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Tamriel Infinium: In which you're told that Elder Scrolls Online kicks ass
Welcome back to Tamriel Infinium, folks. I'll be your new writer, but don't worry about Larry. He's alive, well, and we're lucky to have him back at the helm of Hyperspace Beacon here on Massively. I've done plenty of dedicated game columns in the past, but it has been a while, so you'll have to bear with me while I shoot from the hip for a week or three and figure out what's best for this space. One thing I know already is that I dig Elder Scrolls Online, even though that's a pretty unpopular opinion in some quarters. With that in mind, let's poke fun at anti-ESO hipsters after the break, shall we?
The Daily Grind: How should MMOs appeal to both hardcore and casual players?
It's the eternal struggle between players and the eternal headache of developers: the hardcores vs. the casuals. On one hand, you have a group of gamers who devour content like locusts, min/max in ways that make college professors weep in envy, and spend oodles of time in MMOs as a matter of fact. On the other hand, there are those who lack the drive, the time, or the intense competitiveness, preferring instead to enjoy content at their own leisure, staying within a comfortable zone, and working on large goals in small bits at a go. With such a diverse range of players, making MMOs appeal to both crowds (and everyone in between) is enough to make one cross-eyed. Recently at WonderCon, several MMO developers were asked about this very topic, but today we'd like to get your opinion. How should MMOs be designed to best appeal to both hardcore and casual players? Is it a futile task -- should studios simply pick one or the other to go after? Is there a magic formula that games haven't tried yet, one you've figured out? Let us know! 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!
