The article is from MMOsite Writer Club member neramaar.
Perma-Death and Time Travel: The Ironic Truth
I stumbled upon a strange irony whilst watching a movie the other day. In this movie the subject of time travel was mentioned, in the context that if we were able to travel forward and backward through time, would we really want to? If it were possible to travel through time then we would no longer make mistakes, there would no longer be a fear of taking risks as the outcome could always be changed, thus the personal experience gained by doing so would no longer exist. Even the fear of death would no longer be a problem, simply have a friend turn back time if something bad were to happen and you would once again walk the earth. Although at first glance the thought of time travel seems like a great idea, looking closer reveals the negatives.
Now let#DY#s take a look at a common MMO, in which the tables are turned. Death is simply a setback for your goal of ultimate power, there are rarely repercussions and even when there are they are never a big deal. Upon dying you simply resurrect and continue your journey, yet just like in real life the same rules apply, when there is no danger, there is no risk, and with no risk there is no experience. The irony is amazing, in our life we need risk to make us who we are, yet in a game risk is outlawed, as it is #DY#too hard or unfair#DY#. So as a developer, being all powerful and knowing things such as this, you would think that the sensible option would be to create a game with Perma-Death enabled, and as such create an entire new level of danger, suspense, and fear.
However, it is not that simple. The mere mention of Perma-Death in today#DY#s gaming society seems grounds for execution. The masses are hugely opposed to the idea, simply the thought of starting all over again when you die is considered treason to the MMO King, and punishable by a slow and painful forum death as you burn in the flame-post wrath of society. Yet it is these same people that are opposed to the idea of the opposite in real life, as it saps what makes us human. It baffles the mind... well it baffles my mind, and I think it#DY#s time we took another look at Perma-Death in MMOs, and what can be done to make it a more acceptable idea.
Now I think it is important to first begin by saying that Perma-Death in our current MMOs would be a terrible idea. These games are not created for a Perma-Death environment, and I think it is this simple misconception that is the cause of all the hate for the idea. Applying Perma-Death to WoW for example simply wouldn#DY#t work, no one would play and rightly so the game isn#DY#t designed that way. But what if a game were designed with Perma-Death in mind? What if this game was built on completely different rules to the games we know now? What I#DY#d like to achieve here is to create a more open mindset towards Perma-Death, instead of all mention of it being shot down simply because people are applying it to the current situation.
There are so many new and exciting things developers could do make a persistent world MMO a fun place for a Perma-Death environment, and by including it create a game with actual fear of death, and real suspense. Imagine the difference dueling another player would hold, no more random duels with every other player, these duels would mean something! People would come to watch as two players battled one another to the death. Imagine how much courage you would be need to accept a duel yourself, only the confident need apply!
Every single feeling we get currently in an MMO would be multiplied by a thousand, running for your life from a dangerous monster would see your heart racing and your palms sweating, and getting saved by another player would make you so thankful you could cry. Hell, rewarding that player with gold may seem like a much easier thing to do if he has literally just saved your life.
Most importantly of all, change is needed now more than ever. MMOs are becoming staler by the day, with thousands of clones and horrible adaptations released a year anyone who plays an MMO should be starting to feel the burn. We want something new, something fresh, we want to feel like we did when we played our first MMO again, lost and afraid of the horrors ahead, but hungry for adventure!
So please, if you can spare the time post below not only your opinion, but also your ideas. What could be done to make an MMO that is Perma-Death friendly? It needs to be hard, but also fair, there is no use making a game just like the thousands before it but with Perma-Death available, it simply wouldn#DY#t be enjoyable. Think also of the option for replay ability, what could be done to make an MMO enjoyable to second and third time around? Could we keep some skills? Maybe we could include special items that can be carried through the afterlife and into the new body? With enough support and interest into the idea of Perma-Death we could soon have a game to play that includes it, something new, something fresh... something exciting again!
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[Editor:Stella]
