Most older MMORPGs are impractical for a new player to get into now. You often have a very long slog through old content that is no longer maintained in order to reach the latest endgame. Sometimes developers try to make it shorter, but they mostly do this by making it stupidly easy and boring, so playing the game is really miserable.
If new players can't start a game, but older players inevitably quit, then of course the game is going to decline and die. On its own, that doesn't explain an entire genre dying. But when most of the prominent games in the genre are dying in the same way, it kind of does.
I know this is an "opinion" piece, but opinions AREN'T opinions when they're just plain WRONG. Maybe do a little research before you write something that isn't based in reality. The genre is in no way dead, including several games which have now been live and continue to be stable as we speak.
This is akin to "opinions" that immigrants eat dogs. Or "opinions" that the US economy is the worst its ever been. Neither of those is remotely true, and neither is your "opinion". I don't normally like to be so blunt and negative, but frankly the lack of knowledge and professionalism here is repulsive.
If you're going to create journalistic pieces, you need to follow standard journalistic practices (unless you want to to work for Fox "News"). Don't create articles that are basically just lies to get attention. And I'm not saying this as an outsider. I wrote specifically in MMO journalism for 5 years.
I'm amazed this even got past the editors.
Nothing whatsoever requires that opinions be correct. The entire point of labelling something as an opinion is to blatantly distinguish it from fact. Before you counsel others you should at least be able to grasp something so basic as that.
Never mind about being blunt and negative. Strive to at least not act foolishly.
That so many different people have so many wildly different responses explains why developers haven't fixed the problem. If everyone agreed that the genre needs to change in this particular way, then developers could make it happen. When people propose dozens of contradictory fixes, they can't.
Nothing whatsoever requires that opinions be correct. The entire point of labelling something as an opinion is to blatantly distinguish it from fact. Before you counsel others you should at least be able to grasp something so basic as that.
Never mind about being blunt and negative. Strive to at least not act foolishly.
I can't seriously be the only old school player from back in the early days of MMOs (late 90s - mid 2000s) that still loves and plays them regularly right? I turned 40 this year and I currently play WoW, EVE online and FFXIV.
Granted I was lucky enough to marry someone who dislikes children as much as I do, and is also PC gamer, so I don't have to worry about family crap taking up my time, but still there must be others that are my age that are still playing right?
I hope the genre doesn't die because I really enjoy the ones I play, and I occasionally go back and play things like LOTRO and Runescape as well. Yes, MMOs have some major issues, most of which are due to toxic end game players who suck the fun out of it for casuals, but over all I still have lots of fun.
Just noticed that I've had this account since March 2004 and this is only my second comment ever. Wow! (No pun intended)
"Younger players need to rediscover the wonder of MMOs, but I don’t think
they’re playing with the same passion we saw in the late 90s through
the 2010s"
I imagine it is because they have alot more to be distracted by....When I first started MMOs there were only 3 or 4...(UO (bad experience), EQ (loved it), Asherons Call (never tried it), and Anarchy Online a little later (loved it too).....We didnt have thousands of games like there are on Steam....We were content to play one game for a long time....While it must be great having so many games at your disposal, I can see where it would be difficult to focus much time on any one in particular.....Games like FOrtnite never would have made it back in the early days...No character building, no progression, no spells or skills to build, it just wouldnt have made it, but it is perfect for its audience today....Fast gameplay, in and out in a matter of minutes, then go on to something else.
Granted I was lucky enough to marry someone who dislikes children as much as I do, and is also PC gamer, so I don't have to worry about family crap taking up my time, but still there must be others that are my age that are still playing right?
I'm 39 and still play older MMORPGs, namely SWGEmu and WAR RoR.
I don't have kids (or a wife) but I do still have less time to play than I did in the past. Or, rather, I would say I have a healthier approach to life than I did when younger, so my spare time involves more exercise, more time cooking, going out for walks for sunshine and fresh air. I don't drink anymore, so i suppose my friday/saturday nights are freer.
The way I see it though is that I still have great love for gaming, even if Im much pickier about what games I play. So, I make sure I set time aside time to engage in an activity I love, typically only Wednesday and Sunday evenings for big sessions but I still manage to squeeze in the occasional hour here and there throughout the rest of the week.
Currently Playing: WAR RoR - Spitt rr7X Black Orc | Scrotling rr6X Squig Herder | Scabrous rr4X Shaman
This image kind of sums up my thoughts on the internets discussion with this absurd topic (not the topic on this forum, but everywhere on the internet)
Whenever i read the statement: "why is something dead or dying?" i kind of take that rather literally. When a game shuts down, i do think it's pretty normal to say: "man, sucks that game shut down, it's dead now, we can't play in anymore."
Fishing on Gilgamesh since 2013 Fishing on Bronzebeard since 2005 Fishing in RL since 1992 Born with a fishing rod in my hand in 1979
Comments
If new players can't start a game, but older players inevitably quit, then of course the game is going to decline and die. On its own, that doesn't explain an entire genre dying. But when most of the prominent games in the genre are dying in the same way, it kind of does.
Nothing whatsoever requires that opinions be correct. The entire point of labelling something as an opinion is to blatantly distinguish it from fact. Before you counsel others you should at least be able to grasp something so basic as that.
Never mind about being blunt and negative. Strive to at least not act foolishly.
Granted I was lucky enough to marry someone who dislikes children as much as I do, and is also PC gamer, so I don't have to worry about family crap taking up my time, but still there must be others that are my age that are still playing right?
I hope the genre doesn't die because I really enjoy the ones I play, and I occasionally go back and play things like LOTRO and Runescape as well. Yes, MMOs have some major issues, most of which are due to toxic end game players who suck the fun out of it for casuals, but over all I still have lots of fun. Just noticed that I've had this account since March 2004 and this is only my second comment ever. Wow! (No pun intended)
AIM SN: Sennen84
I'll Never Forget You...
Vanessa "Nellie" Marcussen 1987 - 2007
Whenever i read the statement: "why is something dead or dying?" i kind of take that rather literally. When a game shuts down, i do think it's pretty normal to say: "man, sucks that game shut down, it's dead now, we can't play in anymore."
Fishing on Gilgamesh since 2013
Fishing on Bronzebeard since 2005
Fishing in RL since 1992
Born with a fishing rod in my hand in 1979