The Daily Grind: Are reputation systems passé?

Last week I got into a long discussion with a friend about MMO reputation systems. I think we both realized just how much we hadn't thought about them for some time now, and that led us to speculating if the whole kit and kaboodle is not long for this industry.

In limited quantities, reputation systems can be special and intriguing. They offer horizontal progression in the game, usually by keeping some juicy rewards behind a gate. The thought is that while 90% of the players may never put in the effort to max out a faction's reputation, the 10% that do will have something special to show off.

But developers have never seen a good idea that they haven't run into the ground and then tunneled through to China. So it is with reputation grinds, which are as plentiful in number as they are annoying pests. Is it time to just chuck the whole idea or perhaps transform it into a less grindy and more approachable system?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!