Been navel-gazing again. I’ve decided that I operate within a game taxonomy that has three main categories. I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons for each.
Single Player Games
Pros
- You are the hero. The focus of the universe. It’s all about you, baby.
- High convenience factor. Play for 10 minutes or 10 hours. The world will wait when you have to take a break
- The world can be very fluid, your actions can have significant impact on the world
- Smooth gameplay. You don’t have to worry about lag or queues or server outages
- Strong Story
- Play at your own pace. One session a week or several sessions a day, it doesn’t matter
Cons
- Predictable, at least compared to being in a world with lots of other players
- Finite: at some point the game ends and you’ve done everything there is to do
PvE focused MMO games
Pros
- Unpredictable, you never know what other players are going to do
- Virtually infinite. Expansion packs, gameplay tweaks and huge worlds… there’s always more to come
- Moderately Convenient (Some aspects lend themselve to quick sessions but others require scheduling and large blocks of time)
- Seasonal events tied to real-world calendar add spice to the world.
Cons
- Many heroes. You are just another face in the crowd and often feel weak compared to those around you.
- Static: The world generally doesn’t change much based on your actions. It’s all about the devs, baby.
- Weak Story
- Some pressure to “keep up” with other players
RvR focused MMO games
Pros
- Unpredictable, you never know what other players are going to do
- Virtually infinite. Expansion packs, gameplay tweaks and huge worlds… there’s always more to come
- Seasonal events tied to real-world calendar add spice to the world.
- Intense action. There are few gaming experiences as exciting as being in a big RvR battle.
- Semi-static: Your side can change the world within certain limitations
Cons
- Many heroes. You are just another face in the crowd and often feel weak compared to those around you.
- Inconvenient. It is almost impossible to “schedule” a good RvR battle
- Weak Story
- Strong pressure to “Keep up” with other players
I’m sure I’ll keep adding to this list. And granted my RvR experience is pretty limited: DAoC and Warhammer, really.
For me the big issue is time. RvR games can offer the most fun but also require the most time. PvE games are more forgiving about time and are far more “schedule-able” . The NPC Boss is always going to be there waiting for us, right? Single player games, assuming they allow saving anywhere, are absolutely time-forgiving. At least, until they end. We all get tired of MMOs but darned few of us have literally “finished” one, where we’ve taken every class to cap and seen every quest and accomplished every task.
Each taxonomy has something great to offer. Being the hero of the story in a single-player game can be very satisfying, as can the sense of accomplishment for getting to “The End.” Working in a group in a PvE game to figure out the attack patterns and weaknesses of a boss and finally taking him down can evoke shrieks of delight. And the pulse pounding action of a massive RvR battle can be literally breath-taking.
I’m not including price, but for me the monthly cost of an MMO does influence my reaction to it. I feel a lot differently about LOTRO than I do about most other MMOs because I have a lifetime sub to it. There’s a low-level but persistent “pressure to play” when I know I’m spending a monthly fee to play a game.
So what’d I miss? What are your Pros and Cons? Or do you even buy into my taxonomy?