Taking a break from ESO - An in depth analysis

RinaldoGandolphi

First and foremost I AM NOT canceling my sub.I I have a 3 month recurring sub that is staying put.

That being said, Last night I came to the realization that its time to take a break from ESO. This was my 1st MMO, and probably my last. However, with the champion system coming and other changes, its time to sit back and see where the progression of this game goes.

I have two major gripes with this game:

1. This game being called "The Elder Scrolls" has lost its way.

I will NEVER believe what we have in this game right now is what Todd Howard ever envisioned TES to be. If anything Howard would have made TESO much like Skyrim with the ability to have other people with you, but the focus would have always been On the Story and Your character

A Todd Howard TES title would always be more focused on delivering solid content and story materiel for your character to progress though. This is TES, its not a typical MMO, and it shouldn't be. There should be MMO's then there should be TESO, and TESO should be distinctively different. The sad thing is, make TESO Skyrim with co-op, and keeping adding story content and this game would have millions of subs instead of thousands.

Right now, TESO has lost focus and has turned its back on what has made TES series successful to begin with which is the focus is on the story and the character.

The entire game should be solo able, the focus should always be on your character.

Group dungeons, trials, group content, etc should be in the game for people that want them, but it should not be the focus of the game, the focus of the game should be on good writing and story telling and delivering solid story quest content like Micheal Kirkbride, Todd Howard, and the group have been doing for the last 2 decades...This is what made TES, it wouldn't exist without this, they need to stop turning their back on what got them to the dance to begin with.

Todd Howard is like one of the only game developers to win 4 straight GOTY awards in a row, He has been named one of the greatest game creators of all time, He is a very smart guy, there is reason after Skyrim's release he wasn't too keen on an ES MMO....he wasn't against taking TES Online, it just seemed he didn't think MMO was the correct format to go about doing it from what i could read in between the lines, and I think he is 100% correct.

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/31/bethesdas-todd-howard-not-interested-in-an-elder-scrolls-mmo/

Following a multi-player co-op type of system with the focus on the quests and stories would have been the route to go. group dungeons, etc should be optional add on thats are not the central focus of the game. PVP should have also had its own separate focus as well, and should not have been intertwined in anyway with the base game...its skill nerfs or buffs should have been independent from the base game.

My point is, make this game Skyrim with co-op focused on content and this game is a GOTY award winner, with way more subs then they have now, right now its just another mmo with TESO paint on it, and I can't see this ending well longterm. It doesn't make sense to move away from everything that has made the series sucessful and a money maker.

2. The game employs way too much Skinner Cage and Danging Carrot

If your not familiar with Skinners Cage:

BF Skinner put a mouse in a cage, and everytime the mouse pushed down the lever he got a pellet or a drink...at somepoint he was running low on food, so he changed the food rate..perhaps the mouse had to hit the level 10 times, 30 times, before it got the pellet, bit as long as the mouse got a pellet "at some point" the mouse would continue to push the lever.

This game has all the classic signs of Skinners Cage, and its readily apparent and it seems the devs are not trying to hide this fact at all to anyone that pays attention.

Take smithing as a prime example, every time you refine a stack of raw ore or unused gear, you have a chance of getting material and resins. You won't get these resisn everytime, but sometimes you will, so you will continue to gather materials and break down and refine items in the hopes you get the resin you want...it may take 100 attempts, it may take 10 attempts...as long as you receive "a resin" at some point, you will continue to push the lever....

What I am describing above is very detrimental to people that have depression, bi-polar, or obsessive-compulsive types of personalities. These types of people are at greater risk of not necessarily becoming addicted to the game, but becoming dependent on aspects of it because their personalities are more susceptible to addictions or dependencies usually. Look at how often people that are depressed become dependent on alcohol or something else? Its much more common in people with these traits.

Its hitting a really hard part of my moral compass for me.Many of the people on my friends list in game that I talk to almost all of them are suffering from some sort of mental issue.

