Friday, March 9, 2007

The Fun Factor

I've been getting a bit disheartened with games lately. Whatever happened to putting the focus into making a fun game? Can't make too much money from quests and mobs, it ruins the economy and offends players that you have more than they do. Let's add high repair costs so everyone can be broke together. Can't solo that mob with this class, it offends the other classes. Nerf, nerf, nerf. Gotta have the latest graphic technology because......well just because. It may look no better than other games and 75% of players don't have computers to play it, but we came out with it first!

Society's obsession with being offended has carried over into games so now developer's create their own version of political correctness within their games. Classes have become such robotic clones that they have this sterileness about them.

Oh and we must have struggle; make it hard! Occasional challenge is one thing but continuous roadblocks every step of the way? I gotta wonder if the folks who want this kind of gameplay have had things handed to them all their lives and only get to experience struggle in a game. I have enough of it in real life, I game to have fun. Does fun even get factored in the development plans anymore?

I guess everyone's opinion of fun factor is different. But given that aside from WoW none of the mmo's are doing phenominally in the US, I don't think anyone has nailed it yet. WoW I think headed in the right direction with a lot of things, but just was missing certain other things that keep me playing.

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