Talk Me Out of Playing MMORPGs

[Fragmintz]

Post you suggestions of what the best MMORPG game is an why.

My wife and I saw a feature on MMORPGs last night on show called Rise of the Video Game (Discovery Channel). It went into how people are making real world salaries selling virtual items. She asked how that could possibly work, and I explained it to her using the Facebook Gift example (she is a Facebook junkie!): those gifts are just computer graphics that people pay a real-world dollar for. So her next questions was: why don't we start doing something like that?

Now I have consciously avoided joining World of Warcraft or Second Life b/c they are more addictive than crack coated Pop Rocks, but her question made me think: could I make a living playing video games?

So I guess this post really is my call for help to you all. Am I crazy to think that I should start playing MMORPGs w/my already game heavy 360 life (which I barely have time to play), or is she onto something? More important, which MMORPG would be both a great world to play in and present an opportunity to participate in a virtual/real-world economy?

[Twilight]

Beware Fragmintz. You are treading on dangerous territory with MMORPGs! I personally refuse to even try one because I am such an avid gamer. MMORPGs are not really a game you can turn on for a half hour before work. By their very nature they require a fairly big time commitment.

For a year now I have been with a group that plays 360 games every Sunday night and that in itself has caused some problems for me. The whole idea of an MMORPG is the "community" aspect of getting together with a clan or guild and gaming together. That requires a series of schedualed events so that everyone can game together. Do you really need another series of appointments in your life?

I have literally lost several good friends to WoW and Everquest. They buy it and slowly disapear from my life, never to be seen or heard from again. If you have even a slight addictive personality (be honest with yourself on this one) stay away from these. Good luck man. There are also much more efficient ways to make money.

[Lord Geoff]

You have a good point there about addictive personalities there, B-ri. I can't really play those unless I am playing with people I know. I beta tested many of them, but the only ones that I played for any length of time were EverQuest 1 & 2.

I also really liked Lord of the Rings Online, and if I ever was able to get some friends together to play that, I would sign up for it. They have a promotion to where if you sign up for a 3 mo. subscription for $30, then you subscription will remain at that price for as long as you maintain it.

Sony has a $25/mo subscription that gives you EQ1, EQ2, Planetside, Matrix Online and Star Wars Galaxies. It may have more now, but that was the deal that I was on last year.

I haven't played WoW or tested that one, so I can't speak to that, but I will say that with all of the Korean & Chinese "farmers" out there, it would be hard to make a living at playing any of the games anymore.

Out of the long list of beta tested games, Sword of the New World was a notable one. It was a little strange, but low learning curve, a free subscription option and looked great, while having low system requirements.

[lovekeiiy]

I haven't done the MMORG thing; honestly I'm not that interested in it either. I've read/seen those articles about making "real" on those games such as WoW and 2nd Life. Honestly, you could probably make "some" money, but probably not enough to live off of. And 2nd Life would be your best bet at of those games. The Farmers have got the market on WoW and similar such games where people either don't have the time or don't want to spend the time to build up characters or gather items.

And if you really want to make a living playing games, I suggest to become a tester; pay is crappy but you get a lot of overtime near release dates, so the money ends up being almost ok. I would actaully suggest to build up another skill such as programming or graphic arts, and go that route. If you're a good programmer, and get with a good size studio, it's not unheard of to make in the triple figures. The hard part is getting your foot in the door in the industry.

[Fragmintz]

Thanks for the responses. You are right about the "farming" in WoW: when you live in a village in India and have an Internet cafe that you can sit at all day playing it becomes easy to harvest the good stuff and sell it. I do not have time for that. I would still love to find that next opportunity in games. The problem is that I am a lawyer, so going into game testing or some other ground floor job in gaming isn't really an option for me (you can't pay off law school loans on those salaries).

To answer Bri's questions: my name is Mike and I am a Videogameaholic... I have never drank videogamahol, but I am sure it is delicious. I have an addictive personality, so it is probably better for me to stay away from MMORPG.

BTW - Second Life seems a bit boring ...

[Peench]

Unless you are Dwight:

+ YouTube Video

[panther5150]

I can speak to the dangers of MMOs. I have been a constant player of Star Wars Galaxies since it launched and even though it is probably one of the worst examples of a great game gone bad I still have not had the fortitude to let it go. Every time I begin to wander they do something else to lure me back in. I am hoping I can break my addiction when force unleashed debuts, hehe.

[Elite Ronnie]

im gonna try age of conan for the 360 if it gets goods ratings. Im hopping sence its for the 360 they will not make it as time consuming. If I have to play 50 hours a week in not interested but if they make one you can jump in and out of a few times a weeks and make some progress I'll try it.

[Lord LouDog]

I'm with Lord Geoff on this on, since I am often the other person he is playing with in an MMoRPG. I usually download a client, patch the game up and make a character. After killing three or four rats, boars, bears, zombies I blink at the screen and shake my head at myself, thinking, " I think I have played this game before."

I have loved the idea of MMORPGs, I was throughly addicted to EQ 1, I enjoyed SWG and EQ2. WoW was all right, and I can't even begin to think of the countless betas and trials I have been a part of, but none of them really have stuck. Age of Conan looks great in that it combines great action/adventure/exploration with violence, sex and PvP. I hope it does not disappoint.

[Joe Sacto]

I played EQ 1 from when it came out in March '99 through every expansion including Planes of Power. I finally decided to quit in March '04. I worked my Mon-Fri 9-5 job, but when I got home I would play all night long and sometimes not even go to sleep. On the weekends I played from when I got home Friday night after work all the way til Monday morning. It was ridiculous. I went through a couple relationships that never lasted b/c of my unhealthy obsession. I lost touch with most friends that didn't play the game and there were a few years that I only went to visit family 1-2 times during the year. I knew people in the game that were divorcing their spouses and marrying someone they met in the game. It's a complete subculture that alot of people prefer to live in than the real world.

Quitting the game was the toughest thing ever. I was addicted and I knew it. I sold my account for several grand, but when you think about 5 years of work on a character that really wasn't alot of money.

It's impossible to become addicted if you don't try it...steer clear!!

[bigern112]

I agree with all about not trying mmorpgs even if your not an addictive person. Sacred almost cost me my marriage. I came home from work around 1:30 am and finally stoped playing around noon the next day got three hours sleep and did the whole routine for over a year and a half. It took my pc breaking before i realized i had a problem.

[D_Litch]

If you hit the "new posts" button at the top, it will take you to threads started in the last two months. That might be helpful for you.