I am easy to talk to because I am understanding, and I want these people to succeed in life, and i do everything i can to encourage them to get out into the world and make something happen. However, MMO's as a whole, is it really ethical to design a game in a way that honestly exploits people with these types of characteristics and personality issues?

I myself am lucky, the whole Skinner Cage thing just annoys me and i just stop playing, i guess I don't have that type of personality where it doesn't appeal to me.

My point is, the game should be holding its subscribers interests and subs because:

It should be focused on adding more story content and keeping players engaged because of the story, not being focused on what IMO seems like Skinner Cage principles that they know a percentage of the population will be appealed to and stuck on

Look im not saying anyone is perfect. I know I am not. I am also not suggesting every who plays ESO has a mental issues as thats an absurd blanket statement.

Skinners Cage probably works on anyone given enough exposure to it, I just think some people are more receptive then others, no biggie.

My point is, this is my 1st mmo and i figured this out very quickly...it annoys me, and its part of the reason im taking a step back.

Either this game will continue to be based on dangling carrot and Skinner Cage paradigm, or they will change direction and focus on awesome story telling content and exploration to bring the game back to its roots.

I will sit back and watch patiently for awhile. I really hope its the later.

Have a great day everyone! thanks for reading, even if you don't agree with me, know that I respect you as an individual and wish you well!

Khivas_Carrick

Everything you said was pretty typical cannon fodder MMO material lol ESO actually has a hell of a lot less of that than most others, but I still think SWTOR did it the best. Anyway I like these, and I agree with the first point BIG TIME.

R1ckyDaMan

*slow clap*

Op that was brilliant and every single gripe I have with the game all summed up in one post...

Divinius

Agree 100% with basically everything.

I also believe that if they had gone the route of making TESO "Co-op Skyrim" instead of trying to actually give it more of the standard MMO aspects, they would have had a lot more success with it.

Alternately, if they had gone "full-MMO" with it, they wouldn't have gotten as many of the TES series fans, but may have retained more of the traditional MMO crowd.

But this "hybrid" MMO-like thing they have made just kinda feels like a weird bastardization of the two genres, and it only appeals to a smaller portion of both crowds.

Regardless, it is what it is, and I'm still enjoying it "for the most part" so I'll continue to press the button... for now.

Rodario

While I do not disagree with anything you said, I'm also not bothered by any of it. I'm glad this is an MMORPG, not co-op skyrim, never been a fan of co-op.

rophez_ESO

The skinner's cage allusion holds true to pretty much any video game. Some of us like that carrot to keep us going and interested. I never considered that I like it because I am mentally ill

RinaldoGandolphi

rophez_ESO wrote: »

The skinner's cage allusion holds true to pretty much any video game. Some of us like that carrot to keep us going and interested. I never considered that I like it because I am mentally ill

LOL im not saying your mentally ill. I don't know anyone's personal situation.

What i was saying is there are some people that have what they call "Addictive Personality"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addictive_personality

People that have these personality traits are often more susceptible to addictions or dependence/co-dependence which can manifest itself in many ways. There are certain aspects of this game, which seem to be based on Skinner Cage concepts, that may appeal more with folks who have that type of personality.

(Im not a mental health professional, this is not medical or medical advice whatsoever, just basing on what i have read about it and learned in basic college required psychology course)

theyancey

I have to agree with much of what the OP says. I have been playing since 8-13. I bought a 6 month sub. I have enjoyed the solo/co-op/pick up group play. I do not do PvP but was glad to see it added for those that do like it. For most of the way it looked like it would fulfill its promise of offering both solo and group and PvE and PvP content every 4-6 weeks. Knowing that vision people paid top dollar for the game and a monthly sub for the new content. That amounts to a lot of coin, a price that TES fans were willing to pay.

What a cash cow for Zenimax too! We were paying twice the cost of a new game every year and all they had to do was keep offering new stuff to an existing game platform. It made great business sense. It made sense for me and other fans too. It would seem that we comprised the majority of the subscriber base. Every poll I have seen here or on third party sites showed that 60%-65% TES solo PvE players.

