Quote:
Originally Posted by Deathrydar
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So what is it about this game that sucks us in? It's almost sadistic, but we love it. What is it that makes us feel that we are actually in Norrath as opposed to a video game? What is it that keeps me coming back?
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I think you hit the nail on the head with "It's almost sadistic, but we love it".
All computer games operate on neurochemicals: we all get that dopamine rush when we slay a hard foe or acquire some great loot in a game. It doesn't matter if we're playing Final Fantasy (the non-MMOG kind), or EQ 1999, or WoW 2019: they're all very much designed to be "fun and addictive", and a big part of that is the rush you get when you accomplish something.
That sense of accomplishment (which is insidious in a way because you haven't accomplished anything: all you did was play a computer game for X hours!) is a crucial part of game addiction in general, and MMOG addiction in particular. When you get a cool sword in Final Fantasy, it lasts until you get your next big sword, or until you beat the game. When you get a cool sword in a MMOG, it lasts "forever".
But then why did EQ pull you back from WoW, when both do the same thing? I'd argue it's the "sadistic" part. EQ, and classic EQ especially, is
hard. Modern games like WoW made things easier, and this led to massive numbers of new players who never would have played a MMOG otherwise.
But meanwhile those of us with the "stamina" to play a hard game found such games unrewarding. It's just not as much of an accomplishment to get something done in WoW as it is in EQ. Or at least that's my take on it.