What if the developers of your favorite MMOG turned over control of content development to you? What if you had the power to craft your own story and cast a hero or villain of your choosing? Would you create a well thought out story that many people would enjoy, or would you find a way to abuse your new power? These are some of the benefits and dangers of giving players the freedom to create their own content. With the potential for abuse, is it really worth the risk?
There are many benefits and dangers to allowing players to create their own content. The option opens up the tools for creating adventures to everyone, but is it really a good idea? In just a short 24 hours after the City of Heroes (CoH) Mission Architect system went live, player content had already surpassed content created by the developers. As developers soon found out, not all of this content was created as intended.