Sadly ZOS lost the way. There was no additional solo PvE made. Wrothgar, if it does not become vaporware, won't drop until spring. I switched my sub to month to month. I thought that I could find enough little things to do with my 8 toons until then. The final nail in the coffin for me though has been the ridicule and hatred on this forum towards solo and PvE players. Making it worse is that we were never defended by mods. Unfortunately it has appeared that this stance has become the official credo of ZOS. I and others have been told frequently to leave this game and go play an older stand alone game, just GTFO of here. I have now decided to abide by their wishes. I have a full and well balanced life that offers me many alternatives for my entertainment dollar and time.

I will be checking here though and if/when major solo PvE content drops I will resub and enjoy frolicking in Tamriel again.

pmn100b16_ESO

analysis

pez8897nub19_ESO

I agree with what you said. I have played about as far as I care to on this game. I have one other alt and now my vet and lower level character are in the same zone. Boredom has set in. I'm Saviour of Nirn and don't care for Craglorn so I am done. On a break now from ESO and still subbed at the current time but I'm seriously on the verge of going offline from the game. Hope future content will bring me back. We need more great quests that get you into the story. A good example of this was the WilderKing quests in the Dominion area.

RinaldoGandolphi

Also, the dangling carrot and skinners cage may be more apparent in this type of game.

As they continue to increase the level, your forced to go after the carrot again. They allow you a bite of the carrot from time to time(allowing you to get to max level for a short time before raising it), but they never allow you to actually eat the carrot.

This is classic "Push Pull Behavior".

This game can either take the route of allowing you to eat the carrot, and then offering you a cookie to eat

(Expansion packs like Dawnguard was for Skyrim, based on completing new content)

Or the game can continue to use Skinner's Cage and Carrot Dangling concepts which i see as more manipulative in nature. Again this is just my opinion. This type of stuff annoys me. Offer more content, don't offer more content with groups, levels, and gear as transparent barriers to enjoying that content.

Xeres14

Hrm. Well woodsro, I'm going to have to disagree with a good deal of what you said.

First being about how this is TES and should not your typical MMO. If this were really true, then the whole idea of experience points, levels, attribute and skill points should be gone. But they're in TES and now ESO. So I'm not sure at what point ESO should differ from it's predecessors when the infrastructure of the game is based on that very system a vast majority of other MMORPGs use (stemming from D&D and maybe even games before that).

As far as the Dangling Carrot, of course that's a personal preference. It's a marketing tool that tries to encourage people to keep playing: to want something and keep logging in to work toward getting that carrot. However unlike the Dangling Carrot, if MMOs make the carrot unobtainable, people will stop trying to get it. That doesn't appeal to everyone though. But it's the players who advertise the Dangling Carrot the most. The other day a lower level character asked me where I got the armor I was wearing. It was the VR2 costume you get. So I told him. I was the Dangling Carrot.

RinaldoGandolphi

pmn100b16_ESO wrote: »

analysis

haha thanks, just caught the typo and corrected it

DaniAngione

I agree with most of what you said but can't say I agree with the first point...

"Co-op Skyrim" would've been... well... a TES game with multiplayer. Not an MMO. Maybe that's what you want: a TES game with multiplayer (I want it too, no worries). Who knows, TES VI might be that game?

But to be an MMO a game must be... well... an MMO. You know, massive. Whole worlds, tons of people, et cetera.
I mean, comparing the single-player games as a base for the MMO is not really a solid argument. Let us summon WoW (lol - sorry, but it's a great example for that). The original games are strategy games, RTS. The MMO is a RPG focused on one character. You didn't see complaints back there saying "Omg, I don't want this game, I want a RTS where I can play with thousands of people!" because MMORPGs are their own genre - what matters is the world, the setting they're based upon.
ESO shouldn't be like the single player games; it needs the setting from these games and, from there, grow as a great game on its own rights.

The more we compare it with Skyrim or other TES titles, the more we doom it. It must break these shackles and allow us to live in Nirn as none of the aforementioned games allowed us. Does it succeed in doing that? Not yet. But It might, eventually. Let us hope.

