It’s a tough life sometimes, being the editor of an Asia gaming site that doesn’t like MMORPGs. After all, that’s probably the region’s most popular genre; if you want to cover games in Asia, there’s no escaping them. But my extended exposure to MMORPGs over the last few months has got me thinking: why don’t I like these games, anyway? What exactly is my problem with MMORPGs?
It’s definitely not the settings or the stories. I like fantasy and sci-fi stuff as much as any nerd, and I’m probably even better equipped to enjoy many Asian MMOs because I studied the ancient history and literature many of them are based on quite extensively in college. Obviously there are some MMOs that don’t offer compelling settings or stories, but many do and I still can’t get into them.
It’s not the RPG-style gameplay either. I tend to enjoy single-player RPGs; in fact some of my all-time favorite games have been RPGs of the single-player variety. I like completing quests and leveling up as much as anyone.
It’s not the other players. Although having 500 other people running around like idiots definitely does make it hard to feel immersed in the world of MMOs, I don’t mind multiplayer games in general, and with the right group massively-multiplayer games can be even more immersive and fun.
So what is the problem? For the answer, check out this video, or read on below:
I didn’t realize it myself until earlier this week, when I was writing about that incredible trailer for Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. Here’s the trailer; the bit of it that answered my question is at 0:55. See if you can guess what it is:
Stumped? It’s the fact that the NPCs there make the world feel alive. In single-player RPGs, because NPCs only have to react to one real-life character, they can live relatively normal “lives”, and respond to you naturally when they’re prompted to do so. In that split-second shot at 0:55 in the Witcher 3 trailer, for example, you can see a boy playing in the foreground. In the background, there’s a man working with some sort of farming equipment, and on the road in front of you another man is walking with his horse. Two men further in the background are carrying something that looks like sacks of grain.
These are all minor details; the sort of things you probably wouldn’t even consciously notice unless you were looking for them. But, although individually minor, together they actually play a big role in helping to convince your brain that this is a real place. They help you immerse yourself in the story and in the setting. When you walk into a town in a good single-player RPG, you don’t feel like everyone important has just been standing around brainlessly on the street waiting for you to show up. In contrast, take a look at these shots from Neverwinter, an MMORPG published by China’s Perfect World:
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