“We’re consumers, not investors, not charity workers, not R&D assistants. You are allowed to want both an innovative game AND fun game without it being hypocritical, just like you can want a cheap, good steak (or whatever).”

Generally speaking, good steaks aren’t expensive because they have to be, they are expensive because they can be. Are the shipping costs really the reason good steaks are cheaper in Texas than some New York restaurant? Probably not. And considering all those dozens of blind wine-tasting studies that demonstrate we enjoy something more when we think it’s expensive (even though it is actually from a $5 wine box), it’s even arguable that McDonald’s “steaks” would taste good if served on a silver platter with garnish.

None of this was my point, of course. I simply reject the notion that “it’s our fault” more innovation is not occurring, simply because we’re not financing game makers’ R&D projects. Nevermind how innovative games like TSW fail entirely due to Funcom’s own unreasonable sales expectations and not because there is no market for them.

If it is consumer entitlement to want fun & innovative games without the garbage, it’s developer entitlement to peddle $60 experiments.

the problem will be when Wow try to implement public quests…

The problem there is that if you ask three MMO players to define “fun” you’ll get six definitions. MMOs need to be niche because my fun may be your claw-your-own-eyes-out boredom. More focused design with clearer understanding of potential audiences and budgets kept to manageable levels would be nice, so that more of us can have the fun we want while more designers get to make the games they want to make.

A bit of tolerance for difference among the audience would be nice, too. Just because an MMO doesn’t work for *you* doesn’t mean it isn’t working for anyone.

Of course, if GW2 sells 5 million copies by Christmas, we’ll have GW2 clones for the next five years, all of which will “fail”.

Many many people are griefing them about their combat model.

Even a year ago people seemed to think that Wow bad combat was the now and forever of MMO combat.

GW2 (very slightly) and Tera(thought not far enough and what a hilariously incomplete themepark otherwise) have pushed that envelope.

People actually talk about the combat model now. That’s progress.

Tabtarget123 games should go die (or go to facebook).

I wouldn’t even think of getting a cheap steak in New England though. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t have gone somewhere inexpensive in Nebraska if I was looking for lobster.

Good obviously equals fun, but cheap implies little risk or investment from me, while innovative is just the opposite.

Adapting to change is not easy (how much innovation would you tolerate in EVE?), so the fun output has to relatively increase to compensate for the unfamiliarity of the innovation.

MMOs are not like TV shows, where I can easily follow 5-10 a week. They require much more investment in time, energy, and focus. For most of us, changing games is not trivial.

Sure, I’ll try a zebra steak, but if I have to buy it at a different store, learn to cook it differently, and get used to the fact that I’m eating a ZEBRA, it better be damn good or I’ll likely stick with my cow.

Living in Texas has to have SOME advantages.