But, by saying that it "should be like a co-op skyrim"... Nothing personal, I want it too... But you're in the wrong place. This is an MMO. What you (and many of us) want is a multiplayer TES title, not an MMO

(I want the MMO too, though )

RinaldoGandolphi

@‌daniangione

I agree, I would like a multi-player TES. I think it just fits better with the title, lore, story, atmosphere, etc. Its just my opinion that MMO I don't think was the right direction to go, at least not right away.

If they were going to do an MMO, they should have done that after the multi-player. JMO.

Khenarthi

I agree with all you have written, and now that I completed all solo content twice, I'll play for a couple of months to try pvp but most likely than not I will go back to Skyrim / Oblivion / Morrowind. The quests there are much more enjoyable and there's no pressure to be "leet" in order to get accepted into a group - because a vet 12-14 there's nothing left to do but group content, and if you build your character for RP, or because it's just more fun to mix it up, there's really no point in trying to find a group.

GreySix

woodsro wrote: »

My point is, make this game Skyrim with co-op focused on content and this game is a GOTY award winner, with way more subs then they have now, right now its just another mmo with TESO paint on it, and I can't see this ending well longterm. It doesn't make sense to move away from everything that has made the series sucessful and a money maker.

Concur.

ESO is a fun game, but it wasn't implemented correctly IMO. For years, many of us have just wanted to cooperatively play a TES game.

This game doesn't quite get there, as playing cooperatively in the main quest of the game is prohibited.

deepseamk20b14_ESO

I stopped reading when OP said he wanted everything to be soloable........I can't understand the train of thought of a person playing an MMO and thinking that a MASSIVELY MULTI-PLAYER ONLINE game should be all about soloing. This is you first MMO and your last. Promise at least one thing that you will hold true to that statement.

GreySix

deepseamk20b14_ESO wrote: »

I stopped reading when OP said he wanted everything to be soloable........I can't understand the train of thought of a person playing an MMO and thinking that a MASSIVELY MULTI-PLAYER ONLINE game should be all about soloing. This is you first MMO and your last. Promise at least one thing that you will hold true to that statement.

To be fair, he wrote soloable, vice solo only.

I've no issue with solo players. I've issue with the game forcing solo play.

Sylvyr

Lord British was a great game creator... then came Tabula Rasa.. his first MMO and that was, well, interesting.

RSram

I agree with your first argument, OP. My friends and I call ESO "Skyrim lite"; it has the game lore and story, but the designers took the easy and safe bet of using proven MMO formulas: zones, levels, group dungeons, etc. Currently your right, the group/phasing mechanics don't play nice with each other.

If the developers can fix the grouping/phase mechanics, then your CO-OP issue might be realized.

I politely disagree with your second argument. One of the topics in game design theory is the psychology of how to make a game addictive; this is a requirement if the game is to make money. All games use some type of method to motivate a player, so how you would structure crafting without using the Skinners Cage method? I'm just curious because the game that I am developing is currently in the design phase and any out of the box thinking would be greatly appreciated.

KhajitFurTrader

Sylvyr wrote: »

Lord British was a great game creator... then came Tabula Rasa.. his first MMO and that was, well, interesting.

So Ultima Online came after Tabula Rasa?

RinaldoGandolphi

deepseamk20b14_ESO wrote: »

I stopped reading when OP said he wanted everything to be soloable........I can't understand the train of thought of a person playing an MMO and thinking that a MASSIVELY MULTI-PLAYER ONLINE game should be all about soloing. This is you first MMO and your last. Promise at least one thing that you will hold true to that statement.

You didn't read the whole thread. My point was TESO should NOT have been an MMO to begin with. It should have been TES game with a multiplayer component to it. The game would have been more successful more fun, and with way more options.

