Bring storylines back to games

By Omri Petitte
The Guardsman

One of my best friends is missing.

When  I last saw him, his eyes were filled with amazement as he beheld the  untamed lands of “World of WarCraft” for the first time. His eagerness  to explore the storied regions of Azeroth was supplemented by a deep  appreciation of lore and an aspiration to breach the unknown was nothing  short of heroic.

“Farewell!” his expression silently conveyed to me as he boarded a ship bound for high adventure.

Meanwhile, I unenthusiastically killed 15 ghosts for a quest reward I couldn’t even use.

For  a time, I was just like my friend. I couldn’t take two steps without  becoming enchanted by sweeping vistas or terrifying beasties. But after  six years of repetition, the playing is getting intensely mundane.

To  be sure, massively multiplayer online gamers crave constant content  updates to keep their interest in check, but surely other solutions  exist to eliminate dullness. Here’s some that might work.

Make the story important

I  know, saying the story is important in a role-playing game is like  saying the sky is blue. But all too often, MMO content is devoid of a  worthwhile backstory.

Rudimentary  excuses don’t cut it anymore — a quest-giver sending me off to collect  crocodile skins because their feet hurt doesn’t exactly make an epic  yarn.

Quests  should constantly tell me that being a hero carries some weight in a  time of conflict and upheaval. I don’t need excessive John McClane-esque  action sequences, but I would like the tasks I receive to provide a  tangible impact to the plot at large.

“Star  Wars: The Old Republic” has a method of elevating its heroes as  keystones of influence in the war between the Empire and the Republic.  That is a good step toward giving the story a key role in games.

Make the world interesting

If  “Red Dead Redemption” nailed one thing perfectly, it was immersion.  Critics lauded environments like the parched deserts of New Austin and  the majestic forests of West Elizabeth for their authenticity and  multitude of random events.

So why not transplant those qualities into MMOs?

I  wouldn’t be adverse to suddenly encountering a fledgling Night Elf  priestess fleeing from a marauding band of Orcs, or recapturing escaped  Orc convicts for a wayward military convoy. I really don’t like Orcs.

Quest  hubs (concentrations of quest-givers in a structured environment such  as a castle barracks) lack that sense of unpredictability that an  open-ended world should have.

Keep things simple (and moderate)

Ratmen  ransacking a village? I’m on it. Thieves pilfering the king’s coffers?  Say no more. Nonessential quests don’t need to be burdened with  extravagant explanations on why they need to be done.

Yes,  Sauron was once the lackey of Melkor during the Ainulindale and the  First Age of Middle-earth, but I don’t need to know that while I’m  slaying goblin sheep poachers at the behest of a jilted ranger in “Lord  of the Rings Online”.

Leave  the important exposition to the more notable characters actually  qualified to dispense such wisdom – like a king or a semi-senile wizard –  and you’ve got yourself a valid goal to achieve.