I’ve been reading and re-reading a well researched and hugely interesting post over the last few days with a view to posting something in response. Given that I’m still working on it, though, it’s time to delete all my thoughts and just point, maybe shout, and maybe stamp my feet a little.
THWACK, DING, THWACK, DING
Briefly, in it, Cosmik bravely attempts to list all the MMOs he can think of and then compares them all with an eye on skirt-length and age of schoolgirl protagonist or axe-length and general swarthiness of dungeoneering warrior where appropriate. In doing so, he clarifies the distinction between Korean and Western MMOs. Whereas the Western MMOs are dungeon based, intense and grinding it is noticeable that the newer Korean MMOs are much more teamwork focussed, with gentler subject matter. How much have Western MMOs really evolved from their MUD beginings?
Spot on. They don’t call it the ‘Korean model’ for nothing when a MMO runs for free and makes money back on selling in-game addons. Many of the reasons Cosmik outlines for this by-the-numbers style of MMO design rings true of the problem of clones in casual games at the moment too. Publishers want to back a winner and making clones is easy way to achieve that. Best of all, though, is the fact that cosmik goes on to suggest some ways to fix the problem including lots of dancing and smashing kobolds over the head with a guitar. That, right there, is pure cross-gender, mass-market appeal. Trust me.
True, a lot of these alternative remedies to the over-MUD-ification of MMOs at the moment has been successfully implemented in games like Puzzle Pirates, Go Pets, Albatross18 and NeoPets. However, the encouraging news is that the increasing number of MMO clones out there points to the fact that people are looking for a casual, or passive, MMO to play. An MCO, of course.
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