This current game goes against everything that made TES successful. This game shows how out of touch the developers of this game truly are. What made TEs successful was:

1. Game was focused on 1st person view for immersion.
2. You could make your character any way you pleased.
3. Multiple skill lines with no required classes, you pick and choose what you want.
4. an Atrribute system, like Morrowind or Oblivion where you put point sinto strength, endurance, willpower, etc and those determine what your HP, Stamina, Magic, etc is so you cna fine tune your character leaving you many more options.

in this game, I can't play a spellsword, I can't use light armor, 1 sword in one hand, and a destruction or illusion spell of my choice in the other.

This game has no destruction spell tree whatsoever...and staffs are meant to be used when your out of magic, not to cast spells.

There is no destruction, illusion, mysticism, alteration, conjuration magic whatsoever, no skill trees at all.

I can't be a necromancer in this game, I can't even summon anything but a clanfear or a twilight...where is the deadreoth, the flame, frost, and storm atronachs, flesh atronachs, Xivili, undead? can't summon any of those.

This game should have been a Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim type of game with the ability to team up with other people and explore a vast world. It should not have been the generic MMO we are stuck with.

Please understand, I am flexibile, They could have added a seperate PVP where you and your buddies can fight against other people, and they could of added some addon group dungeons for the game, but the base game should have been a coo-op TES not a generic MMO...TESO needed to stand out and be different from the pack, and just sticking to its roots and sticking to what made it successful would have done that. Its clear looking at TESO that the devs of this game are completely out of touch with what the TES is alla bout to begin with and have no clue what made TES successful to begin with...they have adandoned every concept that made this franchise the success it became....and it makes no sense.

poll anyone after Skyrim's release and they would have wanted a TES game they could play with friends...just like a Skyrim Online...not this...there is a reason this game is not doing as well as they hoped, you would think they would figure that out, but sadly it seems like that is not the case.

The only saving grace is at least Bethesda has Todd Howard who will make TES6 that will save this company financially and hopefully offset the money they have lost on this venture to date. Todd Howard's game will be successful because he gets it...he knows what has made TES as a series so successful and he doesn't deviate away from that, he improves on the current formula....TES has always been about "play the way you want" this game pigeon holes you into specific clas which is completely anti-TES to anyone who grew up on this series.

I should know, I have been playing since Arena back in 1994...I have been here since the beginning....and every TES has gotten progressively better and better...except this one...which is a major step back in every way.

It is fair to compare Skyrim/Oblivion/Morrowind to this one...because this game shouldn't have been an MMO to begin with...I linked it above after Skyrim's release that even Howard himself said that MMO pretty much just doens't fit the atmosphere for this game...Howard wasn't against bringing the game online, I just doublt he wanted to go this route...would have been better off to go co-op adding new content regularly and charging...they would have way more subscribers, a lot more money.

Imagine getting a Dawnguard size expansion on a regular basis, not being pigeonholed into classes, and playing with your friends or whoever you want.

imagine the PVP, having the entire Oblivion skill tree to choose from,. not being pigeonholed into any classes, no one fight in PVP would ever be the same, you would not know which skills your enemy is going to bring to the table...it adds a element of mystery and suprise to the game that would keep you coming back for more...right now its easy just looking at someone to know what class and what they most likely will use....its a waste.

Ragefist

woodsro wrote: »

I will NEVER believe what we have in this game right now is what Todd Howard ever envisioned TES to be

Dude trust me Elder Scrolls would have been much better without Todd Howard (and with Michael Kirkbride)

GreySix

KhajitFurTrader wrote: »

Sylvyr wrote: »

Lord British was a great game creator... then came Tabula Rasa.. his first MMO and that was, well, interesting.

So Ultima Online came after Tabula Rasa?

Might be referring to the original Ultima games, like the ones released for the Apple II.

Athas24

rophez_ESO wrote: »

The skinner's cage allusion holds true to pretty much any video game. Some of us like that carrot to keep us going and interested. I never considered that I like it because I am mentally ill

You're sick and you need help! the OP said so! *gets needle ready* Get over here and take your medicine! *secretly pushes buttons for things*

Varicite

woodsro wrote: »

My point is, this is my 1st mmo

I read your entire post, and I felt myself wanting to write out a strongly worded reply until I came to this part and it all clicked.

