The MOP writers were discussing the future of Albion Online the other day, marveling over how it’s picked up a massive playerbase… but not really the MMORPG scene itself. A lot of the people now leaving New World and looking for a home, for example, would probably find the PvP they’re after right there. But MMORPG vets seem to think they’ve aged out of gankbox play. And I feel like I have too, though the politics of it, not the gameplay; I just don’t want to spend my middle years drowning in guild drama and backstabbing and all of that. I didn’t enjoy it when I was teenager, and I definitely don’t want to do it again.
So that’s our topic for this week’s Massively Overthinking. Is there MMORPG content you feel too old to play? What is it, and what MMO is particularly emblematic of it?
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna.bsky.social, blog): The politicking of MMORPGs is definitely the thing that feels very far from me right now. I cared deeply about being guild mom and playing diplomat and navigating our group through hell, but in hindsight, it was all ridiculous and I barely had time to enjoy the games themselves. I was better off as a person and a gamer when our guild matured and we kinda stopped accommodating the people who brought the drama with them wherever they went.
I feel I’ve aged out of raiding too, at least the kind of classic raiding where someone is barking orders at me, we’re likely to wipe repeatedly, and I have to count up my points for a chance at a drop. Just typing these words makes me cringe a little for my wasted youth. Maybe I’ll find the antics of 20-year-old tryhards extremely entertaining again when I’m really old, though.
Carlo Lacsina (@UltraMudkipEX, YouTube, Twitch): This topic makes me sad. I can’t enjoy any aspect of MMOs at all until I hit retirement age. I was watching a video about the story of FFXIV’s Ultima Weapon Ultimate (UWU) raid last night. It recounted the various mechanics and how it absolutely stumped many of the progression players because just as the proper ultima fight would begin, the entire party would get a doom condition and stunned, giving a scant few seconds for the healers to remove the condition. In order to solve it, progress players from all over the world had to collaborate and identify what needed to be done in earlier phases to resolve this mechanic. And even after they solved it, the fight itself was torture. I can’t help but feel a little jealous.
You know the saying “born to game, forced to work?” Well that’s me right now. I can’t do any of the fun stuff in any MMO because I have far more important responsibilities, and the most fun content for me, which would be raiding, is inaccessible to me. I can’t commit to any MMOs anymore because even something like MSQ would be too much of a commitment now. At this point of my life, an MMO is just a permanent demo; I can only try out bits of it and never get the full experience. And no, making it available in a raid finder wouldn’t do the trick for me. I won’t be able to ever experience the camaraderie that comes with being part of a static party where we know all of our quirks and issues and strengths. Being an active contributor to a larger community is off the table too. MMOs and what I want out of them are simply not an option for me today. Hopefully that’ll change one day, but as far as I know, any MMO I play is just a demo now.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes.bsky.social, blog): I feel as though I’ve aged out from most of the harder bitten content like raids, which is a bit of a shame considering that’s arguably the bulk of what my main game, Final Fantasy XIV, has to offer me. And I do specify myself, I should point out; the PvP in the game is awful, the crafting grinds bore me to tears, and the society quests provide next to no interest to me.
This does, of course, lead me to believe that I’d also not feel welcome in a lot of other MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft, and it’s been proven to be a non-starter for doing other things in Lost Ark or Throne & Liberty. All told, the genre seems to be telling me to go take a hike.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): If I ever had a time in my life when I was even experimenting with fast-paced PvP combat, I’ve long since aged out of that. My twitch skills aren’t top-notch right now, which is why I appreciate tab-based combat in many MMOs. I’ve also lost a taste for ridiculous time-consuming grinds or convoluted progression systems that require extensive explanations to understand.
Sam Kash (@samkash@mastodon.social): I might be too old for long sessions, gameplay of which goes across all sorts of content. I just can’t settle down for a single session that approaches too near the two-hour mark. At that stage I begin to feel like, and truly am, not being productive. There’s surely something I should be doing with this time. Usually I’ll go find some house chores to do; there’s bound to be something that needs cleaning, being put away, or fixed.
I’m a gamer through and through, though, so by no means do I think we shouldn’t play our games. But for me, it needs to be in chunks. Now, that’s largely due to playing solo or duo. If I can get the whole family together, then there’s no time limits beyond bedtime.
Tyler Edwards (blog): This does feel like an appropriate moment to remind people I’m the youngest person on staff, but I don’t feel like age is particularly holding me back in the MMORPG realm, yet.
I do find in the realm of video games more generally I’m increasingly struggling with the growing trend of long, unforgiving boss fights that require constant dodging (which I blame on the popularity of Soulslikes). But then I always had garbage reflexes, so I’m not sure how much age is even a factor.
Every week, join the Massively OP staff for Massively Overthinking column, a multi-writer roundtable in which we discuss the MMO industry topics du jour – and then invite you to join the fray in the comments. Overthinking it is literally the whole point. Your turn!