I don’t know why I bother reading the MMORPG forums since I don’t play MMOs anymore. It’s mostly that I have no time for them, but to be honest, they’re not that much fun for me.
That said though, someone started a humorous thread about what needs to change in MMOs and while I agree with the majority of it, one thing, and especially the responses to it, hit home for me. Someone pointed out that giant monsters ought to be far too powerful to ever defeat, they can just step on you and your puny swords shouldn’t be enough to bring them down. Someone else came back with the claim that giant monsters are required to make it “epic”.
Fuck epic. That’s actually one of the biggest gripes I have about most games in general is that they’re focused on saving the world and being a hero and all that nonsense. In other words, they’re aimed at people who want to live vicariously through a game.
All I want to do is have fun. I just want an enjoyable experience that I can have in my limited free time. I don’t want it to mean something, I don’t want to achieve anything, video games are ultimately a waste of time anyhow, I just want them to be a fun waste of time.
I really don’t care about the story, I’m just playing to have a good time. Take Skyrim. It’s not an MMO, but it’s a lot of fun. I’m pretty much ignoring the storyline right now and just wandering the countryside killing what I find, exploring and clearing the various dungeons scattered everywhere. I’m just swinging my warhammer and having a ball in the 2-3 hours a week I can find to play it. Nothing epic, nothing heroic, just action and bloodlust. I could do this for a long time to come, at least until I go back to doing the main quests and finish the game. I’m not in any hurry, I’m not competing against anyone, I’m having fun.
Isn’t that what it all ought to be about?