I can’t say I feel particularly heroic in MMOs when I’m slaughtering 10 rats, in the case of Lord of the Rings Online, adorable shrews whose only crime was peppering the Shire with little shrew holes. So does the reverse hold true? Do I feel like a hero of legend when I’m stabbing a 40-foot tall Yeti in the foot with my pig-sticker?
Oddly enough, no. Just because a model is big and has a few thousand extra hit points does not make it more impressive to me. Now if that mob could swat me into the side of a mountain with the flick of its hand, one-shot me, or perform other powerful actions to back up its size, perhaps I would treat it with a greater dose of respect and feel more accomplished when I brought it down.
Do you feel more epic when you fight big mobs in MMOs? Does — and pardon the tired expression — size matter or is it just an easy shorthand for developers to make instead of putting in other elements to get us to fear an enemy?
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!
