Here’s the thing when it comes to ongoing narratives, whether they’re TV series, a string of novels, or online games: You can’t keep escalating the threat and stakes indefinitely. It gets exhausting after a while for every new expansion or episode to try to somehow top the conflict of the previous one. This makes me think of how Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured so many potential world-ending apocalypse plans that even the characters started to mock the ludicrousness of their situation.
When you consider some MMOs that are pushing well into two decades of live service and expanded stories, this sort of indefinite escalation is seen a little too often. So it’s a good thing, I think, for the writer’s team to perform a “soft reboot” by taking the tension and conflict back down to relatable levels and have a period of time where the previous story is wrapped up and a new one begins.
Do you think that this should happen every so often in MMOs? Where have you seen soft reboots be effective, and which MMOs are in dire need of one?
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!
