A Player's Rant at Gamerifts.com

GameRifts has an editorial up titled "A Player's Rant" from Koranis, regarding the changes MMO Games are taking, and how the players' expectations are getting put on the back burner.

So, we come to today. With no less than 5 MMOG's on the near horizon, do I have the faith to try yet again? Is there a development team out there with the brass balls to stick to their guns and release a finished product? Or are we doomed to always accept that purchasing the box automatically enters us into the final phase of beta testing? By definition, could we sue Sony Online Entertainment, Origin, and Funcom for back wages?

In the 8+ years of MMO gaming experience I have acquired, the quality of workmanship going into these games has steadily decreased. It's a syndrome I see more and more of on game forums. People actually expect this kind of treatment by MMOG developers! They don't seem to expect to get a finished product for their money. Would you go to McDonalds and be happy with a Big Mac that didn't have any meat? What about buying a car without an engine, or passenger seats, or tires? All you're getting with MMOGs today is an empty shell. In some cases, these games never get fixed. In other cases, it can take six months to a year for the game to reach a 'finished' state. In no other business can you sell a half finished product and expect full payment. Or any payment for that matter.

Where are we headed with MMOs? You can read the full article at gamerifts.com. Discuss this editorial in our forum.