Words of Replicant Jesus

The Toy Race Track and the Lego Blocks.

After reading this post by Keen I decided to make a response to the issue he has raised which I think is fairly interesting.  I am going to tackle each subject on its own terms and then wrap them up at the end with any additional thoughts on either subject matter.  The basic exercise is that you visualize a toy race track and lego blocks and then apply that imagery to the varying facets of an MMO game.  Although I will try to refrain from mentioning any specific MMO and more so focus on the ideas.

Toy Racetrack

When it comes to MMO design or features I can think of many parallels to a racetrack.  A racetrack is fairly linear in scope and tends to lend itself to a competitive nature.  it is very simple to see who is ahead of you and who is behind you.  The track has a definite direction and a finish line.  Just like many MMO products on the market that finish line is not the end of the expereince though; one can continue going and keep racing until the player decides to stop for any number of reasons.  The experience is fairly structured, the player knows usually where to go and the process of advancing through the track or game is heavily guided.

Toy racetracks are easily expandable though.  A new straight away or turn can be added with ease to change the experience.  With some sets you can change the original configuration of the set to make a new experience.  This turns the experience into something that is highly configurable but also very similar to the original experience.  The experience is exactly what you expect it to be, but with enough variation to keep the player entertained.  The race track keeps the player focused and although they can engage in other activities if they so choose the game gives the player a clear direction to follow.

To sum up a racetrack is configurable, directed, and usually competitive experience.  Either competing with others directly or indirectly through some sort of meta-game, i.e. gear, abilities, or personal achievement.

Lego Blocks

Lego blocks mirror MMO design philosophies pretty well.  Lego blocks allow the player to design what they want within a set of confines allowing the player to define his own experience.  This design is not infinite though and is often just an approximation of what the player set out to do in the first place.  Competition does not really come to mind when I think of Lego blocks, sure someone can come along and destroy what I built but that exists outside the scope of the Lego blocks.  The same could be said of the racetrack in the previous example.  The act of creation is a more personal experience and definitely gives the player more stake and ownership in the process.

It should be noted that in the early stages of Lego block gameplay the experience tends to be scripted or at least given a framework to work from.  Usually schematics that show the reader how the pieces fit to design a particular model.  These are just guidelines though and the reader can purposefully ignore them without any detrimental effects to their overall play experience.  But there are pitfalls to this sort of design philosophy, putting the total creative experience in the hands of the player can overwhelm a new player.  A lack of direction or concrete goals can make the initial experience for the new player daunting in their initial choices.  But if this initial period of awkwardness is overcome then the player can see that there experience is only limited by their pieces and the confines of the design construct.

In the end the Lego blocks can offer a wider variety of experiences for the player but also a larger set of initial choices can be daunting for a new or even veteran player.  There is little direction and it becomes tougher for a player to discern what they should or could be going.

Best of Both Worlds: Lego Racetrack

To merge both play styles/constructs is really what I see the direction of the genre going.  The experience needs to provide direction, give clear concise ideas of what a player should be doing.  The MMO should also give players the freedom to create and forge their own paths.  neither path is mutually exclusive and I think a game that can merge those two gaps will be all the richer for it.  A racetrack of Lego blocks gives the player a variety of tools and experiences to enjoy.  They get a clear view of the goal but given a variety of tools to make that journey to get there.  The path is not one lane but many lanes; the destination becomes only one facet of many experiences that create a richer tapestry.

This is how I see it at least.