World of Warcraft at Ten Ton Hammer

Creating the concepts behind an MMO success is its own art form.

At the start of this year, I and some of the other Ten Ton Hammer writers put in our best guesses as to what might transpire in the wonderful world of MMOs in 2009. Among my list of ten predictions, I made a fairly bold statement about NetDevil’s upcoming Jumpgate Evolution:

6. Jumpgate Evolution will be one of the year’s biggest success stories. Even in such a diverse year for new MMOG releases, this will be the game that garners the most mainstream media attention. As a result, flight sticks will become the new 'must have' upgrade component for PC gamers.

Yet the definition of MMO success is a slippery beast at best, constantly shifting depending on the perspective of a given individual. If I had my way every MMO in development would launch to huge success, turning millions of heads and twice as many non-believers into believers. There would be 12 foot tall statues of game characters erected at key locations in major cities, or at the very least party hats distributed at the entrance to local pubs with the latest and greatest iconic MMO heroes emblazoned upon the front. So smashing would be their success that national holidays would be handed out like stale candy at a parade for each and every MMO launch date.

That’s not to say I believe all MMOs are created equal, but rather that I understand and appreciate the monumental task of bringing a wholly unique form of interactive art to market, whether the development team consists of dozens or hundreds. All that hard work, planning and creativity should culminate in a massive payoff once a new MMO goes live, shouldn’t it?

Then I snap back to reality and remember that as the industry expands, it potentially opens up more cracks for games to fall through than it does a solid platform for them all to stand proud and tall. That particular real estate is a precious commodity, and as with any medium that makes the big time, publishing giants tend to snatch up all but a handful of lots. Smaller or less established studios are expected to aim for what’s left over; a nice niche next to the sizable ditches between tracks of MMO land. You see this attitude expressed all the time, and while there’s certainly a measured amount of truth involved, if creativity is expected to flourish then it shouldn’t matter if MMO X is already successful in a specific genre. Each new title hitting the cold metal of retail shelves should be judged on its own merits, rather than continuously compared to what’s come before.

Momentarily turning my gaze towards Hollywood, I see the long funeral procession of dead films being brought back to life for a new generation and I wonder if we, as a culture, aren’t simply content to eat a diet of sameness for our entertainment meals day in and day out. Or have we been lulled into complacency by accepting the only option put on the table one too many times? But if you don’t bother telling the chef your meal is cold, it never will be hot. What’s more, we never know if that next meal will be the best one yet until we try it.

MMO success now comes in two great new flavors.

But the gaming world is fueled by consumable commodities the same as any other major industry. At the end of the day decisions must be made to keep the books in line, even if some of those decisions encroach on creativity for the sake of conformity to an established norm. When a product does become a success, suddenly everybody wants a piece of the pie. Even those party hats start sounding like a good idea; after all, there’s money to be made in licensed goods.

Then I look at the heaping pile of console cozies, terrycloth headbands and even the tin can underwear sets bearing game logos; all of it reminds me that sometimes a simple glass of champagne is the best way to celebrate success. Otherwise, each piece of packaged cardboard has a cheapening effect on your crowning creative achievement.

But I fear licensed goods are here to stay, and it’s only a matter of time before the MMO industry as a whole puts both feet in the wagon. That being the case, perhaps MMOs could borrow something from the sports world in the form of team colors. A unifying identifier to help a scattered following become a seeded army of loyal fans. Whether you travel to New York, London or LA you’d know at a glance exactly who is rooting for your favorite MMO team. At the very least there should have been sets of developer trading cards made by now.

*makes a mental note to bug Ethec about creating a virtual developer trading card series for the site before someone else steals the idea*