I would like to touch on a topic about when a game becomes not a game anymore because of item dependency. This topic will cover what my thoughts and opinions on how today’s MMO’s have become to item dependent.
Developers always have to keep things fresh for the players of their games. They add content and items to the game in form of expansions, boosters, patches and events. Now items can be in the form of weapons, armor, consumables, mounts, decorations, artifacts, and jewelry just to name a few.
I do believe game developers have to change up the game and add new items here and there as long as they don’t take away from the actual game play. When a developer adds new content and expansions to game you get to see a new lands, new items, new races, new monsters, and much more. This does add longevity to a MMO to keep players busy and excited with the game.
The issue I have personally with items they become the main focus of the developers. Content and the core mechanics of the game becomes less and less important and the game suffers. It doesn’t matter what your skill and level is if you don’t have such and such items you can not compete.
The developers kind of force feed you these items just to play the game.The old game items become useless and underpowered but stay in the game. They don’t really get adjusted and becomes yard sale items or dead loot in the game.
A game should be about skill and content. Items should balance with those two mechanics of the game. Players can relate to the graveyard of useless pixels that pile up in a MMO. Instead of the developers taking these old items out and adding in at the same time new pixels to replace the old ones, then the graveyard grows. This actually causes a conundrum for new players that come into the game later on. With so many pixels to choose from new players becomes more confused on what to choose and be most effective.
When players become more item dependent ,they demand more from the developers to keep adding more and more pixels to have that unique look and extra power. Once a character obtains there pixel needs the game becomes boring. I don’t want to say all players are like this but there are players that play to obtain pixels for their self satisfying needs.
The worse are the sellers that ruin a game by selling these items for real life cash. Some MMO’s have taken care of that problem and other’s have not. RMT sites take away from a players experience and the game itself by robbing that player of earning items they need. Once a player buys the items they need to play the game they missed out on some of the game experiences. Anybody can buy the best items and gear and still get killed if they don’t know how to play the character.
There has been instances that pixel addiction has caused real life issues. I really don’t want to get into much detail but any seasoned gamer knows of some of the famous court cases concerning them.
I feel that new content should be added, and skill should matter in my game of choice. I also believe new items should be added at a gradual rate and not to keep me entertained and focused on them only. Old useless items need to be removed from the game period . If I am terrible at playing a game let it be determined by my lack of skills not because of the lack of items. If I am great at a game don’t let it be determined by the items I have but by the leet skills I do have.
A game is suppose to be fun and enjoying. Not how much stuff I have. Hopefully developers will wake up and go back to the true art of making games of what they were suppose to be. Fun is they key word.
ArenaNet has taken that step in making a game that is about content, skill, and items that are balanced for any gamers diet and the desert is fun with extra fun added to it. In Guild Wars 2 we trust!
These are my views and was not intended to insult anyone.
P.S.: Save the internet and say no to more pixels dependent games. We all can save one kilobyte at a time if we try.
*
Developers always have to keep things fresh for the players of their games. They add content and items to the game in form of expansions, boosters, patches and events. Now items can be in the form of weapons, armor, consumables, mounts, decorations, artifacts, and jewelry just to name a few.
I do believe game developers have to change up the game and add new items here and there as long as they don’t take away from the actual game play. When a developer adds new content and expansions to game you get to see a new lands, new items, new races, new monsters, and much more. This does add longevity to a MMO to keep players busy and excited with the game.
The issue I have personally with items they become the main focus of the developers. Content and the core mechanics of the game becomes less and less important and the game suffers. It doesn’t matter what your skill and level is if you don’t have such and such items you can not compete.
The developers kind of force feed you these items just to play the game.The old game items become useless and underpowered but stay in the game. They don’t really get adjusted and becomes yard sale items or dead loot in the game.
A game should be about skill and content. Items should balance with those two mechanics of the game. Players can relate to the graveyard of useless pixels that pile up in a MMO. Instead of the developers taking these old items out and adding in at the same time new pixels to replace the old ones, then the graveyard grows. This actually causes a conundrum for new players that come into the game later on. With so many pixels to choose from new players becomes more confused on what to choose and be most effective.
When players become more item dependent ,they demand more from the developers to keep adding more and more pixels to have that unique look and extra power. Once a character obtains there pixel needs the game becomes boring. I don’t want to say all players are like this but there are players that play to obtain pixels for their self satisfying needs.
The worse are the sellers that ruin a game by selling these items for real life cash. Some MMO’s have taken care of that problem and other’s have not. RMT sites take away from a players experience and the game itself by robbing that player of earning items they need. Once a player buys the items they need to play the game they missed out on some of the game experiences. Anybody can buy the best items and gear and still get killed if they don’t know how to play the character.
There has been instances that pixel addiction has caused real life issues. I really don’t want to get into much detail but any seasoned gamer knows of some of the famous court cases concerning them.
I feel that new content should be added, and skill should matter in my game of choice. I also believe new items should be added at a gradual rate and not to keep me entertained and focused on them only. Old useless items need to be removed from the game period . If I am terrible at playing a game let it be determined by my lack of skills not because of the lack of items. If I am great at a game don’t let it be determined by the items I have but by the leet skills I do have.
A game is suppose to be fun and enjoying. Not how much stuff I have. Hopefully developers will wake up and go back to the true art of making games of what they were suppose to be. Fun is they key word.
ArenaNet has taken that step in making a game that is about content, skill, and items that are balanced for any gamers diet and the desert is fun with extra fun added to it. In Guild Wars 2 we trust!
These are my views and was not intended to insult anyone.
P.S.: Save the internet and say no to more pixels dependent games. We all can save one kilobyte at a time if we try.
*