The MMO Conundrum

There are gamers who can play the same game for countless hours and never tire of it. Or perhaps they rotate between a very small subset of games, rarely venturing to obtain a new one save for the latest offering from Blizzard or Valve. Then there are gamers who aren't satisfied with the same game for very long. I am in this category. We buy games fast and often, tire quickly, and move on to something else. It's not the most wallet-friendly approach to gaming, but it's who we are. We simply aren't entertained by any one game for too long.


Naturally there are exceptions. Several hundred hours in Pokemon Black is a testament to that. But it pales in comparison to the many thousands some spend in MMO titles. Naturally, the first that comes to mind is World of Warcraft and its plethora of subscribers. But this also includes FPS titles like Call of Duty, and RTS like Starcraft. Actually it includes almost everything Blizzard produces, but that's beside the point. Basically, these games are less like games to some people and more like an alternate existence. Some can spend years of their life prioritizing their in-game persona over their own lives. I'm not here to argue the right or wrong of that, but that level of devotion exists. These aren't games you just stop playing. These are games you "quit" playing. Just like how you quit smoking.

I'm digressing a bit, so I'll get to my main point. I have had some experiences with MMO games in my life, but I have never been able to treat them any differently than other games. I've played Diablo II, World of Warcraft, and Phantasy Star Online. As I said before, I am not entertained by any one game for too long. The major difference with MMOs is that when I'm bored with it, I'm not done. These games are designed to be an investment of time and effort, and as such you can not accomplish everything in the world in a few weeks. Unfortunately, as strong as my desire to complete games is, it cannot last against my desire to stop playing a game I find no longer entertaining. So I stop. I don't quit, I just stop.

As I write this, I'm introspecting. I don't understand everything about what makes me the gamer I am today. As a child I trained myself to enjoy the same games for a long time, and I look back upon those games with fondness today. As a child I didn't have the income, and my parents weren't generous enough to provide a constant stream of new releases. I was happy with what I had. I'm still not sure how I made that transition. Perhaps with refined tastes, I now see little reason to replay a game I have just recently completed. Redoing the same challenges, or rewatching the same story has little value. And that's the thing: most games end. Whether there's value to be had in replaying it or not, most games have a clearly defined finishing point. Once reached, I consider the game as done as a movie I had just finished watching. It's over; there's no more value to be had in dwelling on it. So I move on.

So why, when a game doesn't end, do I still stop playing it before long? Is it simply that I have a short attention span? I don't think so. I think it's a combination of a few different factors. Here are some of my theories:

1. MMOs get tedious before long. There is more to a game than its plot or the experience from beginning to end. Even if a game is 500 hours long, if the gameplay remains consistent throughout, then boredom will surely set in. Particularly with RPGs, grinding for experience can take up the better part of your experience with the game. I can only take so much of the same thing at once; some variation is necessary.

2. No new areas to explore. This is somewhat related to my last point. Grinding is more tolerable when you can explore new and interesting environments. If there's a sense of moving forward or development, all the better. I dislike it when games have you repeat the same areas with stronger enemies. Once I've seen all the areas a game has to offer, going through them all again in what is essentially "hard mode" does not appeal to me.

3. Little sense of accomplishment. This is a big one for me. I love the feeling of accomplishing something in a game. 100% completion is a wonderful experience. Therefore, a game where this is surely impossible appeals less. Obviously there are things to aim for: max level, a high score, or the best gear. But it doesn't feel rewarding. And it's usually not worth the trouble.

4. Playing with friends is hard. I don't enjoy playing with strangers online. When I play MMOs I want to do it with friends. But aligning your interests perfectly with friends is difficult, and the more friends you play with, the harder it is. You have to all stay at around the same level, otherwise you can't play together, so you have to play at the same rate as others. This will mean either playing more or less than you want to. If you play too much you will have to stop your fun while you wait for a friend to catch up. If you play less, then others will have to wait for you; and they may not be willing to. You also have to agree on what you want to do within the game, which could also lead to less than ideal scenarios. Overall, it becomes an added hassle that I don't enjoy dealing with.

There may be more reasons. You may disagree with one or more of my reasons but it's how I feel. If you have any other ideas, please chime in with a comment below; I'd like to hear feedback. If you know of an MMO that doesn't meet any of these criteria, I'd love to hear about that too. Until then, I'm forced to conclude that MMOs simply aren't for me. And although I'm missing out on a key social area of gaming, I'm happier to relax at home alone with a single-player adventure.