niche-mmos
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Working As Intended: Niche MMOs vs. the everything box
The MMO industry has lately focused on niche titles, niche communities, niche gameplay. It's not one particular niche, mind you. It's lots of different niches, all being catered to in different titles: PvPers, sadistic gankers, raiders, dungeoners, roleplayers, crafters, explorers, achievers, soloers, storygoers, casuals, hardcores, builders, destroyers, the I'm-skipping-class-for-a-week-to-play-games kids, the I've-got-five-minutes-what-can-I-play parents. There's an MMO or two out there for pretty much every one of us -- and for almost no one else. So we dutifully buy the one that beckons directly to us, one of these small-minded "MMOs" that offer rewards for a certain playstyle or two but wilfully disregard every other imaginable playstyle. We applaud these games for having the guts to embrace being "niche" because we are convinced that having lots of little niche games is diversity. And then we wonder where all the players are.
The Daily Grind: What MMO would you like to see covered more?
Let's face it: Life isn't fair, and as a result, every MMO in existence doesn't get the same amount of coverage by the press, blogosphere, and fans. Some MMOs are just more popular; some have much better PR reps; and some are simply newer than the rest. Although we at Massively do try to make the rounds to cover as many MMOs as possible, there are always a few titles that seem to get noticed less than others. It's not uncommon for us to hear from fans of a niche title, "Why haven't you talked about GAME X for two years?" It's also not uncommon for many MMOs to simply be so quiet as to negate any news at all. So if wishes granted more coverage -- not just by us, but by everyone -- what MMOs would you love to see get the spotlight more often? Perhaps it's an older title that's limping along with a skeleton dev team or a game that's a little more unconventional than the rest. Sound off: Be the voice that stands up for these MMOs! 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!
