It is not easy for everyone to enjoy an MMORPG for a long time. We have some tips to help you maintain your joy in MMORPGs for a long time.
For those who love MMORPGs and have perhaps spent many years in games like World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, or more recent MMORPGs, the problem is well known: at some point, you lose interest in a game. No matter what happens, the joy is hard to regain. We provide you with some tips on how to rediscover your enjoyment in your MMORPG when things get rough.
1. Stay friendly and don’t become cynical
Those who have become masters of their MMORPG over the years know the answer to every question. Where one might have previously participated in chat discussions kindly, today they are more easily irritated by “noobs” and their questions, the answers to which seem obvious.
Yet it is exactly this “annoyed pro” attitude that should be avoided. If someone asks how to resolve quest X or find item Y, don’t respond passive-aggressively with “You can Google that,” but instead remain friendly and helpful.
MMORPGs are still social games with other people, and those who approach others with kindness and willingness to help will frequently have nice encounters, have conversations, and meet new people. Often it is these encounters and social interactions that add a significant appeal to the game.
If you are friendly and helpful, you will usually receive kindness in return – and that is enjoyable in itself.
Sometimes a little trolling can also be fun…
2. Avoid the official forums and subreddits
If you love a game and have been dealing with it for many years, you probably also like hanging out in the official forums or on social media like Reddit to get informed and discuss the MMORPG. However, the problem is that such forums are not only used for nice stories but are often a place where people vent their frustrations about the game.
This puts you in a sort of filter bubble where mainly the negative aspects of the game are highlighted. This is not surprising – those who are completely satisfied with a game tend to spend more time playing and not hang around in the forums. Therefore, forums often contain more negative posts with criticism and complaints than positive stories about great experiences. This shapes your perception and can lead you to only see the bad.
A few weeks without the influence of the forums can be helpful. You may find that what Reddit currently sees as the “big problem of the game” doesn’t affect you at all.
3. Be open to new things
Not only older individuals tend to adapt poorly to significant changes, but also long-time MMORPG players. This leads to quite a conflict in their expectations:
On one hand, a game should offer new content and innovations; on the other hand, it should feel familiar and not stray too far from what they have mastered over the years.
However, this cannot be reconciled. You need to step back a little from your expectations and not compare everything to what you’ve known for years. Those who give new games or new content for a known game a real chance may find that the innovations can indeed be enjoyable and meaningful. Just because something has “always been that way” in a game doesn’t mean that is the final answer.