Questing and Storylines in MMORPGs

Something has been eating at me for a while. I’ve played a lot of MMORPGs in my life. I didn’t really get into the genre fully until the release of World of Warcraft, which voraciously devoured two years of my life, as I’m sure it’s done to many other unfortunate souls. That was years ago, and I’ve moved on since. Moved on to the likes of Final Fantasy XI, Tabula Rasa, Hellgate: London, City of Heroes, Champions Online, EVE Online, Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons and Dragons Online, and just about every single pay-to-play MMORPG that’s been released since WoW as well as numerous free to play ones. The pattern was always the same. That inescapable deja vu we all feel when we play a game after having invested so much in WoW. The feeling of “I have been here before.”

Where does that feeling stem from, exactly? A lot of things, but what I believe WoW brought to the genre more than anything else was quests. Fetch quests, kill quests, point-and-click quests. Simple bits of script and code that grease every level of progression like a professional eater uses condiments to lubricate every bite of food being rammed down their overstuffed gullet which cries out “no more, no more!” But, we masochists, we MMORPG players, we continue to torture our minds and wallets, buying new releases, and slamming level after level. The more lubricated every EXP bite is, the better able we are to endure consuming something we know in our hearts is completely bland and not good for us.


Kobold Camp Cleanup Quest in World of Warcraft

So, this is our reality as MMORPG gamers. We are a special breed of glutton, and to continue our gorging, we demand quests. More quests. Better quests. Tastier quests. What makes a better quest? I’m not sure. I can tell you what doesn’t, though: text. Am I the only one who commits the sin of skipping past all quest text and just relying on the mini-map radar to direct me to objectives? Objectives that, to me, have absolutely no basis in reality? I don’t know why I’m going to this X on the map, I just know that after rapid-fire acquisition of quests in the nearby hub, I want to go X and look for a thing that stands out. Perhaps something to kill, or collect. Woe to the quest that demands I open my quest journal for clarification – what an inconvenience! I have levels to gain. Bland, precious EXP to consume! Get out of my way, flavor text! Step aside, storyline! Go to hell, writers paid to squirt this dialogue out daily! I’m a busy woman. Max level won’t reach itself.

I don’t think I’m a powergamer. I could be, really, and just be in denial. I think I’m just jaded. I think I honestly just can’t be brought to care about anything in an MMORPG storyline. What’s the point? Any sense of immersion I might have is completely destroyed by the gold spamming, racial slurring, LFG-ing, lol u-ing, and WTF-ing in general chat. Sorry Peasant in peril #245, I know I’m the “Chosen One”, but so is pwnstick21, roflcow, and Samtard. They are all the Chosen One. Get their help too. Just give me EXP. Save the sob story.


Florensia – Look! The Quest Text Scrolls Down! Who’s Going to Read All of This?

This is very ironic to me, especially, because I have aims to work in the gaming industry as a writer. Whenever I play an MMO, I am spitting on the shoes of every writer employed by that company by skimming quest text. Granted, half a writer’s job is meetings, but still. I feel badly. I feel guilt. But I know I can’t help it, and I’m not alone.

So, my question to you is, do you not give a crap about quest text? Would you rather it just be a simple set of instructions for fetching more EXP? Further, do you normally enjoy storylines and immersion in an RPG, but find attempts at putting either into an MMORPG a complete waste of time? We can only pray for Bioware’s upcoming Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG. Of course, the franchise alone will make it a blockbuster hit, but all that writing, voice-acting… for what? Will they prove me wrong? Will they create an immersive experience that will change my life? Or will roflcow and Samtard ruin it?


9Dragons – Stfu and Give me Experience!

In my frank and honest opinion? All aesthetics, storylines, and attempts at adding detail and vibrance to an MMORPG (at least currently) is just an effort to apply cosmetics and perfume to a horse long, long dead, and sell it to people (including myself) who, in their feverish desire to GAIN LEVELS, pay out almost reflexively in the hopes that this one will be different. What do you think?