In basically any MMORPG, nobody actually cares about your performance in most group content. Unless you are pushing for progression – in which case you probably have a fixed group – you are accountable to nobody. Even then, the odds are more or less absolute that the only consequence you can face will just be needing to find another group. And even with all of that in mind, I proceed to stress myself the living hell out in any group content all the time because if I let myself drop even a single frame of my rotation, I am holding everyone back.
Is anyone judging me? No. Am I judging anyone else? No. But I am judging the hell out of myself and giving myself a new stress ulcer or two in the process.
I think that’s an important consideration we tend not to keep in our heads; we are almost always our own worst critics in these situations, after all. So when keeping in mind that we are probably judging ourselves far more intensely than anyone else is judging us… how much do you stress yourself out in group content in an MMORPG? When do you find yourself leading your brain into anxiety spirals about doing a good enough job when in reality nobody but you cares?
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!
