As online games become more advanced, they can consume more of your free time. Interactive entertainment has shifted. Long gone are the mild diversions. I remember a simpler time for video games. I?d run down to the local video store, rent the latest Nintendo games for $1.10 each, and then I would bring the game back the very next day. That?s not the way it works with Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. They?re designed to keep you playing. Lofty goals are embedded into the adventure. This is in the hopes of keeping you as a paying customer.

Yet, how much is too much? On one extreme, there are some pretty bad stories surrounding MMORPGs - suicides, murders, thievery, and even spousal neglect. In the hours, days and months that it takes to advance a virtual persona, the real life necessities can suffer. On the other extreme, gamers don?t want to play boring games. Anything in life can be taken to excess. That doesn?t mean we shouldn?t have nice things. I know that if I wasn?t wasting my free time on video games, I?d be wasting it on something else.

My concern is accessibility. Most gamers know that games should be second, while real life takes precedence. That?s the problem with lofty goals. If the challenges are set too high, the goal becomes unattainable. Players don?t participate. That why some gamers avoid MMORPGs entirely. The time sink is too great.


Now it is time to get more specific - World of Warcraft has an unusual change planned for their first expansion. In The Burning Crusade, it has been suggested that the raid cap will be lowered. The new limit will be 25, down from the usual 40. Plenty of the larger guilds are in an uproar over this issue, while the smaller guilds are elated.

I enjoy playing WoW, but I?m not big on loot greed. I was planning on ignoring raid content. I figured that my characters would pick up gear through the Auction House or through the PvP merchants. After Guild Wars, I had my fill of large guilds. Running an alliance with almost 1000 people really knocked the energy out of me. That?s why I am enjoying the quieter side gaming. There?s a lot of management involve with larger guilds. It takes the gameplay to another level. Some gamers thrive on that. Others simply cannot be bothered - it feels too much like work.

The true issue is fair play. People are inherently competitive. World of Warcraft has rewards for hardcore gamers, as it should. The problem is balance. That ?+10 Stiletto of Uber Noobie Slaying? makes it difficult for casual gamers. If you?re constantly losing PvP battles to players with better stats, it is only a matter of time before you cry foul.

Previously, I was of the belief that bigger is always better. Today, I?m not so sure. Now that I have a new job, I have far less time to play video games. This lets me experience the plight of casual gamers. I created ?Lofty? a Human Rogue. As I near the WoW endgame, I can better judge the balance of the game. I don?t know if a 25 player cap is too small, but I intend to find out.

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Michael Garofalo
Webmaster - http://photics.com