Is Lore a Bore?

by Medeor

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When I start a game, I pretend to enjoy the lore. I show the typical desire to understand and care about how the races evolve and how city centers rise out of hulking ruins, or trees become a wondrous village.  But in the long run, I end up wanting to know who I need to whack to get good loot. Then, I feel guilty; a guilt similar to the guilt felt when receiving a handmade object of someone's passion that you want to instantly put in the attic. You want to show that you understand the intricacies of the art and that you’re appreciative, but you don’t, and you aren’t.  

Meanwhile, there are people--heck, there are teams of people--diving headlong into the job of writing compelling story and quest lines only to have me start clicking the “Next” button so I can get my quest rewards (imagine a kid and vacation, hopped up on Bawlz, hitting the elevator button to get to the pool and you’ll get a feel for the fervor with which I click). I wouldn’t have though much if the developers had said, “Within the next patch you will see cats and dogs living together.”  I would only question whether or not I could in fact loot the aforementioned pets for furs or tasty giblets and phat lewt, completely ignoring the fact that cats and dogs might not belong in that scenario.

So now I will say I’m sorry and promise to give my undivided attention to the over-arching story lines and follow them through to their closure.

Maybe the evolution of a gamer includes deeper thought.  As I begin to mature and play more patiently, perhaps I am entering my next phase of gamerdom.  At first gaming was all about “Blam! Blam! Blam!” and “Did I Win?”  The story lines for First Person Shooters are typically as thought out and entrancing as a porn…err…adult movie.  Apparently adults don’t care about storylines.  Maybe I’ve just become too adult?  Well now I think it is time to revise this thinking and jump into the deep end of the pool where lore and information run deep.

When I first started playing MMOs, it was all about progression.  My goal was to level, then level and then level a little bit more.  My mantra was to get me to the end-game as fast as possible.  Some games go out of their way to draw the gamer in, but I could usually avoid such offers and blow right by the lovely scenery.  In my mind, I always flash to that scene in National Lampoon’s Vacation when Chevy Chase and family are in a hurry to get to Los Angeles and stop by the Grand Canyon, only to have Chevy bob his head and quip “ Yep, there’s the Grand Canyon, let’s go.”  Similarly in my questing, I couldn’t be bothered to witness beauty or seek knowledge, since I had an errand to run.

As I am finally realizing, MMOs’ lack of a final chapter means that there is no reason to skim through the meat of the story.  I should take it all in and enjoy every last bite.  Have you ever watched the fourth of July Nathan’s hot dog eating contest?  I have, and it makes me wonder if I’ve been playing my games like Kobayashi eats dogs.  Do you really think he tastes them?  Worse yet, do you think he can even really enjoy them?  If this is lost on you, google the term “Wacky Japanese hot dog eating contest winner.”

As my apology applies to all those great side stories I’ve missed, I now pledge to stop and smell the roses, or at least read the lore.  I’ve noticed in my last few gaming sessions since my “awakening” that I’ve really enjoyed the quest chains.  Quite a few times I’ve enjoyed the sense of humor used or the sarcasm used – all in character – and it’s made me chuckle.  These people spend a lot of time putting all of these threads together and staying within the over-arching themes. It is truly an art.

The next thing you know, I’ll be ranting on the boards how a pending addition to the game doesn’t flow with the lore and that the world as we know it shall end.  To that I say, my forum name is $%&*@, please feel free to moderate me.

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes promises to have a lush, green feel both graphically and narratively (is that a word?). My goal is to witness and catalog from the purple mountains and blue seas to the amber waves of Thestran-grain. Join me in our travels as we seek to understand the stories the authors provide, and maybe grab a few levels of advancement here and there.

Are you a Lore Bore or do you collect every nugget of information and attempt to guess at the future through the clues provided?  Sigil Games Online has provided hints into the lore of Thestra, so stay tuned for more about the lore.  Maybe we can chat about the back story... after I’ve ready it.

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