Great points, Matt. I think you may want to consider my one caveat for not playing them as well, and that's the sense of "obligation" one feels, which I guess is kind of a parallel to the "work" aspect that you describe. In the MMOG's where you pay a monthly fee, I'd feel obligated to use it because it's a subscription, along with feeling the obligation to keep on improving my character so I don't fall behind others and then along with feeling the obligation to be there when others are if I make friends or play with a particular group or guild. That;s a lot of pressure for a game experience or gaming benefits I can have more or less in other ways with other games. Even if the MMOG is free, the other obligations wouldn't necessarily go away. Perhaps that's why games like Second Life are also successful, as they take away some of the pressures and just create a big online playground of possibilities, with a large focus on social interaction over anything else, which certainly doesn't require leveling or really being somewhere at a certain time or place.
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Great points, Matt. I think you may want to consider my one caveat for not playing them as well, and that's the sense of "obligation" one feels, which I guess is kind of a parallel to the "work" aspect that you describe. In the MMOG's where you pay a monthly fee, I'd feel obligated to use it because it's a subscription, along with feeling the obligation to keep on improving my character so I don't fall behind others and then along with feeling the obligation to be there when others are if I make friends or play with a particular group or guild. That;s a lot of pressure for a game experience or gaming benefits I can have more or less in other ways with other games. Even if the MMOG is free, the other obligations wouldn't necessarily go away. Perhaps that's why games like Second Life are also successful, as they take away some of the pressures and just create a big online playground of possibilities, with a large focus on social interaction over anything else, which certainly doesn't require leveling or really being somewhere at a certain time or place.
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.