MOP reader and backer Avaera proposed an interesting Daily Grind topic recently about challenges in MMORPGs – and no, “challenge” doesn’t refer to boss strats or twitch reflexes.
“Having played in this genre for 20 years, I find it’s becoming much harder to get the same hit of endorphins from narratives, choices, and tropes that I’ve seen many times over already,” he explains. “I find it rare that my beliefs or value assumptions ever come close to being subverted in challenging ways through my character’s adventures, and I have a growing list of eyeroll-worthy, uncritical philosophical messaging that is accepted without question into with a lot of virtual world design” – tropes like nature over nurture, dominance is power, and reality requires explanation.
“How interesting would it be to encounter benevolent gods that turn out to be egotistical imposters, forcing us to choose the stability and social cohesion of a lie, or the heresy and social harm of the truth? Or have to deal with constantly shifting allegiances to nations and organisations that I must actively maintain as my character evolves, with those choices based on my politics, rather than just my genetics or simple moral alignment? I’d love to be constantly challenged to think about what I (and my character) want to do, not just have an initial set of choices for body and class and then proceed to check off as many collectable tasks as I can while exploring. If only NPCs could hit me with the same number of questions and dilemmas that I have to work through (or avoid), as they currently do with those damnable ‘quests’!”
There’s a reason I picked SWTOR for the header image for this piece: The last time I truly felt challenged in an MMO was in some of the original quests for that game, when characters are often confronted with truly painful moral dilemmas. Most MMOs simply don’t offer that level of narrative to begin with, and we’re simply tasked with going out and killing 10 rats without really being required to think too hard about why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Do you appreciate MMOs and games that challenge you mentally or make you reconsider your assumptions or beliefs? Which MMOs are already offering that kind of content?
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!
