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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A Foolish Consistency

Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." He wasn't ranting about consistency, per se, but about being consistent simply for consistency's sake.

I was reading Syp's post about being excited about new games as they come out, and many in the blogosphere seem to think it's their job to fight the hype surrounding every new MMO that comes on the market. It leads many others, myself included, to tamp down their enthusiasm for the latest thing, to hedge positive reviews with at least a little bit of skepticism.
I think there is a fear of looking like a fool for "falling" for the hype of a new title. A fear that the naysayers may have been right. I was very enthusiastic about SWTOR when it came out, and incidentally had a peak of readers during December that has led to a readership plateau much higher than I enjoyed most of 2011. Six or seven months later, the luster has worn off and I'm feeling a little sheepish. It's colored my reviews of TSW. But I honestly really like the game, for all the reasons I have detailed in my last few posts. (I probably have not hidden my enthusiasm very well.)

I also tend to blog about what I am playing, what I am enthusiastic about. I'm not consistent, and my readership levels may suffer. Being the egotist I am, I would love to be more widely read. But if it requires being more consistent about the topic, I guess I'll have to be content with the people that have stuck with me so far. If I have any consistency, it's that I write about what is on my mind. (BTW, Daniel Tosh is a turd, but raging against him on Twitter will do nothing to change him.)

Will I still be playing TSW in six months? I don't know. I thought I would be play Rift far longer than I did. I thought I would play SWTOR longer than I am apparently going to. Back in February of last year, when Rift was almost ready for release, I wrote about wanting to be a part of a virtual world for long stretches, much like I played WoW for years. Now, I've ended up playing my last two major titles for about as long as the person who inspired that post suggested: six months.

I've become the guy I told it was OK to play a title for only as long as it is fun to play. If, like Baybdoll, for you that game is WoW, great. If it is something else, enjoy it for as long or as short as you want. Don't worry about whether others approve. And don't be foolishly consistent. Hey, GW2 is on the horizon.

13 comments:

  1. That Emerson quote has been my life motto since I first heard it in my teens, quoted by Lou Reed.

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    1. I've always liked it, though I haven't always followed it.

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  2. All that really matters is that for the several months that you played Star Wars that you had fun, you enjoyed the experience or you also had fun playing with friends. That is really all that matters.

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    1. Exactly. Much like Syp I am tired of the negativity. Just enjoy the game. If you don't, do something else.

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  3. I agree. I tend to be a "live here and in the now" kind of person, and will not deny or apologize for it. If I'm having fun, I'll say it and I'll say why, to hell with what people think. Plus, I look at my blog as a kind of journal or diary. It wouldn't make sense to hold back how I really feel in a personal diary or journal, so why would I on my blog? It defeats the purpose of having a record of your thoughts and feelings to look back on, if they're not a reflection of your true feelings.

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  4. It's a long time ago I realized that disliking something because it's popular is just as bad as liking it because it is popular. Gamers are passionate about their games, be it hate or love, and it's the way it's supposed to be.

    Frankly if everyone were like you, the world of games would've been a better place to live. :)

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    1. Dawwww, thank you. :D I haven't always been nice on this blog. I sometimes get downright angry. But I'm trying to be more positive. There are enough angry blogs out there.

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  5. I was skeptical of TSW mainly because it was a Funcom game. There general pattern is to release a game that is fundamentally broken at launch and then becomes rather good six months or so later once they iron the kinks out. However, I had so much fun in TSW beta weekends I decided to risk it and I'm glad I did. Hype or no, I think it's an original compelling MMO that is a lot of fun to play.

    The next uber hyped MMO coming up, GW II, I'm almost certainly sitting out. I have too many other really solid fantasy MMOs I can log into for free these days (DDO, LoTRO, EQ II, and Wizard 101 are the ones I'm active in atm). Even if GW II is the second coming of MMOs, I'm not willing to add another game in the fantasy genre to my plate right now. Maybe previews after it goes live will change my mind, or like with TSW I'll get blown away during an open beta, but right now I doubt it..

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    1. There -> Their...geez, this is my native language

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    2. Heh, I was looking through some older posts of my own and horrified that they have been sitting out in public for so long in that condition.

      I said I wasn't going to, but I now want to get into a GW2 test drive (because that's what they've become). TSW (and perhaps SWTOR) is more than sufficient to keep me entertained through August, and a quick visit on the trial version of GW1 left Sctrz and me unsatisfied.

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  6. I know what you mean about jumping on the bandwagon (I also really like that quote, btw), but I'm really enjoying TSW.

    I've dabbled a bit in other games, but I do tend to find one and stick with it. However, I think people always have an eye out for that next innovation.

    Additionally, I believe the world of MMOs are changing: most of them will not have the playership of WOW and I think they are becoming more and more risky to develop. So they will either be niche - catering to a smaller portion of the population - or they will become more generic - in attempt to draw as many people as possible. (Did I actually say anything with that last comment?) Either way its risky and either I think we need that hype. New and different is exciting and quality MMOs don't come out everyday.

    Also, what Marthe said. There some things I've missed out on just because I was turned off by the popularity. With the exception of a couple of nitpicky things, I'm loving TSW, but that won't stop me from checking GW2 out.

    Thanks for listening. :)

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    1. Thanks for commenting. I agree, we'll probably get more niche-focused MMOs in the next few years, until someone manages to create a runaway blockbuster. Then executives' eyes will fill dollar signs, and the cycle will start again.

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