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The Daily Grind: Does a class' popularity influence your desire to play it?

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classes, Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous

There are a few constants that dog my adventures into every MMO. I will play a female character even though I am a man, I will go nuts over pet classes if they are available, I will probably create a legion of alts before ever hitting the level cap, and I will wear stylish hats even if the stats aren't the greatest. But above all of that, the biggest constant in my playing career is that I almost always refuse to pick MMO classes that are extremely popular.

I think it's because I -- like probably most of you -- like to feel unique in games, even though it's usually difficult to achieve. Choosing a class that's in the minority helps with that feeling, and conversely, going with the FOTM or whatever the kids are calling it these days makes me feel like I've got my unique snowflake status revoked.

So is this insane? Do you allow class popularity to influence your desire to play it, or do you just go with whatever sounds like the most fun?

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!

The Daily Grind: Does a class' popularity influence your desire to play it? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Bottle show

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Culture, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

It's a strange time in the Final Fantasy online world right now. For the first time in what seems to be a very long while, we don't know exactly what's coming next. Final Fantasy XIV has Naoki Yoshida's letter and poll, and Final Fantasy XI has the vague promise of another nine levels, but neither game has a future with any sort of clear-cut milestones right now. The next update on what to expect could come in a week, or it could come tomorrow. (Tomorrow for me, anyway. I'm writing this on Thursday; it's unlikely that much will happen on Sunday.)

While I made my predictions last week, and we'll see over the next year how accurate they are, I don't really know how many of those things will come to pass. And I have to wonder whether we're not the only ones who don't know what's waiting around the bend -- I think Square-Enix isn't totally sure what its next move is, because I think the past year has really forced a re-evaluation of some beliefs. I don't think it's a matter of cluelessness so much as not developing a plan B when plan A had worked up to this point, but I think plan A had only worked due to unique circumstances.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Bottle show

The Mog Log: Bottle show originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Does popularity influence your play decisions?

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor

Popularity can be an odd beast. For a fairly long stretch in World of Warcraft, there was one creature that could always be found in droves, no matter the time or place: the night elf hunter. While hunters are no longer the most popular class in the game, there's still no shortage of veterans who will look at you with suspicion if you have one. They became synonymous with inexperience and overplayed characters -- and as a combination of one of the most popular races with the most popular class at the time, it was all but inevitable.

From Guild Wars to EVE Online, there are always certain things with seemingly endless popularity. Some players will flock to the flavor of the month, either because they believe it's overpowered, or due to the assumption that everyone else can't be wrong. On the flip side, some people make it their practice to find the least popular combination of abilities and play that, just to be unique. So where do you fall? Have you ever made your choice of character based on what was (or wasn't) popular at the time? If so, do you try to go with the flow or against it?

The Daily Grind: Does popularity influence your play decisions? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why is Destruction more popular than Order?

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Classes, Culture, PvP, Warhammer Online, Opinion

There exists an interesting theory concerning gamer preference of good vs. evil. It is said that in World of Warcraft, as in many other games, the "good" seems to be the most popular choice. Most people want to be the pretty human character, save the princess and become the hero.

Enter Warhammer Online, where the majority of players have flocked to the Destruction side. This isn't simply the 'darker' side, this is the burn-down-your-house evil side. This is the stuff-a-dwarf-in-a-barrel-and-toss-him-off-a-castle-wall evil side. So why do players relate more to this type of bad guy persona? Relmstein has some theories about this over at his blog, which include the fact that Mythic focused much of their hype on the Destruction side. Check out his post for the rest of his five reasons why Destruction is more popular than Order, and let us know what you think.

Why is Destruction more popular than Order? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: The most popular MMO or the underdog?

Samuel Axon — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Opinion, The Daily Grind

Everyone's always talking about subscription numbers -- including us! We're always speculating about which game is going to end up on top. Well, second to the top, anyway. But what impact does the popularity of a game have on your play experience?

The conventional wisdom is as follows. If you're playing the most popular MMO out there, you're at the forefront of the gaming community's attention. You're seeing first hand every history-making event. You're suffering through every headline-making nerf patch. If you're in a smaller MMO, the community is more tight-knit. You feel like you're living in a small town, where everyone knows your name. Your feedback might even have a chance of impacting the direction the game takes.

But is any of that true? Which would you prefer -- the most popular game out there, or the best-kept-secret, and why?

The Daily Grind: The most popular MMO or the underdog? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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