Post by taltamir on Jun 26, 2006 1:06:44 GMT -5
There is still sometimes the tendancy to grind for skill points though (but thats due to the inherant Dungeon Siege engine). Just very recently I found that I could "cheat" in many games to get to the actual plot faster and bypass the whole skillpoint grinding thing, but I still often fall into it and end up as a pigeon. I didn't really realise it was so scientific and well documented and based on actual research. I was certain that game companies "wing it" so to speak and that it just naturally developed that way because that is what appeals to people. Its interesting to know that it is actually based on pigeon research.
PS. thats some hot cheesecake! Pixels rarely looked that sexy!
PS2. I was thinking about what you said and what my own conclusions about the subject were before, and I think there is more to it then just wanting the "rewards". From personal experience and from accounts of others, people figure out that the game is VERY boring. They are sick and tired of those inane tasks... the reason they keep on at that point (after the point of "i just do this for a slighty longer time and get rewarded") going for that elusive reward instead of quitting the game is because they have so much time invested in it. They don't want to loose the character (as some delete it after long periods of inactivity, but today most leave it forever to relure a person to reactive their account) or to feel as if they wasted monthes to years of their life, so they just spend MORE time playing it. And the more time they play, the less willing they are to quit because the more time is invested in it. Its a balance between the "this is boring I should quit" and "I put in so much effort to get here" with both of those increasing at the same time.
The whole idea with preventing you from topping off a character is that you don't feel a satisfaction of "finishing" the game. There is no "I finished the plot" or even a "I got all the best items and maxed every skill" type of "finishing" the game sort of satisfaction that would allow a person to quit the now finished game. The game is NEVER over. In fact, that is why they constantly release "new content" in games like wow. To prevent the game from being over and further string the people who really DO have everything for their characters. I know people (plural!) who quit school, live in a trailer, have no friends (or girlfriends), and barely work, and spend all their time playing MMOs, they have max level characters with all the best items... and every time "new content" is released they spend another 500 gameplay hours to get the current newest set/skill/ability/level.
PS. thats some hot cheesecake! Pixels rarely looked that sexy!
PS2. I was thinking about what you said and what my own conclusions about the subject were before, and I think there is more to it then just wanting the "rewards". From personal experience and from accounts of others, people figure out that the game is VERY boring. They are sick and tired of those inane tasks... the reason they keep on at that point (after the point of "i just do this for a slighty longer time and get rewarded") going for that elusive reward instead of quitting the game is because they have so much time invested in it. They don't want to loose the character (as some delete it after long periods of inactivity, but today most leave it forever to relure a person to reactive their account) or to feel as if they wasted monthes to years of their life, so they just spend MORE time playing it. And the more time they play, the less willing they are to quit because the more time is invested in it. Its a balance between the "this is boring I should quit" and "I put in so much effort to get here" with both of those increasing at the same time.
The whole idea with preventing you from topping off a character is that you don't feel a satisfaction of "finishing" the game. There is no "I finished the plot" or even a "I got all the best items and maxed every skill" type of "finishing" the game sort of satisfaction that would allow a person to quit the now finished game. The game is NEVER over. In fact, that is why they constantly release "new content" in games like wow. To prevent the game from being over and further string the people who really DO have everything for their characters. I know people (plural!) who quit school, live in a trailer, have no friends (or girlfriends), and barely work, and spend all their time playing MMOs, they have max level characters with all the best items... and every time "new content" is released they spend another 500 gameplay hours to get the current newest set/skill/ability/level.