Lore! What is it Good For?

by: Tony "RadarX" Jones

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Every good movie revolves around a well written story that draws in it's viewers and provides an element not found in more cookie cutter films. Video games are no different, in that a great game needs an amazing story. Immersion is a key point of focus I see tossed around industry news, stating that the players need to "feel a part of the game."
This, however, works all too well when you're playing Doom 3 in the dark and a cat jumps in your lap. I felt immersed, but more importantly I felt the need for new underwear. One of the things that made the original EverQuest so powerfully immersive was it's rich lore. The story of every race, city, and dungeon was woven into a detailed tapestry of history, providing a vivid picture of Norrath's background.

MMO's were different creatures back then. So, what has changed? For starters, I think the audience. For example, you know those people you avoid because they walk everywhere instead of running? How about the ones who say "thou?" Yeah, roleplayers. Finding a roleplayer on a normal server is like finding an actual reality show on TV. Players expect to spend less time on things like travel or camping. They have more material goals in mind like gear and progression. Where does lore fit into all this? With the newer generation of players, the question is: Why do we still bother having lore? Look at World of Warcraft. It's wildly successful, but it's lore is roughly equivalent to a pie thread in the Non-Gameplay Discussion forums. I've found that lore is as critical to EverQuest 2 as having rez spells in my hotbar is to my groups.

So, Radar, why do you think lore is so important? Well, one reason is the aforementioned roleplayers. Sure, they use /shout to communicate and they actually have biographies written up for when they're inspected, but they are still part of the playerbase.Lore draws roleplayers like BBQ ribs draw flies. They care that the third white dragon, Vishanu, scratched out the eyes of the moon 300 years ago, thereby creating the sidhe (yes, I made up all of that). There's nothing wrong with that, either. Lore enriches their gameplay. It's a small element that is often overlooked by a large portion of players.

By far the most compelling reason for well developed lore is the guidance and structure it provides developers for new content.
Take the upcoming expansion, Echoes of Faydwer. Sure, they could just make up a random zone with no history, and it would be great. However, it's much more interesting and engaging for them to recreate, say, Castle Mistmoore. * nod * Totally awesome zone. Lore can even be used to provide continuity for the story line when there are major content changes. For instance, a few months ago all the orc armour graphics were standardized to improve system performance. A well told bit of lore explained that the orcs were now being supplied by one source, and therefore would all be using the same equipment.

So, what's my point? Lore is a vital and driving force for not only EverQuest 2, but really every MMO. It's an important tool for content as well as game enrichment for the players. Without lore, we wander through an empty world. Devoid of history, of purpose, of originality. It's chaos! Yeah, that was over the top, sorry. Lore is important, okay?