This morning’s Daily Grind comes to us from a Kickstarter donor at fivefingerdiscount.org (who by the way is still linking to Old Massively! Gasp!). The donor asks one of those lovely simple questions that unravel into intriguing threads of thought:
Why do many MMO players complain about the static nature PvE content in MMOs when they are against PvP and the many non-static, interesting experiences it can bring about?
The donor is right that PvP is one way of adding non-static content to MMOs. But some players really don’t think that seeing their characters murdered is interesting and don’t really want to serve as other people’s “content” under any circumstances, dynamic or not. And frankly, gankbox gameplay has become a bit of a crutch for low-budget games that can’t afford other types of content at all. Even people who like PvP in general don’t want to see it become the only kind of dynamic content in town.
There are a few games that are still doing PvE dynamic content, real dynamic content, like Ultima Online, which still employs a small fleet of live GMs to run roleplay storylines and events across the shards. That’s what I’m looking for in my dynamic content, not a cheapie players-do-all-the-work PvP free-for-all, but whether we’ll ever see developers focus on that gameplay again is up for debate.
What do you think? Do you agree there’s a contradiction when it comes to PvE-only players and dynamic content? Is truly dynamic content still possible in MMOs?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
