It’s not all politics around here, I promise.
As some of you may know, my “day job” as a writer is a column called Ask Massively over at Massively.com. In it, I take questions from all comers about issues that matter to MMO players. I have heard comments from some friends and family along the lines of “I don’t know what an MMORPG is and I don’t understand half of what you’re talking about, but I liked your column.”
Forgive me for laughing a little. It’s hard to remember what it was like not being a gamer because I’ve been one for most of my life.
That brings me to the topic at hand. I haven’t exactly been burning up the Internet lately with my game play. I’m subscribed to 3 games, down from 6, but I haven’t had much time to play lately. Part of the reason (ok, the biggest part, by far) is my new daughter Samantha. The other major reason is the upcoming expansion to World of Warcraft, Wrath of the Lich King, which goes live on November 13. I have been toying with the idea of picking up Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning but I don’t know if I will have time to give the game a fair shake once Lich King goes live.
Those of you who aren’t gamers, let me see if I can put this question in perspective for you. If you are a sports fan who likes both hockey and football and your favorite out-of-town teams are both playing in your town on the same day. Which game do you go see? An MMORPG is an odd mix of entertainment concepts. In one respect, a game is like an interactive television show or movie. You tune in (or log on) and become the main character in your own story. The other characters (players) are your co-stars, and nobody knows how the story ends. In another way, playing an MMO is like going to a theme party. Your friends are all there, you have a common task or goal, and there will be plenty of stories to tell afterwards. The term virtual world is overused these days, but it really is the most accurate description of the genre.
So with a limited budget of available free time, how do you pick the virtual world that you want to inhabit? Do you go with something new and exciting? Or do you stay where you are established and comfortable?
