Darren over at the ‘common sense gamer’ put up an intersting discussion regarding Age Of Conan and its rating and essentailly the implications of this.
As with all things that generally relate to Strangelands I thought now would be a good time to see what type of rating you would aim for when thinking of designing a Mmorpg.
Personally I never really have put much stock in the rating system, as those who will play it will play it regardless of wether or not it is rated for there age grp of not.
Is that a good thing ? Well this is not a discussion on the neglect of parents to play active roles in the kids gaming lives .. however I’m sure the game companies are not overly fussed if they sell more games providing they put in place systems to ‘restrict’ those who are not old to play the game. Now we all Know how effective that is ….
Any way back on topic. If you were given the option to design a mmorpg woudl you go for a more mature theme ? how far would you be confortable in pushing the envelope in game development ?
In regards to strangelands and its theme of dreams, how far would you push the envelope. We all know how fun, XXX, or terrifying dreams can be. So what do you think would be right for Strangelands … would this be better as kid orientated game, or aim for the mature audience and create yourself a niche market …
Personally I would take it as far as I could to fall in just below the mature rating. I always envisioned Strangelands to be a dark fantasy mutlit genre expereince that is exciting as it can be disturbing, nothing better than things that go bump in the night ….
Have at it all
Like you, I don’t put much thought into the rating. I guess when I see an MMO, I assume that it will be either Teen or Everyone (most likely teen though,) except in the case of AoC because they’ve made it a big issue, I think T suits MMO’s the best, but like you said, pushing the boundaries.
If Toontown Online didn’t suck, I’d play it. Rating means jack. The proof is in the pudding.
I respect parents’ need to be informed of what they’re kids are playing, and being asked to facilitate that knowledge certainly doesn’t seem intrusive or an unreasonable burden. So I respect the *theory* of a rating system, but even a good one tends to be very inefficient and occasionally inaccurate. Demos and reviews are better at informing parents.
Anyway, I doubt ratings have much effect on game sales. It ultimately boils down to what sort of content appeals to your target audience.
I’m usually in favor of making small sacrifices to approach the widest possible audience. If you can accomplish the same goal in a different way, then do it. Otherwise, you’re probably just being stubborn and not really adding any value to the experience. You can do that and make a Mature-rated game at the same time.
Even kids and casual gamers can enjoy a mature game if it’s “double-coded”, as Damion Schubert would say. Include content for multiple audiences.
Just don’t throw anything into the game only to chafe at traditions you don’t understand or agree with. If you’re going to rebel, rebel thoughtfully and for the right reasons.
“Just don’t throw anything into the game only to chafe at traditions you don’t understand or agree with. If you’re going to rebel, rebel thoughtfully and for the right reasons.”
Very good comment, and for their part I think Funcom is following this. They’re going “gorey and sexy” because that’s what the books were flavored with. Hell it’s even what the Ahnuld movies were flavored with. Conan’s all about power, blood, sex, and booze.
But if Funcom or its fans think for one second an M rating will help avoid the children in their game… they’re dead wrong.
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An AO rating on consoles is a near deathblow these days, example: Manhunt 2. An AO rating on the PC, to me, will severely limit the audience.
A lot of gamers will pass on AO games because of outward concerns; they have children, younger siblings, etc. etc. Other adult gamers just pass on AO titles, because it is not their thing.
There is a niche market there and AoC seems to be gearing specifically for that. If they build with the idea that they have a limited audience, the game can do fine. But if they are plugging in tons of money and expecting a huge subscriber base, they are fooling themselves.
I suspect AoC will achieve EVE Online type numbers, but in a couple years they will be down in the 50k subscriber range.
I totally agee, Heartless. I think it’s ok to aim for a niche market. I think smart developers will find a lot of room for success if they manage their budgets well and accurately predict the eventual size of their market.
If AoC ends up with Eve-ish subscriber numbers, 100-200k, I’d bet they’re making money. Sure, everyone would like to have Blizzard numbers, but I think Blizzard designs differently than a lot of other companies, most notably with system requirements.
Funcom can’t be thinking they’ll have a huge audience with a mature title, so I’d bet they’re smart about how much they’ve spent and how much they expect to recoup.
Pixey, I think developers should push niche ideas, as long as they’re realistic about the size of their audience. I think a more mature milieu is worth exploring for sure. I’d love to see developers realize that you don’t need massive subscriber numbers to make an engaging world and make a bit of profit as well. Other businesses have a range of options, from super stores to boutique shops, and they all manage to make profits. You have big chain restaurants with the same food in every city, and you have chefs that own their own small restaurants and can experiment a lot more. I hope mmo’s head in the same direction.