03-19-2010, 03:46 PM
Yeah, I definitely think that Aion, etc, are going after "new gamers". I just don't think they realize it. I don't think anyone sat at a desk and said, "We need to aim for the new, inexperienced gaming audience."
In fact, I think Aion is some proof of this. They apparently have been answering calls to reduce the grind, even though the Aion grind is already way less than it ever was in EQ. I feel like it's comparable to WOW (on release) in terms of level grinding. The complaints, I suspect, are coming from the ex-WOW crowd. They've already been through the grind and far from being "addicted" to it, they're tired of it and don't want to do it again.
And I think that targeting "new gamers" is a risk. New gamers are surely more likely to go into consoles than into MMORPGs (because consoles are cheaper). And the console gamers I know who don't do MMORPGs say that they're "too boring", so once they've gone into consoles you've lost them unless you can come up with a much better design.
In fact, I think Aion is some proof of this. They apparently have been answering calls to reduce the grind, even though the Aion grind is already way less than it ever was in EQ. I feel like it's comparable to WOW (on release) in terms of level grinding. The complaints, I suspect, are coming from the ex-WOW crowd. They've already been through the grind and far from being "addicted" to it, they're tired of it and don't want to do it again.
And I think that targeting "new gamers" is a risk. New gamers are surely more likely to go into consoles than into MMORPGs (because consoles are cheaper). And the console gamers I know who don't do MMORPGs say that they're "too boring", so once they've gone into consoles you've lost them unless you can come up with a much better design.