So if you know me, you know I have a mild obsession with bags in real life. No, not expensive purses, but specifically everyday-carry bags (EDC) that have the exact right type and size of the pockets and storage to fit my stuff and my (very short) body. It’s a whole thing and a fun treasure hunt.
And on one of my bag hunts, I stumbled across a term: GAS, gear-acquisition syndrome, i.e., the tendency for people to love the thrill of the hunt-and-capture more than the item itself, which turns into a type of mild addiction where you just keep acquiring and not using.
I immediately thought of MMOs, and I don’t mean bags in MMOs. I mean how some folks are absolutely obsessed with obtaining the perfect gear, even if they have no competitive reason to want or need it. They’ll crawl over glass and shiv their own grandma to max their kit for every spec and cosmetic occasion, regardless of impending resets. Honestly, it’s one of the biggest turn-offs in MMOs for me, the struggle for new gear and more gear.
Do you have “gear acquisition syndrome” in MMOs?
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!
