One of my favorite childhood books was Deathtrap Dungeon, one of those choose-your-own-adventure RPG books where you made a character and got to go through a crazy deadly dungeon full of traps, secrets, and treasures. That book was formative in my evaluation of future dungeons, whether I found them in tabletop gaming or in the computer realm. I wanted — and still want — dungeons to be more than linear corridors full of bowling pin monsters waiting to be knocked down. I want surprises, traps, secrets, and treasures — and more besides.
If we step back from how MMOs have conditioned us to think of dungeons, it might free us to consider what we actually want out of them. Are you only in it for the loot slot machine at the end, or do you desire something deeper and more immersive along the way? What do you want out of an MMO dungeon crawl?
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!
