The main reason I left WoW was the grind. Cataclysm had arrived and I was excited about trying a new race, a new server and even a different faction. I wanted to explore the changes that the cataclysmic upheaval had wrought on Azeroth. I looked forward to visiting the newly designed old world dungeons, retuned newbie zoned and just try to relive the old days of WoW. When it was all new to me. A fresh perspective.
Well to be honest that concept lasted 2 months. By then I had reached the mid levels on several new toons, which are the 40ish levels and I started to get bored. The game in truth had not changed. Sure they add a little color here and there, moved a few things around and reinvented others but at it's heart WoW is as it always has been, just one long grind to end game and the all mighty grab for gear.
I had hoped that a fresh perspective would help me over look WoW's faults especially with the new changes but it Blizzard just used new smoke and mirrors on the same tired trick and in truth hadn't done anything special.
As I leveled it became clear that the game was still only concerned with two things, leveling and gear, how to get there the faster and easiest and where to find it and grind it. It just got old. I know some players like the grind for gains and I'm not ragging on them, well, not much. It just wasn't for me anymore. I had grown tired of competing for virtual gear on a virtual toon
But is that all MMO's have to offer? A place to waste time, grinding out levels by questing or PvP battles till the cap is reached and then play the meta game of gearing up for end game? Why is there nothing new and different? Why are levels needed or gear wanted? Bragging rights maybe, having a way to measure the worth of your time spent playing other than "I had a great time!" or was it just a goal I set and met for personal achievement.
Who really knows. Maybe people do it because 1) it's all there is or 2) it's all they know. The idea of a non leveling game where people have access to everything and can to do anything without having to measure their accomplishments by comparing themselves to other players would be fun. A game with no end game where the gain for items isn't driven by the need to be the best. No pressure to be like anyone else, to play the game on your terms in a very open sandbox world.
I wonder, will we'll ever see such a game? If we do, I'll be playing it.
(ps: see how I did an Eve post without doing an Eve post.)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod
Eve sounds interesting to me because of the ability to create your own corporations and the complexities of such infrastructures. I think that's an awesome role-playing element, and I love role-playing. But playing the game from the top-down view of a spaceship loses me just as quickly. I want a character to look at all the time, not a vehicle.
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