A lot of what you seem to want would work better in a multiplayer TES game, not an actual MMORPG, due to balance concerns and the necessity of longevity.

RinaldoGandolphi

Varicite wrote: »

woodsro wrote: »

My point is, this is my 1st mmo

I read your entire post, and I felt myself wanting to write out a strongly worded reply until I came to this part and it all clicked.

A lot of what you seem to want would work better in a multiplayer TES game, not an actual MMORPG, due to balance concerns and the necessity of longevity.

Exactly right. I think TES fanbase as whole was given a game none of us want. Don't get me wrong, there are aspects of this game that are good. I just feel MMO wasn't the right fit for TES lore, atmosphere, etc. This is just my opinion, and if you look on UESP forums and some of the other places TES fans have hung out in for years, you will find the majority of those players have a great disdain for this game...especially in the ways they have severely contradicted lore.

I think the soulburst story is actually good, I just don't think the classes and how its set up is very Elder Scrolls like...I just don't think MMO was the right fit for bringing The Elder Scrolls into the Online realm.

Thank you for understanding where I am coming from, even if you don't agree with me, I appreciate your understanding where I am coming from even if you don't agree. I respect your honesty and respectful manner in how you coveyed your response.

Greatfellow

RSram wrote: »

I agree with your first argument, OP. My friends and I call ESO "Skyrim lite"; it has the game lore and story, but the designers took the easy and safe bet of using proven MMO formulas: zones, levels, group dungeons, etc. Currently your right, the group/phasing mechanics don't play nice with each other.

If the developers can fix the grouping/phase mechanics, then your CO-OP issue might be realized.

I politely disagree with your second argument. One of the topics in game design theory is the psychology of how to make a game addictive; this is a requirement if the game is to make money. All games use some type of method to motivate a player, so how you would structure crafting without using the Skinners Cage method? I'm just curious because the game that I am developing is currently in the design phase and any out of the box thinking would be greatly appreciated.

Well, since you're designing a game, here's what kept me interested in Ultima Online for years:
--a ton of different activities to do, in detail. In addition to the regular stuff, you could design and build unique houses, build furniture galore or use other in game items to decorate with, you could have your own vendors right on the doorsteps of your property, you could make potions, grow plants and hybridize them.
--do some things differently every time I did them: now, this is a REAL appeal to players, the kind of thing that makes single player games REPLAYABLE. If you can make the game offer a new experience upon replay, you've gone a long way toward hooking a customer. For example, in Ultima Online I eventually kept resubscribing simply to build and decorate unique houses. Moving away from Ultima Online, another game, Civilization (Civ III in particular, with a couple corruption mods applied), I've played probably several hundred times. One game, several hundred replays. How about that for keeping one's attention. Civ III offered me new world maps EVERY time. I could tailor the climate, world size, world age, and the arrangement of land masses to my preference. i could, further, go into the Edit program and literally build worlds to play on. Finally, I could choose the number of AI opponents, and who they were, within a range, with those various AIs having different personalities. I could play as any of dozens of cultures, and pursue different routes to victory each time.

Finally, a great story with surprises makes me love a game. Deus Ex was fabulous for that. I've played it a dozen times, even though it's linear, because it was such a good story.

Nox_Aeterna

It would be nice if the lead on ESO had that opinion , but they dont.

They are clearly trying make this game about end game gear grind , even more with the sesonal gear and such in theory , while true it remains to be seem , the idea is exactly this.

Honestly right now im just laughing while i watch more and more player leave the game because they were here for something more like you described OP and when they reach the wall where it become group or leave , they just leave :P.

Mind you im not saying any MMO had the opportunity to be like what you said there OP , but ESO being a TES game and full of this franchise fans had.

