We can all point to the many, many video game and pop culture tropes that infest MMORPGs to both our amusement and annoyance. From giant spiders to jaunty pirates to helpless NPCs who seem incapable of crossing a room to get the object they desire, we see these things all over the place.
But once in a while an aware MMO designer puts in some extra effort and defies our expectations of those tropes. Perhaps he or she puts a spin on that trope to throw us off-kilter or subverts it entirely. The other day I was talking to a quest giver in Dungeons and Dragons Online who initially tasked me with going to a basement to kill rats. As I rolled my eyes, the character laughed and said that he was just kidding, how silly it would be to ask a hero of my renown to perform a task that a cat could do.
Have you ever seen something like this? When have MMOs put a clever spin on old tropes?
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!
