“Do Try and Keep Up”
Justin Olivetti posed an honest question on Massively Overpowered yesterday. “Do you have any clue what’s going on in your MMO’s storyline?” he asked and I must admit that my answer varies greatly according to what I’m playing. Yet before I give a more comprehensive response, let me make clear that one of the aspects of the MMO genre that I enjoy the most is its penchant for complex and sprawling narratives. Both The Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online are based upon intellectual properties with in-depth lore and an established canon. I was also drawn to the RPG Skyrim due to its enigmatic story which linked into a much wider history. It was one of the reasons I started playing The Elder Scrolls Online, as every quest seems to have a story that is connected to another. My enjoyment of these dense plots found in the MMO genre stems from my love of reading as a child.
So with this in mind, I believe I am currently on top of the ongoing plot and story elements found both in LOTRO and STO. I tend to have a primary alt in most MMOs that I play and work my way through a game’s content in narrative order. I must admit, at times it has been hard to keep up with LOTRO and I have refreshed my memory regarding the plot and especially characters by referring to the games well maintained Wiki. The game has a habit of bringing back protagonists from early stories. STO is far more episodic in its approach to stories and arcs frequently end in a definitive manner. Furthermore, expansions tend to be themed and frequently dovetail into lore from specific shows. So for example, if you’re familiar with Star Trek: Voyager then it’s far easier to keep up with the storyline featured in the Delta Rising expansion. It also helps with both LOTRO and STO that I play these games regularly throughout the year. Keeping your hand in, so to speak, helps immensely in this respect.
Keeping abreast of the major plotlines in ESO is a more difficult undertaking. Firstly, I don’t tend to play the game with the same regularity as both LOTRO and STO. I return mainly when the yearly expansion launches and then I stick around for a month or two. I came back to the game two weeks ago when Blackwood launched and immediately struggled to recall the various reasons for my quest in Vvardenfell. Fortunately some characters, such as the put upon manservant Stibbons, stick in the mind. However, in my defence it is fair to say that many of the sidequest plotlines featured in ESO centre around the shenanigans of various Daedric Princes. At times it does come across as somewhat repetitive to the casual player. The main stories tend to be far more accessible and have plenty of exposition. Indeed there is even a mechanism in the game where NPCs will give you a plot summary if you need to know exactly what your motivation is.
But let us not forget that my approach to the MMO genre is far from universal. For every player that loves the intricacies and nuances of the story there are those who are totally disinterested by it. They will dismiss cutscenes (where possible) and dialogue windows as soon as they appear. It is also fair to say that not every MMORPG has a good story to begin with. I quickly lost track of what was going on in Rift as the plot seemed very formulaic. I also struggled to “keep up” in Neverwinter for similar reasons. Plus I had no prior knowledge of the franchise associated with that game and I believe having some advance personal investment certainly helps. Overall, I find that persistence is perhaps the best way of following a plot in a game. But as I vary what I play regularly, it can be an issue at times. Judging by the comments left on Justin’s original post, I suspect this is a common issue among gamers.
