP, making anything resembling tactics impossible.
Re:Addiction to MUDs (Score:3, Interesting)