Is it time for me to retire for mmo gaming

[merwood]

So I know I have made posts about leaving mmo gaming for good and yet sure enough I try find hope that a new mmo will break that grinding mold and come out with something that is totally innovative .

But I find myself just wasting money on mmo's that nearly don't hold my attention and get staled and boring to play with . I think the reality for me is I've been playing mmo's for 11 years now and they have lost its shine .

To me now mmo's are just a time sink and money waster that is primarily there to occupy you . I have tried playing casually but the reality is because I have to pay a monthly sub basically tells me to get my money's worth and that I have to continually play as much as possible or it will be a waste .

Anyways long story short I find given the trend of mmo's and how I think it has changed to primarily a business model I will never be satisfied and should I continue playi9ng mmo's I would only be wasting more money and time that can be better spent elsewhere .

[brohawk]

everything at some point is a time/money sink, it really all boils down to what are your priorities/benefits derived as to what you want to do.

Take kids for example, they can be a huge time/money sink, or you could just let them run wild, but still does the benefits give you more than the investment?

[Bawheidbob]

If you think that MMO's are and time sink and a money waster then that is the end of the discussion to be honest.

You need to do what is best for you personally i do not know what i would do if i did not play MMO style games - probably go back on the drink and fags. That would defiantly be a waste of time and money.

[Sytes]

Not sure what you pay a month... though for myself, it averages maybe 15$
That equates to scrounging up .50 cents a day...

I do not feel pressed to stress and play for .50 cents. Heck, I can not drive more then 3 miles without spending .50 cents.

What else would you do? Or what else would you spend .50 cents a day on? Tough to find something that is .25 cents a day? Even reading costa the price of a book and depending on how quick or riveting the book is - turns to be a factor as well...

A soda costs more.

WHen viewing it from that perspective - I have no problem paying for an MMO.

Best of success in your decision, Merwood.

[Zilch]

If you're not enjoying yourself anymore, that's all that matters. Here's hoping you find something better to do with your time.

[Cindax]

Have you examined any of the Free to Play mmos out there?

I am currently enjoying LOTRO for the simple fact that even though I do subscribe, I dont have to pay a sub and if I dont play for two weeks it doesn't give me that same feeling of waste as an mmo where I do have to subscribe.

[SLAINE]

With Guild Wars 2 they are trying to break the mold and kill the grind.
There is no pay to play after the initial purchase is made.

I see it as Guild Wars/Dark Age of Camelot/Everquest II combined.

Will have dungeon crawling and overland maps.
Has in the past had good PVP so you can casually play or competitive.
They are trying to fix all the problems with needing healers etc.
No kill stealing or locking encounters (real interesting). I quite like that idea of being a nomad and just picking up a fight if I see one happening. Noone will miss out on loot if you assist either. Its really co-op to the extreme.

I dunno if its going to work. In current MMOs I do find a few people dump you because of your class. Its annoying but if your a solid player you get a spot on your reputation. Be interesting how a team works where everyone is important.
The game is pretty cutting edge in other areas. FPS components in an MMO!

Check out the video.
Guild Wars 2 Pax East Panel: Guild Wars 2 (PC) - GameSpot Video

[solarbear88]

I would suggest playing League of Legends. It costs nothing or next to nothing and there are quite a few Toggers who play it regularly. Its not an MMO, but has similarish combat.

I played Heroes of Newerth, which is almost the same game but with less Tog following, pretty regularly for nearly a year. And found it quite fun.

[merwood]

Thanks for your input guys.

[Brootal]

As someone who's asked that same question repeatedly over the last year or two, both about MMOs and gaming in general.

First thing to do is look at what was it you liked about the MMOs? Were you a gamer before MMOs? If so, look at what it was about gaming you enjoyed back then and what drew you into the MMO. In short, go back to basics.

On a personal level, I've all but given up on MMOs, I have a LOTRO account, I can pay for content as the mood takes me, but I don't log in hardly ever. I am looking forward to SWTOR, but I'm not considering it as an MMO, I'm intending to play it either as a solo/Co-op version of KOTOR. I will play it for as long as the story goes, but once it's over it's over, no running "end-game" content over and over, no grinding for better gear. I'll get what I get on my way through and that's it. If they release more content, I'll go back to play the content if I feel like it, if not I won't.

MMOs are all about the business model these days, but what you've got to do is make it work for you.