News Article
Spore Evolving the Face of Gaming
By Erin Osborne
The highly anticipated game Spore is due to release on September 5th to the European market and to even the most skeptical and devout gamers there is an element of curiosity about Maxis’ latest venture. Never has the interaction between players been so complicated and intertwined. Has Maxis created a new genre altogether or is this simply another version of the standard style? Could adopting a Spore-like approach bring in a new market to massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming?
What creator Will Wright has called a “massively single-player online game”may be the genesis of a completely new genre. It allows users to alter and modify their own universes, playing god with both their worlds and creatures. Choices directly affect the path evolution takes in the world and once reaching the final phase of development, are pitted against others for domination. The gamer works independently within the game yet interacts online through a complex system that automatically shares creatures and objects. Creatures are placed in other gamers worlds based on their design popularity, determined by user downloads. A player interacts with the world at large before even reaching the final level.
Spore allows the player to remain in a single-player setting, the only interaction from others being that of the online sharing system. They have the choice to move to the level of direct multiplayer action but can easily play forever without it. This may ease those unfamiliar with multiplayer online gaming into playing with others. For example, the target demographic for The Sims may feel daunted at the idea of entering a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Though the concept of “Game X” may seem interesting to the customer, it could be that their perception of multiplayer interaction is enough to stop them from buying it. Having the game remain single-player and allowing them the option to join multiplayer action may ease this fear and open the door to a wider target audience.
Anyone familiar with MMOs will know that this is not an entirely new concept, but has never been done to Spore’s scale. Instances can best be described as copies of the existing game. Brought to its basic level, an instance shifts the game from multiplayer to a single-player like scenario. There is no contact from other real life players in these instances (other than choosing to complete it in a group) and therefore operates similarly to single-player games.
One of the only statistical sources of online game data states that as of 2008 there were just over 16 million active MMO subscriptions.Clearly there is scope for growth and keep in mind that 2007 game retail sales reached $17.94billion in the United States alone.Comparing the amount of money spent in the industry to the amount of subscribers, it can only make one wonder if there are so many people paying for these games, why have the structures been so limited. With slight variations, most of these games follow the same rough configuration.
Everquest operates totally in multiplayer form while some try to intersperse the instances, as in World of Warcraft. Both these titles contain quests in the multiplayer world where, annoyingly, it is possible for other players to steal quest items or kill the designated foe. It also can create in-game congestion in popular spots and having too many players in one area can slow game play to a crawl. This subsequent behavior and affects can certainly exclude new players.
Age of Conan’s first 20 levels shift back and forth between single-player and multiplayer simply by changing the time of day. By choosing to play the game during night, the user is essentially entering an instance. Altering play to daytime brings the player back to a traditional MMO style. This eases the learning curve for a new gamer, allowing them to dabble in both types as they wish. Another form can be seen in Guild Wars in which the majority of quests are instanced but the quest collection area is open to all players. The obvious cooperative nature of this game will be quite daunting to any unseasoned player regardless of the quest structure.
It must be added that with a few exceptions, most of these games can be soloed successfully and grouping is not required. Creators also take time to provide tutorials and are adequate to eventually familiarize a new player. What Spore promises to do is reach new players straight from the store shelf, appealing to their single-player mindset and slowly working them into a new genre they may have never tried otherwise.
With the release on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Spore will alter the world of MMOG’s. Perhaps this is the very style that will double the 16 million subscribers and break the market wide open, appealing to players across the demographic board. Only with the success or failure of Spore can we begin to predict the next step.
Eurogamer Interviews Will Wright Retrieved: 14/08/2008
MMOGChart Retrieved: 14/08/2008
MSNBC Retrieved: 14/08/2008