If you’ve been playing video games long enough, you’ve probably bumped up against burnout at some point. But for MMO players who are invested in an online game’s community and creations, that burnout can be a lot more painful. You’re not just logging out of a game and moving on to the next one; you’re logging out of a guild, a server, a house, a character you probably put a lot more than the standard 40 hours into. Consequently, finding ways to stay engaged in an MMO – and avoid that feeling of pure burnout – is something we deal with on a much more extreme level.
And yet, clearly we do it. Some folks have been playing the same couple of MMOs for decades and keeping it fresh. We develop all kinds of coping methods: We embrace alts, we tackle fresh content, we take breaks, we set time limits, and so on. And sometimes we give up and walk away, succumbing to the flames – and maybe that’s OK too.
How do you avoid MMO burnout? Do you have a trick, or is it something that comes to you naturally? What’s your best tactic for dodging it entirely – or at least putting it off as long as humanly possible?
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!
