The Daily Grind: Unfaithfully Yours

MMO gamers can be a fickle bunch. Whether its loving a game one day and bashing it the next, or hopscotching from world to world on a weekly basis, MMO infidelity runs rampant in my circle of gaming friends.

As for me personally, I'm pretty unfaithful when it comes to the massive genre. Over the past month, I've logged into Age of Conan, Aion, Fallen Earth, EVE, Champions Online, Ryzom, Guild Wars, Runes of Magic, and Everquest 2. Of these, only the first three have captured my attention for more than a day, but I'm sure a time will come when I return to all of them for one reason or another. Outside of gaming, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more faithful individual. I've loved the same woman for over six years and I support my beloved Yellow Jackets even though they've won exactly one game that matters since 1990. Why then, do I have such a hard time sticking with a single MMORPG?

I think it boils down to the fact that just about every game has a great idea or two, but none of them can manage to be the complete experience I've been craving since the days of Ultima Online. Ideally, developers would build on previous games, incorporating absolutely everything that was cool about older titles into their newer ones, and eventually we'd end up with the ultimate uber game that would eliminate my need to try the next flavor of the month. Realistically, budgetary constraints, marketing decisions, and a general lack of creativity have conspired to give us games that have less options than those of years past, which is why I'm continually searching for The One. If someone ever dares to make a single game that features Ultima's economy, Star Wars Galaxies' housing and entertainers, Lord of the Rings Online's music system, APB's character creation, Age of Conan's combat system, and World of Warcraft's quests and polish, they'll have at least one customer for life.

What about you, dear readers? Do you suffer from MMO infidelity?