Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Interview

[GameBanshee News]

Next Generation has tossed up a short five-question interview with Funcom's Gaute Godager about Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.

Q: Does Age Of Conan have opportunities for communities to create their own stories with each other in that freeform PnP sense?

A: We have a host of animations to unlock player creativity. If you go to YouTube and search for WOW you’ll find videos of weddings, porno movies, and they do everything with the few tools they have. There is really, really so little that you need to give the players – but we are trying to give them a lot. You can build your own cities in Age Of Conan, which encapsulates the whole of this. I’m a psychologist, that’s my education, so the social aspect is paramount in anything you do.

You play MMOGs for one reason, and that is to be seen by other players in various ways. To be recognized, to compete. It’s this really dualistic thing – someone sees me, I see them. Everything we do needs to reflect this, all game mechanics, all items. Take a simple thing like amour. If I were to put cool-looking amour as the best loot from the first quest in the game, it would dilute the meaning for all the rest you get. Why does it do that? Because players think that until someone sees them with something finer they’ve not really achieved much in the sense of how they look. The look of the amour, how people see you and what you achieve are connected, so when you kill the last big dragon or daemon that’s when you get the best-looking amour in the whole game, because people will want to know where you got it. That in essence is an MMOG – that recognition thing; how you are seen by your peers.

[MrManican]

Originally Posted by GameBanshee News

Because players think that until someone sees them with something finer they’ve not really achieved much in the sense of how they look. The look of the amour, how people see you and what you achieve are connected, so when you kill the last big dragon or daemon that’s when you get the best-looking amour in the whole game, because people will want to know where you got it. That in essence is an MMOG – that recognition thing; how you are seen by your peers.

This reminds me of my EQ & EQ2 days when you would go on raids for hours, actually setting aside parts of your day to do these raids to gain a set of armor that would make you the "pimpest" player in your guild. This quote really brings to light how much people want to be accepted in their MMO that they would set aside hours and hours of their life, most people setting aside over 300+ hours, to be socially accepted in an online environment.

[dragon wench]

@ MrManican,
Good point!

I don't think it is just MMOs though..
To me, these behaviours and attitudes also mirror and amplify real life. What is grade school, but one long battle for social acceptance?
And it doesn't stop there either. Look at the way people feel the need to display their wealth (even if a large percentage is debt) by buying ostentatious houses, cars, clothing, jewelry etc..

Personally, I hate this sort of thing, I don't think any of it should matter, unfortunately, though, it seems to be pretty common across the board.

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by MrManican

This reminds me of my EQ & EQ2 days when you would go on raids for hours, actually setting aside parts of your day to do these raids to gain a set of armor that would make you the "pimpest" player in your guild. This quote really brings to light how much people want to be accepted in their MMO that they would set aside hours and hours of their life, most people setting aside over 300+ hours, to be socially accepted in an online environment.

I'm an avid MMO player, and personally - I do not care much one way or the other whether somebody has some fancy-smancy armor, unless the game makes it necessary to utilize such armor to be effective in the game, meaning you can't participate or progress without it. (aka WoW-style grind)

Plus I generally do not see the difference from spending hours on a game, then doing so watching TV, reading fictional books or doing so many other hobbies. Playing MMO can be time consuming yes, but so can so many other hobbies.