MOP reader Slava recently wrote to us with an interesting question about wildly different content types and the MMOs that either nudge or force you from one to another.
“I was watching an ad for EVE Online the other day. It was about a miner (aka gatherer) who ‘leveled up’ into industry (aka crafting), then leveled up into PvP. I’m wondering if the readerbase would find it interesting to discuss what leveling into different content looks like. Often time PvE leads to PvP, solo dungeons lead to group dungeons, and so on. What do you think? Is there a natural progression in content once you’ve reached a certain progression in the game?”
The question is one I love because I don’t usually love it when MMOs do this to players! The idea of, for example, an MMORPG asking players to level up in solo open-world PvE and then bam at the level cap you must suddenly become a PvPer or a large-scale raider… this drives me nuts. It’s as incongruous to me as a survival sandbox with a tea-party hosting endgame (although I would like to see this?). I want MMOs to be who they are from the beginning, not morph into different games partway through.
But clearly a lot of folks love this approach; just as they’re getting tired of one thing, the game offers a new avenue of play. And other games – like Slava’s example – make it optional, which means players can sample from playstyles without being stuck. Can y’all think of MMOs that do this? Should MMOs push players through different content types?
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!
