An insightful post over on Tobold’s MMORPG Blog is quite thought-provoking, for game “designers” as well as writers in general, “Can the lore survive the players?”
“Lore” in this case meaning the back-story of a given world, what makes that universe unique.
An RPG has been described as a novel in which the characters (along with the “dungeon master”) write their own stories. As Tobold describes, in most MMORPG experiences, characters devolve into, well, Ferengi when it comes to distributing loot after monsters are killed and quests are completed. As he says,
Whatever the lore of a game, once it comes down to loot distribution, selfish considerations of players wanting to make their characters more powerful beat all lore. That doesn’t hurt World of Warcraft much, because the lore isn’t strong outside the series of Warcraft games. But if you play Star Wars Galaxies or the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online, the lore is supposed to carry much of the game.
The problem (if you can call it that) arises from the very nature of these games. Role-playing isn’t rewarded, in that the game’s mechanics are all about leveling your character and accumulating items, tasks accomplished by killing monsters and performing quests, the success of which are only meant to enable you to kill more monsters and perform more quests. At some point you run out of available quests that you haven’t done. The novel ends, in other words, but the character and world live on. You are able to play quests over and over. Talk about your Sisyphean existence!
Tobold continues,
The stories that get your heart racing in a MMORPG are often about other players behaving either very selfish or very generous. About who to invite to raids, and how to distribute the loot. The lore plays a very small role in all of that. And that is why Star Wars Galaxies never felt like Star Wars, and [Lord of the Rings Online] can be a great game, but can’t possibly make you feel like a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
To me, one of the more exciting elements of World of Warcraft in particular is when special events take place — not just ongoing In-Game Events (shared experiences that take place world-wide, although that’s interesting as well), but times when a special event takes place, when a given realm/server has accumulated enough items or quests to open a new area. It becomes part of the lore, if you will, of that universe. And even if the vast majority of players couldn’t care less as long as their numbers keep going up and their inventories continue to swell with shinier equipment, I know that at least some folks are interested in more than that.
If I were to try an MMORPG like World of Warcraft, I can’t imagine not at least trying out their Role-Playing Realms where, reportedly, actual Role-Playing occurs (as opposed to the other realm types). This would for me lift the experience from a numbers obsession (which I can get with any game, with no monthly fee) to participating in a story of some kind. As a character writing the story. Having not participated in WoW, I don’t know if that’s a realistic expectation — and considering my time and inclination, it’s not likely to be experimented on by me — but it’s intriguing nonetheless.
If you enjoy role-playing (RP) and would like to imagine that you are an inhabitant of a fantasy-based world, then a role-playing realm may be for you. Please read our Role-Playing Policy before you start playing on an RP realm. Players who choose to play on an RP realm should abide by the Role-Playing realm policies and remain in-character at all times. Role-Playing realms give players the chance to develop characters with a backstory who do not go blindly from quest to quest, but instead assist or hamper the efforts of others for reasons of their own.
It amuses me to think of a novel’s character being handed a legalese-laden Policy sheet before their story begins.
Creating an immersive world that holds true to the “Base Storyline” of the World of Warcraft is the driving motivation behind our Role-Play Servers. While other servers allow you to play World of Warcraft, these servers are intended to let you live World of Warcraft. Within this environment you will embark on long-lasting adventures, foster enduring comradeships, and wage epic wars. Cultivating an environment that allows this level of immersion rests largely upon the shoulders of you, the player.
Call me Ishmael.
