Yet there is still a lot of potential for growth for leveling characters. One means would be to link character stories into the world story by using both character background (as discussed above) and in-game actions as a means for characters to influence, join, and be influenced by NPC factions. As I've beaten the faction dead-horse for the past two articles, I won't delve here any further.
Another method of making the game more real on an individual level would be the inclusion of goal setting. We start doing this in real life at an early age, moving from such childhood ambitions as "I want to be a policeman when I grow up" to dreams of buying a car, owning a house, or taking a vacation in a particularly exotic corner of the world. Expanding on the achievement concept, games could allow players to set one or two goals for themselves that are not related to the leveling grind. The goals could relate to exploration, PvP, factional reputation, wealth accumulation, mercantile acumen, and so on. They should take many levels to complete and, once finished, would include a reward and the ability to choose a new goal. While only a small step from what currently exists, this could have far reaching impact because it encourages and rewards players for stepping beyond the grinding rigmarole of leveling and to truly explore their game world. It also has a perk for the devs. They put a lot of effort into little things that are often times missed or given little credence. Goals can push players out of heavily camped areas to see and do other things that the world has to offer.
The final phase of character life is the end-game. Personally, I don't usually get there. Only rarely have I maxed out on character level and by them I'm usually in the mood to move on and see what other games have to offer. Because of that, I don't have as many insights on this phase of gaming life as I do on the others. However, it does make sense that much of the same influences of leveling can apply at the end-game. There are two major changes at this stage: the end of experience gain and the evening of the playing field as all players freeze at the final level. Yet achievements and goal setting can continue as before. It also would make sense to have a whole new level of talents or traits that unlock only at the ultimate level. Recognition is a valuable tool throughout the life of a character, but is especially important at the endgame. In some measure, recognition is being meted out in games, but there is greater potential here through the awarding of rare titles, trophies, and global announcements.
Character stories differ from world stories in the sense that they are more personal. World stories gain their importance by being dynamic and changeable by players. Character stories, however, are rooted in individuality and personal recognition. The possibilities for character stories are vast and most of the ideas noted here have been done before in other venues, such as pen-and-paper and single player computer RPGs. Others are simple steps from what exists today. The particular power of the character story is that when players become more vested in their characters, they are much more likely to stick around the game to see what they can become.
A brief aside on World-Stories:
This article is already a fair amount larger than most, but I wanted to take a paragraph to comment on a new example of world-story I've witnessed in the past week. I refer to the Halloween fest on WoW and, in particular, the zombie raids on settlements. Basically what happened is that zombies attack NPCs and characters alike, infecting them and turning them into zombies as well. Because of a protracted incubation period, the zombie disease has the potential to leap cities and spread like wildfire. While this is a fleeting and far from permanent incident, it readily displays what is possible even with older games. Those who are so inclined could allow themselves to be infected and then travel to highly populated areas while the disease was still incubating. Once they became zombies, they were able to infect others and rally NPC zombies to support their assaults. This is a fantastic example of the possibility for players to interact directly with NPCs on a small scale and actually make a tangible change (be it ever so brief) to the world they live in.
