What is it about this game?

[Deathrydar]

I have been gone from the EQ scene since around 2010 when I stopped playing what is now the Project 199 blue server. Before that, I handled a strong EQ addiction from 1999 - 2004. Then I went to WoW and stayed there till 2006.

Anyway, I was so hype about WoW classic! I took a week off from work and played the hell out of that game when it launched four short weeks ago. I got a warrior to level 47.

So on Sunday, I heard about Project 1999 green.....

I'm gonna be honest, I had a difficult time concentrating in WoW after that. I had dedicated every minute of my free time to WoW classic. I had decided already that WoW classic would be okay to play, with my limited time that i can play. I mean there is rest experience and it doesn't take as long to level. That on top of the fact that every class can solo, it made WoW classic an optimal choice as opposed to Project 1999.

But the itch came, and I had to scratch it. I installed the game yesterday and logged on to Project 1999. I was instantly hooked again. Not hooked like I was with WoW classic, but in a different way.

So what is it about this game that sucks us in? It's almost sadistic, but we love it. What is it that makes us feel that we are actually in Norrath as opposed to a video game? What is it that keeps me coming back?

[loramin]

So what is it about this game that sucks us in? It's almost sadistic, but we love it. What is it that makes us feel that we are actually in Norrath as opposed to a video game? What is it that keeps me coming back?

I think you hit the nail on the head with "It's almost sadistic, but we love it".

All computer games operate on neurochemicals: we all get that dopamine rush when we slay a hard foe or acquire some great loot in a game. It doesn't matter if we're playing Final Fantasy (the non-MMOG kind), or EQ 1999, or WoW 2019: they're all very much designed to be "fun and addictive", and a big part of that is the rush you get when you accomplish something.

That sense of accomplishment (which is insidious in a way because you haven't accomplished anything: all you did was play a computer game for X hours!) is a crucial part of game addiction in general, and MMOG addiction in particular. When you get a cool sword in Final Fantasy, it lasts until you get your next big sword, or until you beat the game. When you get a cool sword in a MMOG, it lasts "forever".

But then why did EQ pull you back from WoW, when both do the same thing? I'd argue it's the "sadistic" part. EQ, and classic EQ especially, is hard. Modern games like WoW made things easier, and this led to massive numbers of new players who never would have played a MMOG otherwise.

But meanwhile those of us with the "stamina" to play a hard game found such games unrewarding. It's just not as much of an accomplishment to get something done in WoW as it is in EQ. Or at least that's my take on it.