love-hate-relationships
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Tamriel Infinium: My love/hate relationship with Elder Scrolls Online
Quakecon was certainly interesting, wasn't it? Whether you're looking forward to new zones, the veteran system's extreme makeover, active world PvP via the thieving system, or combat upgrades, Elder Scrolls Online acquitted itself pretty well at this year's ZeniMax Media shindig. The reveals even led to positive ESO comment vibes here on Massively, which added some much-needed love to the love/hate relationship that everyone seems to have with this particular MMO. I've got my own twisted take on said dynamic, so join me after the cut to celebrate the good and ask for more of it.
The Daily Grind: Do you have a love-hate relationship with an MMO?
In my experience, MMOs have the potential to be exhilarating and awesome as well as frustrating and stupid. Often times, all of these at once. Even in our most favored titles, there are annoyances that drive us up the wall and cause us to develop facial tics. So it's no surprise that any given gamer's feelings toward an MMO are going to be multi-layered and complex. We ride the rollercoaster of excitement, drudgery, victory and defeat a hundred times on any given month. However, there are some titles that defy the normal trends and become a legendary struggle for our emotions, pulling between our undying love and our sheer hatred. Is this you? Do you have a love-hate relationship with an MMO? Perhaps it started years ago, when you were seduced into its welcoming arms and you thought you'd found a match made in heaven -- only to discover its sinister side later in your gaming career. Are you constantly flip-flopping on your stance toward a game that you want to both marry and kill? Do tell -- and exorcise the demons within. 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 Daily Grind: What do you hate about a game you love?
Loving someone doesn't mean you lose the ability to see flaws; if anything, close proximity makes flaws all the easier to spot. The same is true for MMOs. Your six-year playtime in City of Heroes isn't coming to an end any time soon, but you still loathe the way the game handles experience post-30. You've been playing Star Trek Online since launch, but the time it takes to get out of the starter ship rubs you the wrong way. You'd never say no to Warhammer Online, but you hate the mono-gendered classes. We all find it easy to say sweepingly negative things about games that we dislike on principle, but if you play EverQuest II and not World of Warcraft, you probably have a clearer picture of the former's failings. So today, think about your favorite game and say what it is that you don't like about it. Even if it doesn't break the game for you, what do you hate about a game you love? You'll feel better for getting it off your chest. Really.
