Why do you play MMORPGs? What keeps you questing through these ever-growing worlds? I think a lot of us might answer like Zyrusticae in Blade and Soul here, as we enjoy inhabiting and exploring virtual fantasy worlds.
“See, this is the sort of thing I play MMORPGs for,” Zyrusticae writes. “That sense of ‘place.’ Being somewhere else, even if it’s only behind a computer screen. Old shots, yes, but still some of my favorites just for that. It’s a very pleasant feeling, really.”
Will you find your sense of place in the following player screenshots? Let’s find out!
Namtubb is getting taking a break in Warframe to get in some puppy dog time: “I think this pic might elicit some emotions from people, emotions like, ‘Aww what a cute space puppy!’ or ‘Someone call the space police, someone’s choking a space puppy!’ What we’re actually seeing is my first ever space puppy, Khana, and me petting her.”
“I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the vista mechanic in Guild Wars 2,” said Rees Racer. “I’ve personally backpacked to many different parts of the world, and enjoy finding my own real life spots to take in a rare sight. But some of those jumping puzzles in the game are harder than actual trekking and climbing about some obscure island in the Gulf of Thailand. Sometimes I’ll find myself in the game with no official vista, but instead qualifies as mirror of my own proclivities to explore. It merely satisfies my wanderlust temporarily… when I can’t quite literally jump on the next flight to some other remote destination on planet Earth.”
“Final Fantasy XI was the first MMO I would say I fell in love with,” sent in Nobleeinherjar. “Until FFXIV, it was the only MMO where an in-game place felt like home. I was a proud citizen of Bastok. Before there were a dozen different ways to teleport around Vana’diel like there are today, I would miss Bastok if I was away for a long time on whatever adventure my character was undertaking. Every time I’d zone into Gustaberg, its arid beauty and the sound of those xylophones starting to play let me know I was almost home.”
My challenge to put readers in touch with their feelings sent them to scary and challenging headspaces. Don’t worry, we’ll steer well clear of feelings for a while, unless those feelings are chest bumps and explosions!
Vincent felt up this FFXIV pic: “Right, this week’s screenshot challenge is all about feelings, eh? This is the first time an MMORPG got me to feel something about an NPC. His wit, his charm… when we were at our lowest, he opened his doors and took us in. And he didn’t hesitate for a second to raise his shield in our defense and sacrifice his life for ours. The true Warrior of Light.”
Let us imagine that there was an MMORPG screenshot contest with a juicy prize, but you could only submit one picture as your entry. This week’s screenshot challenge is to find your best-of-the-best and show it off. What would be your winning entry?
Every week, One Shots shines a spotlight on the best community screenshots from your MMO adventures. If you have a great pic to share, email it to justin@massivelyop.com with the subject “One Shots.” Make sure that the picture is over 880px wide and comes with a description or story!
