Comments on: Lemmings, Sheep, and Ducklings (The WoW Expansion Pack)

By: clsheppard

clsheppard — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:29:21 +0000

This is a link to a funny PvP comic strip regarding a liberated World of Warcraft player.

By: clsheppard

clsheppard — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:51:00 +0000

You mentioned “wondering if I’m missing something by not playing”. Although I feel I bested my “need for prestige” and I fare well enough against the “just one more thing” I struggle a great deal with that “wondering if I’m missing something by not playing” element I failed to mention. I’ve tried to cope by scheduling game sessions and passing out my phone number to guildies. (I hate to wait for groups to form as much as I hate waiting for the boys at the office to decide where to eat.)

By: Pete

Pete — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:11:42 +0000

The difference between an FPS game and an MMO are that you can quit at any time. Also, even though our Desert Combat (BF1942 mod) Team and our Battlefield Vietnam team were top ten in the TWL, we didn’t put nearly the effort into it that other groups did. We were fortunate enough to work well together and to play selflessly without hours and hours of practice. It was usually pretty casual, although a few of us (myself included) would take losing pretty hard. The other nice thing about it was that there was ONE instance of drama during the entire 1.5 years we played competitively, and it involved one of our medium-skill players leaving for one of our rivals.

The FPS landscape is changing a bit, though. Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 both feature persistent ranks; skill in-game equates to experience points (XP) which in turn unlocks new weapons and abilities. EA has taken a page from the MMO book to generate the “hook.”

For whatever reason, I don’t find the FPS games to be as compelling. I can get online, kick a few asses, and leave without wondering if I’m missing something by not playing. I can also play them for as little as fifteen minutes at a stretch, something that is impossible to do with the length of quests/raids in an MMO.

By: clsheppard

clsheppard — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:27:26 +0000

WTB [Epic Addiction] Sorry, I know you said the post wasn’t about addictions, but that is all I pulled away from it. That said, it was very well written, as always.

The need to finish “just one more thing” is a quality in a game that acts as a double edged sword. Often it is what makes games so much fun. (It’s the cornerstone of every game Will Wright designs.) It is also a fuel for a powerful addiction, as you pointed out.

The addiction is separate from the “need for prestige” you wrote about. I believe that is what drives players to the dark depths you described. I only see that behavior in MMO games. Peter, weren’t you part of a nationally ranked FPS team? Did the need for prestige drive your team to similar depths or is it just an MMO thing?

Ironically, the same wisdom and resolve that helped you escape Azeroth are the same qualities that made you such an excellent guild leader. There are two ways to deal with an addiction: tame it or remove it. Kudos.

By: jwjohnson

jwjohnson — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 04:34:06 +0000

I don’t think this is limited to just RPG’s. I’ve been known to get pretty addicted to FPS as well. Although I did almost get divorced over Wizardry at one time.

By: Blitzfike

Blitzfike — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:59:15 +0000

All I can say is WOW! … ( Pun intended..) Blitz