RinaldoGandolphi

Athas24 wrote: »

rophez_ESO wrote: »

The skinner's cage allusion holds true to pretty much any video game. Some of us like that carrot to keep us going and interested. I never considered that I like it because I am mentally ill

You're sick and you need help! the OP said so! *gets needle ready* Get over here and take your medicine! *secretly pushes buttons for things*

That is not what I said, and your twisting my words out of context I said in my OP and i quote:

Look im not saying anyone is perfect. I know I am not. I am also not suggesting everyone who plays ESO has a mental issues as thats an absurd blanket statement.

Also read my reply to the person your talking about.

Addictive Personality, as far as I know, is NOT a mental disorder, its merely a set of personality traits that seems to make certain individuals more pre-dispositioned and vulnerable to dependencies and addictions. Does that mean everyone that has those traits will? Probably not, there are many people who have these traits that probably never become addicted to anything, the studies just show people who have these personality traits have a higher risk then those who don't, nothing in life is set in stone, everyone is different.

Also, just so you know, usually someone who is addcited or dependent on something will come up with every possible rationalization under the sun to justify their behavior. Type /playtime into your ESO client...look at how long you have played the game...ask yourself....what else could you have done during that time?

Next, Try to stop playing for awhile. Test yourself...

can you stop playing for any decent length of time?

Do you find yourself thinking about the game all the time when your not playing?

1.Do you ever miss work to play?
2.Do you ever make excuses to friends and family so you can play?
3.Do you stay up till 3-4 am in the morning playing the game?
4.Do you spend more then 7 hours a day on a regular basis playing the game?
5. Do you neglect chores, responsibilities, etc to get in more game time?

These are legitimate questions to ask yourself. You should always self evaluate yourself. Self reflection is a very powerful tool, those who are successful are always self reflecting on themselves, they will always take a step back and remove themselves from something and assess a situation and decide on a best course of action moving forward.

I was playing maybe 1 1/2 hours during the work week per day(not everyday it depended), and some on the weekends. A few weeks ago, I found myself spending way too much time on Saturdays(in my opinion) on this game, so I moved to rectify the situation as I see my time as valuable,

So i took on more sidework and other such things so I can make more money instead of investing as much time in the game. If/When i do comeback, I figure 1 hour a day 3 times a week is enough. That is my personal limit. I like to be productive in life, and I don't want anything getting in the way of that productivity. Part of the Saturday investment was due to the guild im in expecting me to be around, I can't afford to make those time commitments, and I won't be convinced to do so.

As i said this is my 1st MMO, this is my 1st experience with a game that employs such tactics to motivate people to continue to play, I won't allow such a time sink in my life, but I have a "go get it" type of personality...sitting around spending tons of time on a game is not my cup of tea. I will never care if i ever reach max level if/when i ever do decide to play on a very limited basis again, Right now i have zero desire whatsoever.

I only asked those questions above, because everyone should ask those questions concerning any game or anything for that matter. If your familiar with economics, then you will know what Opportunity Cost is...

The cost of playing an MMO is NOT just the subscription per month. The true cost is:

The Sub Cost + the time played that could have been used on something else.

Every investment of time is a cost of opportunity....if you spend 20 hours a week playing an MMO, you could get a part time second job paying 12 bucks an hour...so that's $480 dollars before taxes every 2 weeks x2 = 960 dollars.

So using that hypothetical, you are paying your sub cost AND your giving up a part time job and another 960 dollars per month to play a game...is it really worth it?

Everyone should always ask these questions and self evaluate themselves...you can never make the right decision for yourself unless you have all the facts.

Economics says everyone is driven by their own self interests. However, everyone self interests are different in value depending on how valuable each individual rates a particular activity or skill...I won't attempt to answer anyone's individual value, that's up to the individual to decide for themselves.

The rest of the post I put in spoiler, its a good read for anyone who is interested...should always strive and self evaluate on a regular basis, you may be surprised additional areas you can squeeze success or something else out of that maybe you never thought about before.

Im all about sharing knowledge, and learning as much as I can...I would never purport to know everything, infact, I believe true knowledge is actually admitting how little I actually know....always gotta stay humble and stay open to leanring new ideas and views . Have a great night!