Even if you’re the kind of person who is deeply opposed to the idea of resolutions – or your typical resolution fizzles out by February – this week is nevertheless the traditional time of making them, and we’re going to join in the fun. For this week’s Massively Overthinking, I’m asking our writers and readers to offer up their resolutions – or “non-obligatory plans,” if you prefer – for MMO play in the new year.
​Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): I actually already started mine: to get above rank 20 in Pokemon GO’s ranked PvP. I generally just abuse the system for easy legendaries and rare pokemon for friends, but figure I should give it another shot, especially since it feels like the most gamey part of the app. Admittedly, it will probably fizzle out before February because it’s not massively multiplayer while also being time-consuming, but yay for trying new(ish) things (again) to better understand the state of the location-based MMO genre!
Andy McAdams: Since I’m back into FFXIV with Endwalker, I think I want to spend more time trying more of the non-combat stuff in the game (and other games, for that matter). I always love the idea of it, but somehow I never end up spending as much time as I want on crafting, gathering, and… well I’ll be honest I am one of the worst at decorating my house, but damn if I won’t try.
Ben Griggs (@braxwolf): I’d like to find an MMO that surprises me again. One with interesting mechanics that doesn’t rely on grind to keep me occupied. An MMO that makes me excited enough to try and explain it’s appeal to my non-gaming friends. An MMO that respects my time, and doesn’t require daily logins and completed tasks in order to avoid FOMO. An MMO without surprise lootbox mechanics to augment or outright support it’s business model. Will this MMO appear in 2022?
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): I’m not big on resolutions, or rather, I don’t usually tie the things I’ve resolved to do to January 1st. My biggest resolution of the last few years started in August 2020 and I’m still doing it and it was a gamechanger. But as for gaming, I’d love to be able to get rid of the nagging feeling that I “should” be playing something else other than the things that bring me joy, all to fit strangers’ idea of what an appropriate gamer should be doing. I’d like to explore Albion Online more, do some catch-up effort in Guild Wars 2, and continue playing my SWG Legends and City of Heroes because it’s what I actually like. But I’ve also started internalizing the idea that what makes me unique as a gamer isn’t necessarily gaming but the things I bring from the outside into gaming.
Yeah actually scratch all that, I just want to play End of Dragons with my husband and kids.
Carlo Lacsina (@UltraMudkipEX, YouTube, Twitch): I want to run some FFXIV content with Chris and Eliot! That’s all I want LOL.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes, blog): If the opportunity arises that lets me do so, I want to do more broadcasts with MJ and for MOP. Maybe someday next year I won’t have to work two jobs to keep things humming and I can divert time and creative energy to things I’m actually passionate about. Call this a provisional resolution.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): So I’m not really making resolutions any more — rather, I’m adapting the idea of picking a “theme” to guide my year of gaming. And for 2022, my gaming theme will be “Undiscovered Countries.” This means that I want to angle my play sessions to explore games and content that I haven’t ever experienced before (versus rolling up alts to cover the same-old content I’ve done a thousand times). This theme expands past MMOs to my beefy backlog of titles on GOG, Steam, and Epic that I’d like to see as well.
Mia DeSanzo (@neschria): I resolve to find a weekly group to play with. I am leaning toward ESO, but FFXIV is a possibility too. Some of the best times I have had were with standing groups, and I am ready to get back into playing more with other people regularly.
MJ Guthrie (@MJ_Guthrie, blog):Â Honestly, my big goal is to just do some gaming! Personal gaming, not just streaming. This last year nixed that in large chunks, and I miss just slipping into games to hang out with friends or work on some in-game projects. I also want to do more building and decorating in games as that is one of my favorite and most relaxing pastimes. Admittedly, it can also be very frustrating but it is so satisfying to see something you create come together. (Not to mention, it’s also nice when I can just redo mistakes when building instead of being stuck with them while renovating my real house!) I also want to find a good spot for some RP. Perhaps that will be back in SWG, or maybe it will be in another world. I just truly miss experiencing an immersive life in a virtual world.
Another major goal that I hope starts to bear fruit in January is producing a special new stream with Chris. It should be lots of fun, and collaborating with him is always the best. Oh, and thanks to a friend, I will be trying out Skyrim for the very first time. That should be a fun show!
Sam Kash (@thesamkash): I’m going to try much harder this year to play in more large guild PvP content. I typically shy away from bigger groups. Even when I play Crowfall and other zerg size RvR games I tend to look for opportunities to roam or capture small objectives on the side. I just don’t usually have much fun waiting around for the zergs to collide. But maybe things have changed and I would enjoy it nowadays.
At the turn of every calendar year, the MassivelyOP team assembles a traditional feast of annual content for your table. We recap the year, issue awards, highlight our favorite (and least favorite) stories, and gather your opinions together to send off the last year and welcome the new one. Grab a plate and take a bite out of this year-end Massively Overthinking!
