This post is inspired by Ysharros over at Stylish Corpse. She committed to updating her blog every day for the month of July (minus weekends)…and she did it! But her blog post today, The month in games – July 2010, got me thinking. Ysh is a very “one game at a time” kind of person. Where I, on the other hand, am well known to bounce – or roll – around like a Katamari Ball from one title to the next. From the long list of bloggers and gamers I know, I have been the exception more than the rule. Players seem to remain loyal to one or two games.
Ysh played three major titles this past month and all of them were “free” to come back and play. But this is someone who, just a few short weeks ago, admittedly saw herself playing Everquest 2 for the rest of her life.
But similar playing habits are being seen in other players. Those habits can especially be found in a lot of social gaming players. In my friends list, there is a core group of about 30 to 40 people that I can list off the top of my head as being avid social game players. They all play more than one game. They are active. And you can tell they have a favorite game or two, even if they play a number of them. I can’t really say there is one of those players that plays only one game.
But when it comes to the big MMOs and the future of pricing…especially free-to-play…I think the same trend we see in social gaming will cross over to MMOs. But what will that mean? If players aren’t as committed to one title anymore, we could see a lot of changes. And I think development needs to keep up with the trends.
Guilds, for one. What’s the use anymore? It’s been my experience to see a rapid decline in guild formation throughout MMOs. I’m talking small guilds here. The group of 2 to 6 friends who decide to build a guild and recruit to fill the ranks. Those are becoming non-existent. Large, established guilds are holding together better…raiding being a big reason for that.
Using myself as an example. Including social games, I play about 10 to 12 multi-player games a month. (Jesus…no wonder I don’t blog much.) With as many games as I play and as much as I play, I don’t have near the number of player/guild contacts in any one MMO anymore. However, I do have that gang of 40 social game players on Facebook. Gone are the days of just logging on and getting six players in my MMO guild to quest or run dungeons. The players I know are scattered among so many MMOs right now, it’s impossible to imagine them all back together under one title. I know I’m becoming more the rule now, than the exception.
Ah…I ramble. But I guess my point is…more players are playing more games. Players are less committed to one title. As a result, players are becoming less organized in MMOs…but the system in social games seems to keep people pretty organized. Might we see some of that crossover to MMOs? Would it make sense? Other blog or article discussions on this?
