Chapter 17. Fighting Player Burnout in Massively Multiplayer Games

by Damion Schubert , Founder, Ninjaneering.com (damion@ninjaneering.com)

KEY TOPICS

The Exponential Curve of Death
More Content?
Play Less, Please
Conclusion

AUTHOR NOTE

This is another article that was originally published online and which we asked the author to revisit . You can read Damion's biography Appendix B, "Bios of Interviewees"; he's "been there and done that." What he writes about here is crucial to the long- term survival of any persistent world (PW).

When creating a role-playing game, most design teams try to aim toward providing 40 hours of gameplay. More expansive visions , such as Ultima Ascension or Baldur's Gate , easily surpass that, offering 80, 120, or even 200 hours of gameplay, depending on who you ask. The costs of providing this additional content are substantial ”both games cost millions of dollars and had schedules that surpassed two years ”and in the end, all but the most hard- core fans had a hard time completing every quest and exploring every area in these two games.

However, in the arena of massively multiplayer (MMP) games, 200 hours can be one- tenth of the time that a player spends online. Indeed, there have been numerous reports of players who surpass the 200- hour mark in a month ”every month. And as a result, MMP designers feel compelled to extend the playability of the game well beyond what is healthy for either the game or the player.