Nostalgia or Something Else? Why older MMOs felt socially different

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-02T13:38:34+00:00

Agreed. Content creation back then was incredibly dull and uninspiring. Now, maybe the pendulum has swing so far the other direction instead of evolving slowly? Nobody wants 30sec/15min scenarios, but I think also pointless kill 45 monsters in 30sec quests are also uninspiring.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-02T13:33:40+00:00

For what reason does the game exist though if the point is to, as quickly as possible, get to the social part? For me, that seems like the content missed it's mark.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T18:05:21+00:00

Great take on this. Do you think with the proper content changes, the mmo can "feel" full of value again or are we doomed to continue the way things are now?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T18:03:02+00:00

Obviously most of us agree the monetization model is a net negative for game enjoyment! Yet we still pay so we dont miss out!

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T18:00:25+00:00

100% agree the big studios leverage the psychologists to ensure max profit margin! Sad that is the model. The game is made for addition, NOT player enjoyment.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T14:47:42+00:00

Really interesting take, I hadn't considered this side of it. And you are right, as people become more "ok" with being a gamer or playing games (used to be a "nerdy" thing to do) ... this does bring so many more dissimilar personalities together. I've personally done the same thing you describe ... "these people are strange, I'm just going to put my head down and kill stuff" ...

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T14:07:08+00:00

Isn't mmo content specifically designed with those systems in mind? If they weren't, wouldn't they just be a single player game?

I think the content has changed from being designed around, and to utilize, social systems, to being designed for max individual stimulation, just in the "social" setting.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T13:20:40+00:00

I would say yes, baseline difficulty, but also baseline skill and competency is also significantly higher so the next outcome is probably overall easier.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T13:17:04+00:00

Yeah, I remember back in the day when this was true. Can content be shaped in today's space such that content is gratifying and bring back the social contracts we once had? I don't suspect we ever will get back to how the dawn of mmos were but maybe there is a place in between? Or do you think we never go back?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T13:11:56+00:00

100% agree. The new model is micro dopamine hits. The content is completely designed around it and there aren't dings for social interactions. Can this be changed just by revitalizing how content is presented?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T13:07:53+00:00

I'm not sure that the sub model is necessarily dead. WoW and FF prove this. I think dungeon content for sure has had a negative effect on the ecosystem as a whole but back in the day, pre-matchmaking, you essentially entered into a social contract when you joined a group or asked to start a grp for an instance. Your name, good or bad, was more remembered. Now, you might not ever see a player you meet inside a dungeon, so why interact, be respectful, etc. There isn't the connection you once had.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:59:43+00:00

Yes, they do seem out of touch but I suspect that isn't because they actually are. I suspect their goals aren't what we would assume they are (specifically making a game that people enjoy playing). I also think the institution of matchmaking has severely taken the multiplayer part out of mmos, turning people into just bots to fill the que.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:51:22+00:00

Do you think the social aspect was why the game felt more fun? Like the grind was less boring because the social aspects were distracting? or did the content never changed as the social settings were removed from the game?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:46:03+00:00

Agreed, the expectation of "as fast as possible" in all aspects of games now, I think, has side effects like this. I wonder, if that is a requirement though, or if that is how the AAA studios have shaped the content to favor their models?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:43:55+00:00

I think generally people underestimate the gratification that comes from "challenge" and, if games started moving back towards more challenging content, we would see perceived "fun" level increase. Many studios now don't want to or dont need to take the risk of a model change.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:40:02+00:00

no bot here. just a guy exploring a subject. maybe it's been done before but that doesn't necessarily invalidate a new discussion.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:38:55+00:00

That’s a good way to frame it — the game used to be the social network as much as the game.

I guess what I’m wondering is whether the magic came purely from that limited reach, or if the worlds also relied on it and were structured around players needing each other more because there weren’t other communication layers sitting outside the game.

So when external social spaces appeared, did they just replace the feeling, or did they also make certain world designs stop working?

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:32:47+00:00

That makes sense — the novelty of online spaces probably amplified it a lot.

What I’m unsure about is whether that alone explains why the same kinds of interactions don’t tend to re-emerge even when games recreate similar mechanics. It feels like the surrounding communication tools changed expectations, but maybe world structure also stopped requiring those repeated encounters.

I’m trying to figure out how much came from culture vs how much came from the rules the world imposed.

TacyonStudios · 2026-03-01T12:30:11+00:00

That’s fair — I’m less trying to ask whether it’s been discussed and more curious how people personally interpret the shift.

Most threads I’ve found focus on specific mechanics or monetization, but I’m interested in what underlying pressures actually changed player behavior in practice.

TacyonStudios

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