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The Daily Grind: What MMO issue do we fuss about too much?
Part of the fun and joy of being involved in a communal hobby is getting into passionate "discussions" with others about various aspects of your mutual interest. This is the same in gaming as it is elsewhere and I wouldn't have it any other way. Yet sometimes I wonder if we get perhaps a tad bit too worked up over things that, honestly, do not matter -- even within MMO gaming. So what MMO issue do we fuss about too much? Are we too uptight over the whole "raiders vs. casuals" issue? Does throwing a tempter tantrum over a lack of a guild vault make us come off as spoiled children? Do we fixate on the many horrible failings of Elf culture?* Does there come a point when you just roll your eyes at another rehashed rant spouted by people who just won't let the little things go? Are we merely addicted to the drama that comes with these debates? *The answer is no. We can never badmouth Elves enough for the horrors that they have inflicted on the fantasy genre. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Road to Mordor: You're the best around, nothing's gonna ever keep you down!
Two semi-stunning thoughts hit me this week. The first is that March 5th marks the debut of my very first column on Massively a year ago, and I still have my life and sanity intact. The second is that even with the release of RIFT, which I'm playing, I still feel compelled to play Lord of the Rings Online just as much -- if not more -- than the new shiny on the block. These thoughts are related after a fashion, so just hang in there with me. When I first came on board Massively and chose the game I'd be following for a presumably lengthy stretch of time, only LotRO seemed as though it would fit the bill. I knew it was a great game from experience and that I had a lot to do, see and learn about it, and I'd hoped that it had a lot in store to keep me from getting bored. Still, I was worried that I would lose interest after six months or so, as I'm a habitual MMO sampler. Could I settle down and form a serious relationship with an MMO like this? It turns out that yes, yes I could -- and quite easily at that. While I had liked LotRO before last year, these past 12 months have helped me form a deep appreciation and connection with this version of Middle-earth. This relationship has held firm even as I've dabbled -- or dived in deep -- with other MMOs, because there's something LotRO has that I've never experienced in another MMORPG. So what is it about this world that sets it apart and has endeared itself to me?
