While “video games” used to carry a stigma of offering pre-generated worlds where players could go to escape social interaction, the next generation of games, massive multiplayer online games, completely shatter this preconception. In this week’s installment of Digital Trends’ Players Only, Scott Steinberg explains why this latest trend in gaming has been so successful, where it’s headed, and what it takes to build up an entire virtual world.
Many industry experts believe the social interaction of MMOs have helped them advance gaming’s appeal. “It’s becoming mainstream. We’ve got people that usually engage in more mainstream media that are coming and spending time,” says Jeffrey Steeple, executive producer of Lord of the Rings Online. “It’s not just each crazy gamer in the corner anymore.”
But as for cooking up the environments for players to battle and dabble in, it’s no easy task. “You’ve gotta be a little crazy,” says Matt Wilson, studio manager at SOE Seattle. “Making these games is really an enormous undertaking, something that you have to be committed to.” And as for cost, NCSoft’s Chris Chung says developers can expect to plunk down at least $10 million for a high-quality MMO title.
To find out what other experts had to say about MMOs and the social communities they foster, head over to Players Only, where the episode is available as a free download. All Players Only episodes are available for free online as part of the ongoing series, which will debut new episodes every Friday through June 6.
